Wind-Borne III - Journal

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela

March 1, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Santo Domingo to San Rafael

After another great night sleep, we had breakfast and packed our bags.  

Departure time was 10AM.  Our  new driver Ricardo arrived from Merida and he was to stay with us for the rest of the trip.  The vegetation and scenery changed drastically shortly after leaving Santo Domingo.  We drove through the Paramo (areas that are above 2500 metres), crossed the mountains of the National Park of “Sierra la Culata.  There was still farming but most of it was on steep hills.  We saw a couple of farmers plowing fields with cattle pulling the plow.  We could see the criss-crossing of mule paths that are used to get the produce down from the hills to the main road, as motorised vehicles couldn’t negotiate on the steep hills.  As we got higher the only trees visible were the eucalyptus and pine.  There was very dry scrub and a plant called frailejone.  This plant looks a little like an aloe when it’s young but it only grows 1 centimetre a year.  The hills are studded with frailejones, some of them hundreds of years old.  This is the only vegetation that can survive at this altitude.  Our first stop was in the Park of Mucubaji.  There we all except Peggy, went horseback riding for a couple of hours.  The paths we followed provided incredible views if one had their eyes open.  In some places the path was very narrow with cliffs rising up steeply beside us and a drop of thousands of feet on the other side.  There was no way we could have walked the trail, we were about 3500 metres above sea level and we had difficulty breathing with the horses doing all the work.  We climbed up and down very steep hills some were just rock and others were loose gravely rock with a dust rather than sand.  The first very steep hill that we went down has been named “tumble hill” by our group.  This was because I went for a tumble.  I had the smallest horse and my saddle did not have a horn.  When the horse attempted to go down this very steep hill I guess I wasn’t leaning back far enough or something but he put his head right down to the ground and with the angle we were on, I slipped gently head first over his head onto the ground.  When I got up I still had the reins, bit and halter in my hand.  It had slipped off as well. Jaime traded horses with me and after that everything was fine.  We passed by Laguna Los Patos, rode through a reforested pine slope and finally stopped at Laguna Negra which, is a small beautiful glacial mountain lake with dark water.  When we finished our ride everyone was walking a little funny and we were cold.  We stopped in the small park museum, had a hot chocolate and learned about the Andeans.  The Andeans are much smaller than most people.  Their lungs however are 20% larger than ours.  They have more blood, it is thicker and their heart beats much slower than our normal rate.  These differences allow them to walk and work in the high altitudes where we have difficulty just breathing.

We left the park and drove to Pico El Aguila at 4007 metres above sea level.  This is the highest point you can get to by car in Venezuela and the second highest in South America.  Simon Bolivar marched this way on one of his campaigns, so there is a monument dedicated to him on the pass.  It was a statue of a condor holding a plaque with a picture of Simon Bolivar.  We stopped the van at a roadside restaurant next to the monument and walked across the small lot and up a few steps to read the plaque.  We were totally out of breath, a little dizzy and even had a small pain in our head.  We were above the clouds and one large one was rolling in through the valley.  It looked neat but didn’t photograph well.  We went back to the restaurant had a small snack and a special drink called “Calentaito” which is supposed to help you adjust to the high altitude.  It’s made with coffee, rum and some secret herbs.  We returned to the van and stopped at a few more scenic places to take pictures before going to a Condor station.  The van could only get to within a kilometre of the condor station and we had to walk up the rest of the way.  It was a painful walk.  We would take about ten or twelve steps and stop to breathe for a minute.  It wasn’t just us, we saw a young couple there who where on their honeymoon and they were stopping almost as frequently as we were.  The Condor was declared extinct in South America and the foundation that runs this station was able to obtain two Condors from the San Francisco zoo.  They have gradually started to nest and live again in the Andes.  They are magnificent birds.  There are two who live at the station, one male that didn’t want to return to freedom after being raised in captivity and a female with only one wing.  The walk back downhill back to the van was much easier.  We drove a little way and then stopped at butcher shop that sold homemade sausages and hams that were cured.  We tasted quite a few and in the end I chose a large sausage of lomito (fillet of beef).  Our next stop was San Rafael de Mucuchies.  There we stopped at an amazing stone chapel built by a local artist, Juan Felix Sanchez (1900-1997), who is buried inside.  He built this chapel by himself when he was in his seventies.  

