Trinidad to Venezuela

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We left Grenada August 19 and sailed to Trinidad with our friends Val & Lloyd on s/v Puddle Jumper. On August 22nd I flew from Trinidad to Atlanta, GA to visit my family in Dalton, GA. My son and daughter-in-law flew in from Dallas, and my sister flew in from Houston. We all gathered at Mom's house. I spent 9 days in Georgia . My Mom's family has a big family reunion every year, so I had a chance to see aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins, etc.

I flew back to Trinidad around the 1st of September. Jimmy stayed on the boat while I was in Georgia and completed several boat projects he had been planning for months. We left for Los Testigos (means "the witnesses" in Spanish), Venezuela on September 10. Our friends on s/v Puddle Jumper traveled with us. There is no port of entry in Los Testigos, but the Guardacosta checked our papers and gave us clearance to stay 3 days. It was a very relaxing 3 days but unfortunately I spent too much time in the sun and I am still peeling!

We sailed next to Isla Margarita. As soon as we arrived we met up with our friends Dick & Jane on s/v Cheetah II and our friend Pat on s/v If Knot Y Knot.
We spent last week touring the island and finding our way around with the help of our friends who had already been in Margarita for a couple of weeks. Jimmy and I both visited the dentist for annual check ups and I visited the pharmacies yesterday to stock up on antibiotics and other drugs that might be needed as we travel to less developed areas. You can obtain most drugs here without a prescription for a fraction of the cost you would pay in the US.

We plan to travel this week to Isla Coche and then to the Golfo de Cariaco. We are traveling with a couple of other boats. It is best to travel in groups in Venezuela. The security here is not as good as what we are used to, so we take extra care to travel safely. We have quite a few miles to cover so we won't be staying very long in any one place.

Take care,

Donna

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Photos

Family reunion in Georgia
From left is my mom, my son, my sister, and then me with my new ultra short haircut.

La Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Valle
In Margarita