Aleksandrs Laime facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aleksandrs Laime
|
|
|---|---|
Laime (far left) with Ruth Robertson's expedition of 1949
|
|
| Born | July 9, 1911 |
| Died | March 21, 1994 |
Aleksandrs Laime (Spanish: Alejandro Laime, English: Alexander Laime) was a famous explorer born in Latvia. He is most known for being the first person recorded to reach Angel Falls in Venezuela by walking there. He also helped create the tourist camp of Canaima with Charles Baughan. This camp was made to help people visit Angel Falls.
Contents
Early Adventures
Aleksandrs Laime was born on July 9, 1911, in Riga. He grew up in the Grīziņkalns area. From a young age, he loved adventure stories and ships. When he was 15, he learned how to sail on Ķīšezers lake. He and some friends took a sailboat for an adventure to Liepāja. They wanted to sail across the Baltic Sea to Sweden. But a storm pushed them onto the Estonian island of Saaremaa.
At 16, Laime traveled to Paris. From there, he walked through France. In Marseilles, he got on a merchant ship. He traveled to Egypt and lived in Cairo for several months. His parents then sent him money to return home.
After returning to Riga, Laime studied at the Riga Technical School. He became a land surveyor. In 1936, Laime and a friend sailed to Danzig. There, they swapped their sailboat for kayaks. They traveled through Poland. They hoped to reach the Black Sea, but border guards in Romania stopped them. His friend went home, but Laime rode a bicycle to Paris.
In 1939, Laime started a sailing trip from Riga to Africa. However, World War II began, and he was stopped in Kiel. Still, he managed to reach Africa by going through the United Kingdom and Spain. He traveled along the western coast of Africa until he reached Cape Town. Laime then boarded a merchant ship. He traveled to the coasts of the United States and Canada. In 1940, he arrived in Caracas and made Venezuela his new home.
Exploring Venezuela
After moving to Venezuela in 1940, Laime led many trips into the country's southern jungles. In his first years in Venezuela, Laime worked as a topographer. This means he mapped land for a road construction department. Later, he worked for oil companies. In 1942, Laime visited Canaima for the first time and decided to live there. He worked with Charles Baughan and others to start tourism in Canaima. They built an airfield and houses for visitors.
In 1949, he joined Ruth Robertson's team. This team reached Angel Falls by walking and mapped the area. In 1955, he reached the top of Auyantepui mountain. He and his local friend, Manuel Fiorentino, were the first to find Jimmie Angel's crashed plane, "Flamingo." Laime explored the top of the mountain. He named rivers that had no names before. He named the river where Angel Falls is located Gauja, after a river in Latvia. He also named three other rivers: Río Venta, Río Daugava, and Río Ogre. All these names came from famous rivers in Latvia.
Looking for the "Golden River"
Laime heard about Jimmie Angel's famous "Golden River." Like many others, Laime went looking for this river. He never told everyone if he found it. But close friends said he did. After Laime died in 1994, some money he had saved was found in a tin can. It was hidden under his fireplace in his house on Isla Orquidea. This island is on the Río Carrao, two hours upstream from Canaima.
His Final Days
On March 20, 1994, Laime came down the Churun River. He was getting food and supplies, as he often did. He spoke to Ramón Jiménez's wife. He told her he had chest pains and felt his end was near. He reportedly said he wanted to climb the great mountain (Auyantepui) one last time to die there. He then went to a nearby lodge for a drink. He died shortly after in the bathroom from a heart attack.
Images for kids
-
Laime (far left) with Ruth Robertson's expedition of 1949
