First thing in the morning Rick connected the electrical wires he had re-routed over the last couple of days. He then did a quick check of the batteries. That was it for work this day. We both relaxed and read with a small siesta in the afternoon.
Carol and Tom had invited us to their boat in the evening. Tom’s birthday is tomorrow but the party was today. We were joined by Joan, Dan (Mainly), Frank, Irene (Distant Drummer) Bob, Marta (Sirena) Carl and Chris (Sea Jays). Carol put out an amazing spread of appetisers. She must have spent the last couple of days preparing the food. It was a wonderful evening. The main topic of discussion was retirement in a cruising community and how much we all enjoyed it. The party broke up about 9:30PM.
It was a good thing that we rested yesterday because we were certainly busy today. First thing in the morning I gathered together the dirty clothes and Rick and I lugged them to the laundry. We arrived at the same time as the laundry lady so since we were the first customers of the day she said it would be ready for us by 6PM.
We quickly returned to the boat and I started cleaning the lifelines while Rick hung upside down in the anchor locker. Two of the stanchions were bolted through the deck into the anchor locker and the men were going to start to apply the fibreglass at noon. Rick wanted the bolts removed so they didn’t get buried in the fibreglass. It was a difficult job because the bolts had been put there to stay. It took both of us to get the bolts part way out and then Rick used the bolt cutter and just chopped them. When we finished that job, I ran around with a pencil and circled the little spots (old cockpit enclosure fasteners and the odd chip) where I wanted to have gelcoat applied.
We had just finished a quick lunch and the workers arrived. They asked Rick if it was possible to remove the divider in the anchor locker. It was possible but not easy. While Rick was struggling with that I went below to defrost and clean the fridge. While it was defrosting (it doesn’t take long down here), I checked our email. Wow! I sent a short message out to most of our family and friends yesterday with regard to a new spam filter. We received messages today from people we haven’t heard from for ages. It was great but there were more than I was able to download in one day over the HAM radio. We love it when it’s cold and snowy up north. People stay indoors and spend time on their computers.
I had a nice red cabbage in the fridge so decided to try a recipe I received from Marla (Apsara) for Flemish Cabbage. It turned out great and will soon be in our list of Recipes on the web site.
The workers left, Rick picked up the clean laundry and we both got washed and changed for dinner. It was barbecue night but we didn’t feel like going there so we went to El Ancla Restaurant instead. We enjoyed dinner with Bobby and Noel (Sundancer III). Bobby is Canadian and Noel is Australian which adds to our international community here. Bobby kept us in stitches during the meal as she related getting locked in the small ladies washroom/shower that is located on the far side of the marina. During the hour and a half she was locked in there she tried every language she knew to call for help (a little French, Spanish and a lot of English words that are not in the dictionary). She could hear men entering the next door washroom but they seemed to be deaf to her cries for help. She also screamed Mayday and SOS at the top of her lungs to no avail. Eventually her husband after reading, resting and helping a neighbour went to the men’s washroom and heard a voice he recognised screaming for help. She was saved but he was in the doghouse for not missing her.
We were meeting everyone at the restaurant this night, as it was Roberto’s birthday and Marie Elena asked all the cruisers to come at 8PM for a surprise birthday cake. A large crowd turned out after the barbecue and Roberto’s family was there as well. Everyone had a piece of the huge chocolate cake and then Roberto put a bottle of wine on every table to help celebrate. It was almost 10PM when we returned to the boat.
We started our day with no refrigeration. Rick and I tried to check for a leak and although I thought I could hear a little hissing sound we couldn’t pinpoint it by using soapsuds. There was another problem I couldn’t seem to put any freon in the system. With our limited knowledge of refrigeration we thought the system needed to be evacuated but neither of us knew how to do it. We put a call in to the same refrigeration man we used a couple of months ago.
Meanwhile the gel coat guys would appear every so often. They would climb aboard and run around for a few minutes and then they would be gone again. We appear to be a between job project as it seems to be noon and 5PM when they arrive at our boat.
I’m having a little problem sending and receiving email now because we no longer have access to some of the frequencies we’ve used in the past. They have become dedicated to the Pactor 3 (faster) modems. So Rick and I spent quite a while today trying to determine what type of cable configuration we would require if we ordered a new modem. In the end we called California and ordered the modem and a custom cable made for our type of radio.
