Dabajuro – Santa Rita - 137 km
Nothing much happened during the day and we pushed on, reaching Lago de
Maracaibo (the largest lake in South America) in the late afternoon. Venezuela gets
nearly all its oil from underneath this surprisingly picturesque lake. In our hunt to
find a spot to pitch the tents, a lakeside restaurant looked like the perfect place.
The owners were busy closing and allowed us to sleep inside the restaurant, on the
deck overlooking the lake.
Later, the owner handed us each a cold drink and no sooner, two plates of food
arrived. How exceedingly generous the Venezuelans were.
Santa Rita - San Rafael del Mojan - 77 km
The only way of crossing the Tablazo Strait was via the General Rafael Urdaneta
Bridge (Lake Maracaibo is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by the Tablazo Strait).
The bridge was 8.7 kilometres long and cycling across was prohibited.
Thus, the single way across was to hitch a ride with a friendly Venezuelan. Finding a
ride turned out surprisingly simple and even though the man drove like a bat out of
hell, I still managed to snap a shot or two. Our kind Samaritan dropped us on the
opposite side of the bridge, from where we could continue toward the Colombian
border.
The route changed direction and came with a strong headwind as our path turned
more northerly.
In San Rafael del Mojan, the beer store owner escorted us to a guesthouse at the
beach, which turned out inexpensive.