Home Bio Articles Books Photography Awards Past Programs Current Programs Contact/Agent
		Travel Outdoors Business Conservation Profiles Press Issues
				“Venezuelan Retreat” Hooked on fishing, Beaches and Mountain scenery The Dallas Morning News By Phil H. Shook Just 15 miles offshore from this 400-year-old colonial seaport lies the top of an undersea mountain known as La Guaira Bank. The year around it attracts massive schools of baitfish that in turn draw migrations of sailfish and marlin. The prolific big-game fishery - where any day of the year it's possible for an angler to record a "grand slam" catch of a sailfish, white marlin and blue marlin - also draws armadas of sleek-lined, tournament-rigged Bertrams, Hatterases and Chris Crafts. During one of the peak fishing periods from September through December, the yachts focus on an area not much large than a football field to troll live baits. If you are lucky and have booked ahead, you might get a charter with the renowned Venezuelan captain, Alejandro "Alex" Gonzales, whose Sangre Azul is docked at Safari Caribe's Angler's Club. Alejandro, known as "Capitan Maravilla," or Captain Marvelous, among the international angling set, is a study of concentration on the billfish grounds. Planted next to the fighting chair, often in 4- to 6-foot swells, he works the rods rigged to catch the live bonito used for bait, sets the spread of up to six trolled billfish baits, and gives hand signals to his mate on the bridge when the boat backs down on a runaway blue marlin. If an angler is lucky enough to achieve the grand slam during the day, there is no reason not to go back out at night with heavier tackle to try for a swordfish and the rare "super grand slam." To the beach Visitors to La Guaira will find, however, that a visit to this Caribbean port is more than blues, whites, sails and swords. Just on the other side of the mountain from bustling Caracas, a city of towering skyscrapers and 5 million people, tranquil La Guaira offers a number of attractive beaches and adventurous side trips for the non-angler members of the family. And while the 1-hour ride out to the billfish grounds offers a spectacular view of the beachfront and 5,000-foot Avila Mountain, other yacht tours are available from La Guaira's two luxury hotels for short sightseeing excursions. The seaside vistas are as enchanting as in any other tropical resort, but some of the public beaches do not have the sugary-white, carefully tended look that American tourists are accustomed to finding at their doorstep at other Caribbean destinations. The Carbelleda Beach near the resort hotels at Macuto and nearby beaches at Ocumara de la Costa and Cata are amont the more beautiful on this stretch of the Caribbean. Strung out like a coral necklace between a mountain range and the sea is a diverse and colorful beachfront community. In addition to serving as the seaside retreat for the Venezuelan president, La Guaira is the site for hundreds of mountainside ranchitas, the concrete block homes of refugees from less prosperous neighboring countries. A stroll along the Macuto beachfront on a sultry tropical morning in November is reminiscent of a passage from a Carlos Fuentes novel: "La Guaira is like a vine that keeps clawing its way up the face of the mountain to escape the unbearable heat of the coast." Indeed, the ranchitas capture the sea breezes and a commanding view of the Caribbean. Tenement-like in appearance during the day, at night their single white lightbulbs strung across the mountain give the dwellings the look of a Caribbean Riviera. Beef and seafood Hotels and restaurants provide lively South American entertainment at night with European and American travelers shoulder to shoulder with the crews of international flag carriers. Venezuelan beef and freshly caught seafood are among the specialties at local restaurants. Anglers fortunate enough to bring back a dorado, the dolphin fish, from the day's fishing can get it grilled and served at the cookery. La Gabarra and Aimara, which provide free transportation from the nearby hotels, offer lobster served in a pineapple. While liquor and beer are reasonably priced, winds can be very expensive unless you select one of the very good Chilean or argentine vintages. Remember, this is not Mexico; there is no tequila and a request for enchiladas will bring you a serving of hot sauce, not a tortilla filled with meat and cheese. Instead of a margarita, celebrate the day's catch with a Cuba libre made with Venezuelan rum and the ever-present Pepsi Cola. If you like good Venezuelan rum, take a few small bottles of Ron anejo Cacique home with you. An artist with a shop near the Sheraton Macuto Hotel will paint an attractive Venezuelan landscape on the bottle to commemorate your visit. Out of town In addition to the shopping and sightseeing in nearby Caracas, the visitor to La Guaira can embark on a number of other tours of one day or less. A four-wheel drive vehicle is the mode of transportation to Galipan, a mountainside garden where flower farmers cultivate roses, tulipan and margaritas (the flower, not the cocktail) and craftsmen carve stone statures. An hour and a half drive from La Guaira on a paved road that winds through the mountains is the German village of Colonia Tovar. More than a century and a half ago, refugees left Germany bringing much of their culture with them. Isolated for years, their descendants are as fair-haired and blue-eyed as their ancestors in Bavaria. German bread and sausages are available to visitors. Back in :La Guaira, a stroll through the old colonial section of Venezuela's most important port city will reward the visitor with the sight of schoolchildren mingling among flower stalls. Venezuela's first trading company, restored at its original site, stands watch over the city's main thoroughfare. When it is time to leave from nearby Maiquetia Airport, toast your new-found friends with a salud. And remember, in Venezuela, it's ciao, not adios. January 20, 1991