On Saturday, I went into school to get caught up on my grading and as I was leaving, Doug stopped me to say hi and told me that the sophomores were having a sports days. They were currently playing dodge ball and they would have food afterwards. Noiiiiiiiccce!
I stayed another 3 hours playing soccer, basketball and dodge ball and eating... a lot.
That night, I went with Jonathan and Angela to the Ribs Factory and then to watch Death at a Funeral. It was a pretty funny movie but it didn't let you fully realize a lot of jokes because something was always happening. It definitely had some really good moments though.
Debby and Judith told me about the Earth Day dive that was going on at the Dive Bus on Sunday and I agreed to go. It was a lot of fun. Camila works there and we partnered up and Debby and Judith partnered up. Even though we were diving for trash, we got to see a lot of interesting wildlife. I saw 2 scorpion fish, 7 squid, a puffer fish, 4 eel, and a tiny box fish (maybe .5 inch in diameter). We collected lots of fishing line and hooks and glass. Debby and Judith found a metal chair and also men's and women's underwear. Debby's grossest (and first) find was a pad hahah. Because Debby and Judith collected the most trash, they won a free encounter with the dolphins at the Dolphin Academy. Jealous. A little bit. :-P
Afterward, we had some food with everyone and went home.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bonaire
Bonaire: Antillean for "Low Land," it is an island about 50 miles east of Curaçao and part of the Netherlands Antilles. I had heard that it was small and that there aren't a lot of sandy beaches. I had heard the diving and snorkeling was fantastic. I'd also heard there was a great place to buy bathing suits and lots of good places to take photographs. Sounds like my kind of place.
The school year is coming to an end fast and I realized that I hadn't taken any personal days. If you don't use them, they pay you but I'd much rather take a day off. So I decided to take off this past Monday and thought I'd do things around the house and plan out my summer. Instead, I found out that Victor and Jessica were going to Bonaire and they invited me along. Change-a-roo of plans!
The last time I tried to go to Bonaire, I was denied by airport security because my paperwork was not done. They even told me that I had to leave the island and not come back. Luckily, I have my paperwork now and I can come and go as I please. Still, as I went through security, I was wary that something might go wrong. It didn't and I was very thankful to arrive 30 minutes later.
Originally, Victor's brother and family were going to meet him in Bonaire, but that all changed because of a volcanic eruption... in Iceland. All flights from France and a lot of Europe were grounded until further notice. So Victor and Jess had a huge villa all to themselves. It was very last minute, but they told Lorenz and Steph, and they decided to come as well on Saturday.
We had an awesome time. After some lunch, we went out and found a dive shop and got gear for 2 dives. We had a small car and played some Tetris to get it all in, but it packed nicely and we were proud of ourselves.
Victor had gotten a replacement underwater camera and took some amazing photos and video... hopefully I'll be able to post that here later. On the first dive I saw an octopus! Those things are crazy! They can change color so quick. I want one. Anyway, we saw a lot of things on the first dive but I can't remember because the dive we did the next day was insane. Oh wait, wait. We saw a huge barracuda. It must have been 5 feet long and 8 inches thick. That mug had some TEETH! We saw it 4 different times during that dive. It was fascinating. Oh and I saw a lobster for the first time.
The following day, we went on a dive around 11 at "The Lake." Steph told us to all watch out for seahorses. "Oh, are they common here?" Jessica prompted. "No, I just really want to see one." 5 minutes into the dive, Steph is flailing her arms to get our attention and screaming at us to come closer; since it is difficult to judge sound underwater and also where it comes from, the flailing arms definitely helped. She mimed out a horse and a rider and pointed. I scoffed in my mind, "There's no way she found a seahorse. They are so rare." And, there it was! It was maybe 8 inches tall and just sitting there. So f'ing cool.
The coral there was streaming with life. School of fish zooming past us, shrimp and crab working on the floor. I saw a moray eel slither through some crevices. As we followed the reef further and further from the shore, I could see 100 feet down where there was sand. I looked up and watched the bubbles of my regulator lazily climb up. I heard only my breath and the bubbles glopping. I wanted to go deeper but I was already at 60 feet and that is the limit for Open Water Divers. I have to do the Advanced course in order to go deeper.
Lorenz, Steph and I all signaled to Victor and Jess that we were going to head to shallower water so we could see things up close. We got back to around 45 feet and I see Steph and crazing her arms and screaming again. She made the turtle hand signal and pointed. I didn't see it, but I saw something that looked like an octopus. Confused, I made the octopus sign and she looked at me funny so I went to investigate and point it out to her. Later they told me that I almost landed on the turtle hahah. I didn't realize that the turtle was even there until 2 minutes later. He was so interesting. He would go to different coral and peck at them and fish would peck at him. At one point he swam away to the surface and we saw him later as we continued our dive.
I have seen Sting Rays before but I have only seen them while they are searching in the sand for food. I have never seen them swimming in the open... until this dive. We were at 30 feet and I was maybe 10 feet away from the coral bottom. I was glancing to my right looking for any signs of life and I hear Steph again and she is pointing. As I look to my left, I see a Ray coming from my left and it cruises right under me and stares at me while he does so. It was almost like he was saying hello and peace outttt at the same time. I mean, he was 5 feet away from me! I looked at everyone in disbelief, trying my best to convey my excitement without being able to speak a word. Fricken incredible.
Okay, enough about the diving. The villa we stayed in was beautiful. There was a garden that went all the way around the house. It included a pool, a bread oven, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a fridge with the front drawer in the door, a dishwasher that looked like a cabinet, balconies out of our bedrooms and iguanas of course.
