EmmaRoundTheWorld

So the elections came and went and well... nothing much happened. The weekend was the quietest weekend I've ever experienced in Caracas and by monday most things seemed to be back to normal. A bit of music and fireworks on sunday night, long before they'd even announced the results, was all that came out of it. Chavez of course instantly declared himself the winner, based on candidates from his party winning in the majority of the states around the country. But the truth is that he only really managed to win farmlands, causing one newspaper to refer to it as Chavez's agricultural revolution. In all big cities and states which are important economically and touristically (not many), the opposition seemed to have had somewhat of a walk-in victory, signaling that it might be more difficult than ... read more

In anticipation of the mayoral elections this sunday, the government has issued a ley seca (dry law), meaning that there will be no sales of alcohol allowed anywhere for the whole of the weekend. While some people here are conjuring up the most gloomy of domesday scenarios for elections day, including the idea that the whole country will be effectively shut down without electricity, internet and water, others believe that absolutely nothing will happen. But most people seem to agree that if the opposition manages to get anywhere near the percentage that they are hoping to get there will be at least some unrest going on and many people have adviced me to stock up on groceries and not be frightened by hightened military precence on the streets. At home, few people would even bother about ... read more

... a big, fat, roasted, crunchy ant. It was a Colombian snack brought to me by one of my students so I simply had to try it. Although it tasted surprisingly much like a peanut I was not quite able to get over the fact that it was actually an ant and for the following half hour I couldn't stop feeling like Mowgli from the Jungle Book. But at least now I can tick 'eating ants' off of my list of things to do before I die. So far Venezuela has provided me with plenty of first time exeriences but for some reason some of them stand out in my memory more than others... like: Filling up a tank for less than a pound. The idea that petrol is basically free here surprises me everytime I ... read more

It started on thursday night with a phone call from a friend. "Hey, we're going to Margarita for the weekend and have a spare seat in the car - do you want to come?" As my previosly arranged plans for the weekend had just fallen through (as Venezuelan plans so often do) I felt this was too good an opportunity to turn down. I knew that managing the five hour drive and six hour ferry ride there and then back again would be a bit of a squeeze for just a weekend but ever since I arrived I've been wanting to go to Margarita - and life is what happens when you make other plans, right? So I just decided to go for it. Due to the highway between Caracas and Puerto la Cruz (which is ... read more

The shouts of several dozens of fishermen woke me up and threw me right back into reality. A reality that I must admit was for once very pleasant - despite the fact that my sleeping bag was full to the limit with sand. Close by I could hear the waves hitting the shore and as I opened my eyes I could see the pink sun rising in the east. A flashback from the night before reminded me of rum, dancing to african drums, midnight swims and stars so clear I remeber thinking I must be dreaming. The weekend trip to Chuao (a thirty minute boat ride from Puerto Colombia in the north) was a huge success and together with some of my newly found friends I enjoyed total relaxation on the beach as well as hiking ... read more