Posada Turistica Aldea Vieja Merida

Well I left you all back in 2008.. so, since then I have been Paragliding, which was awesome though not as thrilling as the first time you do it. I did get to fly up in the clouds which was pretty cool... literally. I was pretty much in the air for 45 minutes so was kinda over it by the time my hands turned blue. The scenery was amazing though. I must admit, the scariest part was the van ride up the mountain. I really am surprised we didn´t go over the edge! One girl in ...

... particpants and we shortly realised why. It was hell. The trip in total was about 42km, with the first 27km all uphill. Portions were so steep that if you stopped it was difficult to start again. Parts of the track were in the shades of woodland and were quite muddy, it was a dirty business getting through them. Julie sought refuge in the truck for several parts, stowing the bike in the rear. I fought on, I swear I nearly threw up. As we climbed further the cloud ...

... nature is very, very beautiful. Ah, and I found out how much a litter of gasoline cost in Venezuela - between 0.7-0.9Bolivares - less than 50cents!!!, less than bottled water. For real. *** I would definitely reccomend the agency that took me to Catatumbo: Guaguanco Tours. They are right at Plaza las Heroinas and do not rip you off: http://griffjon.com/host/Guaguanco/cont act.html. Ask to go with Eli - he is a truly nice and ...

... sunlight shine through. This place has alot of character. We offloaded our backpacks and went outside to meet the other travelers. 2 guys that are living here, renting out the rooms for a couple of months that disapeared before I got their names, and Jessica from Amsterdam who is just about to head home. It was wierd as she looks exactly like my mum did at her age, haha! After settling in and chatting to a few people, Andy, Jess, Matty and I went out ...

... on the right bus (really hope Venezuelan bus terminals aren't all like this..Colombia's bus service is so organised and user friendly (sigh). As predicted the bus left an hour late but we finally chugged off at 1pm (I got to the bus terminal at 11am). Everything went smoothly (apart from the driver announcing an hour into the journey that the aircon doesn't work...followed by a lot of sighs and boos from the passengers. The bus wasn't stopped a single time and thankfully any ...

... high. We stayed at a nice little posada (Suiza) where all the numerous girls who worked there were nice. They even asked us out dancing on our last night there but we had to decline. Merida also has what claims to be the world's highest and longest cable car. I believe it. The cable car leaves from Merida, at 1577m elevation. It terminates 12km later at Pico Espejo, 4765m high, where the thin air makes some people dizzy just getting off the car. And the view is ...

... that this place ever operated as a factory. Back up in the van we headed up to San Jose and our guide certainly didn't get our joke when we kept asking if he knew the way! Garvo certainly was close to losing his rag with his bike struggling up the up hill sections with only 7 gears working. Carly on the other hand was happy on the up hill sections as she did not have to worry about her brakes not working ...

... informs us that the lightning has started. Yes! Sara and I immediately run outside to observe this once in a lifetime experience. Sara: ¨Is that it?¨ Me: ¨I think so.¨ Sara: ¨Where is everyone anyway?¨ They're finishing their card game. Are you ******** me, no wonder they weren´t concerned about the lightning earlier, they´d rather play crazy eights. And the worst part is, they aren´t missing anything. The lightning is sporadic ...

... up to the summit, but nothing could mar the pleasure of our morning hiking experience. Several carloads of Venezuelan tourists had just arrived, equipped with cameras and ready to capture the beauty of the area. Unfortunately for them, everything was already shrouded in mist and cloud, and would surely stay that way for the remainder of the day. As for us, we blithely made our way down to lower altitudes where the sun was still resplendent.

... of cooling beers... We had a nice chat with a guy who was originally from Merida, but now lived in New York selling ice creams. He said he was glad to have the chance to practice his English, as he lives and works there in a Dominican community where people speak only Spanish. On the way back, we stopped in a lovely colonial village called Tabay for lunch, and afterwards sat in their leafy square for a while, watching people go by, in the warm afternoon ...