It was around 4PM and I had just about given up on the refrigeration man when I heard Roberto calling Doña Carolina (that’s me) on the VHF radio. I sent Rick running as I was in the internet café trying to download some of our email. Sure enough, the refrigeration man had arrived and was in the restaurant waiting for us. It didn’t take him long to fix us up. There was a small leak at one of the connectors. He cleaned and reconnected it then showed us how to evacuate the system. Within no time we were making ice cubes again.
It was almost 5PM, time for the gelcoat guys to return and also time for a meeting and update at the restaurant regarding the trip to Peru. So Rick remained on the boat and I went to the meeting. When the meeting was over and I was heading back to the boat, Rick was on his way up to the restaurant for dinner. We joined Chuck and Elaine (Manana) for dinner.
Today was a much better day than yesterday. The fridge is working well and we’re back to making ice cubes again. The sky was very overcast and we had to close the hatches for a bit of rain. Believe it or not it was a nice treat to have a good downpour for a few minutes. The gelcoat guys returned at lunch and had a wonderful colour match for the gelcoat. They couldn’t apply it however because of the rain. In the afternoon I went to the internet café to send and receive our email. I decided to continue with this method until our new modem arrives next month. The gelcoat guys applied the gelcoat and the colour appears perfect.
We ended the day with a nice dinner at El Ancla Restaurant.
The gelcoat is still a “work in progress”. The guys are now trying to get a perfect match to the non-skid texture. Rick is working on applying Cetol to the screen doors and refrigerator lid now. The boat is in chaos but things are progressing nicely.
The weather was still very unstable today. There was no rain but the wind was so strong that it was howling and whistling through the rigging and the palm trees in the marina. A demasted catamaran returned in late in the morning with only the boom on deck. The mast broke and had to be released overboard which meant no radio antenna or navigation lights. The boat had just left a couple of days ago to head north but obviously didn’t get very far.
In the afternoon I enjoyed the most decadent bubble bath. This is something unheard of normally in the cruising community but since the water here is good and free and I wasn’t needed for any of the projects underway, I just filled the tub and disappeared with my book for a while.
This was movie night and “The Last Samurai” was playing. There was standing room only. Mary Elena had prepared roast chicken as a special so we had dinner while watching the movie.
I’ve had a cold with a sore throat for the past week and today when I awoke it seems I have a bit of laryngitis. Rick has always been good at ignoring things I say and now with him missing a hearing aid and my voice down to almost a whisper, he seems extremely happy.
The Gelcoat guys finished today which is sort of good news but I think it also means that I can start scrubbing the deck anytime soon. Rick worked away on his Cetol projects. We joined Leo and Blanca for lunch at the Ancla Restaurant. In the afternoon we tidied the boat and read for a while.
Roberto at El Ancla Restaurant decided to show another movie this evening so everyone rushed up to get a good seat. He tried but there was something wrong with the television set so the movie was cancelled. No one left however we all remained in the restaurant and spent the evening chatting.
This was the first Saturday of the month so there was a swap meet in front of the mini mart. We sold a couple of small things and bought a couple of small things. Ann a friend of Karen’s at the mini mart was picking up fire extinguishers that needed to be recharged so we took all of ours to her since it’s about 3 years since they were last charged.
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Rick applied some more Cetol and then we went for lunch at the Garden Chinese
Restaurant in the Fiorca Mall. We picked up a few groceries before leaving
the mall and returned to the marina with time left for a little siesta before
the evening entertainment. Gail (Fifth Season) sang (with her beautiful
soprano voice) and played her Celtic harp again for us but this time at El Ancla
Restaurant. We stayed until her performance was finished at 10PM and I
told her that she was very brave to include a couple of Celtic lullabies when
singing to cruisers after dark.
Before going to bed last night and again this morning I took some cold medication. It may or may not have helped my cold but for sure it helped me sleep. I slept all night and most of the day. My voice seems to be coming back but that could be because I haven’t used it all day. After dinner we watched a movie on TV before going back to bed.
I felt a little better in the morning and great by the afternoon. Rick put new screens on the companionway door that now looks brand new. Although we had some screening on board it won’t be enough for all of the other hatches that he wants to pull apart. So in the afternoon he went shopping for more screening and I baked chocolate chip cookies for the Monday night barbecue. It was almost 4PM when the clouds rolled in with a bit of rain. The barbecue was postponed until Tuesday night. The cookies were baked and the steaks were marinating so dinner tomorrow will be easy. We went to El Ancla Restaurant and joined Leo and Blanca for dinner tonight.
