National Lampoon’s Venezuelan Vacation

November 2, 2009
Monday
5:46am
Cloudy, 60


For the last ten days we have had the pleasure of being in Venezuela with my dad. During this trip we explored the breathtaking islands of Los Roques National Park, the zoos and hot springs of Valencia, and the culinary delights of Caracas. We also discovered that my dad and Chevy Chase have much in common when it comes to planning and enjoying a vacation i.e. simple events always have the potential to become a comedy of errors.

Below is a brief itinerary (for those of you pressed for time) followed by a detailed account (for those who can spare an hour or so) of what we have dubbed National Lampoon’s Venezuelan Vacation.

Day 1: Arrive in Caracas and Flight to Los Roques
Day 2: Nordesky, Krasky, and Aquaman’s Debut
Day 3: Franciskys
Day 4: Boca de Medio, Madrizqui, Scuba, and some British Commentary
Day 5: Cayo de Agua, Biological Station, Espenky, Multi-purpose Tevas, and Bravo!
Day 6: Boca de Cote, Lobster Shack, Estrellas Marinas (Esparky), Pelona de Rabusky and Umbrella Trouble
Day 7: Cayo (Isla) Muerto and The Hitchhiker, to Valencia and Hot Springs
Day 8: Arepas, Zoo, Arepa Mansion, Meetings, and To Caracas
Day 9: Meetings, Teleferico, Gualipan, and Jeep to Macuto
Day 10: To the Airport, Duty Free Extravaganza, Bogota Layover, Van to Sayausi

Day 1: Arrive in Caracas and Flight to Los Roques
We arrived in Caracas just before 11:00am on Thursday morning. After going through customs and skipping baggage claim since we had none, we met my dad who had arrived about a half an hour earlier. It turns out he had spent a majority of this half hour trying to shake a black-market money changer who spoke broken English.

In Venezuelan currency there is what is called a parallel market. In 2008 the Bolivar Fuerte was introduced to replace the Bolivar and remove three zeroes from all currency and prices (for example a 1000 bolivar coin would now be 1 bolivar fuerte). The parallel market exists because there is a fixed official rate for the Bolivar Fuerte. The fixed rate which is 2.15 bolivar fuertes to the dollar is supposed to help with inflation. However, it also means that everything would be too expensive for people buy things. So, there is a parallel market (not legal but not really illegal in terms of enforcement) where you can get around 5 boliver fuertes to the dollar. This system, while making Venezuela a potentially very affordable place to visit, makes changing money a little bit more complicated and a little bit risky for tourists and Venezuelans alike.

So my dad, a rather obvious tourist which is associated with dollars or euros, was quite a target for the dozens of parallel or black market money changers who also serve as porters (why not earn a little extra money while carrying bags). Luckily, my dad wasn’t persuaded to change his money with these porters at the rate of 3.5 Bf to the dollar and so our first order of business upon our arrival (after many hugs and hellos) was to find Roquemar, a “tourism” storefront recommended to us by the owner of the hotel we would be staying at in Los Roques (we ended up changing our dollars at the rate of 4.7 Bf to the dollar).

After a rather bizarre, semi private money exchange we had our first taste of delicious Venezuelan food during lunch at the workers cafeteria in the basement of the airport (TGI Friday should be avoided in all countries) then headed over to the Auxiliar Airport to catch our flight to Los Roques.

I need to take a minute here and explain that is was virtually impossible to find a flight to Los Roques as there is no website you can go to and no number you can call to make a reservation (trust me, we tried). All flights to Los Roques, it seems to me, are booked through the posada where you are staying. So first you have to find and decide on a posada before you have any idea what the flight options are. Then, to make things a little more complicated, no one accepts credit cards. We were beyond fortunate that Ana, the Italian owner of Ranchito Power (the posada where we stayed) paid for our tickets in advance out of her own pocket. After paying for the tickets she forwarded us a copy of the electronic tickets that had been sent to her. We printed these out and crossed our fingers as we arrived at the Auxiliar Airport.

The Auxiliar Airport shares the same runway space as the international airport, it’s just located about a half a mile closer to the end of the runway and instead of normal sized planes there are tiny, tiny planes. Also unlike many international and domestic flights, if our plane was delayed past sunset the flight would have been cancelled as there are no runway lights in Los Roques and therefore no flights landing or taking off after dark.

