... in trinidad, actually

So I know the name of this blog is "in venezuela," but in order for me to stay in Venezuela for an extended period of time I had to re-enter the country to get new stamps on my passport... meaning a weekend trip to the of Trinidad & Tobago, an "archipelago state" separated by the Gulf of Paria that is actually visible from Venezuela. The trip was confirmed at the last minute and as soon as Cesar found out I was going he did everything possible to make sure he got to go too. Little did I know he had more than just another one of our adventures in mind!


Travel through Venezuela and on to Port of Spain went incredibly smooth (especially when you compare it to my travels home in June!). We (Cesar & I plus the group from the school) left Maturin early Saturday morning for Caracas, where we made our connecting flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad. Greeted by our driver, we headed to the hotel, ate lunch, and then ventured out to a mall for a glimpse of how much diversity is contained in this little island - Spanish, African, French, Indian, British and Amerindian history and culture have made their mark throughout the country.

The next day we took a picturesque drive through the mountains to reach the popular beach at Maracas Bay, located on the northern coast of Trinidad. It was a short visit to the beach - enough to enjoy the water, and for the daring ones, a chance to try the signature shark & bake meal.

From that point we headed back towards Port of Spain, stopping at Mount St. Benedict's, a church situated up in the hills bordering the city. From that point we were able to see all of Port of Spain and beyond. By that time it was late afternoon, and what better to do in late afternoon than watch the birds come in to nest? T&T is known for being a bird-watcher's paradise, as it is home to hundreds of species of birds. We set out in boat to see what kind of wildlife we could come across in the Caroni Bird Sanctuary.... fiddler crabs, tree-climbing crabs, snakes, and of course, a variety of birds including the national bird, the scarlet ibis, which comes to nest daily on a little island - we came as close as possible without disturbing them. (hard to tell in this pic but the island is covered in red dots - scarlet ibis - and the white birds that are neighbors to the ibis)

Monday, the final full day of our adventure, our tour of Trinidad took us further south to Pitch Lake, one of three natural asphalt lakes in the world. I had no idea what to expect, but found it to be very... interesting. We walked over pitch (the raw material from which asphalt is made) and bathed in the sulfur pools that form in the crevices of the pitch during the rainy season and are said to have healing powers. This is an action shot of me jumping over the crevices...

Heading back north, we stopped at a mall in San Fernando, the second largest city in Trinidad for some quick shopping & lunch. The next stop of the day gave great insight to the diversity of religion and culture in T&T. Hinduism was brought to the island after slavery was outlawed and the British began bringing over indentured workers from India to work on the island's plantations. Under colonialism, the practice of the Hindu religion was initially not accepted on British territory, so one man got creative and built a Hindu temple on the water. The temple is known as the Waterloo Temple or the Temple in the Sea, a picturesque monument not only to the Hindu faith but the story of creative resistance through times of oppression.
 
Following our visit to the Temple in the Sea, we went to the sight of several Hindu temples (an Ashram), including the Hanuman Temple which is famous for the 85ft. statue, the tallest of its kind outside of India. It was a moving experience to witness the detail and dedication in the architecture, the result of work that was done day and night, rain or shine for two years by a group of 20 artisans.

The trip was just a quick glimpse into what the country holds, and it was very interesting to see not only the similarities but also the stark differences between Venezuela & Trinidad. The two countries have so much in common (wildlife, abundance of natural resources, landscapes, etc.), but it is amazing to see the different directions the countries are headed in. Coming from Venezuela, there was such a sense of progress and growth in this tiny country. Even going to the grocery store was a highlight of the trip, finding the same variety of products that can be found in the US, a reflection on being a capitalist-friendly country vs. Venezuela's anti-imperialism.
Everything went by so quickly, it's hard to believe we were able to fit so much into such a small amount of time. Next time I hope to make more time for the beach and visit the sister island of Tobago - famous for the laid back island culture, scuba diving, coral reefs and... destination weddings!
I have to say the most memorable part of the trip wasn't actually on the island, but on the plane ride back!! Three years together and many adventures across borders... just the beginning for Cesar & I. I will post a picture soon :)

quick trip to the rainforest

 

So far we have made it to the beaches of Sucre (several hours along winding backroads), La Gran Sabana/ Roraima & the border with Brazil (12 hours+ by car), Amazonas & Caracas (by overnight buses), etc., etc. yet somehow we had not found time to take the hour drive to Morichal Largo in the past two years that I have been here. We finally got our act together and made it to Morichal Largo, where we jumped in a boat and took a two hour boat ride downriver.