We were all about cooking our own food too. We barbecued out 2 times; the first night was an assortment of meat, the second night were burgers cooked by yours truly (with tips from the travel channel haha).
Steph and Lorenz left Sunday afternoon and so Victor, Jess and I went shopping the next day, to the Donkey Sanctuary and to the salt piles.
I bought a speedo. There. I said it. And I like it. I never thought I would say that in my life.
The Donkey Sanctuary was nothing like what I expected. We did a drive-thru safari with our windows down and apples in our hands. There were something like 300 donkeys there total and they would come up to our windows; sometimes 3 donkey heads were in the window at a time, lips searching for food. It was intense at times. Totally worth it though.
The salt piles were cool too. The looked like snow mountains.
What a great weekend trip. Will I be going back to Bonaire? Yes. I have a lot of diving to do and I have to see the national park and the pile of conch shells. :-) Back to school now. :-)
The school year is coming to an end fast and I realized that I hadn't taken any personal days. If you don't use them, they pay you but I'd much rather take a day off. So I decided to take off this past Monday and thought I'd do things around the house and plan out my summer. Instead, I found out that Victor and Jessica were going to Bonaire and they invited me along. Change-a-roo of plans!
The last time I tried to go to Bonaire, I was denied by airport security because my paperwork was not done. They even told me that I had to leave the island and not come back. Luckily, I have my paperwork now and I can come and go as I please. Still, as I went through security, I was wary that something might go wrong. It didn't and I was very thankful to arrive 30 minutes later.
Originally, Victor's brother and family were going to meet him in Bonaire, but that all changed because of a volcanic eruption... in Iceland. All flights from France and a lot of Europe were grounded until further notice. So Victor and Jess had a huge villa all to themselves. It was very last minute, but they told Lorenz and Steph, and they decided to come as well on Saturday.
We had an awesome time. After some lunch, we went out and found a dive shop and got gear for 2 dives. We had a small car and played some Tetris to get it all in, but it packed nicely and we were proud of ourselves.
Victor had gotten a replacement underwater camera and took some amazing photos and video... hopefully I'll be able to post that here later. On the first dive I saw an octopus! Those things are crazy! They can change color so quick. I want one. Anyway, we saw a lot of things on the first dive but I can't remember because the dive we did the next day was insane. Oh wait, wait. We saw a huge barracuda. It must have been 5 feet long and 8 inches thick. That mug had some TEETH! We saw it 4 different times during that dive. It was fascinating. Oh and I saw a lobster for the first time.
The following day, we went on a dive around 11 at "The Lake." Steph told us to all watch out for seahorses. "Oh, are they common here?" Jessica prompted. "No, I just really want to see one." 5 minutes into the dive, Steph is flailing her arms to get our attention and screaming at us to come closer; since it is difficult to judge sound underwater and also where it comes from, the flailing arms definitely helped. She mimed out a horse and a rider and pointed. I scoffed in my mind, "There's no way she found a seahorse. They are so rare." And, there it was! It was maybe 8 inches tall and just sitting there. So f'ing cool.
The coral there was streaming with life. School of fish zooming past us, shrimp and crab working on the floor. I saw a moray eel slither through some crevices. As we followed the reef further and further from the shore, I could see 100 feet down where there was sand. I looked up and watched the bubbles of my regulator lazily climb up. I heard only my breath and the bubbles glopping. I wanted to go deeper but I was already at 60 feet and that is the limit for Open Water Divers. I have to do the Advanced course in order to go deeper.
Lorenz, Steph and I all signaled to Victor and Jess that we were going to head to shallower water so we could see things up close. We got back to around 45 feet and I see Steph and crazing her arms and screaming again. She made the turtle hand signal and pointed. I didn't see it, but I saw something that looked like an octopus. Confused, I made the octopus sign and she looked at me funny so I went to investigate and point it out to her. Later they told me that I almost landed on the turtle hahah. I didn't realize that the turtle was even there until 2 minutes later. He was so interesting. He would go to different coral and peck at them and fish would peck at him. At one point he swam away to the surface and we saw him later as we continued our dive.
I have seen Sting Rays before but I have only seen them while they are searching in the sand for food. I have never seen them swimming in the open... until this dive. We were at 30 feet and I was maybe 10 feet away from the coral bottom. I was glancing to my right looking for any signs of life and I hear Steph again and she is pointing. As I look to my left, I see a Ray coming from my left and it cruises right under me and stares at me while he does so. It was almost like he was saying hello and peace outttt at the same time. I mean, he was 5 feet away from me! I looked at everyone in disbelief, trying my best to convey my excitement without being able to speak a word. Fricken incredible.
Okay, enough about the diving. The villa we stayed in was beautiful. There was a garden that went all the way around the house. It included a pool, a bread oven, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a fridge with the front drawer in the door, a dishwasher that looked like a cabinet, balconies out of our bedrooms and iguanas of course.
We were all about cooking our own food too. We barbecued out 2 times; the first night was an assortment of meat, the second night were burgers cooked by yours truly (with tips from the travel channel haha).
Steph and Lorenz left Sunday afternoon and so Victor, Jess and I went shopping the next day, to the Donkey Sanctuary and to the salt piles.
I bought a speedo. There. I said it. And I like it. I never thought I would say that in my life.
