Hotel Chama Merida

... We were to be his public<br>for the next half hour as he entertained us with his singing and<br>rhetoric. We all clapped and laughed (even though we didn't really<br>know what we were laughing at, but you could just tell he was being<br>funny) until eventually he'd has his fill of the limelight. We all<br>put money in the hat and it was the best money I've spent in<br>Venezuela.<br><br><br><br>now we are in Merida, the centre of the<br>outdoor ...

We had breakfast in the restaurant of the posada. Yum pancakes, Im stuffed. We explore the city and check out a few tour operators. Our research recommended a guy called Eli who informed us of all the tours in the area and even some we could do ourselves. Initially we book a trip to Los Llanos to leave on Sunday. As it is low season ...

... later he was in front of us honking his way through the jam. Hey, we can do that, so off we go poking Eve through while I wave my arms around politely bullying drivers to give us an inch. Dom alone is an Evel Kenevel in traffic but when both of us are driving we fit right in. Merida brings to a close our breathless trip through Venezuela. No other country has awed us in such contrasting ways, wanting more and wanting to escape.

... und sind am noechschte Morge scho wieder loszoge nach Merida, Venezuela. E wunderschoeni Stadt isch das... wuerkli... Ich glaub es isch d`Stadt gsi, woni am meischte gnosse han z`Venezuela. Wieso gnau chani noed wuerkli saege. d`Stadt isch chuehler und liit ide Berge underhalb vom hoechschte Berg vo Venezuela. Em Pico Bolivar (5007m). Mir haend inere haerzige Posada uebernachtet, gad im Herze vom Zentrum ...

... industry is really growing here now and then it may be packed with American tourists...we'll see. Colombia is officially my top country in world (so far). One thing is for sure and quoting from the great actor, governor, poet and lyricist Arnold Shwarzenegger..."I'll be back!". This last week has been pretty full on with partying and bus journeys so bought myself some DVD's (American Gangster (great film by the way) and 28 Weeks Later (sadly, not so great)..$2 for both) and checked ...

... surprisingly easy!! The scenery was stunning....as we flew through the valley of the main River here (Rio Chama).....and I got my instructor to do lots of turns in the air, which was so much fun! I will have to do this again...and apparently Caracas is a great place to paraglide. After getting back I checked out the famous icecream parlour - La heladeria Coromoto - which has over 200 flavours...a world record! I tried ...

... some money re-doing the square! With the bikes unloaded Garvo was rather disconcerted as his chain fell off after trying to change gears and Carly remained optmistic when the helmet didn't even have a clip and had to resort to tying it! The first down hill stretch the guide headed off at a pace on his good bike and we were both glad to have made it in one piece down the road as we were left to try and ...

... and two German lesbians) don´t seem bothered in the least. After the jeep ride that just won´t end, finally does just that, we all hop in a boat. Our driver, Omar, takes us to his stilted house on the lake. It`s in a neighbourhood of about seven or eight such houses, but this is clearly not a village. Omar doesn´t even live in his, he just makes money taking tourists here. And for a stilted house, a place that´s literally on ...

... and preparing them for markets all over the country. We had very limited visibility as we crossed the Aguila pass at almost 14,000 ft, so didn't even bother stopping for a photo. Although our original intention was to continue on to Mérida, we were attracted by a charming mountain village just ten km past the lookout - and hey, we all live in hope that tomorrow the sun might be shining! All our enquiries about the possibility of ...

... day we just relaxed, and later strolled round the town, getting our bearings. The next day, on the advice of the guest house owner, we went by bus to a neighbouring village, to visit some hot springs. The bus ride itself was a pleasure - the countryside here was impossibly scenic, lots of little villages tucked away in wooded valleys, all loomed over by rocky peaks. The hot springs were a steep hike away, and as the route up was deserted, we assumed we would be ...