A long walk in a beautiful place

Right next to the state where I live, Aragua, there’s another state called Guárico. About an hour and a few minutes from where I live, as you enter it, the first town you come to is San Juan de los Morros. So, on an outing with our friends to visit a nearby area, we passed through San Juan de los Morros and saw the Morros in the distance—this time covered in greenery. As far as I can remember, this was the first time I’d ever seen them with vegetation.

I have to say, these mountains are quite a sight to behold, and even though they seemed to be visible only from a distance from where I was standing, it was still quite a spectacle. It amazes me how a rocky mountain can appear out of nowhere, so all along the way to our destination—which was about two hours away—we had the Morros in the background. The craziest part is that this trip, which was a bit long in my opinion, was to reach a place that’s part of Aragua State.

The place is called Padrillal, and we spent the whole day there. The truth is that the hike was long—I took a little over 20,000 steps—but it was one of those hikes you really enjoy because everything around you is rural; even though the sun is out, there are so many trees that sometimes you don’t even feel it, which really makes the hike feel easy and enjoyable.

​However, I’ll admit that we made the mistake of bringing heavy backpacks. Sure, we had our lunch, some snacks, and water in them. But the backpacks were really heavy because, since we were going to be out there all day, we brought plenty of water. The weight made us get a little more tired—or at least my back hurt a bit from the bag—but it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed by stopping for a moment and setting the bags down to rest.

I can say that this hike was very different from the ones I usually go on. It was a little more challenging because I did it in a place I’d never visited before. Throughout the day, although we made a few stops to hydrate, eat, and regain our strength, we actually covered almost the entire area. In the end, when it was getting late, a friend came to pick us up in his truck to take us back home.

​I have to say it was a really enjoyable experience. It’s always great to discover new places, especially when they have such beautiful views, as was the case here. I really liked the area with all its lush vegetation, and above all, I loved exploring a new place—which definitely reaffirmed my belief that you always get to know a place much better on foot. A good hike through an area lets you appreciate it so much more.