Our plane was the aeronautical equivalent of Mike’s 87 Nissan. The “Sundance” as it was un-aptly named sat 15 and the pilots were in arm’s length of the first row and while there were seat belts the likelihood of the seats staying attached to the plane in any emergency situation were so low as to make the presence of seat belts negligible. The emergency life jackets however were easily accessible.

After a slight delay of almost an hour, the “Sundance” took off into the sunset with nary a shutter and the 35 minute flight saw only slight turbulence and a few unnerving dips. And, it seemed, that the landing was smooth and uneventful until a loud boom, followed by the smell of burning rubber, unusually abrupt braking, and the repeated “thwap, thawp, thwap” of rubber on asphalt filled the cabin that was now sloped down to the left.

So, we disembarked mid-runway while the crew unloaded the luggage and walked it over to the receiving “gate” i.e. the other side of the rope. It was sunset, and we left the “Sundance” at a slight tilt and with its busted tire behind us.

Chicho, one of the three employees of the posada we were staying at, met us at the other side of the rope with a “baggage cart” i.e. a handcart and escorted us down the sand street to Ranchito Power.

At Ranchito Power we were greeted by Ana, the posada owner, and shown to our room (one of five in the posada). After putting our bags in the room we went out in search of dinner. This it turns out would be harder than expected.

We first went to the string of restaurants on the beach only to discover that no one had any food. Yup, no food. Apparently, the supply boat didn’t come in.

Los Roques is an archipelago located 100 miles off the north coast of Venezuela. It is made up of over 200 small islands only 42 of which have names. Gran Roque, the only inhabited island in Los Roques National Park, has 1,500 fulltime residents, 60 posadas, 2 vehicles (one for garbage and the other a tractor), 1 school, and two sources of food: the ocean and the boat. So, you can imagine that getting food and other supplies for all the residents plus the 400 or so tourists on the island is slightly more difficult and more dependent upon outside sources than most other places.

After being turned down at every restaurant we could find along the beach we found our way to the plaza where there was a small restaurant serving hamburgers, pasta, and a few other dishes to desperate tourists with no other food options.

And so ended Day 1 of our Venezuelan vacation: tire blow out upon landing in Los Roques where there was “no food” because the boat hadn’t come in.



Left prop

Up, up, and away

Coral reef sighted

First sight of Gran Roque

Bumpy landing


Day 2: Nordesky, Krasky, and Aquaman’s Debut
First I should give a basic overview of what a typical day in Los Roques was like. They each followed the same basic pattern with the major differences being the islands visited during the day.

Breakfast was served at 8:00am in the small common area of Ranchito Power. Ana made the breakfast each day which included the Venezuelan staple of corn arepas plus pancakes, bread, several jams, fresh fruit juice, cookies, cereal, eggs, a fruit plate, and coffee (coffee in Venezuela was delicious, on every street corner there was someone with a thermos of steaming hot coffee and a stack of small plastic cups selling for 10 cents a piece).

After breakfast everyone gets changed and ready for the beach and puts in lunch orders (most of the islands have no services and so the posadas pack a cooler full of sodas, snacks, and in our case, delicious salads and pastas for lunch each day). At 9:30am every morning about a dozen small motor boats leave from the dock of Gran Roque carrying 4-10 tourists to one of the over 200 islands within the Los Roques archipelago. During the day we would normally visit 2 to 4 different beaches with the day ending back in Gran Roque around 5:00pm. Once back on Gran Roque you make a dinner reservation (the posadas need to know by 5:30pm how many dinners they need to make) and then dinner is served around 7:00pm. After dinner there would usually be some planning for the next day (more planning in our case as we were also juggling meeting times back in Caracas, calling different people, sending emails, etc..) and then off to bed where sleep came quickly until the rising sun peeked in through the window the next morning.

But it was our second day in Los Roques and our first day going to the beaches that we got our first glimpse of what we would later call “Aquaman.”