The Donkey Sanctuary was nothing like what I expected. We did a drive-thru safari with our windows down and apples in our hands. There were something like 300 donkeys there total and they would come up to our windows; sometimes 3 donkey heads were in the window at a time, lips searching for food. It was intense at times. Totally worth it though.
The salt piles were cool too. The looked like snow mountains.
What a great weekend trip. Will I be going back to Bonaire? Yes. I have a lot of diving to do and I have to see the national park and the pile of conch shells. :-) Back to school now. :-)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Venezuela Day 5 and 6
After a greasy breakfast, we headed to the Llanos. The Llanos is known for it's incredible wildlife. It was about 8 hours from where we were and so we all slept in the car. But not for too long because Nikki and I were singing again. Then we started doing beats and got everyone to do a beat (that lasted about 5 or 6 seconds). And then we started making up stories as a group: There once was a perrito named Sanchito and he liked to eat doritos. But he was always made fun of because he had a small tail. That was how the story started. In the end, Sanchito changed his name to Lunch and a bull tried to eat him and he ended up having 3 eyes due to radioactivity. Hmmm... maybe you had to be there to find that funny.
When we finally arrived, we drove to a Posada and asked if they had space. "Do you have a reservation?" "No, but we tried calling yesterday and the day before with no answer." "Give me a second." The guard calls to explain the situation. "How many of you are there?" "7." "Where do you come from?" Bernardo answered, "The are from North America." The guard spoke into his cell phone, "Gringos." We waited another minute. "Ok, you can pass."
It was a rocky road and Bernardo drove slowly, even slow for Bernardo's pace. But it was good because we saw pink birds and we saw our first capybara, the largest type of rodent. It was awesome! As we drove further, we saw more and more of them. We also saw a parrot and different types of birds I have never seen before. They also had horses there and different types of cows I haven't seen either.
We got to the main office pretty excited and asked about the price of the rooms. They were a little bit pricey but not a rip off and they had excursions as well, so we decided to do it. They gave us a feast for lunch, dinner and breakfast. They had bikes for us and we could go pretty much anywhere on the 35,000 hectares of land they had. We saw a lot of cayman, capybara and birds. They even had botchiball, ping pong, a pool and a miniture zoo. There was an anaconda that weighted 60 lbs and we all held it. There was a leopard or a puma and some sort of vultures that were really colorful. We went on the night safari and saw deer and at one point, we came to a tree full of pink birds on one side and white birds on the other.
In the morning Bernardo took Dan, Erin and Liz to Barinas to continue with the rest of their trip and Jonathan, Nikki and I stayed and went horseback riding.
Our guide was very into talking about sex and I had a hilarious time translating for Jonathan and Nikki. Unfortunately, he was a little inappropriate too but we had to take everything with a grain of salt. Did you know that the male horse has sex about 6 times a day? A bull has sex with about 30 cows. Our guide made faces to show how the female animals reacted to this.
When Bernardo came back to pick us up it was around 3pm and we needed to get to Valencia so we could spend the night in the airport and catch our early morning flight.
We planned to sleep and attempted to sleep but the mosquitoes were awful. After about an hour of this, we decided to just stay up and play more Egyptian Ratscrew. By this time, we had played maybe 15 games and Nikki had not won a single time. She was determined to though and once I got out and was too tired to try and get back in, things started getting better for her. It was probably 4 or 5 am and we were all getting delirious. I decided that I was going to make a video, reporting like a newscaster on the 2010 International Egyptian Ratscrew championship. It was hilarious and right when my newscast ended, Nikki won. We got the celebration dance on video as well. Stay tuned.
We were so happy once we got checked in, on the plane and then landed in Curaçao. I slept the entire day. Glorious. What a wonderful trip. Lots of laughs and memories with a great bunch of friends.
When we finally arrived, we drove to a Posada and asked if they had space. "Do you have a reservation?" "No, but we tried calling yesterday and the day before with no answer." "Give me a second." The guard calls to explain the situation. "How many of you are there?" "7." "Where do you come from?" Bernardo answered, "The are from North America." The guard spoke into his cell phone, "Gringos." We waited another minute. "Ok, you can pass."
It was a rocky road and Bernardo drove slowly, even slow for Bernardo's pace. But it was good because we saw pink birds and we saw our first capybara, the largest type of rodent. It was awesome! As we drove further, we saw more and more of them. We also saw a parrot and different types of birds I have never seen before. They also had horses there and different types of cows I haven't seen either.
We got to the main office pretty excited and asked about the price of the rooms. They were a little bit pricey but not a rip off and they had excursions as well, so we decided to do it. They gave us a feast for lunch, dinner and breakfast. They had bikes for us and we could go pretty much anywhere on the 35,000 hectares of land they had. We saw a lot of cayman, capybara and birds. They even had botchiball, ping pong, a pool and a miniture zoo. There was an anaconda that weighted 60 lbs and we all held it. There was a leopard or a puma and some sort of vultures that were really colorful. We went on the night safari and saw deer and at one point, we came to a tree full of pink birds on one side and white birds on the other.
In the morning Bernardo took Dan, Erin and Liz to Barinas to continue with the rest of their trip and Jonathan, Nikki and I stayed and went horseback riding.
Our guide was very into talking about sex and I had a hilarious time translating for Jonathan and Nikki. Unfortunately, he was a little inappropriate too but we had to take everything with a grain of salt. Did you know that the male horse has sex about 6 times a day? A bull has sex with about 30 cows. Our guide made faces to show how the female animals reacted to this.