Totally exhausted we headed for our hotel.  This time Jaime outdid himself.  Our hotel was a castle, “Castillo San Ignacio”.  Not an old one but magnificent none the less it was built in 1986.  The inside walls were 1 foot thick and the outside walls were at least 3 feet thick.  It was decorated in medieval style but had all the conveniences of a modern hotel.  We all went to our rooms for an hour and then met in the dining room for dinner at 7PM.  I had Jaime ask if the hotel would wash a few clothes for me since my jacket etc. got a little dusty on Tumble Hill.

March 2, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Happy Birthday Karyn

San Rafael to Merida City We had a great night sleep and met everyone for breakfast in the dining room at 8AM.  Not only had the hotel washed some clothes for me, they got them cleaner than they have been in ages and didn’t want to charge for doing it.

We left the hotel at 10AM and went to Mucuchies, the oldest town in the Andes.  We all went our own way and explored the town for a while.  Rick and I found a farmer plowing a small lot in town with his cattle.  He was interesting to watch as the field was being plowed opposite to how the carrots (first crop) were planted.  He gathered the carrots and plowed for the next crop which, would be potatoes.  All farmers here do crop rotation.  When we returned to the van, everyone wanted to see the farmer so we directed the driver to where we had found him.

We continued driving down into the valley.  The vegetation was again changing quickly.  We drove through stands of pine and eucalyptus trees again.  The aroma was great and everything was becoming lush.  We stopped at a couple of tourist traps on the way and each time Peggy and I cheered.  Eventually we stopped at the Marmalade Palace where we tasted almost all of the flavours before buying a few.  They are famous for having 150 flavours of marmalades and preserves.  Merida is on located on a table of land between two mountain ranges and National Parks, Sierra Nevada is to the East and Sierra de la Culata is to the West.  We arrived at our hotel (Hotel Chama) in downtown Merida at 2PM.  This gave us a couple of hours of free time before going on a city tour at 4PM.  We went for lunch and a quick stop at the Internet café around the corner from our hotel.  George our guide for Merida arrived at 4PM and gave us each maps of the city.  He took us on a walking tour.  The first stop was an ice cream store famous for having 700 different types of ice cream.  Some of them are gross and I wouldn’t want to try them.  Next we stopped at the original building of the university.  We visited another Basilica, this one was one of the most beautiful we have seen.  We squeaked into the old governor’s mansion before it closed for the day.  There were a few old colonial homes that we were able to tour through the interior.

On our way back to the hotel there was a bit of a demonstration going on near Plaza Bolivar so we just bypassed the area.  Don, Rick and I went to a small local restaurant in search of Lasagne.  We found one just a couple of blocks from the hotel.  Peggy and Jim went a different direction.  When we returned to the hotel we banged on Jaime’s door to find out what time we were to meet in the morning.  The answer was 7AM so we called it a night.

March 3, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Merida City

We all met in the hotel lobby at 7AM for our ride on the cable car up the mountains in Sierra Nevada National Park.  We were the first to arrive at the Teleferico so we had front row seats for the ride up.  The first cable car took us from 1577 metres to 2436 metres, Estacion La Montana.  The next cable car was waiting for us so we continued on up to 3453 metres, Estacion La Aguada.  The 3rd and 4th cars were not running or we would have gone as high as 4.765 metres.  It’s a good thing they weren’t running because it was very cold.  There was snow on the Pico Espejo which, we didn’t get to see but that was ok because we were freezing our buns off at the second station.  Some people were wearing toques and mitts it was so cold.  The view in every direction was spectacular.  It was interesting to see Merida from above.  When we were walking around town it really felt like we were in a valley looking up at the two mountain ranges on either side.  When we viewed the city from above it was very clearly situated on a table above the valley floor where there was a river running by both sides of the town.  

While we were at the second station we had some strawberries and cream with a cup of hot chocolate.  By the time we descended we were starving and decided to walk back to the hotel rather than take a taxi and stop for something to eat on the way.  We found a small local place and Rick and I ordered the lunch special.  We had a large bowl of home made soup, a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice (it was suppose to be melon juice but I requested orange instead), beef steak, potato and beet salad, rice and two different types of fried plantain.  The cost was 2500 Bs (83 cents U.S.).

After breakfast/lunch we returned to the hotel for a siesta.  At 2PM Don, Rick and I took a taxi and went to the zoo.  They let us in free because we looked old.  It was a small but interesting zoo and we strolled around looking at the animals and the grounds for a couple of hours.  When we left we had a taxi take us back into downtown Merida where we walked to a little café near Plaza Bolivar and the university.  The guys liked it there because beer was ice cold, served at a table in a tree lined pedestrian walkway for 20 cents a glass.  The restraining factor was lack of Banos (washrooms).  