Planning our trip to Los Roques required a lot of time and email exchanges with various people on Gran Roque and we did a lot of internet searches on Los Roques and read the Lonely Planet (our guidebook on Venezuela) section of Los Roques a minimum of ten times. Below are a few snippets from said section:

1. “Gorgeous white-sand beaches, clear turquoise waters, amazing snorkeling and diving…”
2. “This idyllic collection of small coral islands harbors rich coral reefs comes virtually unspoiled.”
3. “…scorching sun and dazzlingly blue skies…”
4. “…250 unnamed islets, sandbars and cays scattered around a crystal-clear, glittering lagoon brimming with marine life.”
5. “…these attractions all await hedonistic sunseekers in the stunningly beautiful tropical archipelago known as Los Roques.”

So, with all this in mind, guess which phrase stuck out to my dad in terms of planning his beach attire which would be worn at all times in and out of the water?....”scorching sun”. Fearing any contact with the sun (reminder, he lives in Arizona) his “swimming suit” consisted of the following:

1. Wide brimmed hat pulled down and tied off under his chin
2. Extra dark and wide sunglasses
3. Long sleeved shirt buttoned up and tucked into and tied to his pants
4. Long pants tucked into his adventure socks
5. Socks with Tevas (or snorkel fins when appropriate)

Now picture everyone else in the boat: bikini clad, speedo sporting Italians, bikini clad, speedo sporting Venezuelans, and bikini clad, speedo sporting travelers from around the world. Granted Mike and I were somewhere in between Aquaman and the magazine models but we did draw the line at socks.

So dressed for a safari in the savannas of Africa we set out for our first day of beaches and snorkeling in the Caribbean.

We boarded the small motor boat on the shores of Gran Roque and set out for Nordesky amid a sea of aquamarine, crystalline waters and beneath of sky of pure blue: it was in all honesty beyond words.

Nordesky was our first snorkeling stop and our first time stepping foot into the warm, clear waters of Los Roques. We saw a dozen sea turtles, some coral heads, angel fish, and untold numbers of other sea creatures. Aquaman proved that socks and snorkeling are not completely incompatible but did not have as much luck with the wide brimmed hat which proved to be a significant visual impediment not to mention choking hazard (that did not stop him from wearing it though). After an hour or so of snorkeling in Nordesky we got back on the boat and headed off to Krasky where we would spend the rest of the day.

When we first pulled up to Krasky it was one of those rare moments where you really think you must be dreaming. It was gorgeous: an empty white sand beach, blue waters, and a warm breeze.

The captain’s helper set up our umbrellas and chairs then left saying they would be back at 4:30pm. Full disclosure: Aquaman originally described this idyllic set-up as being part of Dante’s inferno. Fortunately, he eventually became a convert and geared up for a second round of snorkeling before lunch.

Krasky is one of the few islands that has a restaurant so we ate fish that was caught that morning in the shade of the covered patio then set out for some afternoon snorkeling before some serious floating a.k.a. lounging. Then at 4:30pm our boat reappeared, we packed up, and were magically whisked back to Gran Roque where we heard the supply boat had finally arrived and so made reservations at Bora la Mar, a restaurant right on the beach where we would end up eating most of our dinners.

Dinners on Los Roques always included fresh fish and some delicious side dish prepared by the posada owner. Marta, the owner of Bora la Mar, is from Spain but has lived on Gran Roque for 16 years. Apparently, she was the ninth posada to open on the island and as a result has one of the best locations, which is why we ended up eating there so often.

Tired and sunburnt I slept like a gran roque that night. Mike tired but not so sun burnt also slept well, though relatively cramped as he didn’t fit on the bed, and Aquaman pale as the day he was made slept soundly having outwitted the sun with his amazing Aquaman powers.




Day 3: Franciskys
Early the next morning Mike and I walked up to the lighthouse to take in our surroundings on what was one of the highest points on Gran Roque while Aquaman slept on out of reach of the sun’s first rays.

Breakfast was served at eight and by nine thirty we were back on the boat headed to Franciskys, one of the closest islands to Gran Roque with some of the best snorkeling in Los Roques. The open water was a little rough that day so all of the boats were staying close to the main island, but luckily Franciskys has a protected harbor with a fantastic reef inside of it. Ideal snorkeling for a windy day.

