So the second reason for choosing to come to Venezuela is the hard fact that it is the only country to top the Miss World contest with 6 wins and it's in 2nd place overall in the Miss Universe competition with 7 wins. The first reason was to meet some of my family but more on that later.

Like any respectable male I first went in search of Miss Venezuela and came within sniffing distance of her apparently. At the Angel Falls I was in a truck and saw some beautiful girls passing by to whom I gave my best "Hola Bonita!" eyes. To which they all replied with their "Get lost you weirdo" eyes and I don't think my drooling helped me much! Unfortunately they didn't hop on our bus and our guide informed us later that one of them was Miss World ... sooo close! Not to be put off I then continued my search and eventually got lucky in the Orinoco Delta as you can see in my photo on the left ... meeting Miss World 1938! Sat behind me is Mr Universe 1939. It's a romantic story of them both fleeing the limelight together for the jungle hence the happy smiles when I asked for a photo!!

As for Venezuela itself despite the recent bad press it is a beautiful country with friendly people and with the US$$$ it makes it an affordable place to visit. On the official currency market of 6B:$1 it has the second highest Big Mac index price of $7.15 (after Norway). Yet on the black market of B70:$1 it then has the lowest. $100 is B7000 in B50 bills...so I always looked like a player! Due to the poor government and availability of dollars to buy imports the country is in an economic turmoil - hence the huge disparity in rates. Nobody has money to buy goods so a lot of the shops are empty see the picture inside Zara below! Also supermarkets are rationing their food with 2 chickens per week etc. cars queue for 2 days to get new tyres and used tyres are more expensive than new tyres due to simple supply and demand. You queue in Venezuela for everything from banks, ATM's, bread, tills and petrol ... I remember seeing Russians queuing for goods years ago and couldn't believe it and here I am seeing and unfortunately experiencing it first hand. The only good thing is that they queue properly like a Brit ... the Indian way of pushing in could get nasty! The worst problems have been with medical equipment - patients families head to Colombia to buy surgical supplies so that their operations can happen! People are not staring at your designer handbag but that you have milk and sugar in your shopping bags - this season's 'must have' item! The other crazy thing in all of this is the cost of gasoline. My car holds 60L and costs me $130 to fill up in London. Here it would cost me U$1 at the official rate and U$0.1 at the black market rate. It's practically free! The issue is that car parts and oil are all imported so protests go on about availability of these items to keep your car running. American flights into the country have now reduced from 10 per day to 1. I have been lucky enough to spend some time here with my cousins Marisol and Gilberto to understand and see what life is like in Venezuela. Also for those living in Caracas not only can you not buy milk but you also have the highest murder rate in the world to deal with. The blacked out windows on cars (including front screen) are to hide you from hijackers not protect you from the sun. Also if you run your own business you also run the risk of it being nationalised. In Margarita, boat company's, hotels and restaurants are all randomly taken and given back to 'Chavistas'. We've have already seen what happened in Zimbabwe when things were nationalised and it didn't always go that well!

Despite all of this I have had a great time here and wish I could spend more in Venezuela. World News has highlighted political and violent issues and in some cases you can't really go out after 8pm as it's unsafe yet I have been to some cool places over last few weeks and hardly scratched the surface. I write all this uncomfortable stuff from the comfort of my cousin's air conditioned apartment drinking a lovely Chilean Chardonnay so I am seeing everything here through rose tinted glasses bought with my US Dollars. But other travellers I met have also said the same things. Don't take my word for it and come visit, but be quick before all the goods fly off the shelves!