We again made our way back to the hotel for a little rest before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was at a steak house where they bring a hibachi to the table to cook your meat.  It was a fun evening and we were totally exhausted when we returned to the hotel again.

March 4, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Merida City

We left the hotel at 10AM and took a very scenic drive to a town called “Jaji”.  On our way we stopped to see some beautiful waterfalls called “La Chorrera Cascades”.  We drove through a pine forest and enjoyed the fresh scent of pine.  After the pine forest we drove past trees that were so heavily laden with orchids that there were more orchids than there were trees.

Jaji was a beautiful and picturesque pueblo andino (Andean town).  We walked around there for a while and visited the tourist traps otherwise known as souvenir shops.  Before leaving we stopped at a lovely restaurant for a drink.  We drove a short distance from the town to a Coffee Hacienda that was over a hundred years old.  The Hacienda is not always available to the public but can be viewed if prior arrangements are made and the owner does not have guests.  It was an interesting tour and a beautiful Hacienda.  Everyone was starting to feel a little tired.  

It had been a busy week so we stopped for a light lunch on the way back to the hotel so that we would have time for a short siesta before venturing out again, this time for our farewell dinner.  This was our last night in Merida.  We found the restaurant that Jaime had planned for the farewell dinner but it was closed.  There was another restaurant next door and it was open so we all chose to eat there.  It was an Italian restaurant and the evening was very successful.

March 5, 2004, Merida

Merida City

This was our last day in Merida.  We all met at 8AM and went to the Merida market.  It had a good selection of dry goods as well as fresh fruit, vegetables and meats.  We were almost out of cash but had just enough left to buy a few items.  After shopping we stopped for breakfast in a restaurant area where the colour of the chair covers indicated different restaurants.  When we arrived, the different waitresses all waved their restaurant menu at us to try and get us to sit at one of their tables.  We chose one and had a basic Venezuelan breakfast before returning to the hotel.

We had packed all of our things before leaving for the market so we watched TV until it was time to leave for the airport.

We flew from Merida to Caracas, then to Margarita Island and finally to Barcelona (Puerto La Cruz).  It was a little after 5PM when we arrived in Puerto La Cruz.  It felt great to be home (back at the boat).  We received a wonderful welcome home from everyone we met as we headed down the docks.  Roberto greeted us and said he would make us dinner.  He also wanted to give us some milk and bread if we didn’t have any on board.  I assured him that we were fine and didn’t need anything.  I know that there has been a lot of negative news lately about Venezuela but we have encountered only kindness from all Venezuelans regardless of whether they were for or against Chavez.  When travelling through the country we never felt unsafe or threatened in any way.  Even the police wearing all of their crowd control gear took the time to say Buenos Dias to us Gringos.

March 6, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

After a great night sleep in our own bed it felt good to be back into our regular routine, Rick made coffee, we listened to the Net and then I made breakfast.  While we were still eating breakfast we heard someone calling us from the dock.  It was Tom from Scrammin and he had come by to say that he wanted to buy our old dinghy.  He said he would pick it up a little later in the morning.

As soon as we were finished with breakfast we washed and dressed to go to the swap meet (first Saturday of every month).  There was nothing there that we needed but we got to see Marcel and Celine (Allie Cat) who had returned from Margarita Island while we were away.  We went to the yard to see how Promesa was coming along.  Leo had been working hard while we were away and the hull looked just about ready to for the anti fouling paint to be applied Blanca was up in the apartment that they rented for the time they were going to be on the hard.  We ran into Dick and Duchess on our way back to the boat.  They had just returned from the States and had brought our new Pactor III modem with them.  They invited us aboard to meet their new little puppy named Daisy.  She was so cute that I offered to puppy sit whenever they needed someone.  After lunch, I went to the internet café while Rick installed the new modem.  Later in the afternoon we tested it and downloaded some email.  It worked perfectly so it appears that I’m back in business again.  I much prefer to send and receive the email onboard rather than from cafés.

We spent a quiet evening onboard reading and watching TV.  

March 7, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Today was Sunday and for me it was a day of rest.  We awoke at our normal time but after breakfast I went back to bed until 9:30AM.  Rick meanwhile waxed the dinghy and started polishing fenders.  Later we had lunch at the Ancla Restaurant while everyone was playing dominoes.  We spent the afternoon reading and relaxing.  