With umbrellas and chairs set up we set off for some more snorkeling. Full disclosure: Mike and I were both wearing pants this day after getting the backs of our legs relatively scorched from all of the snorkeling the day before. Aquaman was of course fully clad in his superhuman attire.

The rest of the day went as follows: snorkel, lunch, float, snorkel, float, float. Vacation’s tough but somebody has to do it.




Day 4: Boca de Medio, Madrizqui, Scuba, and some British Commentary
Our fourth day started with a hike up to the lighthouse on Gran Roque. From the lighthouse we could see several of the islands we had gone to already and a few that we would go to in the following days.

After breakfast Aquaman and I walked Mike down to the dock where his scuba-diving boat was waiting. Mike started fiddling with the gear immediately as the Colombian dive master double checked Mike’s scuba knowledge. Apparently, passing the scuba knowledge test Mike and a honeymooning couple from Switzerland set out for a day of scuba-ing i.e. two, hour long dives in what was later described as “absolutely amazing” diving conditions.

Aquaman and I set out for a slightly less adventurous adventure with an older English couple that happened to be the only two other people on the boat with us that day. Our day trip included four stops: Estrellas marinas, boca del medio, snorkel time, and finally Madrizqui. We didn’t bring the camera with us because of an earlier sand scare but you can by this time imagine the blue water and white sand without visual assistance.

The snorkeling on this trip was slightly different than our previous snorkeling engagements as we jumped off the boat into open water as opposed to arriving at a beach and snorkeling from there. While the getting off the boat posed no significant problems for myself nor Aquaman (thank you gravity) getting back on the boat was a slightly different story (thanks to gravity).

I had the advantage of being relatively slight and therefore was pulled back on board by the English man and the captain’s helper. My dad however was left to his own devices and was further hindered by a lot of drag from his superhero outfit. To his credit he was back onboard relatively quickly at which point the English woman commented, “what you lacked in elegance you made up for in efficiency.” At this point I assume you can also imagine what Aquaman’s embarkation looked like without visual assistance, although video footage would have been quite comical.

We met Mike (who was sleeping in the hammock when we arrived back in Gran Roque) exchanged stories (Mikes included a fifteen minute dance with a gang of social squid) and headed off for dinner and mojitos. Again, vacation is really tough.



Bocce in the street


Day 5: Cayo de Agua, Biological Station, Espenky, Multi-purpose Tevas, and Bravo!
Back together again we headed off for another full day of snorkeling and general Caribbean enjoyment, this time under the tutelage of Friedman, a Jamaican-Polish resident of Los Roques.

First stop Cayo de Agua, a gorgeous string of white sand connected by a sand spit to another gorgeous string of white sand. We started off with another new type of snorkeling: the drift snorkel. A drift snorkel means, in this case, you walk up the beach past some mangroves to an entry point. Then you let the current take you back to your umbrella and chairs while admiring the beautiful coral reef beneath you, all without the need to kick even a little. Unfortunately, we were advised of the drift nature of the snorkel a little late in the walk and so Mike and I left a few things in the trail that we would come back for after the snorkel. My dad realized even later the nature of the snorkel and so ended up at the entry point with his Tevas.

Never fear for Aquaman has an aquatic solution for everything. And so that is how my dad became the first person ever to snorkel with socks on under the fins, long pants, a long sleeved shirt tied to the pants and buttoned up to the neck, a wide brimmed hat with chin string, goggles, a snorkel, and Tevas attached to his hands as paddles. Needless to say Friedman decided not to take us snorkeling near the sharks on the other side of the island as had been earlier planned; apparently the sight of Aquaman strikes fear (or perhaps signals easy prey) to sharks.

Next stop: Biological Station! At the Biological Station we got to see dozens of sea turtles that are being raised for later release into the wild. Since only 1 in a 1000 sea turtles makes it to adulthood and humans think turtle eggs are aphrodisiacs, sea turtles are in a tight spot. So, this station gathers up baby sea turtles, cares for them for a year, and then releases them back into the wild hopefully with a higher chance of survival. We tried to buy a shirt for Mike while we were there but Mike is still quite tall for Venezuela and so we left with nothing but our memories and some fresh coconut to remind us of the sea turtles of Los Roques.