I think my cold is history. I woke in the middle of the night with a coughing fit but later when I awoke in the morning I felt fine. After breakfast, Rick reinstalled the hinges on the fridge cover and then we returned the anchors and chain to the newly fibreglassed chain locker.
In the afternoon I went to the Internet café while Rick went to the yard to have a zinc for the prop cut. We normally use the donut zincs that are made for minimum clearance shafts but they’re not available here so Rick bought a normal zinc and had it cut. In the afternoon we spent a while in the restaurant gabbing with Norma (Happy Hours) and left just in time for the barbecue. The wind was extremely strong (but there was no rain) so throughout the meal we all held onto our glasses and napkins to prevent them flying away.
This was definitely a working day. We took the dirty laundry to the laundry lady then took our boom tent to the sailmaker for repairs. The recent strong winds had caused a couple of the tie down tabs on it to rip. Afterwards we stopped for breakfast at the Ancla Restaurant and then returned to the boat to scrub the decks. We both scrubbed on hands and knees until about 1 PM. When we had finished the whole deck and cockpit, Rick scrubbed some stainless steel while I removed the dodger and put in in the bathtub to soak for a while. While it was soaking I made a nice lunch/dinner of lamb and rice. I had purchased the lamb from Karen in the mini mart. The lady, who raises and butchers the lambs, delivers regularly to the mini mart. After lunch, I scrubbed the dodger while Rick did dishes and before we knew it it was Happy Hour. We stopped and picked up the recharged fire extinguishers and then joined KaraDream and Promesa at the Ancla for drinks.
We were definitely on a roll. Rick started applying the restorer and wax to the deck. I washed the bimini and cleaned the remaining lifelines. The exterior is sparkling.
There was a little excitement at the marina in the afternoon. We were leaving the boat to pick up our clean laundry when Arnoldo the dockmaster came hurrying down the dock. As he walked by he told us to quickly change our Venezuelan courtesy flag because the Guardia Nacional were here inspecting. We’ve been flying the Venezuelan flag since last August so it was looking a little faded and tattered. Rick quickly put up a new one that we just happened to have on board while I went and got the laundry. When I returned I learned that we missed all the conversations on the radio. The Guardia Nacional was handing out fines to some of the boats. We later learned that eight boats on our dock received fines but the fine was for no courtesy so we were ok but I thanked Arnoldo for warning us. I don’t know what the cost of the fines was but I’m sure we’ll find out tomorrow.
This was movie night and Roberto’s big screen TV at the Ancla had been fixed. He was serving Lasagne and the movie was Cold Mountain. The movie had to be less than 15 minutes to the end when it just stopped. Almost all CDs and DVDs in Venezuela are copies rather than originals even when it’s a rental, which this was. So we had a wonderful evening but would never have known the ending of the movie if Gail (Fifth Season) hadn’t read the book. She narrated the end of the story for us.
It was announced on the Cruisers net this morning that we should relax, Friday 13th in Venezuela is meaningless but we should beware of Tuesday 13th which is an unlucky day here.
First thing this morning I went to see Jaime our tour agent at the marina to book some airline tickets for my niece and her boyfriend who are coming to visit in April. Normally he can be found early in the morning at the Ancla Restaurant. I waited almost an hour for him before he finally arrived in a dinghy with Chuck (Manana) and a Guardia Nacional. Evidently the Guardia were also checking everyone's boat papers and cruising permits yesterday and found that Chuck’s papers were 4 days out dated so he was taken to the Guardia Nacional Station as well as to the office of the Port Captain. Everything ended up ok for him but it was a good lesson to everyone to make sure their papers are in order. Windmiller’s cruising permit had an error in the expiry date. Instead of the year 2004 it had 2003. Since their papers were issued in Margarita they must return there to have them fixed.
After the morning excitement it was a little too late to get to the marine store before lunch so we waited until after lunch. Most stores are closed from 12PM until 2PM each day. When we did finally leave the marina we had requests from quite a few other boaters to pick up a few items, mainly courtesy flags.
We bought so much at the marine store that they offered to drive us back to the marina. When we returned we had a snack and tasted Roberto’s first attempt at making onion rings with Karen and Ralph at the Ancla.
They were the best we’ve ever tasted. There was a large live band at the restaurant in the evening but we decided to listen to them from our boat where they were not quite as loud.
