Blogs from Andean, Venezuela, South America

Venezuela is a country that seems to have a bit of a problem with its reputation (much like its Mondongo soup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopa_de_mondongo), but given this is made from the stomach of cows and apparently smells like bile I think in this case it might be justified!!). In most of the places I had been travelling in South America, the locals had always responded with warnings of how dangerous Venezuela would be, and that I should be very careful going there. I wanted to find out for myself what Venezuela was really like (bearing in mind that of course most of the people giving the warnings have never actually been there!!) so I set off overland to Merida, the most touristic city in Venezuela, where I hoped to find my feet before deciding whether it would be ... read more

Thanks partially to the Brazillian Border Police being on strike again, we arrived in Ciudad Bolivar much later than expected. The journey from Boa Vista took 23 hours and was a real grueller especially due to the rather “fresh” air-con. We stayed at Posada La Casita, a 20 min ride out of the town centre but really handy as they provide transfers to and from the bus station and a shuttle into town. That apart though, this place is a little piece of paradise with beautiful grounds and extremely hospitable Peter the German host/owner and his nephew Alejandro and all the lovely smiley helpful staff. After a couple of days chilling by the pool and drinking several bottles of Venezuelan Polar Beer (with our fellow travellers Suzanne from England, Steve and Andy from Germany and our ... read more

Dear All Greetings from the mountains of Venezuela. Here I am in the touristy town of Mérida, high up in the Andes of Western Venezuela, and what lovely weather up here - less of the hot and humid, more of the cloudy and cold. Never thought I´d miss the latter! And the bonus is my hostel has hot water! I haven´t seen this since Caracas, and it really is a treat. To be honest, in the hot zones of the tropical coast a cold shower is fantastic. But since Bogotá, taking showers has been more of an ordeal than a pleasure (counting to 3 before jumping in, quickly scrubbing, and wrapping up in a cosy towel again...!), and the further you go up in altitude, the more the water seems to come direct from an Andean ... read more

first trip in the Andes...... read more

I finally arrived in Mérida, the city I have been most looking forward to visiting in Venezuela. Besides the bus breaking down in the middle of the night and having to wait an hour for a replacement to arrive, the journey from Maracay was good, with picturesque scenery as we journeyed into the northernmost foothills of the Andes. The biggest disappointment in arriving was the temperature; having been told that Mérida was cold, I was surprised to find that it was still baking hot (during the day at least). At the bus station I met a German who was promoting his posada (hostel), and as it sounded better than the one I was going to head for (for the same price) I let him persuade me to stay there. The city itself has a rather compact ... read more