Monday: What a difference a day makes! Having spent my first full day and night in Playa Colorada (definately in my top 3 best beaches du monde) and things are looking up : ) Already Alice and I have experienced some great Latin American/Caribbean food (fresh fried grouper, shellfish cerviche, buttery arapas and goooorgeous empanadas), watched a stunning sunset- cerveza (beer) in hand, paddled kayaks out to the island to see where Leap volunteers will be doing their beach conservation, snorkelled in the coral reefs, joined local kids leaping off rocks into a freezing river and even abseiled down a 30m waterfall….all in a days work for a Leap employee!

Taking a break from paddle-mania!

Taking a break from paddle-mania!

The trip out to Arapo island to see the Leapers beach was fantastic, if slightly sweaty (I think we’ve ruled out kayaking as a main mode of transport for Leapers on this phase- yes it may be the most environmentally friendly way to travel but in 32 degrees the motor boats are so much more appealing!). It took about an hour each way to paddle out and boy was it worth the effort. Arapo Islands are the closest to Playa Colorada and are made up of 2 small islands with a cluster of fishing families living on each, a sandy spit  called “La Piscina” (because of the swimming pool-like turqouise waters that surround it- duh!) and a cluster of rocks covered in marine birds called “El Gato” and “Raton” (Spanish for the cat and the rat, because of their shape). Absolutely stunning. They are part of the Mochima National Park, a collection of about 160 islands and a beautiful stretch of the rainforest covered mainland. It’s a marine environment in desperate need of conservation.

La Piscina

La Piscina- paradise

The Cat and The Rat- and assorted Boobies (local birds if you're wondering!)

The Cat and The Rat- and assorted Boobies (local birds if you're wondering!)

Mochima National Park is visited by a large number of Venezuelan tourists each weekend who whilst enjoying the natural beauty of the area leave a huge amount of litter and damage coral with the anchors from their boats. The park rangers recieve very little funding from the government to manage this issue and there is next to no education of the local population about conservation issues and the impact of their behaviour on the environment. We plan to change this (or at least affect change in Playa Colorada) by having Leapers spend 3 weeks of their placement renovating a beautiful beach on Arapo Island called Playa Melisa, restoring existing shelters, building bins – and controlling them, clearing garbage and tidying up the beach including near-by reefs, creating a public footpath up the hill to a view point, and focusing largely on educating the general public and promotion of the environmental issues in question. Phew!

Playa Melisa before The Leap clear-up project (watch this space!)

Playa Melisa before The Leap clear-up project (watch this space!)

The plan is for Playa Melisa to become a model for the development of other beaches in the Mochima National Park and to get local people and visitors taking some pride in their environment. All this plus volunteering at the Jakera Club- an after school centre for local kids- will make the first 5 weeks of Leapers Venezuelan experience truly unforgettable!

All this and it’s still only Monday….more to come tomorrow : )