March 8, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Well we were definitely well rested this morning.  I gathered the laundry and as soon as the Net was finished we started to take it to the laundry lady.  We got part way there and ran into Chris and Phil (Anju).  We knew they were on their way and had been keeping a lookout for them.  They arrived just after we left for Merida.  We joined Chuck (Manana) who just returned from the States, Chris and Phil for coffee before starting our chores.  We were going to Plaza Mayor to do a little grocery shopping and Celine (Allie Cat) decided to join us.  It was a perfect time to shop.  The shelves were full and there were very few shoppers.  I went to the butcher and requested a lomito (filet of beef).  You must purchase the whole beef tenderloin in Venezuela.  They will cut it up for you but you can’t just request a couple of filet mignons, that’s not how it works.  So I asked the butcher to trim it, but leave it whole for me.  The whole filet cost me just over $10. U.S. for 3.57 Kilos.  When we returned to the boat, from the large piece of meat, I cut 6 steaks, 1 roast, a shish kabob meal and enough small pieces to make a meaty stew.  We used some of the steaks for the Monday night barbecue and I took a huge fresh fruit salad.  The papaya, mango, melons, pineapples and bananas looked so perfectly fresh in the store that I couldn’t resist purchasing some of each.

March 9, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

We went shopping again this morning but this time we went on Jaime’s shopping tour where we hit four different stores and return to the marina around noon.  It’s a great way to pick up odd little things that aren’t always available at a single grocery store.  It was only Chris, Phil (Anju) and us on the trip today.  Our odd items we were looking for were hearing aid batteries (found them), peanut butter (not something that Venezuelans eat), Crisco Shortening (not something that Venezuelans use) and body wash.  In Porlamar we found every different type of body wash available on the Planet but we haven’t been able to find any in Puerto La Cruz.  We mentioned this to Andres (our driver) and he said, “I sell it”.  When we questioned him we learned that he was an Amway dealer.  So he promised to deliver some body wash to our boat the next day.  When we returned to the marina we found that Potter, our other driver, had left us our new guide books that had been copied while we were away.  

Marla (Apsara) called in the afternoon and invited us to have dinner with her and some other friends at the Ancla.  Meanwhile we stopped in to see the rigger about a splice we want him to do for us.  He promised to come and see us later this week or next.  

We had a busy day and a very enjoyable evening. 

March 10, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Rick and I had conflicting plans for the day so with an amazing compromise, my plans took precedence today and tomorrow belongs to him.  Rick washed the outside of the boat and helped me clean inside as well.  I spent most of the day cooking.  I made Pabellón Criollo’.  Instead of the normal shredded beef though, I tried making it with chicken.  It took most of the day but the finished product was good.  We invited Marla (Apsara) for dinner for a taste test.  I served it with the traditional black beans, rice, and sweet plantain.  We even managed to have fresh local strawberries for dessert.  She said it was wonderful.  It was almost 10PM when we went to bed and I think it took 2 seconds for my eyelids to close.

March 11, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

This was Rick’s day to take over the interior of the boat.  I went to the internet café and surfed for a while.  When I came out, I found a few of the women talking to Jaime about taking a trip to Merida so I joined them.  Word had spread about the great time we had and others were anxious to try it.  I had a Café Con Leche then Joan (Mainly) and I decided to go down town in the afternoon.  Their boat is on the hard so she had some time to kill.  Celine (Allie Cat) said she would like to join us as well.  We met at 2PM and took the local bus downtown.  We roamed a lot of stores not buying much but having a good time.  When returned to the marina just before dinnertime Rick had just finished working on adding a new vent in the fresh water tank and plumbing in an additional pump for the watermaker.  I told him about the stores we found and one I would like him to see.  We had dinner and read for the rest of the evening.

March 12, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Rick had a few boat chores to do in the morning and then we headed downtown.  I wanted to show him some of the things I found yesterday.  As we were walking down the street to get a taxi when one of the local tour guides, Carlos (Charlie Alpha), drove by and offered us a lift.  Since it was noon, the stores were all closed until 2PM so we had him take us to El Morocco a restaurant very close to the stores we wanted to go to.  We had wonderful Chateaubriand for lunch (total was $12 for 2 of us) and we finished in perfect time for the end of the siesta period.  I was positive Rick would want an electronic Spanish translator and money converter.  He thought it was cute but didn’t really want one.  I proudly showed him the RF Modulator I found that would let us play our DVDs on the laptop and watch them on the TV monitor.  The modulator was great but they didn’t have the cables we needed.  We left the electronic stores and moved on to fabric stores where they sell bedding, linens etc.  We found some sheets and comforters that we both liked so bought a new set.  I now have a sewing project to fit the sheet to our odd shaped bed.  Our final stop was on the way back to the marina.  Ferka a local hardware that seems to carry almost everything was where Rick hoped to find a grease gun attachment that would fit our thru-hull nipples.  He lucked out.  They had exactly what he wanted.  We left there, returned to the marina and had our siesta before dinner.  We weren’t hungry so we had a sandwich and spent the evening watching TV.

