Venezuela. Caracas - Merida

Hello there. After a summer of saving and planning I am finally here in South America or to be more precise; Mérida, Venezuela.
Whilst on the long old flight via Paris, I had time to think/worry about what I was taking on and the dangers that awaited me in Caracas. Caracas is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, muggings, kidnappings and murders are to name but a few of its threats. This place makes the mean streets of Compton, L.A, look like a stroll in the park with your Granny.

After changing up some American Dollars on the black market I tried to find an official taxi which was easier said than done and before I knew it I was in a 1970´s wreck of a car driving through the shanty towns of Caracas. With my door locked and me slouched as far down in my seat as possible I made my way with Francesco (my friendly unlicenced taxi driver) to my hotel. He could sense my unease and constantly reassured me he was a good guy. He told me the dangers of unlicenced taxi’s and told me in future what to look out for when trying to find a proper taxi - pretty much everything his car wasn’t. I taught him a little English and in turn he helped me out with some Spanish. He even came into my hotel and helped me barter for a room. A pleasant surprise.

Early the next morning I was awoken by the sound of a gun shot, then another and another. Before I knew it there was a full on gun fight just outside my hotel, not exactly my usual alarm call and a little unnerving to say the least. I didn’t know whether to duck, watch or just curl up and cry!
So I decided Caracas wasn’t for me and with the help of my hotel porter, found a bus station and got the hell out of there. After a 15 hour bus journey I now find myself in Merida, high up in the Andean mountains.

So now I´m safely in Merida I feel much better. You can walk the streets and not feel too uneasy. This is what I did for the first two days, just walk around and take in the sights. The main attraction of this town, apart from being beutifully set in the Adean mountains, is the Teleferico or Cable car. It is the worlds longest and highest. Starting you off in the sweltering town and finishing up in the snow encrusted peaks.

Unfortunitely though it has been broken for months and will not be fixed for years. So after a change of plans I decided to go Paragliding, as you do! After a long drive up the mountain and a brief lesson where I was told to just run and don´t stop running until we were in the air, we were ready to go. I did my running bit to perfection and before I knew it we were sawing up in the sky. You could see for miles - other towns, mountains, rivers and all sorts. It really was great up there with the birds, many of which were Vultures. It was just peaceful and quiet until I got use to it then we started to do some tricks, 360´s and the like. We got to heights of above 2000m but before I knew it it was time to land. This was pretty easy as again all I had to do was run and don’t stop running till my guide said so.

As for my Spanish, maybe I was a little nieve or ignorant before arriving but I thought there would be a little more English spoken, especially in the tourist areas. But as I was to find out, there isn’t. Which I suppose, in the long run, means I will learn the language quicker as I have to have vitually all my conversations in Spanish.

My next trip is a four day Safari to Los Lanos. A savana full of Crocodiles, Anacondas and much more stuff that can kill me. Still I guess its safer than Caracas.

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