Blogs from Mérida, Andean, Venezuela, South America - page 10

Dear All Covered a lot of miles since we last spoke, unfortunately picking the busiest time of year as all of Venezuela have been on holiday too! Didn’t really notice it in Mérida as you expect a city to be busy and it can absorb more people. Pico Espejo Tried to buy a ticket for the teleferico on the 2nd but was told it was fully booked until the 6th, which is mad as it´s pretty pricey at 42 bols a time, about 11 quid! But it is the highest and longest in the world and I like these sort of things! Decided to queue in the morning in the hope of someone not turning up for their reservation, despite being there at 6.30am I was behind at least 60 other people and the gates didn´t ... read more

We did not spend much time here, but managed to spend a Christmas. We never even intended to visit, but the flights were so cheap he just had no other way of getting to the mainland. When we arrived to Caracas Silvie was poorly, and I was paranoid, this being my first time in South America, that we were going to be robbed, or worse. I spoke very little Spanish back then. Caracas treated us kindly however. Seemed no worse than any other capital city however. We spent the next day in Puerto Colombia, with my first taste of the Caribbean sea, having not done the beach in the Dominican Republic. Silvie saw a monkey, and the road there crumbled away at the edges of a steep dangerous valley and twisted up and all the way ... read more

I've been on the bounce, dear reader , since last sharing travel adventures with you and the journal continues from Cali in Colombia. After a relaxing stay in a quality hostel it was time to move on, and north is the plan. I booked on a bus to Bogota and for the first time on this trip I was the only foreign traveller on board. The journey was through mountainous terrain along winding roads, and the bus arrived in Bogota in the early evening. Bogota is the capital of Colombia with a population of seven million inhabitants at an altitude of 2600 metres. It's interesting to note three capital cities in South America are at high altitude and surrounded by mountains. La Paz is at 3600 metres, Quito is at 2800 metres and thirdly of couse ... read more

Pueblos del Sur Saíndo de Mérida em direcção a sul, pela Pan-Americana, a cerca de 40 Km saímos para uma estrada secundária onde uma grande estrutura, tipo arco, em ferro sinaliza a entrada da estrada que dá acesso aos Pueblos del Sur. Cerca de 25 aldeias espalhadas pela cordilheira andina, isoladas do tempo, de tudo e de todos. Partimos à descoberta de uma Venezuela que vive nos Andes e que mantém uma cultura muita própria, forte e acolhedora. O isolamento de algumas destas aldeias, por vezes a 7hrs de carro desde qualquer outro lugar habitado, confere-lhes uma identidade muito própria. Para além do meio de transporte pessoal ou de uma boleia ocasional, os transportes públicos são escassos, não são assíduos e para alguns dos pueblos só viajam uma vez por semana. Devido à inexistência de estradas ... read more

Mérida O meu objectivo em Mérida é visitar os locais propostos pelas agências de turismo sem a elas recorrer. Pelos meus próprios meios. Depois de La Culata, La Musuy, chegou a vez de visitar os Relâmpagos de Catatumbo. Fenómeno natural (do qual nunca tinha ouvido falar) e único no mundo, os Relâmpagos de Catatumbo são famosos pela espectacularidade, frequência, e por serem o principal regenerador da camada de ozono. Praticamente todos os dias do ano, com uma frequência de 3 a 10 segundos, os raios rasgam o céu. De dia, a luminosidade e de noite, as nuvens, podem por vezes afectar a visibilidade do fenómeno quando vistos à distância, dos locais seguros e permitidos. Dentro do Parque Nacional Ciénagas de “Juan Manuel”, na região dos deltas dos rios Catatumbo, Zulia y Bravo, que desaguam na margem ... read more