The “Parque El Encanto” or a taste of the apocalypse
I think there are places, depending on your tastes, that are worth visiting for tourism purposes, and others, for the curiosity of seeing the ruins of a bygone era.
Obviously, you'll be imagining some Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Celtic, Mayan, Inca, or Hindu ruins, just to name a few. But, no! It's about those that are closer to our generations, partial ruins, not necessarily of large cities, such as Chornobyl, abandoned by the nuclear disaster. Of course, there are guys and adults who venture into these, risking radiation sickness. I wonder, what the hell drives them to take such risks? Maybe it's Satan himself.
On the contrary, I'm referring to exploring, with minimal security, those buildings or support systems that fell from grace for some reason, and that today are deteriorated or abandoned, and that could even be the setting for a dystopian end-of-the-world movie.
Maybe your city has some of these: worthy of urban exploration.
Well, for some time now, I wanted to explore one of these which is in the city of "Los Teques", the capital of the Miranda state of Venezuela, and that once formed part of a railway that connected the populations of the center-west with Caracas, and whose construction was commissioned to the German engineer Gustav Knoop at the end of the 19th century. As far as I know, this was gradually abandoned due to the interests of the automotive industry cartels.
By the way, as a curious fact, the sixty years of the subversive attack on the Encanto train will soon be fulfilled. But that's another story for another day.
Among pressures to dismantle the iconic railway system, there were those who advocated for the preservation of some stations for recreational purposes, and thus the "Parque del Encanto" was born, in the "Los Lagos" sector of Los Teques, right in front of where today operates a bus terminal for intercity transportation. How ironic, right?
Even on a digital portal, the visit to the picturesque park with German manufacturing influence is promoted, at least in the (very outdated) publication, since on my recent visit, more in line with urban adventure, I only found a post-apocalyptic scenario that borders on the grotesque of neglect and total abandonment. I saw myself, like Will Smith, in some place adjacent to the New York Metro in the movie: "I Am Legend".
In this sense, I took out my old Sony Xperia Z smartphone with reluctance to capture the beauty in the ugly and the loneliness during the day, of what was once a marvel for the city, not only in functionality but also in recreation. I imagine that at night it will be a nest of snakes, even two-legged ones, and a cesspool of garbage for the indolent.
Beyond an implicit criticism, my intention is also to warn about the potential risks in similar sites, although they are very interesting, one of being cautious and being careful at an appropriate time. If possible, accompanied or in a group.
I will not deny that my imagination ran in two directions: in the glory days of the place (I saw myself boarding the wooden train crossing the seven kilometers of beautiful vegetation on the tracks to access the streams and forests) and in the fictional genre of disaster, I saw myself running and hiding from predators and cannibals or a talking ape. Yes, I enjoyed the short walk on foot, but I would not recommend it at all to the ordinary tourist.
I know that today, following the tracks to the west, people go hiking, but first, they must cross some neighborhoods to reach one of the tunnels that make up the tourist train ride. Curiously, next to the tracks, just upon entering one of those neighborhoods, I saw the machinery that powered the semi-open wooden cars in the style of the early 20th century. It must have been a fantastic experience: moving forward feeling the fresh air on your face.
At first, I didn't know which #Hive community to post this exploration experience in, but then I remembered the rather relatable Urban Exploration one, and said to myself, "This is it". I hope this chronicle was to your liking.
Greetings.
The photos were taken by me with my old Sony Xperia Z. Don't use my Nikon D3100 camera, for fear of potential vandalism.
I also wrote the chronicle originally in Spanish, my mother tongue, but I decided to post it in English with the help of current technology, you know, the famous translators; which are in essence, specific artificial intelligence, thank God, far from Skinet. Of course, the proofreading was done with my rudimentary knowledge of English, so if I miss any spelling "horror", bear with me.
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Bravo. Interesting walk, I never visited the place, but I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago the La Victoria station, preserved by Hacienda Santa Teresa, which for that occasion kept a locomotive and 2 or 3 cars running that travel a few meters of track.
I think the Roncera company promotes visits that include the hacienda and the wineries, the dangers depend on the tastings.
Best regards, success.
Well, I visited the "Santa Teresa" hacienda in 2013, and what I remember most was the tour of the cellars in some wagons. Surely, the ones you mention. By the way, in one of the dynamics I won a bottle of linage rum: one that at the slightest carelessness, my eldest son evaporated. Ha, ha, ha. Imagine my surprise when I checked the trophy!
Happy weekend, my friend.
I found this urban tour very good, I like every photographic detail that you made, this really calls my attention, I did not know about the existence of this park in Los Teques, do you know about the possibility of recording video in this space? Thanks for your wonderful post.
Hello, @mundomanaure
Of being able to film, you could. It's an abandoned area with no security, but I consider it risky.
I don't understand how they let it get to that state. I only walked in a small portion of the park, the one adjacent to the Lakes station. I imagine you would have to walk the distance on foot, following the rails all the way to the tunnels. In fact, a couple of months ago, I drove my vehicle to the entrance to the tunnels. The son of one of my wife's friends told us that he leaves the cars there, and they continue on foot through the tunnel.
I don't know how convenient it would be to film there with professional cameras? Anyway, I'll try to find out about it, and let you know if you want.
Greetings