El Serrano Merida

... hand we knew to come to Merida as its known as the adventure capital of Venezuela! What better way to shake off the real world and get us into holiday mode! The first posada (hostel) we tried was closed so we trekked across town to find another one we´d read about. Posada Guamanchi was really cool and our room overlooked the mountains. It was also great to have our own bathroom for the first shower in 36 ...

We decide to do a quick stop at Exito supermarket to get food, biscuits, water for the trip as we couldnt find one in Mérida before heading for the border. It was pretty much a repeat of the last time. Exit stamp, bridge walk, entry stamp on other side. They must know we went back to get money with all the stamps but how else would we survive when the ATMs are allergic to our cards! We get to the bus station in San Christóbal and have just missed ...

... not so much the city that is pretty as much as it is the inteaction of scenery and architecture, or lack of, in come cases. Then, occasionally along comes a city worth exploring. From the crossing of the Rio Orinoco we meandered through lush valleys, rustic villages like Magdellena and Guigui, busy cities like San Diego and Valencia, all with something to boast about. We can tell when we have stumbled onto the tourist trail ...

... any tours, which was a pity as they looked well organized and we really wanted to go paragliding. So we decided we would have to come back on holiday with our pockets full of US dollars and live like kings. The best way to live like a king in Merida is to check into Casa Sol, the nicest place we've stayed so far in South America. It's a beautiful guesthouse that has been put together with so much care, the beds ...

... myself for some altitude (5,000 metres) I bought a bottle of water, took some deep breaths and hopped on the car. Built by the French in 1954 the car was sturdy but old looking so I wasn't worried. To get to the amazing height of 5,000 metres it goes in 4 stages (10 minute breaks in between..I guess so people can adjust to the altitude slowly). At the start of the journey the trees and plants were big and green and as the car crept upwards the plantlife became small, alpine and ...

22nd October 2007 - Day 133 We arrived in Merida and Carly was still not feeling tip top and so the 3km walk uphill was not the most pleasurable experience but we quickly found a place to stay with our own bathroom which was a good job as Garvo soon suffering too with the squits and had to make a dash out of a tour agency and run to the loo-oh dear! 23rd October 2007 - Day 134 The next day ...

We awake at 7.30 and head to the Arassari office for 9.00am to collect the stuff needed for the next 4 days, whilst we hike up Pico Humbolt, Venezuela´s 2nd highest peak (4924m). Ice axes, helmets, harnesses, crampons, tents, stoves, food - everything you need for a 4 day trek in the mountains. We pack our Rucksacs and put them on our backs, they weigh a ton - Dude where is my porter?! After a 45 minute drive we arrive at the national park where we begin the hike. The height is ...

... it. Everyone left their porch lights on all night. The place was glowing. And if that wasn´t hard enough to sleep through, as soon as daylight arrived, the roosters started crowing. I´m not kidding. It was like living on a farm. Except for the cows. The only cows we saw were on nearby land, none were actually spotted on stilts. So much for my debut book Walking on Water, but you gotta admit, it´s a catchy title. SARA SAYS... I ...

... Or do it again ever, for that matter. But we both agreed that it had been a wonderful experience. Our work was done in Merida, bar a trip to the ice cream shop with more flavours than any other in the world (apparently it´s in the Guinness Book of Records). We met up with Adrian, our friend from earlier in the week, and stepped into the record books. They had 3000 or so flavours listed on the wall, but only a few tens of flavours available, so I´m not quite ...