Morichal Largo (a morichal is a river fed but underground springs) is known for being the longest morichal in the world. Within a few minutes on the boat we spotted capuchin monkeys (named after the capuchin monks which were the first missionaries in Venezuela) and all along we saw a variety of tropical birds - from small parrots (like the one we have at the house) to giant vultures (not so pretty, but noted for their size) - as well as butterflies, frogs & turtles. The wildlife highlight for me would have to be the howler monkeys that were perched on a branch that hanging over the water. After the first two hour stretch, Cesar decided it was time to cool off (images of piranhas, crocodiles, eels, rays and any other mysterious tropical creatures lurking in the murky water flashed in my mind) as he jumped in the water. The driver of our boat assured us that it was safe in this spot of the river because of the nice current. Soooo..... I was tempted to jump in as well!

On the return stretch of our trip we stopped for sandwiches on the riverbank (there was a cute little hut with a picnic table for us). By mid-afternoon we were back at the house, impressed that we were able to have such a great mini-adventure so close-by. Feeling pretty lucky - how many people can say they can take a weekend trip to the rainforest?

Moriches (giant palm trees which grow along the morichal)

back for another year..... or so is the plan

Haven't had much of a chance to write since my return to Maturin, but yes, I'm back and am gearing up for another year here. It was a great visit home, nice to see everyone after such a long time, and as always it went by too fast! Since my warm welcome back, the last two weeks have been spent setting up the classroom, preparing orientation materials, and meeting the new "imports" (foreign teachers). Not much news to report on so far.

But, in case you were wondering, the two exotic birds that I wrote about a few months ago are looking much better than they did when we originally got them. Feathers have grown in and they are much more colorful. The big bird has even gotten comfortable enough with a few people that it laughs (just like this: hahahah!). I guess they were looking so good that Cesar decided it was time to expand the bird family. Cesar told me last weekend he had a surprise for me.... turns out it involved four parakeets of all different colors (above photo).

Soooo, who knows what's in store for the next year..... possibly a visit to Angel Falls (tallest waterfall in the world), more time at the farm, hikes in the mountains, relaxing on the beach???
I was avoiding having to do this but I think I will have to send out a password to people so they can access my blog.... hopefully I get the link out to everyone that wants it!

arrived safe & sound

Okay, I was going to do a deep reflection on the past year in Venezuela before leaving, but had difficulties accessing blogspot (hmmmm.....), so maybe I will have something deep to say a little later. Just trying to enjoy Cincy while I can.

Reflections on a year abroad..... a work in progress

working on a post reflecting on the past year here.... let me know if there is anything you are interesting in hearing about!

Lately... around the house

It's been a while since I've had an amazing adventure or big event to write about, but I feel I should find something to write about since it's been so long.... especially because we have a new member of the family. Cesar received a parrot as a gift in December who has been pretty lonely since her partner flew away shortly after settling into life at the Roman household. We decided she needed some company, and to my surprise, Cesar found some BIG company for her. As I walked into the house the other day after work I noticed something new in the cage.... I guess it was kind of hard to miss, considering it's nearly the size of a chicken! The first day the little bird was quite intimidated but it seems as though the two have become friends quickly.

Okay I've never been much of a bird person, but I guess now that Cesar is going into the pet store business I have to get used to being around all kinds of animals....

... and how could you not laugh at a bird like this staring you down?
In other news, I have been put in charge of maintaining the garden out back, overseeing the survival of all kinds of plants in harsh weather conditions (the temps have been averaging 90+ degrees lately, with lots of sun). From basil to banana, papaya to palms, pinapples and plantains, watermelon, orange, aloe vera and coriander, the garden is quite diverse.

The backyard: lots of palms, the barbeque grill Cesar recovered.

Basil, aloe vera, etc.

Orange tree, with a tiny papaya tree establishing just to the left.

Pinapple, the recovering banana plant and plantain plants.

Roraima 2010

It had been a while since our last adventure in Venezuela, but we were just waiting for a good one! It had long been a dream of Cesar to hike Mt. Roraima, a tepui located at the triple point where Venezuela meets Brazil and Guyana, and with my outdoors experience, it sounded like an opportunity I could not pass up. It is actually ranked as one of the best hikes in the world, and I feel lucky to be one of the few to make it! Cesar and I had been collecting camping gear for this trip for the past 2 years, and we could not have been better prepared. Even better, a friend from school (Sunny) was planning to make the same trip with her mother and son, so we were lucky enough to make it a group adventure.