When Bernardo came back to pick us up it was around 3pm and we needed to get to Valencia so we could spend the night in the airport and catch our early morning flight.
We planned to sleep and attempted to sleep but the mosquitoes were awful. After about an hour of this, we decided to just stay up and play more Egyptian Ratscrew. By this time, we had played maybe 15 games and Nikki had not won a single time. She was determined to though and once I got out and was too tired to try and get back in, things started getting better for her. It was probably 4 or 5 am and we were all getting delirious. I decided that I was going to make a video, reporting like a newscaster on the 2010 International Egyptian Ratscrew championship. It was hilarious and right when my newscast ended, Nikki won. We got the celebration dance on video as well. Stay tuned.
We were so happy once we got checked in, on the plane and then landed in Curaçao. I slept the entire day. Glorious. What a wonderful trip. Lots of laughs and memories with a great bunch of friends.
Venezuela Day 4
I hadn't realized it, but I have done Canyoning before: I did it when I went to Columbia. You walk in / along a river and do jumps and you repel down waterfalls. Our Canyoning experience lasted a good 3.5 hours and it was great. Liz initially wasn't going to go because she can't swim but got up the courage to try. We drove about 45 minutes to the spot and then carried our wetsuits and helmets another 20 minutes to the river. After putting on our equipment and slushing, sliding down rocks and jumping through the water, we came to the first waterfall.
The first waterfall was about 25 feet and probably the trickiest. I went first and the guide told us that water would be pouring on top of us, so we needed to keep our heads down in order to breath. Repelling down a waterfall is tricky because you don't have much grip with your shoes. Add to that that you cannot see with the water pouring on you and then that you feel like you can't breath, it feels like an accomplishment when you reach the bottom no matter how awkwardly you did it... and we did it all pretty awkwardly. But, we all made it and were happy.
Our guide then led us to a rock and told me to jump about 8 feet down to the white foamy part of the water. He told me to make sure to jump down and not out because there was a rock wall only 7 feet in front of me. I judged and calculated it in my head and made my jump. Perfect. The only thing he didn't tell me was that the water was shallow and only came to my chest, but it didn't really matter. I did make sure to tell Dan before he jumped since he is pretty tall. Everyone but Jonathan had jumped and he was somewhat hesitant; he recently had knee surgery and wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything to mess that up. But we had all made it and so he didn't have any problem jumping. He must have gotten a little excited because he jumped a little too far out and came inches away from the rock wall in front of him. When we saw he wasn't hurt, we were all laughing. I was especially laughing when the guide turned away smiling and rolling his eyes and said, "Away from the wall. Jump away from the wall."
The next waterfall was about 45 feet and we went down with our backs to the wall. It was a lot of fun and we went fast. It was so much fun being at the bottom of the fall and encouraging the others. It was such a wonderful team building activity. It was all about trust, overcoming your fears and enjoying nature.
Liz was having a hard time mentally. Once she did the jumps, slides or repelling, she was fine but prepping her mind to do those things was not so easy. The guide recognized this and did a special repelling exercise for her to build her trust. He hooked her up and told her to walk down the rock. I think it really helped her. The rest of us had to jump into a space that looked 5 feet wide and we would be dropping down about 8 feet to get there. You want to jump out enough so you don't hit you butt on the rock but not too far because then you will hit the wall in front of you. That was probably the most exciting jump I did.
Next we came to a superslide created by rocks. The guide demonstrated and we followed. Awesome.
Finally, we came to the last waterfall which was a 100 ft (if I remember correctly). It was a lot easier to do than the other two because there wasn't water falling on us at the beginning.
Our guide had arrived late and gotten us there late and so we had to rush back to the hostel so we could change, get food and go paragliding. I thought paragliding was handgliding and I was really stoked. When I found out it was flying with a parachute, I was still excited but not as excited... until we started the trek up the mountain. We got in a van with a 15 year old driver and crossed over an Indiana-Jones-looking bridge (I could have sworn the driver called me Mr. Jones at one point). He sped up the mountain like a maniac; he went blindly around curves and as other cars were coming down the mountain. We kept getting higher and higher and the road got rockier and rockier. We were already above the clouds in Mérida but here, we were really up in the clouds. There was a huge group of people there... maybe 70 people. Everyone got paired up with an instructor except for me (they said mine was on the way). The first person got strapped up and the wind took him away. My stomach leapt with excitement.
My instructor came and rushed up to me and gave me a big surprise hug and helped me find my equipment. This was the first time I'd ever met Jose. 5 minutes later, we were up in the air. He was the most experienced instructor there and he had been paragliding for 25 years. He had a trick chute whereas everyone else had the regular kind. We got some serious height and the without telling me, he took me into a whirlwind dive (that's not the actual name I'm sure). It was an incredible rush. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with the G-forces so strong that I couldn't move my face. We stayed up in the air for about 20 minutes and then he landed. God, I want to do that again. Apparently, it is one of the cheapest ways to fly - $1000 for 7 days of lessons to get certified and then $3000 for the chute. Next project here I come!
That night we bought hamburgers from the street; they were some of the best hamburgers I've ever had. Gooooooodness! Jonathan agreed; he wanted to order 2 more. After that, we played more Egyptian Ratscrew on the roof and Jonathan and I hung out for a while after everyone else had gone to bed to tell stories. Good times.
