Venezuela is a beautiful country in South America with many incredible places to visit. In Venezuela we don’t have the four seasons like we have in the United States. Instead we have two; rainy season and dry season, but usually the weather is very tropical and humid. We enjoyed this warm weather and it was the reason why we were always at the ocean or going to the beach and visiting the many different island or lakes. When I was a child, I used to go with my family to the dock nearby where people docked their different boats. My father was one of those people. He used to have a little boat and he would take my mother, brother, and I for a ride every weekend or holiday. The name of that boat was ‘’Deila”, it was named after my mother. My mom didn’t like to ride the boat that much because she always got seasick, but my father used to love fishing and took us with him. He would also take us to the bay and dock the boat close to the shore, where we would have fun with the other families of our small town who were also at the bay. I remember one day my father’s friends invited us to an island. We had to go to this town called Chichiriviche in the state of Falcon,Venezuela, which was a three hour car ride away from my town. The town supplied us with everything we needed to go to this island. If we needed to buy something, get gas to fill up the boat’s tank, or eat, we could before starting our amazing and unforgettable adventure with my family and my dad’s friends. We dropped the boat in the dock and we were ready to go to an island called ‘Cayo Sombrero’.
The ride we took to the island was something I had never experienced before. When we finally took off, I could feel the salty breeze in my face and the strong sun on my skin. The smell of the ocean in my nose and the sound of the boat’s motor with the waves was so beautiful. I closed my eyes and put my head up to feel the wind going through my hair. When I opened my eyes, I turned my head back to see how far we had come and the only thing I could see was the blurred image of the town, so far away that it looked like a flat,small mountain. The ride was almost half an hour long and we had to drive in between this canal and we were finally there. I could see the island called ‘Cayo Sombrero’ from far away. It was incredible. The closer we got to the island, the more I could see. There were a number of boats by the shore, a ton of different camps, and the island was filled with people who were swimming, water skiing, snorkeling and having so much fun. When I first heard about the island, I thought there was nothing to do there, but I was wrong. I watched the people on this island playing volleyball, taking in the sun, walking on the beach, and even having barbecues on the beach. When I looked down to the sea, I saw the coral and small fish swimming around us everywhere before looking back up at the island when we finally arrived to the shore.
When we arrived at Cayo Sombrero, my father threw the anchor to stop the boat and my brother and I immediately knew what was next. We jumped into the clear, salty water and began to play. There were so many things you could do on the island, like snorkeling, swimming, and so many more things I had never did before. I wanted to try them all, especially since the water felt so amazing. I felt as if I never wanted to leave this place. While my parents were at the boat talking to the friends they brought along, I sat at the shore and began making a castle out of sand. Around me were other kids who were running around, walking along the waves, or collecting different seashells they found. Many of the kids were playing with the crabs, and I started to as well. As they crawled back into the water we would stop them by placing little sticks or twigs we found in front of, which was very fun. I spent the entire day playing around and before I knew it the sun started to set.
Usually when the sun begins to set, we think it is time for a break and to go to sleep. But on the island, it wasn’t like that. During the time we spent camping out on the island, we ate a bunch of different food and when it started to get dark outside, my brother and I walked over to our father who found an octopus under a rock. We started to look for more octopus and we found a few. On the island, my father taught us how to make the octopus as soft enough so we can eat them. I can’t remember whether or not I tried the octopus, but I do know I helped look for them. The fisherman on the island came from a little town called Chichiriviche and brought containers full of shrimp, octopus, and different things to sell.
The next day was even better than the first. I couldn’t even sleep. I just laid there, waiting for the sun to rise so I could jump into the water again and start playing. I could never get tired of it. We ended up taking a ride to the other islands nearby like Cayo Morrocoy (Morrocoy is the name of a turtle) and Cayo San Juan. The islands were just as fun as the first one and I learned so many new things on our trip, like what to do when I got stung by a jellyfish. During the trip, I ended getting stung by a jellyfish and I still remember what my father taught me to do. He taught me to go over to the sand and rub some against my skin to create friction. I’d have to rub the sand on the spot where the jellyfish stung me to take away the gross saliva. I never forgot about this, especially since getting stung by a jellyfish was really common. Year after year, we would visit Cayo Sombrero with my brother, cousins, and friends and that place is very important to me. It is my paradise. To this day, I wish I could take my kids there to visit instead of going to the beaches here in New Jersey. I believe Cayo Sombrero is a spectacular place that everyone should visit at least once. It is one of the most amazing places where you just relax and enjoy the nature. After my house in Venezuela, it means the most.