March 13, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Chris and Phil (Anju) asked if we would like to accompany them to the market this morning.  Silly question, we love the market.  We met at 9AM and took a local bus downtown.  On the way to the market we decided to first stroll along Paseo Colon.  There we stopped for tea and coffee because we were a little too early for most of the shops to be open.  After walking the length of Paseo Colon we walked through the downtown area and made our way to the market.  Chris and Phil were provisioning to leave on Tuesday so they wanted to buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.  The produce at the market is great when provisioning because it hasn’t been refrigerated and can be kept unrefrigerated for quite a while.  Before leaving the market we went to the fish and seafood area looking for some jumbo shrimps.  I think it was a little too late in the day for jumbo but we found some nice fresh large ones.  

When we arrived back at the boat both Rick and I had a siesta.  Afterwards I prepared a great dinner of “Garlic-Lovers Shrimp” with rice and fresh string beans (that we also bought at the market).  

March 14, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

It almost felt like hurricane season today.  It was very hot and there was absolutely no wind.  We didn’t do much just relaxed and read.  That was enough to work up a sweat.

March 15, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

The wind returned and it was a beautiful day.  We took the dirty laundry to the laundry lady.  I decided to wash the new comforter I bought last week.  I soaked it in the bath tub and rinsed it a couple of times which was not an easy task as it got very heavy with the weight of the water.

Finally I was ready to add the little touch of fabric softener to ensure it was sweet smelling.  I guess it’s been so long since I used fabric softener that when I opened the bottle I found it had separated, curdled and lost all it’s smell.  I checked in the mini mart to see if Karen carried any fabric softener (she carries almost everything) but no softener.  I saw Celine and Marcel (Allie Cat) at the restaurant with their friends Lise and Ray who from Canada so I sat with them for a while.  Eventually Rick showed up and joined us as well.  Moonrise was having coffee at the restaurant so I asked Carol if she happened to have some.  Moonrise to the rescue, Carol bought some just last week.  I told her I would walk around to her boat a little later.  Moonrise is on the other side of the marina and it was quite a walk but worth it.  I gave the comforter it’s final rinse and hung it out to dry.  It didn’t take long with the sun and the wind.  When it was dry I packed it away until I have a day (and the boat to myself) to make the fitted sheets to go with it.  In the afternoon I baked some brownies for the potluck dinner.  

Before going to the potluck Rick went a picked up the clean laundry which was ready and waiting for us.  The laundry lady has improved with providing same day service.  The barbecue was great except that three of us brought brownies this week.  Since there was absolutely none left at the end of the evening, I guess three batches were the perfect amount.

March 16, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

We left the marina for a quick trip to Vemasca this morning to pick up some electrical wire.  We got that and then thought we could make an other little trip.  This time we went to the Auto Boat Centre to get a couple of new hinges for our butterfly hatches.  They had something close to what we were looking for but not quite right.  Since we were well into the shopping mood we decided to continue on to Plaza Mayor.  There we had lunch and got our hair cut.  We looked around at some interesting stores but eventually just went to Unicasa to pick up a few groceries.  I wanted a turnip for a stew I was making for dinner plus some fabric softener.

There were no rutabagas but I did find some small white turnips, which would provide the flavour I was looking for.  When we returned to the boat I started simmering the stew and then we both had a siesta.

March 17, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

We had a busy day planned. I began by defrosting the fridge at 8AM while we went to El Ancla Restaurant for breakfast and socializing.  When we returned from breakfast, the freezer had defrosted so I just had to wash the fridge and put all the food back.  In the afternoon, I took Yusmeli, to the dentist. Yusmeli is a young girl who is an amazing cook at the Ancla Restaurant.  She was in a car accident some time ago and lost almost all of her upper front teeth.  Everyone had been asking if they could pay or donate money to Marie Elena for the cooking lessons, and all the other things they do for the cruisers.  Marie Elena wouldn’t accept money and asked if instead we could raise money to help her employee, Yusmeli get some new teeth.