The first waterfall was about 25 feet and probably the trickiest. I went first and the guide told us that water would be pouring on top of us, so we needed to keep our heads down in order to breath. Repelling down a waterfall is tricky because you don't have much grip with your shoes. Add to that that you cannot see with the water pouring on you and then that you feel like you can't breath, it feels like an accomplishment when you reach the bottom no matter how awkwardly you did it... and we did it all pretty awkwardly. But, we all made it and were happy.
Our guide then led us to a rock and told me to jump about 8 feet down to the white foamy part of the water. He told me to make sure to jump down and not out because there was a rock wall only 7 feet in front of me. I judged and calculated it in my head and made my jump. Perfect. The only thing he didn't tell me was that the water was shallow and only came to my chest, but it didn't really matter. I did make sure to tell Dan before he jumped since he is pretty tall. Everyone but Jonathan had jumped and he was somewhat hesitant; he recently had knee surgery and wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything to mess that up. But we had all made it and so he didn't have any problem jumping. He must have gotten a little excited because he jumped a little too far out and came inches away from the rock wall in front of him. When we saw he wasn't hurt, we were all laughing. I was especially laughing when the guide turned away smiling and rolling his eyes and said, "Away from the wall. Jump away from the wall."
The next waterfall was about 45 feet and we went down with our backs to the wall. It was a lot of fun and we went fast. It was so much fun being at the bottom of the fall and encouraging the others. It was such a wonderful team building activity. It was all about trust, overcoming your fears and enjoying nature.
Liz was having a hard time mentally. Once she did the jumps, slides or repelling, she was fine but prepping her mind to do those things was not so easy. The guide recognized this and did a special repelling exercise for her to build her trust. He hooked her up and told her to walk down the rock. I think it really helped her. The rest of us had to jump into a space that looked 5 feet wide and we would be dropping down about 8 feet to get there. You want to jump out enough so you don't hit you butt on the rock but not too far because then you will hit the wall in front of you. That was probably the most exciting jump I did.
Next we came to a superslide created by rocks. The guide demonstrated and we followed. Awesome.
Finally, we came to the last waterfall which was a 100 ft (if I remember correctly). It was a lot easier to do than the other two because there wasn't water falling on us at the beginning.
Our guide had arrived late and gotten us there late and so we had to rush back to the hostel so we could change, get food and go paragliding. I thought paragliding was handgliding and I was really stoked. When I found out it was flying with a parachute, I was still excited but not as excited... until we started the trek up the mountain. We got in a van with a 15 year old driver and crossed over an Indiana-Jones-looking bridge (I could have sworn the driver called me Mr. Jones at one point). He sped up the mountain like a maniac; he went blindly around curves and as other cars were coming down the mountain. We kept getting higher and higher and the road got rockier and rockier. We were already above the clouds in Mérida but here, we were really up in the clouds. There was a huge group of people there... maybe 70 people. Everyone got paired up with an instructor except for me (they said mine was on the way). The first person got strapped up and the wind took him away. My stomach leapt with excitement.
My instructor came and rushed up to me and gave me a big surprise hug and helped me find my equipment. This was the first time I'd ever met Jose. 5 minutes later, we were up in the air. He was the most experienced instructor there and he had been paragliding for 25 years. He had a trick chute whereas everyone else had the regular kind. We got some serious height and the without telling me, he took me into a whirlwind dive (that's not the actual name I'm sure). It was an incredible rush. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with the G-forces so strong that I couldn't move my face. We stayed up in the air for about 20 minutes and then he landed. God, I want to do that again. Apparently, it is one of the cheapest ways to fly - $1000 for 7 days of lessons to get certified and then $3000 for the chute. Next project here I come!
That night we bought hamburgers from the street; they were some of the best hamburgers I've ever had. Gooooooodness! Jonathan agreed; he wanted to order 2 more. After that, we played more Egyptian Ratscrew on the roof and Jonathan and I hung out for a while after everyone else had gone to bed to tell stories. Good times.
Venezuela Day 3
The trip from Santo Domingo to Mérida was about 7 hours as well and even more beautiful. We stopped at a park on the way call Sierra Nevada. It had a pristine lake and stream surrounded by mountains. There were a lot of people camping there and some fishing. We got some breakfast at the shop there which was incredibly tasty. I ordered 2 arepas, which are like thicker tortillas that you open in the middle and stuff with meat or cheese or whatever you want. I got ham and cheese and a plain cheese one... that one was a little too cheesy. We also got hot chocolate and borrachas, which is bread the size of a muffin with a sweet apple tart in the middle and come in a pack of 6 or 8. Afterward, we walked around the park for a bit.
Jonathan and I were walking together and I wanted to take a picture of us sitting on a tiny cliff over the stream with the mountains in the background. I started setting up the shot and he walked over there. From my vantage point, the steam looked 2 feet wide and so hopping over it didn't look like a problem but I wanted to make sure I could make it there in time, so we did a dry run. I acted like I pushed the button and counted while I ran and jumped across and sat down. I would have been 2 seconds late... I don't know why I didn't push the button in the first place as it would have been a funny picture. Anyway, jumping over the stream had not been a problem because I was going from higher ground to lower ground, but I had to find a faster way if I was going to be able to take the picture. Jonathan spotted what he thought would be a good launching point and I concurred. I looked at the stream again; it was about 6.5 feet wide and I was going to really have to jump.
I locked the place I wanted to jump to in my vision and started to run. I leapt and as soon as my right foot was in the air I said, "OHHHHH SHITTTTT!" and I really meant it. From that point, I knew I was not going to clear the stream and I shat my pants. Ok, I didn't really do that, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. Surprisingly, my right foot planted on solid ground. My left foot wasn't so fortunate and thrust into the water and was suctioned by the mud bank. My momentum was going forward though so I fell onto grass instead of into water.