Living in the tropics for almost 3 years now every day can be a little romantic without saying or doing anything. So it’s a little tricky to try and do something special on Valentines Day. We decided to just do our own thing. We left for the large central market a little after 9AM. It’s just like going to the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto we probably should have been there at about 6AM to get the really good produce. Well it still looked pretty good to us when we got there. This was the beginning of cooking onboard again. We bought some fresh fruit and lots of vegetables. It’s not necessary to bargain in this market, as the prices can’t get any lower. One man who was walking around with lovely fresh cantaloupes asked if I wanted some. I asked how much and he told me 1500 Bs (50 cents). When I gave him the money he handed me a bag of three good size cantaloupes. When we finished with the vegetables we moved over to the meat area and bought a roast and some steaks.
We were finished shopping in less than 1 ½ hours but when we got back to the boat it took me at least a couple of hours to wash and put all of the fresh vegetables away. In the afternoon Rick made some of his home made spaghetti sauce and we froze some of it. I made a nice roast with mash potatoes and some wonderfully fresh green beans for dinner. Rick said it was a great Valentines dinner. After we cleaned up we went to the Ancla restaurant for an evening of live Blues music. Really it was some Blues, some Folk and a little Jimmy Buffet. We all received a little heart to wear on our shirt and each of the women received a beautiful large red rose. Although we weren’t at all hungry, Mary Elena was serving some huge prawns so I ordered a small platter for Rick and I to share.
We began our Sunday with a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and bacon. After breakfast before the sun got too hot Rick continued with the fibreglass restorer on the deck. I put the fender holders to soak while I made some bread. A few hours later I removed the bread from the breadmaker and found it to be as heavy as a brick. I decided to alter the recipe as per the troubleshooting section of my breadmaker book and make another loaf. A few hours later I removed another brick from the breadmaker. I gave up and we went for dinner at El Ancla. While at the restaurant I was telling Deidre about my disaster with the breadmaker and she had the very same problem while baking a loaf of bread without a breadmaker. She thinks that the flour is the problem. I’m going to try a different approach tomorrow and see what happens.
We were about to return to the boat when Karen, Ralph (KaraDream), Chris and Carl (Sea Jays) arrived at the restaurant. We stayed at least another hour gabbing with them.
This morning I continued cleaning and Rick continued with the fibreglass restoration. In the afternoon we went to the Dinghy Hospital and ordered a new dinghy. The price is right for buying a dinghy in Venezuela but some people who ordered their dinghy through the marine stores have had to wait months for it to arrive. We didn’t want to run into a situation where we wanted to leave but had to wait for the dinghy. To our surprise, the Dinghy Doctor said ours would be here next week. No deposit required, they said they would call us when it arrives.
When we returned to the boat I prepared a salad for the Monday night pot luck dinner and we gathered everything together and headed to the barbecue area. We shared a table with Leo, Blanca, (Promesa), Bud and Judy (Gonzo II). It was an enjoyable evening.
Today was a continuation of yesterday with me cleaning and Rick scrubbing. I don’t think I’ve mentioned the Canadian breakfast club that seems to have evolved. Each morning we gather at a table outside the mini mart and have coffee, some members have breakfast as well. I think it started one day when we all heard Karen from the mini mart on the radio calling Derek (DreamWeaver) to tell him his breakfast was ready. Now each morning, Karen and Derek are joined by Deidre, Mike (Cheshire Cat), Marci, Rod, (Windmiller), Jeffrey, (Panache) myself and sometimes Rick (Wind-Borne III), Blanca and Leo (Promesa). The Breakfast club has grown to a point that we have to make honorary Canadians of some of the Americans and Brits who want to join us. The restaurant staff knows that we all want our coffees etc. served outside the mini mart and it isn’t a problem. So after our breakfast club meeting I got to work. We stopped for a late lunch and returned to the boat to do absolutely nothing but relax and watch television.
I announced a couple of events on the net this morning that had a great response. Tomorrow morning, Mary Elena is going to give us a cooking class on how to prepare the Venezuelan National dish Pabellón Criollo. Friday Morning, the start of Carnival weekend, Chepina, the lady who lives in Los Altos has agreed to come and teach us how to make corn husk and banana leaf dolls.
After coffee with the breakfast club, Rick and I went to EPA (local Home Depot store) for a ten-foot long piece of PVC pipe. We had arranged for a special ride because we knew the pipe would not fit in a taxi. When we returned to the van (which was a Chevy Blazer), our guide Alejandra was laughing. She told us that when she received the call from Carlos (aka Charlie Alpha) she was told that a lady (on her own who didn’t speak Spanish) would need help purchasing and getting some large pipes back to the marina. Although she had the driver to help her she had considered getting additional help to carry and tie these pipes to the roof of the blazer. So when both Rick and I turned up and then we identified to the driver that he had missed the turn on the way to the store and as well we knew exactly which aisle in the store to find the PVC piping as well as a few other things we needed, she had started to laugh. Then when we picked up one single piece of pipe, she broke right up. She had to explain the whole situation to the driver who laughed as well.