The first dentist we went to see was closed for the day because the city water had been turned off in his area for repairs.  We arranged to return next Wednesday.  The second appointment wasn’t until 6PM so we returned to the marina for a while.  Normally Wednesday evenings are quite slow in the restaurant because of the free cocktail party each week at Mare Mares.  Tonight for some reason it was very busy.  Roberto looked concerned but Marie Elena said not to worry, take Yusmeli and they would be all right.  We were a while at the dentist but she had a very thorough check up and we received our first estimate for the major work that would be required to fix her smile.  She and Rick returned to the marina while I stayed and had a cleaning.  Our first fund raiser is already planned, we’re having a Trivia contest next Tuesday.

March 18, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Rick and I were both going to go to Makro this morning but the Rigger said he would come by in the morning so our plans changed.  Rick stayed at the boat and I went to see what Makro had to offer.  Makro is like Costco at home, most things are sold in bulk.  Carlos (Charlie Alpha) took a few of us in the van and brought his car along, just in case, to transport our purchases.  We filled the car and any left over room in the van.  I was only going to look around and not buy, but I found some deals that were to good to pass up.  We’ve learned in the Caribbean that if you find something you want if you don’t buy it then it won’t be around later.  I bought a 12 volt florescent work lamp, a flat hose, blank CDs, Cannon pillows, Ziploc bags etc. I even bought beer at 15 cents a can.  There was a lot more I would have liked to purchase but I only brought so much money and I wasn’t sure if Rick would be around to help me get everything back to the boat.  That wasn’t really an issue because when we arrived back at the marina, Chuck (Manana) helped me carry all my things back.

I made tuna sandwiches for lunch.  This was a test run.  We haven’t eaten canned tuna in a long time because we haven’t been able to find anything similar to the solid white albacore tuna packed in water that we use to eat at home.  Someone told us to try the Margarita Yellow Fin tuna packed in water that’s available here.  Before buying a dozen cans to take with us (when we someday leave dock), we wanted to make sure we liked it.  Well, it wasn’t bad.  It was a tiny bit stronger in flavour but certainly an item to add to the list.

Dinner was at the Ancla Restaurant tonight with Marla (Apsara).

March 19, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Happy Birthday Beverley

It was a lazy day.  Rick checked the batteries and made the final electric connections on the pumps for the watermaker.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading and watching TV.  

March 20, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

I had just finished tidying the boat and Rick was preparing to wash the deck when Celine stopped by.  Rather than try to carry on a conversation from boat to dock, we decided to get out of Rick’s way and go to the restaurant for coffee.  As we were just about to sit down, Lise and Ray who were walking by stopped and joined us.  A while later Marcel showed up.  Eventually Rick finished washing the boat and he came and joined us as well.  Everyone except Rick and I left about noon when we decided to stay and order lunch.  Bob (Sirena) was walking by so he kept us company while we had lunch.  Later in the afternoon we both had a siesta and then dinner on board.

March 21, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

I started to update our inventory and getting rid of a few canned goods that had been around too long.  A few boats have had problems with cans exploding.  I think the explosions were probably caused by a combination of age of the can, heat in the boat and the salt in the air.  I didn’t want to take any chances so any cans in question got tossed.  While I was doing this Rick gave the outboard motor a nice freshwater rinse.  My next job was to plan some sewing projects.  I started by working on a new fitted sheet for the forward bunk.  I also contemplated what to make with some fabric that Susan (Pipe Dream) gave me and some fabric that I’ve had on board for a while.  There will be shorts and tops for sure and maybe a dress I’ll see if the ideas seem as good tomorrow.

We had a nice Sunday dinner of roast beef, roast potatoes and beets.  We have improved with eating on board once in a while.

March 22, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Yesterday was the first day of spring and already the temperature is rising.  There are only two seasons here, the dry and wet seasons.  Officially, because we are a little north of the equator we just finished winter.  The locals however refer to it as summer.  The wet season is winter for them.  It does make a little sense as they get snow on top of the mountains in August and September and when this happens everyone races up there with skis and sleighs.  So as we move from the peak of dry season (call it winter or summer), when the temperatures everyday have been 94 to 95 degrees all of a sudden, we're up to 97 degrees!  I was hoping for another month or so of the cooler temperatures but no complaints.