Where's my shoe? Oh... it is engulfed in the mud bank. I had to shimmy it thus and thus, use leverage and finally, pop! it came out. It was a tad bit cold and my sock and shoe were wet. Great. After laughing for a bit, I put my shoe back on and we kept walking to catch up with the rest of the group.
The rest of the car ride was quite enjoyable. I tied my shoes to the roof to dry them and Nikki put music on and we sang and sang and sang.
When we arrived in Mérida, Bernardo dropped us off at the zoo while he inspected the car. The zoo only cost $.50 to get in. We were all surprised. Granted it was a smaller zoo but still. I don't like zoos so much because the animals are all in cages and don't have their freedom. It is nice that we can see these exotic animals but they seem so bored. Anyway, the best part of the zoo was that I got my name written on a piece of rice with a lion on the back. Erin thought it was a dog and made fun of me the rest of the trip.
Afterward, we went into town to find accommodations. When trying to plan the trip, Dan couldn't find much information online about the different hotels and hostels available and we were somewhat anxious because it was Easter weekend and a lot of Venezuelans would be vacationing here.
The first hotel we went to was full but that turned out to be a good thing because the hostel that we went to right after was super cheap and had planned excursions; they were the type of excursions we wanted to do too! We went out to eat downtown and tried to go to the ice-cream shop that holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most amount of flavors offered, but the line weaved and swayed a couple of blocks and we had better things to do.
We went back to the hostel and talked with Camila to see what trips we could do. In the end, we decided we would go Canyoning in the morning and Paragliding in the afternoon.
In the evening, we walked around the plaza and got some more Fresas con Crema (probably the 6th or 7th one in 2 or 3 days). Then we returned to the hostel and went on the roof to chill. Nikki had a deck of cards and Jonathan showed her a magic trick where he shuffles all the cards and then flips through them letting her tell him when to stop and can tell her the next card. He did it 3 times in a row and she wanted to know how to do it. Unfortunately, magicians never reveal their secrets. I did the same trick to her afterward. She was a bit frustrated :-P.
I showed her and Jonathan how to play Speed and then I showed them and Dan how to play Egyptian Ratscrew. We had some fun with that game. We played with sandwiches and Jack-7 slams. There was a lot of yelling involved haha.
Jonathan and I were walking together and I wanted to take a picture of us sitting on a tiny cliff over the stream with the mountains in the background. I started setting up the shot and he walked over there. From my vantage point, the steam looked 2 feet wide and so hopping over it didn't look like a problem but I wanted to make sure I could make it there in time, so we did a dry run. I acted like I pushed the button and counted while I ran and jumped across and sat down. I would have been 2 seconds late... I don't know why I didn't push the button in the first place as it would have been a funny picture. Anyway, jumping over the stream had not been a problem because I was going from higher ground to lower ground, but I had to find a faster way if I was going to be able to take the picture. Jonathan spotted what he thought would be a good launching point and I concurred. I looked at the stream again; it was about 6.5 feet wide and I was going to really have to jump.
I locked the place I wanted to jump to in my vision and started to run. I leapt and as soon as my right foot was in the air I said, "OHHHHH SHITTTTT!" and I really meant it. From that point, I knew I was not going to clear the stream and I shat my pants. Ok, I didn't really do that, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. Surprisingly, my right foot planted on solid ground. My left foot wasn't so fortunate and thrust into the water and was suctioned by the mud bank. My momentum was going forward though so I fell onto grass instead of into water.
Where's my shoe? Oh... it is engulfed in the mud bank. I had to shimmy it thus and thus, use leverage and finally, pop! it came out. It was a tad bit cold and my sock and shoe were wet. Great. After laughing for a bit, I put my shoe back on and we kept walking to catch up with the rest of the group.
The rest of the car ride was quite enjoyable. I tied my shoes to the roof to dry them and Nikki put music on and we sang and sang and sang.
When we arrived in Mérida, Bernardo dropped us off at the zoo while he inspected the car. The zoo only cost $.50 to get in. We were all surprised. Granted it was a smaller zoo but still. I don't like zoos so much because the animals are all in cages and don't have their freedom. It is nice that we can see these exotic animals but they seem so bored. Anyway, the best part of the zoo was that I got my name written on a piece of rice with a lion on the back. Erin thought it was a dog and made fun of me the rest of the trip.
Afterward, we went into town to find accommodations. When trying to plan the trip, Dan couldn't find much information online about the different hotels and hostels available and we were somewhat anxious because it was Easter weekend and a lot of Venezuelans would be vacationing here.
The first hotel we went to was full but that turned out to be a good thing because the hostel that we went to right after was super cheap and had planned excursions; they were the type of excursions we wanted to do too! We went out to eat downtown and tried to go to the ice-cream shop that holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most amount of flavors offered, but the line weaved and swayed a couple of blocks and we had better things to do.
We went back to the hostel and talked with Camila to see what trips we could do. In the end, we decided we would go Canyoning in the morning and Paragliding in the afternoon.
In the evening, we walked around the plaza and got some more Fresas con Crema (probably the 6th or 7th one in 2 or 3 days). Then we returned to the hostel and went on the roof to chill. Nikki had a deck of cards and Jonathan showed her a magic trick where he shuffles all the cards and then flips through them letting her tell him when to stop and can tell her the next card. He did it 3 times in a row and she wanted to know how to do it. Unfortunately, magicians never reveal their secrets. I did the same trick to her afterward. She was a bit frustrated :-P.