Our last stop for the day was Espenky where Aquaman and Mike set off for another snorkel while I floated happily in the oh-so-warm waters of the Caribe.

I would like to say that nothing else noteworthy happened that day and that your last image for our fifth day would be that of me dozing in the gentle waves of the sea. However, Aquaman had one last surprise in store for us…and everyone else on the boat…and for that matter everyone back on the dock at Gran Roque as well.

The boat ride from Espenky back to Gran Roque probably took about 20 minutes. Mike and I were seated on one side of the boat toward the back and several bikini clad, speedo sporting Italian tourists further up the boat was my dad.

About ten minutes into the ride my dad stood up and did what can best be described as a little dance: several quick steps in place. He then sat down without looking back at any of the other passengers. Everyone on the boat, including Mike and myself, was a little confused but not too surprised by Aquaman’s display due to his recent history of erratic and unpredictable behaviors. Five minutes later he gets up again and does the same thing. Again, no real surprise coming from Aquaman but still a little perplexing.

Then it seems that all would end well. The dock was in view, the boat had slowed down and in less than a minute we would be safely docked back on Gran Roque. Little did we know Aquaman had a gran finale in store.

About twenty feet from the dock, with the boat still motoring at a decent velocity, my dad stood up, stepped onto the ledge of the boat, and launched himself into the blue waters of the Caribbean.

This did in fact surprise everyone on the boat…for about two full seconds (Friedman almost successfully caught him mid leap). Then, the entire boat (mostly Italian) broke into simultaneous applause and shouts of “Bravo! Bravo!”

When we reached the dock the comments ranged from “Tu suegro esta loco” (Your father-in-law is crazy) from the Venezuelan tour organizer to “Your father is fantastic” in English from the Chilean biking model.

I wish I could share with you the visual of my dad jumping overboard that I will have imprinted in my brain forever as well as the tears of laughter that didn’t stop for a good fifteen minutes but alas the camera was stowed safely away and so your imagination will have to suffice to piece together Aquaman’s grand disembarkation. We did however manage to capture a few shots of him swimming back to shore afterwards.

Any guesses to the motives behind Aquaman’s jump? Perhaps he wanted to live carelessly? Perhaps he saw a sunken treasure? Maybe, he just wanted to know what it felt like to jump off a moving vehicle with a crowd of onlookers? Or, maybe it was just nature calling a little too strongly at the most convenient moment that would present itself within very narrow time restrictions.

So, that was how day five ended: my dad jumping overboard. Well, at least I wasn’t in middle school otherwise the trauma inflicted from such a public display of bizarre dad behavior would have been incurable.



Stay seated

Gotta go...but the boat´s still moving too fast


Day 6: Boca de Cote, Lobster Shack, Estrellas Marinas (Esparky), Pelona de Rabusky and Umbrella Trouble
Our sixth day in paradise took us on our biggest snorkel adventure. We set out for Boca de Cote, an area where Los Roques opens up into the sea. This was both a drift snorkel and an open water snorkel. For over an hour we floated along with the current above a virtual garden of coral and aquarium of sea life that started at about 5 feet below the surface and then quickly dropped down into the deep, deep blue.

After boarding the boat (this time slightly more gracefully than the last time) we made a stop at the Lobster Shack. The Lobster Shack is barely a building, constructed in the middle of the water (shallow though it may be) where six months out of the year fishermen live and fish. What do they fish you ask, well lobster of course! However, the lobster season doesn’t begin until mid-November so we just got to hang around and take a dip in the surrounding waters.

The third stop of the day was Esparky where thousands of giant starfish hang out in the shallows. The captain’s helper found a live conch and then made it into a snack for everyone floating around i.e. us. For the seafood to be any fresher you would literally have to eat it underwater as we were up to our shoulders in the water where the conch was caught, killed, prepared, and served. Yummy!

Our last stop brought us to Pelona de Rabusky the smallest island we had yet to step foot on. The island had been recommended to us as great snorkeling spot because the it is actually surrounded by a continuous coral ring, and as it turns out was also inhabited by a group of flamencos. Due to its tiny size (your driveway is probably bigger than this island) the three of us circumnavigated the Pelona de Rabusky almost without incident.

