Maracaibo Cumberland

... linen

Dark faces strange hair,
do I look or don´t I stare?,
here they say all are happy,
somehow it seems maybe not

Drop the vowels and speak so fast,
train my ear but understand whats past,
the entire conversation that i comprehend just fine,
I am off the beaten track this will take some time!

Yo tome un helicóptero y visitar Salto Ángel. Yo jugué en la laguna y la playa de Canaima. Saque muchas fotos de Golodrina Salto, Hacha Salto, y el agua de rojo. Come en La Churuata Restaurante. La comida es bien, pero poco caliente. Llegue a Tapuya Hotel a dormir.

Maracaibo was a hot, bustling and gigantic city located next to the country's largest lake. We only stayed here for one night so we could leave for Colombia early in the morning, and allow us to get to our destination during daylight. So goodbye, Venezuela. The last signs we saw as we left the country stated ¨Socialism, Patriotism or Death.¨ Oh, Venezuela. Just in case we had any doubts that Chavez is just a wee bit crazy.

... and would probably be closed by now. Before we knew it they loaded us into their huge truck and agreed to drop us at a nearby hotel. It was so kind of them and they even got out at the hotel and talked to the reception desk to ensure we were ok. We had already been told that apart from in Merida there are no hostels in the country and that it is worth getting cheap hotels. The Costa Real (Avenue Circunvalacion) was very nice, the air ...

I knew that Maracaibo would be bad when I arrived. I only stayed here to break my journey up. However, I could never imagine what dump it would be. Thinking of staying here? You better reschedule your trips so whenever you arrive here, you can leave on the same day. Story on Maracaibo

... it as a proper shithole barely worth writing about. Next... Cuyabeno... The Cuyabeno Reserve, or National Park, was where we headed in search of anacondas, tarantulas, monkeys and other exotic jungle wildlife. We didn't see much. Maybe, after just returning from the Galapagos, I expected too much. On the Galapagos Islands you could go right up to the animals and they wouldn't blink. It seems ...

... another nose. At that time in the morning all we had wanted was an uninterrupted journey to catch up on sleep- but maybe on the bus eh?? Spoke too soon. Got through border control with no problems, and were immediately pounced on by helpful Colombian salesmen. Before we had even left the taxi, we had bought our bus ticket to santa marta, for a 2hour ride. Breakfast (this was only around 7am remember!) was plantain and cheese, comes as it says on the tin ...

... boarder and it was a yucky journey with all the mud, not much to see and we were literally stopped every 100 meters to get our documents checked. It soon became apparent that the woman in the dodgy looking couple didnt have a passport or any kind of documentation to get her over the boarded. Her husbant paid out bribes of $3-$4 dollars to everyone who stopped the car - and there were loads of stoppages, maybe 20!? THEN when we ...

This was my first visit to Venezuela in ten years. My aunt Carol was getting married so my parents allowed me to go. Venezuela isn't exactly that safe anymore, especially for "tourists." I got to spend time with my family which was absolutely awesome.

My aunts wedding was absolutely amazing. Words cannot describe how gorgeous everything was. As soon as I can, I will upload pictures because that's the only way to get the full effect.

... fault is is his disappointingly sensible haircut and lack of moustache. He earns a permanent place in my good books by informing me that I am entitled to a further 6 days in Colombia, forcing me to leave the day before carnaval starts. The warm, happy thoughts of buying gifts for my new friend and doing helpful things for him such as walking his dog and watering his cucumbers will, I am sure, guarantee me a place in heaven. Or would if I wasnt guaranteed one already.