I showed her and Jonathan how to play Speed and then I showed them and Dan how to play Egyptian Ratscrew. We had some fun with that game. We played with sandwiches and Jack-7 slams. There was a lot of yelling involved haha.
Venezuela Day 2
I really wanted to sleep more, but forced myself to get up. The bed was so nice, especially after having worked so hard and waiting in the airport and staying up late... oh well, I'll get some sleep in the car.
The roads in Venezuela are not the best. They are not the worst either, but they definitely aren't the best. It is a lot like Mexico... well at least Guadalajara, where there are a lot of speed bumps randomly. In Venezuela there seemed to be an equal or greater amount of potholes as well.
Bernardo drove as one would expect cautious Bernardo to drive, slowly and cautiously. He had automatic transmission but chose to drive in 1st or 2nd gear the majority of the time. He would also wave people on to pass him and I guess his reaction time wasn't all that great because he would see a pothole at the last second and veer violently to avoid it. We all got used to it.
The countryside is beautiful. As we drove into the mountains, we got higher and higher and eventually we were above the clouds. It was so interesting to see the change in landscape and vegetation as we escalated. And the further into the mountains we got, the more "Fresas con Crema!" (Strawberries and Cream) stands we saw. They were soooo good and really cheap too. There were strawberry fields everywhere. I loved it and so did everyone else.
We had been driving for a good 7 hours and decided it would be a good idea to stop in Santo Domingo for some food and probably to stay the night so we could do some exploring there. We found a really cheap place that was maybe $10/night and ventured out into the town. It seemed like wherever we went, there was art or graffiti on the walls. I found it really interesting and intriguing.
The first thing we had to do was eat because we were all really hungry. We walked about a mile uphill to the plaza and went into a restaurant. It was full when we walked in but within 5 minutes a lot of people left and we were able to sit at the bar. Our order was taken right away and we were happy. I wanted to try something from there and so I ordered the trout and I also ordered blackberry wine which is made in Venezuela. It was a very, very sweet wine.
An hour later our food came. I don't know if it was because I was so hungry that the food tasted amazing or if it actually was amazing but I was very glad to have it in my stomach.
We walked another mile up the road just wandering around. The air was fresh, cool and chill, the clouds hovering around us. Sublime.
We went back to the town to hang out for a bit and were going to watch a recreation of the last supper at the church... but we were all really tired and ended up going back to the hotel. I immediately went to sleep for the night and it was around 8pm.
The next day I was ready to rock and roll.
The roads in Venezuela are not the best. They are not the worst either, but they definitely aren't the best. It is a lot like Mexico... well at least Guadalajara, where there are a lot of speed bumps randomly. In Venezuela there seemed to be an equal or greater amount of potholes as well.
Bernardo drove as one would expect cautious Bernardo to drive, slowly and cautiously. He had automatic transmission but chose to drive in 1st or 2nd gear the majority of the time. He would also wave people on to pass him and I guess his reaction time wasn't all that great because he would see a pothole at the last second and veer violently to avoid it. We all got used to it.
The countryside is beautiful. As we drove into the mountains, we got higher and higher and eventually we were above the clouds. It was so interesting to see the change in landscape and vegetation as we escalated. And the further into the mountains we got, the more "Fresas con Crema!" (Strawberries and Cream) stands we saw. They were soooo good and really cheap too. There were strawberry fields everywhere. I loved it and so did everyone else.
We had been driving for a good 7 hours and decided it would be a good idea to stop in Santo Domingo for some food and probably to stay the night so we could do some exploring there. We found a really cheap place that was maybe $10/night and ventured out into the town. It seemed like wherever we went, there was art or graffiti on the walls. I found it really interesting and intriguing.
The first thing we had to do was eat because we were all really hungry. We walked about a mile uphill to the plaza and went into a restaurant. It was full when we walked in but within 5 minutes a lot of people left and we were able to sit at the bar. Our order was taken right away and we were happy. I wanted to try something from there and so I ordered the trout and I also ordered blackberry wine which is made in Venezuela. It was a very, very sweet wine.
An hour later our food came. I don't know if it was because I was so hungry that the food tasted amazing or if it actually was amazing but I was very glad to have it in my stomach.
We walked another mile up the road just wandering around. The air was fresh, cool and chill, the clouds hovering around us. Sublime.
We went back to the town to hang out for a bit and were going to watch a recreation of the last supper at the church... but we were all really tired and ended up going back to the hotel. I immediately went to sleep for the night and it was around 8pm.
The next day I was ready to rock and roll.
Venezuela Day 1
School was on the cusp of the cliff, ready to jump into the river named Spring Break. Since the last vacation in February, I seemed to be working longer and harder and I really like working hard but it was a little much as I didn't have time to think of anything else. My mind was organized in multiple parallel circuits and if I wasn't thinking about one thing, I was thinking about another: lesson plans, curriculum, plan the workshop, finish editing the video, exercise, clean my house, fix my bike, eat, pack, vacation.
Fortunately, I didn't have to think too much about my vacation because Dan had planned everything out. It was a simple plan and I was going to be traveling with a great group of friends; they were friends that wanted to do a lot of activities and friends who were very flexible to change plans. The best part turned out to be that they are all jokers as well. The plan was to fly into Valencia and stay the night in Maracay. We would then go to Mérida where it is very mountainous and we would do a lot of outdoorsy activities for a couple of days. Finally, we would go to the Llanos area, which is very flat and has a lot of wildlife, and we would see what we could see. Jonathan, Nikki and I would be staying for 6 days and Dan, Erin and Liz would continue on for another 5 days to explore more.