When we returned to the marina and dropped the things off at the boat, Rick and I went out again. This time we went to Vemasca, one of the marine stores. We have heard of people ordering and waiting more than 3 months to get Anti Fouling paint in Venezuela. So although we don’t need it yet we thought it would be best to put an order in for it now. We left Vemasca and went to a grocery store to by so ground beef, which is extremely lean here.
Meanwhile, for dinner, I invited and made Canadian Hamburgers al la Doña Carolina and salad dressing for Roberto, Mary Elena, their son Luis, Blanca, Leo, Rick and me. El Ancla makes and sells some of the better hamburgers in the Caribbean but they’re still not like back home. As well you can’t buy salad dressing in Venezuela so everyone uses just plain vinegar and oil. I made my favourite balsamic and olive oil dressing for them to try. Roberto got out the hibachi and the charcoal and we all had (if I don’t say so myself) great hamburgers served at the El Ancla for dinner. After dinner, Maria Elena told me how she makes the Pabellón Criollo. Blanca helped translate some of the words that were a little tricky and I made notes of recipes for the beans and the meat to input to the computer before going to bed.
This morning was the cooking class and before leaving the boat I quickly printed enough copies of the recipes for everyone who had signed up. We had a great turnout and a lot of fun. Everyone is ready to try cooking the Pabellón Criollo (shredded beef, black beans, rice and sweet plantains) on board. It was so much fun the ladies asked Maria Elena if she could give a weekly cooking class. When we finished the class it was lunchtime so Rick and I had a bite to eat with Leo and Blanca. In the afternoon, Mike on Cheshire Cat asked if I could help him reload a computer program that was giving him a problem. We had just about finished when the Dinghy Doctor came by to tell us our new dinghy had arrived. We went to see it and found they had already moved the oarlocks for us. The only design issue we had with the Caribe was the location of the oarlocks. They were over too far on the tubes and when the dinghy is tied beside a boat the oarlocks scratch the hull. That already completed they were applying our dinghy name to the tubes. Other than the name “Dink” we have always called our dinghy “Breeze” but had not had the name properly applied to our old dinghy. This one has a name. We think it’s unwise to put the name of your yacht on the dinghy because when the dinghy is ashore it’s an announcement to all that there is no one on your boat.
It was movie night and of course the dinner special was Pabellón Criollo. The movie was “Radio” which was not only a good movie but we got to see the end of this one. I think Roberto has begun viewing the DVDs to make sure they work before showing them on movie night.
This morning Chepina was was to come from Las Alto and teach us how to make dolls. We have no idea what happened because she didn’t arrive. Mary Elena arrived and saved the day as I had a dozen ladies that had been waiting over an hour for Chepina. Mary Elena put on another cooking class and taught us how to make Cachapas and Bollito de Mais. Both are corn dishes that were wonderfully sweet. The Venezuelan corn is very sweet compared to the corn back home. The Bollito de mais is made by grinding the raw kernels of corn. The ground ground corn is then wrapped in a corn husk, tied with string and boiled for about ¾ of an hour. When it has cooled enough to open the little corn husk package it is served with a very mild local cheese call Queso de Telita. It can be cut into small pieces and served as an appetizer or it can be served as a vegetable side dish. Left over Bollito can be cut and fried and served with cheese the next day. I’ll have to add these recipes to the recipe collection.
We had Cachapas for lunch and then returned to the boat. In the afternoon, our new dinghy was delivered so now we have to try to sell our old one. Carl from Sea Jays stopped by. They have sold their boat and are trying to get rid of some of their things. We bought their chess set and many bottles of rum and champagne. It was a good deal.
Carnival has arrived in Venezuela! The girls that work in the marina office came down to the restaurant with one of the ladies dressed as a carnival queen. The guys carried her on their shoulders as they all danced around throwing candies in the air for everyone watching. Afterwards they danced down our dock with Roberto and Arnoldo wearing their carnival masks.
We had dinner on board and watched TV in the evening.
We listened to the whole of Puerto La Cruz vibrate with the Carnival music from downtown long after we went to bed last night. It sounded like everyone was having a lot of fun.