A little background info: Mt. Roraima is believed to be one of the Earth's oldest land formations. At 9,219 ft. above sea level, it is the tallest of all the tepuis that are scattered throughout the region. The indigenous "Pemon" (in quotes because, as it turns out, Pemon is a misnomer) population in La Gran Sabana area views the tepuis as sacred formations, and calls Roraima "the mother of water." Much of the plant and wildlife we came across can only be found in the unique ecosystem found atop Roraima. The indigenous population continues to maintain jurisdiction over the area and is in charge of organizing the hikes up Roraima, although some outsiders insist on taking the risk of doing the hike on their own (not a good idea!). The best time to do this hike is during the dry season (December-March), but even then you cannot expect to stay dry atop "the mother of water."
Day One - Off We Go! Our adventure to Roraima began Sunday a.m. leaving from Maturin with Cesar, and Sunny's gang following behind. We drove the whole day, stopping in small towns along the way and checking out all the touristy stops (La Piedra de La Virgen, the Eiffel Bridge) I was already familiar with from our trip last year. By late afternoon we had arrived in La Gran Sabana, a wonderful feeling to go all day and finally reach the open landscape of the savanna. Our first goal was to make it as far as possible to the little village of Paraitepui by the end of the night. The first attempt we realized that Cesar's car wasn't quite rugged enough to take on the dirt road to Paraitepui, so we all piled into Sunny's car for the last two hour stretch of the drive. It was probably almost 10 p.m. by the time we arrived in Paraitepui, but were quickly greeted by the locals with whom Cesar immediately began making arrangements for the hike. Meanwhile we admired the Milky Way and prepped a light dinner.

Day Two - Happy Trails. Full of energy, we set off on the trail first thing in the morning with our guide/porter Jose and another porter, Mauricio, who made the trip perfect by helping out in every way possible. These guys had done the trip several times before, so they made everything seem easy. We went during what is probably the hottest time of the year, but were lucky to see such amazingly clear views of Roraima the whole day. Under the hot savanna sun, we made our way to the first campsite at Rio Tek. There was not a cloud in the sky the entire time, so we were glad when we came across the occasional shady stream. The sun really took a toll on us all that first stretch, so it was nice to set up camp and stargaze - I had never really seen the sky like that before.

Day Three - Destination: Base Camp. We started the day crossing two rivers (Rio Tek and Rio Kukenan) without even getting our boots wet. In normal conditions we would have to use a rope to help us make it across in waist-deep water so we were lucky in that aspect that it was so dry. At the same time, the sun really took a beating on all of us. The trail seemed to go on forever that day.... we kept thinking, "Oh, it's just over this next hill" but it always seemed that there was just another hill over that one. Definitely happy when we finally made it to base camp and had a nice rest at the outer edge of the rain forest area.

Day Four - The Ascent. Anxious to get to the top, this was the most energized day of hiking for me. We traded in the blistering hot savanna trail for a cooler, yet humid trek through the rain forest canopy where I enjoyed seeing new plants, which only seemed to get stranger as we neared the top. The only catch: it was nearly all incline. This was the part when we had to scale up the side of Roraima. There were several times as I approached the vertical wall when it seemed like the only way up would be elevator (wouldn't that be nice!). It is quite intimidating when you reach "the wall" and look up and all you can see is wall wall wall (1,300 ft. of it), disappearing into the mist atop. Thanks to "the ramp," however, Roraima is one of the only tepuis that can be ascended without technical climbing gear. After about three hours of hiking we reached the point where we could see what is known as "El Paso de Las Lagrimas" a.k.a. Tears Pass, appropriately named for two reasons. First because when you look at the steep incline you want to cry, and second, when it is wet enough atop Roraima, moisture spills over the edge here and drips on you as you pass below. There was no turning back at this point however, and we pushed on knowing that the Flying Turtle was atop to greet us. There were big smiles as we reached the top in perfect timing. We were lucky enough to find a vacant "hotel" (cave-like area which offers protection from the harsh wind and cold found atop) and settle in for the evening. Looking around we could see the contrast of the savanna and rain forest far below against the strange formations and wildlife on top.

Day Five - Exploring Roraima. While it would take weeks to really explore all the landmarks on the 40 square kilometers of Roraima, I think we saw quite a bit in the one day that we had. Sunny, Cesar and I chose to make our way, with the guidance of Jose of course, to the Triple Point where Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana meet, while the others stayed back and explored around the campsite. Our three hour trek to the Triple Point included lots of rain, mist, and a bumpy terrain (easy to get lost in), but it gave us a good idea of what it's really like in this other-worldly environment. We saw strange rock formations along the way, many of which have been given creative names (the monkey eating ice cream, lizards, giraffes, etc.), and passed through the Crystal Valley. On our way back we passed by a sinkhole, which would have been an enticing place to jump in an take a swim if it wasn't so cold that day. It was an 8hr+ hike, making it the longest day of hiking so far, but worth it to see why people say it's like a different planet up there. No wonder it's been the inspiration for so many stories, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and even Disney's UP!