This time however it was Mike not Aquaman who was the perpetrator. Mike, being the ever inquisitive individual that he is, noticed a small pile of cartilaginous skeletons about ten feet down resting next to a bed of coral. And Mike, being the apt swimmer and diver that he is, decided to dive down and get a closer look. Upon arrival at the pile of carcasses, I mean cartilaginous skeletons; Mike thought to himself, “Hmmm, I wonder what did this?” He then turned his gaze away from the coral and out to the deep blue sea trying to imagine what carnivorous beast, I mean predator, could have done this. It was at that moment when he turned his head full of inquisitive thoughts that he saw a giant baracuda grinning directly at him while he was holding the remains of its former meals!

Mike of course ditched the carcasses and began to swim away only to see that the baracuda was chasing him! Luckily Mike was close to shallow water and the baracuda wasn’t actually interested in attacking, I mean persuing, Mike as he was only defending his territory. Note for the non-snorkeler/diver: Baracudas are big and have an ominous dentition to put it lightly. They usually linger near divers and are known to startle, but not to pursue. I guess this time was an exception.

Needless to say we didn’t snorkel any more that day.

However, back on shore Aquaman was up to his own mischief. Having arrived back at the beach before Mike and I, he noticed that the sun had shifted and decided to shift the umbrella accordingly without taking into consideration the prevailing wind. After considerable fidgeting with the umbrella the top half snapped off. Under normal circumstances not a big deal. However, we have to remember that on a National Lampoon Venezuelan Vacation with Aquaman, circumstances are never normal. On this particular day there was quite a bit of wind and so the umbrella went flying off at considerable speed stopping only after crashing into the bikini clad, speedo sporting couple that was set up twenty yards from us. Luckily, no harm was done and the speedo sporting Brazilian kindly returned the stray umbrella to Aquaman.

The boat ride home saw no men, or Aquamen overboard, and we ended the day at Bora la Mar with another mojito, plenty of good cheer, and swordfish that was caught that morning.



Off to snorkel

Don´t look back

Flamencos


Day 7: Cayo (Isla) Muerto and The Hitchhiker, to Valencia and Hot Springs
Our last day in Los Roques we went to Cayo Muerto, a little sand bar surrounded by crystalline waters in what was really an idyllic setting.

Though I haven’t yet mentioned it, another comment in the Los Roques section of the Lonely Planet guidebook mentions the presence of sand flies on the islands. My dad had been taking special care to avoid being victim to these menacing foes, and to his credit left Los Roques without one sand fly bite. Whether that was due to over-use of Deet, or a diminished and/or less active sand fly population is still up for debate. However, on our last day walking to the boat that would take us to Cayo Muerto, our last island, Aquaman starting complaining about a light stinging sensation on his leg. He didn’t seem particularly alarmed and not in that much discomfort so we continued to the dock.

We arrived on Cayo Muerto about ten minutes later, had or umbrellas and chairs set up, took lots of pictures, admired the waves breaking out on the distant reef, and were settling in for some big time floating when my dad complained again of stinging on his leg. At this point he un-tucked his pants from his socks (yes, the outfit was virtually impenetrable by bugs and sun alike), gave his leg a little shake, and out fell a scorpion! A scorpion had been in his pant leg for just over an hour at this point biting and stinging my dad’s leg. Fortunately, it was a large scorpion (less venomous and less prone to sting) and Aquaman was fine, if not a little stung up…but hey, at least it wasn’t those pesky sand flies 

Several hours of snorkeling and floating later our boat came to pick us up and take us back to Gran Roque for the last time.

Our flight left at 5:00pm (the Sundance was back in commission by that time) so we spent the last few hours in a frenzy trying to get more money on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean. Luckily, we were not the first to run into this predicament and a nice lady showed up with a credit card swiping machine and a boxful of cash to help us out. Her name was Carolina, but we like to think of her as a walking ATM.

Our flight was late in arriving, and we were rushed onto the plane by 5:30 (lucky thing because had the flight been delayed more it would have been cancelled as, mentioned earlier, there are no lights on the runway and so no flights arrive or depart after sunset).