As I said the main reason for coming to Venezuela has been to meet some cousins for the first time ever. A brief family history ... My Opa's (grandfather) name is Helmut Frederick Wilheim Von Seggern. During WWII he left Germany and went to South West Africa (a German colony now Namibia) and in South Africa was then interned by the British Army as a POW. Upon the war ending he then moved back to SW Africa. He had 3 girls with my Oma one of which is my mother (Monica). My Opa's brother Elu instead came to Venezuela and strangely also had 4 girls - the possible end of the Von Seggern name! My grandparents last came to Venezuela 50 years ago and no other Von Seggern (from my side) has come to visit until now! I wanted to reconnect with my cousins as communication has been very limited as well as wanted to learn more about the Von Seggern family history. My fabulous hosts Marisol and Gilberto whom I have never met have been amazing (they have 2 sons the same age as my brother and I and they are both accountants - it must be in the Von Seggern blood as my Opa also had his own accounting practice!) Like a true Von Seggern we dropped off my bags and then stocked the cooler box with rum and tonic...my new favorite drink and then went for a drive around the island. After queuing for 20 mins for bread at a supermarket we then needed another rum and tonic to get us home - as I said the perfect hosts! We have talked about the family, local views on life in Venezuela and also tasted the wonderful local cuisine. Like other Von Seggern's Marisol is a great cook making me homemade arepas, urchin and mango dessert. I will be trying a few new recipes on unsuspecting guests when I'm back in October! I have also spoken to many of my cousins and hope now that this is the start of  correspondence and visits in the future ... the beauty of Facebook! It has been a great way to end my Venezuela adventure.

Check out a photo below of my grandfather ... also a ginger (but with a full head of hair) any likeness???

Have you read "The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...a "Romancing The Stone" / Indiana Jones style adventure? The mountain portrayed in that is said to be Roraima and was my first stop and impression of Venezuela. It was my task over 6 days to summit it at 2810m, survey the top and return in one piece ... without any treasure, although there are crystal fields on top but its illegal to take any. After ignoring the warnings about being rainy season, the cold and puri-puri black flies that are worse than Mosquitos I set off with 8 others across beautiful savannahs and rivers before ascending through jungle and waterfalls to the flat top.

Camp life: Despite the rainy season we got lucky with mostly sunshine when walking. With warnings of cold I didn't take thermals so summit camp was spent drinking rum and zip-locked in my sleeping bag. As for the puri puri...they take no prisoners and go for all out attack! I got 10 bites (often bleeding) on my right foot within 15 mins as I forgot to spray below the ankles ... fellow trekkers legs and arms looked like a voodoo doll! Smaller and quieter than mosquitos they are the silent destroyers, the ninjas of the biting insect world! Otherwise camp life was good with good guides, good food and good company from all parts of the globe.

It was a visually stunning trek as every day you saw the flat top mountain in various shades of colour depending on sun or cloud. Had to cross numerous rivers to reach the camps with the final push walking underneath waterfalls with all your gear ... my trainers were soaked! The flat top and vistas to the Gran Sabana (including Guyana - known as the Zone Of Reclamation on Venezuela maps after us Brits took it and it's now independent) below was well worth it. On the top numerous pools, caves, quartz fields and unusual rock formations gave it a moon like landscape.

As I have mentioned before if you see me in a tent you have permission to kill me (as Sir Steve Redgrave once said) as I realised after night one why I hate camping! A small tent on hard ground. The only small print to my death sentence is that if I have a comfortable sleeping mat and big enough tent for my 6ft frame then I will do it. Bruised hips and sleepless nights were not what I signed up for.

Thanks to a gold prospector called Jimmy Angel flying around Venezuela the worlds tallest waterfall was discovered in 1937 when he crash landed on top of the Tepui near to the falls. Today illegal gold prospectors are still in the area but the main pull to Canaima are the falls.

There is only one way in and out and that is by plane...in my case a 6 seater Cessna for 50 mins. The landing is awesome as it comes over Canaima Lagoon...a series of smaller falls that provided an extra bonus to the area. These falls were super cool as we were able to walk behind them and see/feel the ferociousness and power of the water falling just c.30m...think what Angel Falls would feel like at 979m!