I finished sewing the fitted sheet in the morning and started to prepare the fabric and pattern to make a short and top set.  It was just before noon and time to stop work so Ill leave it for another day.  Rick began sanding the frames for the butterfly screens in the morning and he stopped at lunch as well.  We had a siesta in the afternoon and then went to the Ancla for dinner.  Don (Odetta) joined us and we had a nice evening.

March 23, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

It was another 97 degree day and by 9:30 AM I was having a problem.  I was carefully cutting out my new outfit and I was going crazy  trying not to let the drops of perspiration drip onto my tissue paper pattern.

Sewing patterns do not exist anywhere in the Caribbean.  I brought a few from Canada and I protect them like they were made of gold.  I had two small towels on the go.  One I would use to wipe my face and neck every 60 seconds.  The other I placed on top of the pattern to absorb any drips I missed.  It was tough but I was able to finish cutting out a pair of shorts and a top.  I finished sewing the top except for a little bit of hand sewing and tomorrow I’ll tackle the shorts.  Rick applied a couple of coats of Cetol to the butterfly frames in the cockpit.  When he came below he commented that it seemed much cooler in the boat than outside.  We both put our projects away about 1PM and had lunch then a siesta for the rest of the afternoon.

This evening was a fund-raising trivia contest.  Part of our Team Canada was not available, Blanca and Leo (Promesa) are still on the hard and totally exhausted in the evening after working all day in the yard.  Marcel and Celine (Allie Cat) took their friends Lise and Ray, on the ferry to Margarita Island for a couple of days.  There were still a lot of other Canadians in the Marina and we all joined together as Team Canada.  We didn’t end up in the top 3 this time.  In fact we came in 4th.  Since there were only four separate teams I think it’s safe to say, we lost.  We had a lot of fun playing and altogether we raised a good amount of money toward new teeth for Yusmeli.

March 24, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

During the Net this morning it was announced that there was a recount and Team Canada moved up a position to 3rd place.  This was a little better but not much.

Rick and I went and had coffee at the restaurant with Celine, Marcel (Allie Cat) and their friends Lise and Ray.  They returned from Margarita on the ferry late last night and we wanted to hear all about their trip.  They said they had a great time and felt like they were at home in the hotel as Marcel had to repair the toilet to stop a leak.

When we returned to the boat I finished the machine sewing on the pair of shorts I was making.

I took Yusmeli to another dentist in the afternoon and this particular dentist (who was recommended by Anne who drove us) had a daughter in the same building that was a dental technician.  Everything went well and we decided to go ahead with this dentist.  After making a mould for her new teeth the dentist and technician promised that the new teeth would be ready on Monday.

We joined Allie Cat and gang for dinner and walked to a small local restaurant in the barrio.  We all had a lovely meal of red snapper except Celine who had grilled chicken.  The sun had just set when we returned to the marina and to our boats.

March 25, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

We took laundry in today and then stopped at the Ancla and had coffee with Celine before she and Marcel left for a couple of days sailing with their friends.  I decided I didn’t feel like sewing anymore, so I put the machine and all the associated accessories away.  I instead did some hand laundry.  I prefer to wash the settee covers by hand rather than have the laundry lady machine wash them.  Rick continued with refinishing the screen hatch covers.  In the evening we had dinner with Marla (Apsara), Anne, Karen (the mini mart gang), Lon (Liberation) and Bob (Sirena).  After dinner it was movie night at the Ancla and we all watched “The Passion”.  I know that back home it’s still playing in the theatres but here the DVDs are already available for rental or purchase.  

March 26, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

It was a busy day. We met Carlos at 9AM and he took Duchess, Dick (Duchess), Rick and me to La Cava, a butcher, in nearby Lecheria.  We then went to CM, a grocery store in Barcelona.  The excitement of the shopping trip was that we found some cheddar cheese.  This is the first time we have been able to buy cheddar cheese since we found some small ¼ lb packages in Margarita.  I bought a lot, in fact I spent more on cheese than I did on a large prime rib roast, four large New York steaks and two whole chicken breasts.  Baked macaroni and cheese is high on the dinner list for next week.  The roast will have to be cooked first since it was 3 kilos, which is much too large to fit in my small freezer along with all the other meat.

Back at the marina we had a light lunch with Judy and Bud (Gonzo II) and then returned to the boat for a siesta.  At 6PM we met Marla (Apsara), Bob (Sirena), Benta, Tony and their son Brandon (Side by Side) to take a walk through the barrio to the same restaurant we had dinner in the other night.  This time I had Catalana, a fish similar to red snapper and Rick had pork chops.  It was a great evening and we returned to the marina by 9PM.