In Caracas we were met by our driver who whisked us off to Valencia where upon arrival we went straight to the thermal pools outside our hotel room door to de-stress after six days of relaxation. The theme of National Lampoons Venezuelan Vacation continued even on the mainland as instead of going into the geothermal hot springs we instead immersed ourselves in a pool that was undergoing a chemical maintenance causing the night staff to come out and help protect us from ourselves by ushering us out of the chlorine dip and into the hot springs. WalleyWorld here we come!



Yin and yang

Into the deep

Grace and Elegance


Day 8: Arepas, Zoo, Arepa Mansion, Meetings, and To Caracas
Breakfast in Valencia was perhaps the most delicious breakfast we had on our trip (see pictures) partly because it was authentic Venezuelan fare rather than a delicious breakfast that we would be likely to serve ourselves at home. Arepas, corn flour patties, are served at almost every meal and are absolutely tasty. Breakfast consisted of two arepas, scrambled eggs, spicy shredded beef, black beans, cheese, fresh fruit juice, and good coffee. Yum and yum!

That morning we went to the zoo where we were given a personal tour of all sorts of neat Venezuelan critters, all of whom had been rescued and as such could not return to the wild. The river dolphin show however was closed since one of the stars had just recently given birth. Also the snake exhibit was closed because you have to pass the dolphins to reach the serpents. That was all fine with us though since introducing Chevy Chase to venomous snakes seemed like it would be testing our luck a little bit too much. Luckily the Orinoco crocodile cage and the piranha tank were also well out of our reach.

Lunch was…you guessed it, more arepas at the Mansion de Arepas where the arepas come stuffed with whatever your heart desired served with fresh fruit juice. Then it was off to some meetings and then back to Caracas.




Day 9: Meetings, Teleferico, Gualipan, and Jeep to Macuto
Caracas was filled with lots of delicious food (including freshly made donuts on every corner and mango served with salt, vinager, and curry), extremely nice people, and lots and lots of traffic.

In the afternoon we took the teleferico (an elevated cable car) over a giant hill that separates Caracas from the coast. We then took a short jeep ride to Gualipan where we snacked on fruit served with cream and bollitos (kind of like a tamale) until another jeep came to drive us down to Macuto.

Macuto is the nearest nice town to the airport and lucky for us out hotel was located right next door to a delicious tasca. I know it sounds like we already had a lot to eat today but that was nothing compared to dinner: garlic bread, lobster bisque, prosciutto with cheese and olives, wine, and to top it off enough asopada de mariscos to feed at least a dozen people (though the menu said it served only two). In fact, it was so much asopada that Mike couldn’t finish it. So, we took it home. Yep, I carried it through customs in Venezuela, Colombia (where we had a seven hour layover), and Ecuador. Boy, was it tasty!




Day 10: To the Airport, Duty Free Extravaganza, Bogota Layover, Van to Sayausi
Our last day started almost as early as it could have with a wakeup call at 2:30am and a cab waiting for us at 3:00am.

Our flight left at 6:15am for Bogota and my dad’s flight left at 6:25am for the EEUU (although, not surprisingly, American Airlines was boarding passengers well before Avianca was). However, after all the money changing madness we still had Bolivars to spare and no where to change them….at a decent rate at least. So, we had a last minute shopping spree in the duty free store at the airport that opened up just in time. I am pleased to say that several pounds of Venezuelan chocolate and coffee were acquired as a result.

Then of course it was time to bid farewell to Aquaman. It was a wonderful trip, certainly unforgettable, and loads of fun! Thanks to Aquaman and the resulting National Lampoon’s Venezuelan Vacation!

The Yapa
Mike and I ended up with seven hours to kill in Bogota so instead of waiting in the airport we changed some Bolivar fuertes to Colombian pesos, got a cab to the center of town, and hit the streets and the market. We spent the morning walking around the Centro Historico, admiring balconies and doorways, picking up a few souvenirs in the nearby market, watching a military parade, and getting a great lunch to complement the other Colombian snacks we were enjoying. Not a bad little extra.

After lunch it was back to the airport for the return flight to Guayaquil and then a four hour van ride up and over the 14,000 foot continental divide to get us back to Sayausi. A vacation well spent!