My first night provided much entertainment as I made friends with a British/US lad from the plane (fresh off on his 7 week hols and super keen for beers!). To set the scene the isolated town has 2500 residents for tourism and booze cannot be brought in as the locals get super lashed! There are 3 bars that we found although this discounts the airport (landing strip) as closes at 5.30. At the end of the crawl around the lake we found the main bar with the promise of 5 girls but it had just locals ... very very drunk locals. Turns out they were all local gold miners so rich (comparatively speaking) and bored on a Wednesday night! 2 of them could hardly stand yet didn't fall over ... I think the Latin dancing ability prevents that! Many Westerners came in and turned around but Paddy and I persisted along with another couple from the lodge. It soon emerged into a scene from "Shaun Of The Dead" but with drunk zombies. They spoke to us but we didn't understand a word. They also wouldn't leave us alone, our only escape was to pretend to be drunk zombies and blend in and walk away to the other side of the bar. This worked for a while until they caught on - finally the lights went out annoyingly without telling us Last Orders! The worst dude was thrown into a boat; another taken into the woods to sleep it off; and another simply lying down on the dance floor.

What is interesting about Canaima that surprised the Venezuela tourists is that you can use your iPhone to guide your journey home at 11pm and not get mugged/shot ... it can't happen anywhere else in Venezuela. Canaima has no police and relies on the local chief for mediating between the families.

Now the highlight is obviously the Angel falls and the only way there is a dug out canoe paddle for 4 hours upstream through rapids! Followed by an hour walk to the viewpoint and further 30 mins to the pools. This gave the adventure an Indiana Jones feel (turns out Harrison Ford has visited!). It was well worth it and what a sight seeing the falls with the longest interrupted drop of 807m. Even better when sharing with only 20 tourists all afternoon. The advantage of Venezuela right now! Chilling (and the water was cold) in the waters admiring the falls has to be up there with top things to do. We spent the night in hammocks by the river and got up for sunrise to admire the beauty of the falls once again. (Don't tell the Venezuelans but the Iguazu Falls tops the Palmer waterfall index!)

Next stop Orinoco Delta for 2 days. Same same but different to Amazon. An untouched more authentic jungle area than the Amazon although I did see fewer animals. As an experience it was great as I stayed in a quiet camp with max 3 of us. My private hut with open sides looked out onto the river. It was a lovely tranquil camp and the surrounding community huts gave it more of a remote, jungle feel. I saw parrots, howler monkeys, dolphins, toucans, bats, lizards and other birds. Tried again unsuccessfully to catch piranha but did eat some ... had bit of a bite!

Only downside to the jungle and more so than previous jungle areas have been the Mosquitos! I sprayed and wore long sleeves but these are super Mosquitos who bite through clothing...I reckon they are the SBS (Navy Seals if you're a yank) of the mosquito world - so my back and legs look blotchy and itch like a bad case of scabies! How do they get you between the fingers and toes when you're covered with 100% deet??

My final stop was Margarita Island in Eastern VZ and near to Trinidad and Tobago. A tax free island like Channel Islands (UK) or Canary Islands (Spain). A beautiful island with amazing beaches, sunsets and importantly warm seas. My aim apart from visiting family has been to stand up at kitesurfing...I ran out of wind last time in Egypt. This time luckily I did it! Although there is no photo evidence. I was meant to have more time on the board but the wind died so you'll have to take my word for it!

There is only one way to arrive at a world cup...and that is by boat sailing down the majestic Amazon river for 4 days sleeping in hammocks and resting on the sun deck whilst sampling the Brazilian culinary delights. Well that would be true if this was not the booze cruise lad version that's not been seen since the late 90's at Playa De Las Americas in Tenerife! Nor was it Brazilian nouvelle cuisine as breakfast was sweet coffee and bread rolls and every lunch and dinner was rice + spaghetti + chicken/beef (delete appropriately)...luckily all washed down with the finest Brazilian beer and rum which helped. In fact it was washed down so much we drank and smoked the boat dry on day 3!! Never seen so many clucking people having to go cold turkey for one day!! I should also point out we bought booze beforehand, the boat had a bar, and both us and the boat stopped to grab booze on day 2. Don't get me wrong the experience was class but not what the guide book had described. The boat was say 30% English/Irish, 30% Colombian, 20% Brazilian and 20% Other but all of which created a great melting pot of football fans and people up for a good time! In true British style when it comes to drinking we were all on the beers pre-boarding and thus first to go dry on day 3 so by night 3 when the more reserved Colombian's still had booze the sun/party/music/bar deck turned into a Salsa show which was fantastic to watch ... do they have some moves!