In the morning we had a leaking drain in our galley sink. This had happened before and Rick thinks the problem now is that the new drain we bought was so cheap it just didn’t last. We didn’t have a choice, as there wasn’t a great selection of drains available. We did buy a few though so we were prepared. When we finished with the sink I hung some laundry out to dry. I had soaked my settee covers overnight and washed them this morning. I have noticed that the whites I have given to the laundry lady are starting to look a little grey. Sure enough, when I washed them myself they came out much brighter. Once our morning chores were completed we went for a test drive in our new dinghy. It handled and planed nicely. It was about the busiest day that we’ve seen in the canal since Kelly was here. All of the villas that were closed after New Years were again opened and families were gathered for festivities. A lot of local boats were heading out of the canal to the out islands. We went to Plaza Mayor and spent some time in the mall. On our way back to the marina, the Guardia Nacional called us over to the shore. They were checking all dinghies. We were ok because we had our photocopies of our passports and dinghy documentation with us. They said we should have had our life jackets on board (which we should have), please have them next time. At home we probably would have received a fine. When we left the Guardia Nacional we saw a large pirogue drifting toward the breakwall and the only person on board was pulling and pulling on the starter cord. We went over to see if he needed a tow and discovered it was the Port Captain (the most important guy around here). He thanked us and we started to tow the boat but eventually he did get the motor started so we waved and let him go. Having seen enough officials for one day we quickly returned to our own boat.
We went for dinner at the Ancla Restaurant and found everyone wearing masks. Roberto quickly brought out one for Rick and I. A disk jockey played some great music during the evening. Marci, Rod (Windmiller), Chris and Luima (Mischief) joined us. Chris and Luima had just sold their boat and had been packing for the last three days. They’re leaving this week to return to Cape Cod where they will stay for a few months. I ordered a sambuca after dinner and instead of it being served with three coffee beans it was served with 7 beans. Evidently the seven beans represent the Seven Hills of Rome and in the past I was only getting three wishes worth of beans.
I woke up with another doozy head cold. I’m starting to think I may
have an allergy to something in the air here. There’s a lot of pollen,
sand cement dust etc. so who knows, I don’t normally catch a cold.
Rick decided to tackle one of his least favourite jobs. The tank monitor for the holding tank hasn’t worked for a while and he said there was nothing wrong with it other than it needed to be descaled. I’m glad I get the pink jobs onboard this boat because I don’t think I could handle this one. While he worked away on his project I did some more laundry.
In the afternoon we had time for a quick shower, a bite to eat and then we
were picked up by a pirogue (a
local boat) that took us along the shore to Paseo
Colon for Carnival. Four boats were required to take all of the cruisers
that wanted to attend carnival. We were on the first trip. We
strolled along with KaraDream and CopOut checking out the different stalls along
the street. Most of the younger children were all wearing very elaborate
costumes. The parade was about an hour late in starting. The
costumes and floats were wonderful, there were very few bands but that didn’t
stop the participants from dancing along. The crowd cheered and clapped
and gave them a lot of encouragement. It was great fun. We returned
to the marina a little after 9PM. The Ancla Restaurant had a live playing
again tonight so we stopped in there for a
while before returning to the boat.
This was a cleaning day. I washed walls, doors cupboards etc. Everywhere there was a light layer of dust or sand. Rick washed the floor for me as I found my congestion worsened in a head down pose. (Sounded like a good excuse to me.) We took some laundry to the laundry lady first thing in the morning and I sorted it all into very small loads for her. I think it did come back a little brighter. I’m still going to try to wash most things by hand but it’s difficult at dock compared to when we’re at anchor because we wear more clothes here. We didn’t go to the barbecue this evening, I didn’t feel up to it. I took a couple of cold pills and we went to bed early.
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I felt quite a bit better this morning. I think the worst of my cold is
over. Bob (Figment) who in real life was a rigger came to check our
standing rigging in the morning. He did a great job using an oversize
magnifying glass from the top of the mast to the swages at the deck. He
didn’t find any cracks but said the two of the swages are suspect and that we
should consider replacing them. Rick and I both decided that we would
rather replace all of the standing rigging but not this month. We bought
the new dinghy, I’ve ordered a new Pactor 3 modem, and we’re leaving for Merida
in the Andes this Friday, the budget is definitely blown for a couple of months.