Day Six - The Descent. After an entire night of rain, the descent along Tears Pass was exactly as I had imagined it - full of tears. I don't think anyone made it through without completely soaking their boots. This stretch was the highlight of the trip for Cesar and Sunny, but the only part I enjoyed about it was looking up at it after I had made it through safe and sound. Phew! The rest of the day was a true test on our knees, with nothing but slippery downhill terrain, raining on and off throughout the day. It was amazing to see how the little bit of rain we had gotten within a 24 hour period had really woken things up in the rain forest - plants and flowers bigger and more beautiful and a waterfall that appeared overnight. Our original plan was to make it all the way to Rio Tek by night, but things went a little more slowly than anticipated and we decided to keep it safe and stay at the base camp for the night.

Day Seven - The Long Stretch. The decision to stay at base camp the night before meant that we would have to cover all that we had done in days one and two in order to reach Paraitepui by night. Fortunately the weather was a little more forgiving on this stretch than it had been on the way up, so we were protected by just enough cloud cover. You could see the change in water level as we crossed over Rio Kukenan as the water was knee-deep, which was actually refreshing after going so many days without a nice bath. We spent the entire day hiking, with a good break mid-day for lunch. This day took the most determination to make it through, but the promise of a nice meal, shower and comfy bed helped. Cesar and I arrived in Paraitepui just in time before dark, muscles unwilling to go any further! We were greeted with watermelon and bananas for appetizers, and finished the night off with a nice meal - an omelet for me and meat and spaghetti for the rest.

Day Eight - On the road again! Swollen and exhausted, we all piled back in the car to headed back to Maturin. We stopped for Cesar's car along the way and enjoyed the most delicious breakfast (eggs scrambled with tomato and onion, bread and cheese). I don't know if it was because I hadn't had such a great meal in a while, or if was really that good. After a long day in the car, it was nice to return to the modern comforts of a warm shower and cool place to rest.
After almost a week since our hike ended, I think we are all still recovering. We estimated over 100km. (62 miles) covered on our hike, with heavy packs on our backs most the way. With all the weather conditions factored in, I know my body really took a beating, but that's just part of the experience! We were lucky to make the trip in the time given, but if I were to do it again I would add at least another day to the trip, leaving more time to rest and simply enjoy the natural surroundings. With lots of great pictures and stories, I am happy and grateful for what we accomplished. Who knows what our next adventure will be!
(There's lots more I could write about the trip, but I just thought I'd include the basics. Let me know if you have any more questions!)

The Holidays in Venezuela

After 22 years of Christmas at home, I guess it was about time for me to experience the holidays in a different setting. The Christmas season began with a gift collection and fundraiser for the local childrens hospital. With the funds gathered, I joined some friends from work in purchasing enough toys, pajamas, toiletries, and other goodies to hand out to over 100 children in the oncology ward. Later that week we wrapped and delivered the toys to the children and their families at the hospital, an experience that showed me a very different side of Venezuela - it's too easy to forget how lucky we are.

Christmas certainly wasn't the same this year, but Cesar's family was very nice in welcoming me to join in their celebrations. Cesar and I took an overnight bus to meet the rest of his family in Caracas for their Christmas Eve celebration. We had a nice dinner (vegetarian friendly thanks to Cesar's uncle!) and then gifts were exchanged. The trick this year was that you had to dance before you could get your gift each time your name was called. Very fun to see this side of Cesar's family. Christmas Day was calm - in Venezuela the emphasis is more on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day. And we just spent the next day having lunch at a family friend's house and walking around a very crowded mall.

Upon returning to Maturin on Sunday, we spent the next few days getting ready for New Year's Eve and managed to go on a daytrip to Puerto Ordaz to have lunch with Cesar's grandma. New Year's Eve meant a nice dinner with Cesar's family, ringing in 2010 with the traditional 12 grapes at 12:00, lentils, eaten for prosperity in the coming year, and of course champagne. After that, we spent time at a friend's house. Nothing too wild this year. As I look to the next year, I have made the typical New Years resolutions, and I am looking forward to the many changes to come. Let's see what happens - maybe Christmas in Cincy next year!