Despite all the partying we saw some amazing sunsets and scenery with the occasional river dolphin diving through our wake. More importantly we met some cool people who made the stay in Manaus more enjoyable.

I would love to do it again but with more locals on board to get the real experience...although having had to sleep in a hammock for 3 nights which wasn't uncomfortable I was glad to be on dry land and on a flat bed that doesn't swing.

With low expectations re: Manaus thanks to Roy Hodgson's comments earlier in the year, the city of 2 million Brazilians has made a good impression on me. Yes it's remote but thanks to its thriving history in late 1800's due to rubber (before Malaysia took over) the city has a lot of character ... not least the fact it is in the middle of the Amazon! 4hrs flight from Rio, the only road is North to Venezuela/Guyana or sailing East/West so you can tell its remote ... that has certainly not stopped the abundance of footy fans from around the world not least England and USA.

Having been in Manaus on/off for 2 weeks after a while a break from the footy is required so I have explored the city and surrounding Amazon. Also the beauty of the world cup means Manaus has been show casing its sights and sounds for the tourists. Been to some architecturally interesting buildings of which Teatro Amazonias is most impressive! A jewel in the jungle! The market was cool and a melting pot of locals buying/selling which is a spectacle to enjoy and observe. But as expected the Manaus climate is hot...damn hot...hot and wet (That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle - quote from Good Morning Vietnam). When it rains the cats, dogs, piranhas and monkeys all fall from the sky ... luckily only for a short period but it soaks you right through ... like fine rain! (Peter Kay) Oh and don't forget the Mosquitoes to add into to the mix!

Now lets get down to the proper business of the World Cup and footy ... the real reason I and thousands of others are here in Manaus. I got tickets to England vs Italy and USA vs Portugal ... arguably the best tickets in town!

Like any host city they also have fan fests and big screens up in town therefore never far from football on a big screen and never far from a bar stocked full with cold Brahma beers! En mass the Brits arrived followed by the yanks and the town didn't know what hit them...the town square and surrounding bars all ran out of booze the first night we got off the boat. The police closed off the streets as too many people were on them drinking and cheering. The police closed the bars as the fans were having too much fun and thought it might get rowdy. Now in week 3 loads more police, loads more beer and food sellers...I just feel they are a little late as this week is the last game for Manaus and it's moment of glory will be over...the games will be watched just by the locals as the fans move towards Rio. Don't think the locals realised how many would decent on the jungle and how much we would drink!!

First game was the opening match for Brazil which we went to the fan park for...30 mins out of town on the beach...yup the Amazon has a beach! The fan park was a sea of yellow as the locals came out in force for the first game. Pre game music showed me how much the Brazilians like to dance and how quick they are at learning the routines...within a few steps they were copying the Amazonian style dancers on stage. But the main event was the footy which didn't disappoint. We had one Croatian fan in a top who became a local celebrity among the 20,000 Brazil shirts...turned out he was from Galway, Ireland! Afterwards the roundabout was turned into an impromptu rave that we all partied away at until the traffic died down. All other games we spent in town around the square at the erected screen with the backdrop of the city and beer vendors never too far away! Still has a cracking atmosphere for every game including Nigeria vs Iran!

Next up the England game and for me the highlight. The build up and hype was created by the sea of white/red on every street descending on the ground. Few true Italians could be heard until in the stadium when the local Brazilians cheered their every move and booed England...a little harsh I felt...again maybe anti Roy Hodgson abuse from his previous comments. The atmosphere was good although without the England band felt it could of been stronger. Would of loved to have seen a win or draw but wasn't to be. Due to few true Italians and being the WC there was no trouble afterwards just lots of songs taking us from bar to bar! Had great seats thanks to my partner in crime Tiffany. She is on crutches so can obtain wheelchair tickets...as her "companion" I go for free...a right proper touch! We beat all the queues and have seats at the perfect height on edge of the penalty area. Due to FIFA being PC there are also fat boy seats...double seats with padding...we managed to swap our 2 seats (one is really just a space for a wheelchair) for one of these fat boy seats!!