In the afternoon, I insisted that Rick find and resolve a small leak in the pressurised water system. It was painful but worthwhile. When there are frustrating jobs that the Captain has to perform he has to take his frustrations out on something or someone. Since I was the only thing or person he had available I had to put up with a significant amount of abuse. In the end I slept well all night as the fresh water pump did not go off once.
This morning we had arranged with Potter, the taxi driver to pick us up at 10AM and take us to a couple of photo copy places. He arrived right on time and Don (Odetta) came with us. The first copy place we went to was great for making copies of some guide books we need that aren’t available here. The second place was a chart-copying place. The price was right at both. With our mission accomplished before noon we returned to the marina for lunch. We had a siesta, watched a movie and read for a while. In the afternoon, Jaime stopped by with some cash for me. In some ways, things are more convenient in Venezuela than at home. The bank comes to us rather than us going to an ATM. If we want to rent a boat, take a tour, book an airline ticket or hire someone to do a job etc.etc. We just have to mention it and there will be someone knocking on our hull.
This morning Maria Elena had promised to arrive early and make a special breakfast for us. I had announced that she would also be giving a cooking class at 10:30 AM but she and Roberto didn’t arrive until almost 11AM. The traffic was all backed up due to a major demonstration that was underway on the road to Plaza Mayor. We are so very isolated and protected in the Marina that we never know that these things are happening unless someone tells us.
The cooking class was a little late in starting but went very well. We learned to make Empanadas, Arepas and Pastelitos. A friend of Mary Elena’s who owns a Cachapa factory came and gave us all a free package of her Cachapa’s. After lunch, I quickly did our email, typed up the recipes for Maria Elena and we took a quick trip to Vemasca (the demonstrations were finished in the morning). We returned and I packed for our trip to the Andes, tomorrow morning.
Puerto La Cruz to Acarigua. We left the marina at 8:30AM with our
driver Andres, tour guide Jaime and cruising friends Don (Odetta), Peggy and Jim
(Uncle Willy). We were on our way to Merida and the Andes Mountains.
We went through Barcelona and Piritu, which I had been to before, but after
those towns, the scenery started to change. I found it interesting that
when we came to an area with a lot of wooden crafts. Every booth was
selling the very same item but each had handcrafted their own merchandise.
As we drove by an area with a large lagoon, every little vendor’s stand at the
side of the road was selling fish and shrimp. We came to another area
where the yucca plant is grown and harvested. There every vendor there
was
baking and selling cassava, which is made from the yucca flour. The final
string of stands that we came across was as we entered the rainforest area.
There were miles and miles of stands all selling the flower “Birds of Paradise”.
Jaime bought some garlic cassava for us to taste. A while later he stopped
and got some chichirones (cooked bacon rind).
Andres as usual was a lot of fun. He had a bag of candies and he would pass them out the window to almost everyone. People working on the road, toll collectors, he even gave some to the elite guards at the National Monument.
We watched a spectacular sunset as the sun dropped below the peaks of the mountains.
We finally arrived at our motel Payara at 8:30PM. It had been a long
day. We all dumped our bags in our rooms and met in the restaurant for a
quick dinner. Everyone left the restaurant and went directly to their
room. We’ve decided to name this tour the gastronomical tour of Venezuela
because we continually stopped and tried different local foods along the way as
well as eating the local foods for lunch and dinner.
We were all impressed with our rooms, they were clean and comfortable, the hotel had a good restaurant and the grounds and gardens were lovely.
After a great night’s sleep we had a leisurely breakfast and were ready to
leave our hotel by 9AM. As we drove along the plains, Jaime pointed out
many acres of pine trees. The trees had been imported from Canada and
permitted Venezuela to start producing paper. Previously almost all paper
was imported. Our first stop was in the town of Guanare, the most
religious city in Venezuela. We visited the cathedral and convent that was
the original home to the Virgin of Coromoto the patron saint of Venezuela.
We stopped to see a large statue of the Llanero (pronounced “Janero”), who were
the cowboys of Venezuela. We headed out of Guanare and stopped at the
Monumental Basilica of the Virgin of Coromoto of Venezuela. This building
that was constructed by funds raised by the
people and opened by the Pope less
than 10 years ago is considered one of the contemporary architecture wonders of
the world. From its highest point, at 85 meters we could see 3 states of
Venezuela. As we were leaving, Jaime had Andres stop the van while he
jumped out and bought us each a small picture of the virgin to keep on the boat
to protect us.