Dan and I were the only ones who spoke Spanish fluently. Nikki, Erin and Jonathan could understand a lot and could get by and Liz knew how to order water, but Dan and I did most of the talking. None of us had been to Venezuela, but we have some teacher friends who are from there and all of them seemed preoccupied for our safety. However, while we were there, I didn't feel unsafe at all. Everyone we talked with seemed very nice and wanted to help out.
The flight there was incredibly quick. It literally took 30 minutes. The flight attendants barely had time to give us a complimentary drink it was so fast. When we disembarked the plane, I was surprised by the smallness of the airport. It was quaint and that's not how I usually picture international airports. We literally walked off the plane onto the airstrip and from the airstrip 15 yards to customs.
Getting through customs wasn't a problem and we didn't have to wait too long for our luggage. However, while we waited for our luggage, I saw three men take out a bottle of rum and start drinking it. The police didn't seem to care or they didn't notice haha.
The cost of renting a car and hiring someone to drive us around turned out to be the same amount and so we ended up hiring a driver, Bernardo. He was a probably 6'3" with glasses, probably in his mid-50s, dressed business casual with his shirt tucked in. He was very calculated as if he had served in the military. He was cautious and he also never rushed to do anything. He was on his on time. If you asked him a question, he would think about it and by the amount of time that passed, you would expect a profound answer with a lot of insight or perspective. I could see him formulating his thoughts with his mouth, almost whispering them to himself, masticating on his words like a horse chews on hay, always looking straight ahead. In the end, he would give you a simple yes or no. He had tired eyes, a half bellowed laugh and slept in the nude. We found that out the second night we were there when Jonathan and I shared a room with him. The rest of the group found it out the two following nights when we would come back from an activity and knock on the door to get in. He was asleep and answered the door in the nude. It became a joke of the trip.
We got out of the airport around 10pm and Bernardo drove us to Maracay, which was about 45 minutes north of Valencia. We checked into a really nice hotel that Ronald and Deyis had found for us and then walked around to find some food. The place we went into was like a higher class and larger 7/11. There was a small bakery, 2 or 3 stands for different types of food and a small grocery store. We ended up ordering pizza and the pizza had corn as a topping. Everyone loved it.
We slept well that night but it was a short sleep for we left at 6am for the long trek toward Mérida.
Fortunately, I didn't have to think too much about my vacation because Dan had planned everything out. It was a simple plan and I was going to be traveling with a great group of friends; they were friends that wanted to do a lot of activities and friends who were very flexible to change plans. The best part turned out to be that they are all jokers as well. The plan was to fly into Valencia and stay the night in Maracay. We would then go to Mérida where it is very mountainous and we would do a lot of outdoorsy activities for a couple of days. Finally, we would go to the Llanos area, which is very flat and has a lot of wildlife, and we would see what we could see. Jonathan, Nikki and I would be staying for 6 days and Dan, Erin and Liz would continue on for another 5 days to explore more.
Dan and I were the only ones who spoke Spanish fluently. Nikki, Erin and Jonathan could understand a lot and could get by and Liz knew how to order water, but Dan and I did most of the talking. None of us had been to Venezuela, but we have some teacher friends who are from there and all of them seemed preoccupied for our safety. However, while we were there, I didn't feel unsafe at all. Everyone we talked with seemed very nice and wanted to help out.
The flight there was incredibly quick. It literally took 30 minutes. The flight attendants barely had time to give us a complimentary drink it was so fast. When we disembarked the plane, I was surprised by the smallness of the airport. It was quaint and that's not how I usually picture international airports. We literally walked off the plane onto the airstrip and from the airstrip 15 yards to customs.
Getting through customs wasn't a problem and we didn't have to wait too long for our luggage. However, while we waited for our luggage, I saw three men take out a bottle of rum and start drinking it. The police didn't seem to care or they didn't notice haha.
The cost of renting a car and hiring someone to drive us around turned out to be the same amount and so we ended up hiring a driver, Bernardo. He was a probably 6'3" with glasses, probably in his mid-50s, dressed business casual with his shirt tucked in. He was very calculated as if he had served in the military. He was cautious and he also never rushed to do anything. He was on his on time. If you asked him a question, he would think about it and by the amount of time that passed, you would expect a profound answer with a lot of insight or perspective. I could see him formulating his thoughts with his mouth, almost whispering them to himself, masticating on his words like a horse chews on hay, always looking straight ahead. In the end, he would give you a simple yes or no. He had tired eyes, a half bellowed laugh and slept in the nude. We found that out the second night we were there when Jonathan and I shared a room with him. The rest of the group found it out the two following nights when we would come back from an activity and knock on the door to get in. He was asleep and answered the door in the nude. It became a joke of the trip.
We got out of the airport around 10pm and Bernardo drove us to Maracay, which was about 45 minutes north of Valencia. We checked into a really nice hotel that Ronald and Deyis had found for us and then walked around to find some food. The place we went into was like a higher class and larger 7/11. There was a small bakery, 2 or 3 stands for different types of food and a small grocery store. We ended up ordering pizza and the pizza had corn as a topping. Everyone loved it.
We slept well that night but it was a short sleep for we left at 6am for the long trek toward Mérida.
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