Now as an England fan travelling I was not wearing an England shirt...I have 3 at home but not a fan of wearing them outside matches...touched on nationalism in a previous blog. I'm proudly English but don't always like the image the England shirt brings with it and this was summed up at half time. Got chatting to an old lad from up North and we were chatting about the first half...then he says "I am not racist but" (which immediately makes me think you are) "it's great having black players up front who are a lot quicker than the white guys in midfield". Gave him a polite nod and ended the conversation. I proudly say I am a English when asked just don't always have the outfits to prove it. Anyway the lads played good and just such a shame they are not getting past the group stages.

The final game for me at Manaus was USA vs Portugal. For me a chance to see Cristiano Ronaldo disappoint again and experience the full force of TEAM USA. Now as we all know soccer (as they call it) is not their first sport so decided to note down all the Americanism's that they allow to creep into conversation:

- possess 

- elite

- offence

- if you warm this guy up you cant stop him

- tie

And my favourite

- shake and bake the defender

The USA fans know how to support and cheer and dress up with the usual American Eagle, Statue of Liberty and item of choice a bandana! One guy in cowboy boots from the typical Texan! Yet my favourite chant was "no one likes us...we don't care. No one likes us...we don't care". Now USA played poorly against Ghana and won so was kind of hoping they would lose/draw with Portugal to open the group and give Ghana a chance. Game ended with a last minute goal for the draw which is dessert best served cold!! One US fan was already running the victory lap and missed the last minute goal!!

It would be rude not to spend time in the Amazon so I ventured away from the big screens for 4 days to hear, see and sleep in the Amazon jungle. Due to choosing a budget backpacker operator they had massively over subscribed their trips ... we had 15 whereas the following day some trips had 40! Not only did they over subscribe they also weren't organised nor had enough accommodation ... it didn't dampen our spirits despite getting caught in a few torrential downpours!

I had 3 nights - 1 in their lodge, 1 in a local house in hammocks and another in the actual jungle. The jungle night was the best as our guide Antonio aka MacGyver made a shelter for 11 of us in the jungle! He saw a clearing, chopped down trees and within an hour had dinner on the go. It was great to sleep in the hammock with the stars above, I was an unlucky one should it rain as I had no cover but luckily no cats and dogs this time! Was alarmed to see red blood on my mosquito net in the morning but realised it was the tree bleeding from the decapitation the night before.

We saw loads of stuff during our adventures: Caimans (like alligators), boa snakes, monkeys, sloths, a baby monkey abandoned by its mother, pink river dolphins plus numerous birds. Was meant to see piranha as we went fishing but had no luck yet the market proved the best place to catch them.

Not sure whether a highlight but most of starred in "I'm a backpacker get me out of here"...after opening up a seedling Antonio knocked out a white worm/grub that was wriggling in our hands. Saying it tasted like coconut milk we all bite down which caused the grub to explode in our mouth!! The taste was palatable but the sensation of squeezing something to its death will need some more practice. We won a star which was rice and spaghetti for dinner...there is a theme to the culinary delights of Brazil here!

The Amazon is vast and amazing to be within but didn't feel as though got to the heart of huge Amazon. The people all wear normal clothes, have mobile phones and satellite TV for the footy. No spears or bow/arrows or saucers as front lips. For that experience need to go deeper into the jungle...maybe next time! It was great to see the river as it's highest and meeting of the waters an interesting natural phenomenon. The Rio Negra (dark brown) and Amazon (light brown) don't mix for 6km due to different temperatures and speeds. Like all the things I have seen can always come back and see different things and have an equally amazing time.