Next we headed to Barinas City. We stopped and had lunch at a local Venezuelan restaurant (El Grand Chaparral), where they made some Pabelon Conlimon (sugar cane juice, lime and rum) for us to taste. I had a little trouble with it initially but eventually acquired a taste for it. Jaime had picked up some buffalo cheese on the way here so we started our meal with plantain chips and buffalo cheese, next we had to have a couple of cachapas because Peggy, Jim and Don had never tried them. Next came our actual meal. Some of us had chicken cooked with fresh local corn, cheese and cream and others had the local smoked pork and sausages. When it was time for us to leave (we actually rolled out, we had eaten so much), the owner Francesco, gave us each a small canteen made from a calabash with a small basket holder woven around it.
We then started our climb into the Andes. We went from 220 meters above
sea level to 2,700 meters in Santa Domingo. We arrived at our lodging
Hotel Moruco in Santo Domingo at about 3PM. We had to say good bye to
Andres who was returning immediately to Puerto La Cruz. His vehicle
(Mercedes Benz), which was extremely comfortable, could not take us any higher
into the mountains than this. The hotel and scenery were out of a picture
book. From our balcony we looked out across a field with horses grazing, a
trout pond, beautiful flowers, trees and mountain as a backdrop. The only
other couple we met who was staying at the hotel this week were bird watchers
from England. They told us that the multitudes of birds would wake us
first thing in the morning. We all met for drinks in the bar at 6:30PM.
Almost everyone had changed
into long pants and sweaters, as it is already quite
chilly at this altitude. We sat around the fireplace and discussed
Venezuelan politics until it was time to go for dinner. None of us could
eat very much (I don’t understand why?), so we had either a bowl of soup or a
salad. While we were eating dinner the bartender went up to our rooms and
lit the room heaters for each of us. It was after 10PM when we finally
went to bed with blankets pulled up to our chins.
We awoke to the sound of all the songbirds singing while it still appeared
dark outside. It was
6:45AM so the sun had risen but it was hidden well
behind the mountains. Rick and I had a leisurely breakfast with Peggy and
Jim. The others were still sleeping. After breakfast, I wrote in my
journal and then Rick and I went for a walk around the grounds. The
gardens were lovely and I couldn’t help but take a few flower pictures. It
was nice to see roses growing. In Venezuela roses grow in higher altitudes
where the temperature is cooler. Afterwards we all went to visit a trout farm. The farm was breeding rainbow trout originally imported from Canada.
No wonder I was starting to
feel at home in the Andes. We then visited the
large dam at Mitisui before driving up to a very old and typical Andean town,
Pueblo Llano. We walked around and toured the town. Sunday morning
appeared to be a popular place for most of the farmers to meet around Bolivar
square. The church was packed and overflowing out the doors. The
drive around the area was beautiful but I’m glad we visited during the dry
season. The rockslides and mudslides off the mountains left over from the
previous rainy season were scary. Many roads were totally wiped away and
were still under repair. Our next stop was the mushroom farm but since it
was noon it was closed for lunch. We left there and went to a butcher shop
back in Santo Domingo
that sold the best fresh local strawberries with cream.
We finished the strawberries and before we could ask for seconds, Jaime
announced that we were going to lunch.
Lunch was at a lovely restaurant across the road from the Maraisa Cascade, a
beautiful waterfall. It was wonderful meal. Rick and I had fresh
rainbow trout, with local mushrooms and garlic, sautéed mixed vegetables and
steamed potatoes. Absolutely everything served with the meal, including
the garlic was grown or raised within a couple of miles of the restaurant.
The potatoes grown here are known as the best in Venezuela. After lunch,
the guys
decided to climb the hills to the waterfall. The owners son and
son’s friends took a couple of horses and guided them up the hills. Peggy
and I decided to sit below at a table in front of the restaurant with a glass of
wine and watch for them to return.
They came back with tales to tell about a rope bridge that they had to cross and how great the walk was. We have been living at sea level for 3 years and at 2500 meters above sea level they expected the climb to be tougher than it was.
At about 6PM we all left the hotel and walked into town. Across the street at the end of our long driveway was a baseball field. There was a softball game underway and we stopped to watch for a while. There was quite a crowd of locals watching and you could tell there were more teams and games to be played after this one. There were major florescent lights around the field so darkness was not an issue. When we finally made our way to town we had dinner at a pizza place famous for having a selection of 150 different types of pizzas. After dinner we took a taxi back to the hotel. Six of us plus the driver in one car. It was a riot. We had to wait for someone to open the back door so we could fall out.