March 27, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

I finally got a chance to put the settee covers back on the settees but I noticed that the upholstery on the port side was looking a little grubby.  So as I was working below, Rick took the one cushion on deck with a pail of water and tide and scrubbed it for me.  He soaked it so much that it will probably take days to dry but he guaranteed it spotless.  I put the standing rib roast in the oven at 3:30PM and made some roast potatoes to go with it.  Blanca made a broccoli casserole and tossed salad.  We took the wine, meat and potatoes up to their apartment at 7PM.  It was like having a ‘down home’ Sunday night dinner.  The meal and the company were excellent.  We didn’t return to the boat until almost 10PM.

March 28, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

We had just finished a nice breakfast when we heard Celine and Marcel.  They had just returned from saying goodbye to their friends who were returning to Canada today.  They mentioned that there was going to be a meeting at the restaurant at 10AM from cruisers who wanted to sail for a while.  We agreed to meet for coffee in time for the meeting.  We learned that there were a few boats that wanted to leave this week for the Golfo (Golfo de Cariaco) and others that wanted to spend Easter in Tortuga.  We listened in but we’re not interested in going anywhere for at least another month.

We hadn’t been back aboard the boat very long when we had a call from Cathy (Tundra).  She asked if sometime in the near future we could give a slide show and answer questions about our trip to Merida for a few boats that were interested in taking the same trip.  I told her it would not be a problem and asked when would be a good time for everyone.  She let me know that to them the near future was within the next five minutes.  We laughed and headed back to the restaurant.  I finished the slide show just in time to get out of the way for the domino games that began at 1PM.

Dinner this night was prearranged with Marie Elena and Roberto.  They made us a special paella for dinner.  Blanca and Leo joined us and we had a nice evening.

March 29, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Today was the big day.  Yusmeli met Rick and I at the marina and we took her to the dentist to get her new teeth.  It only took about an hour and she had one extraction and her new plate fitted and adjusted.  She was wearing a huge smile when we left the dentist office.  Rick and I had originally planned to take her home but she felt fine and wanted to go downtown, as it was her day off.  She headed off in one direction and Rick and I in another.  We went to Xanadu, the downtown marine store and then made it to a bathing suit store just before lunchtime.  It was a little after 12 and I had purchased a couple of new suits.  Almost all stores were closed and wouldn’t reopen until 2PM so we went for lunch.

After lunch we began our quest for new snorkel gear.  We knew of one store that was a couple of blocks away on Paseo Colon and as luck would have it, it happened to be open.  We had a look around but didn’t purchase anything yet.  We wouldn’t want the quest to be over the same day it was started.

March 30, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

Rick washed the deck and cockpit before the sun got too hot in the morning and then washed another settee cushion for me.  Meanwhile with the boat closed up it gets a little warm even though it’s early in the day.  I sat and backed up some computer files until it was ok to open up a little.  As soon as the boat cooled down, I started simmering the bones and meat that I saved from the Sunday dinner.  I let it simmer for a couple of hours and then Rick and I went to the pool for a swim.  We had happy hour on board and then joined Judy and Bud (Gonzo II), at the restaurant for dinner.

March 31, 2004, Puerto La Cruz

I began the day by doing some more hand laundry while Rick prepared the mast to apply some Spartite.  We have been carrying the box of Spartite around for three years and we both agreed that we wouldn’t find a calmer, dryer place to apply it.  So it became the next project on the to-do list.  Meanwhile, as the comforter was soaking in the bathtub I went to the restaurant to see Yusmeli.  This was her first day back to work since we had been to the dentist.  She was still all smiles so I took a picture of her and Alex (one of our waiters).

I returned to the boat and was able to rinse and hang everything to dry before grabbing a quick shower.  We had arranged for Leo (one of our local taxi drivers) to take us shopping today.  We bought some new shirts and hats for each of us and then had Leo take us to a store where I was able to buy a new snorkel and mask.  We had a fun afternoon and returned to the marina starving.

It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner so we shared a plate of Carpaccio de Salmon.  It was perfect and held us over until I could make dinner.  There was an open house at 6:30 at a new travel agency that opened in the marina today.  Neither Rick nor I wanted to go so we had a quiet dinner on board.  I finished making the soup I started yesterday.  Rick said it was one of the best he has ever tasted and just to prove a point he had three large bowls of it.