Cabanas Micata Merida

... was prettt amazing rock hopping down the canyon in and out of the water and also absailing (rappeling) down these 30m waterfalls!!! <br><br>The only problem here is that Due to Chàvez (the Presedent) the officeal exchange rate is fixed to 2,100 Boliviars to the Dollar. Actually on the back market you can get more like 5,000 to the dollar (so it pays to avaoid the banks!) Which does mean I have to live of the cash I have on me! Hence I will probabaly be out of here in a few days!

... the warm air on the lake. It´s only in this region of the world, and only for 4 months a year so we were pretty lucky the tour hit Merida at a good time. A local tour guide (such a hard case and Venezuelan equivalent of David Attenborough!) picked us up on Sunday morning and took us out onto the lake and we stayed on a stilt house out in the middle of the lake which took 3 hours to get to on a speed boat. We were treated to a perfect view of the ...

... twice by National Guard who inspected IDs and our passports. Once in San Christóbal we got our next bus to Mérida, four and a half hours away. The windows are complelely covered by curtains and the heat inside is sweltering. We wait for the aircon to bring it down to a managable temperature before getting on. Venezuela, like Ecuador charges you to leave the station. I conk out for most of the journey but we arrive in Mérida around 5pm and get a taxi to Posada la ...

... The second day, Ben and I went walking in the mountain, in search for the Lagunas (that we never found!). The landscape up there was absolutely fantastic, and walking there felt like being alone on top of the earth. We treked for about 5 hours, admiring the beauty of the nature and singing all the french songs we know... I really loved this experience - and I definitely enjoyed walking much more than biking !!! ;-) The third day, we walked back the 13km that ...

... the hot springs before it got dark. I absolutely loved the walk through jungle, slightly creepy but very beautiful cloud forest and thick bamboo before eventually arriving at the lake at 12.20 (yup yup). The lake was also incredibly beaufiful in an impressive/slighly sinister way (reminded us a little of Scotland (!) and we could imagine a scary old castle on one of the rocky mountains around). We had lunch at the top and then walked down ...

... wing of the paraglider and we started freefalling towards ground (sheeeet that was great fun) and just when I thought I was a goner he pulled on the controls and we started lifting up on the air currents. That was worth every penny ($30) and a top experience for me. Got chatting to a Colombian couple called Fernando and Lena and caught a lift back to town with them. Had a good drink with them and once again it was proved to me that one of many things Colombia is famous for is true ...

... as closely as I would have liked. The most interesting piece that I have read in the local media was a day or two after the result was announced. It was saying that generations to come would celebrate this day as the day when 'valoroso' Venezuelans said 'no' to things like indefinite reelection and the confiscation of private property. I've heard a lot about control of the media, but you can obviously slip the occasional hostile piece through.

nachdem wir wieder mal eine nacht lang bus gefahren sind, sind wir nun endlich in kuehleren gefilden. die landschaft hier ist echt wunderschoen und die luft ist ... sauberer. nachdem wir gestern ein paar stunden am busbahnhof von maracaibo, der erdoelstadt von venzuela (und auch noch die waermste), ist das eine echte wohltat. vor allem haben wir eine wunderbare herberge gefunden: "posada alemania", zu deutsch: "deutsche herberge". und der name ist programm: ueberal oesterreicher ...

... there, covering a huge piece of real estate until finally honing in on his frog. Jumping off the bow of the boat into the weedy water, he grabs his next frog before climbing back aboard soaking wet. This guy´s crazy. I wonder what I´ll get him to order me for lunch tomorrow? While returning from the frog hunt, I see something I´m surprised I didn´t notice sooner. Me: ¨Is that a full moon? What the (beep). I swear it was full ...

... for 8am the next morning. Ouch! Feels a little seedy saying that I had to pick up my hungover girlfriend from school after a drinking session but them's the facts folks. Oh and by the way my TB vaccination has come up a treat with oozing pus and everything will post the photos of it when I next manage to find a place to upload the photos. Friday was Lea's last day of lessons so between the morning and evening sessions we went and booked a 4 day tour to the ...