Mérida

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I spent my last week of my stay in Venezuela in Mérida, a city more in the west of the counrty. Mérida is 1600 meters above sealevel and surounded by mountains. It's a student city due to a lot of different universitys. I went there with Betty (an other swiss girl who attended all the trips with me) by bus, which took us 20hours and coast less than 50.-! We stayed there in a hostel from the same organisation as in playa colorado. It was a lovely place as well, finally with hot water and wifi again. It was kind of strange in the beginning, but incredible how fast you get used to it again.
Mérida is a safer place than Purto la Cruz ore Playa Colorado, which means that we were able again to walk trough the city on our own. As well in the night. We enjoyed that soooo much that we were wandring around trough the whole city.

Once we went to some hot springs in the mountains, called Tabay. We expected it actually more natural, but there we're just about three small pools in which all the people were squashed into. As we wanted to go to the water everyone turned around and was staring at us till we left again, what didn't make the place cosier for us.

An other day we did canyoning! It was adventerous and thrilling! It was just the two of us with the guide, prancing in the river. We had to climb down the steep parts with a robe and carabiner, with was sometimes quiet hard because of the force of the water falling down all around you. You just had to go quick then and could't take breaks for that part. It was awesome! All around us were thousand colorful butterflies as big as one ore even two hands together. Nature is wonderful. Once we had to jump down from a rock about three meters high in a small pool between two other rocks. You had to jump in exactly this place, which was probably not even one of one meter, otherwise you hit the stones. That was quiet frightening. I really thought our guide was joking about that, until he finally jumped and we had no other choice than doing the same. The next big part was an absailing in a waterfall, wich was more than 30meters vertical down. I loved the feeling of just hanging in the robe on this very steep and wet rock. As i reached the ground I wanted to turn around and do it again, get again this adrenalin feeling. The only bad thing was that it was quiet cold during the whole canyoning. We had this neopren suit, but our feets were freezing. For that reason we really enjoyed lying in the sun for a bit, as we came back.

An other great day was when I finally did my tattoo, of which i was thinking for a looong time. Betty and I went to this place which everyone recommended me. And together wich differnt guys who work there, we were optimizing and clearifying my imagination and idea. I was so happy after my tattoo was done, that we run out of the studio, with happy tears in my eyes. Betty and I went to the next liquoreria, bought some beers, went back to the tatoo studio and surprised the guys with it. They didn't really know what to say, but where probably happy to see me so happy.. :P Here what the sujet means to me: the twig stands for my roots, with which i mean my family and origin. The leaves which are in shape of feathers stand for me and my two sisters. Feathers because they're light and hover blithe over the ground in the air. The flower, the rose, stands for the live which is opening and opening more till it reaches the most beautiful and coloured time! It has also dorns which represent hard times but they finally help to fullfill the beauty of the flower. And finally the dragonfly stands for the freedom and feeling you can reach everything if you want, flying emotions! All in all it's also about my connection to the nature and my fascination about it's force. And finally it reminds me also of my experiences in venezuela. Te trips there brought me closer to nature cause i've never felt so happy and full of emotions before- probably like in paradise. I was always fascinated by dragonflies but the dragonflies were so big and full of colours there, like i've never seen one in switzerland. I finally chose it also cause one day in orinoco delta there was a dragonfly sitting on my finger and makeing me feel special for that.. and all the feeligs who came up in orinoco delta changed something little in me in general!

An other day in Merida we hiked up a small mountain from where you have an awesome view over the city. It took us only about half an hour to reach the top. It's cool when you realise that your condition got much better after all this trips with travelling classroom. As we hiked down I saw a lot of small small houses, which looked like the "schrebergärten" in Switzerland. So I asked a guy who came with us, what it was. Luckily I was too slow in talking spanish, that he answered before I could ask him if this would be "schrebergärten." Because this little houses were built by Chavez, to give the homeless people a place to live. I was a bit shocked and sad as we were walking trough them, under what circumstances people have to live. But on the other hand they have at least a roof over their head. We also went to the zoo this day. There I was even more shocked! They host animals like tigers, gepards, lions, bears, ... in cages in the size of a bed in switzerland, with a cement ground and that's it. The animals were only lying there- well what else should they do. I was wondering if they don't have animal rights, ore if they just don't care... It made me sad, not having the power to do anything about it. At least we could change the world a bit, for one person actually, as we brought our leftovers from dinner to a man sleeping in the street. We didn't eat it anyway and for him it was probably a big big day...

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