Before Caripe, I just want to share some pictures of my kids playing with Azabache's puppies, because honestly, what is cuter than kids and puppies? And I will probably have more after tomorrow when we do our weekly Friday visit to see how they've grown.
Marian's excited for puppies!
Petting puppies
This black and brown one is my favorite. He's also the fattest, which I think is part of what makes him the cutest.
Luis holding the white and black one. Note my hand below because I was constantly afraid that someone was going to drop a puppy.
Now, Caripe. This past weekend we left on Friday RIGHT after school to go to Caripe. When I say right after school, I mean the bell rang at 2:55 and we were in cabs at 3. It takes about three and a half hours to get to Caripe, a small city in the mountains. Each way a taxi costs 1,000 BsF (or about $50) Can anyone from home in NY imagine getting a private taxi for three and a half hours for $50, because I can't. On the way there we stopped at a gas station to get some snacks and use the bathrooms. Heather was really excited that there was soap in the bathroom (there usually isn't) and lathered up before turning on the faucet. Unfortunately, when she went to do that she realized the bathroom sinks had no running water. Oops. It was kind of rainy so she finished washing her hands with rainwater. The experiences of living in Venezuela... We got to Caripe when it was dark so we couldn't see much, but we did get some gorgeous sunset views on the way there.
Heather washing her soapy hands iin the rain.
Gorgeous sunset from the car.
When we got up the next morning we were able to see what the place we were staying at was like. The grounds it was on were gorgeous and the rooms were okay, though Erin, EMak and Heathers room didn't seem quite as okay as Dereek and I's. Everything was a little damp and dusty so my allergies killed me in the room, but other than that it was pretty nice. I enjoyed being able to sleep somewhere that wasn't so hellishly hot as Anaco.
Pretty butterfly outside.
This frog scared me. I was taking a picture of the place we were staying when something falls out of a tree and almost hits me. I assumed it was a leaf or a branch, only to look over and realize it was actually this little frog.
This is the room that Dereek and I stayed in.
Friday night we didn't do much besides "go downtown" for dinner. Downtown is a total of two streets and people literally just joyride around. We sat at tables eating chocolate y churros and counting how many times we would see the same car go past. Clearly, small towns are not the place to rage here in Venezuela. The hot chocolate and churros were delicious though.
On Saturday morning we got an early start to go to the caves. The caves were pretty cool. It is a total of 10km, though we did not go even close to this far. The other part you need a special permit to go into. The cave is known for housing the guacharo birds. They're birds that see in the dark, live in the caves and make scary sounds. Humboldt was the one who discovered the caves and I give that man some props for walking into them despite the sound of those birds. We couldn't take pictures anywhere the birds were because it would hurt their eyes. After a small naturally made entry you get into a silent area though where there are no birds, and here they let you take some pictures. Overall, the caves were pretty cool. They were definitely big and it was interesting to go through them as a tour. The last time I was in a cave was probably at Bucknell caving with the outing club. The two are quite different, this time I came out realatively clean. =) The cave is also pretty cool since its the biggest cave that the public can enter in Venezuela. It is the third biggest in the country.
The entrance to the cave
Statue of Humboldt, the discoverer of the cave
Me, inside the cave. I was really hot in long sleeves. This is the first cave that I've been in where its warmer inside the cave then out.
There were some small areas to crawl through. They were more difficult for tall Dereek than the rest of us.
Being blinded by the light when exiting the cave.
After the caves our guide took us to where we would start our hike. We did a hike out to the Chorrerón waterfalls. The hike was more difficult than I was expecting. It started out pretty leisurely, but the farther we got the steeper the hills got and more people began to fall. Everyone was pretty dirty by the end. It didn't help that at one point it began raining too. We did get to the falls though and they were beautiful. It thankfully had stopped raining at this time so we got some warm sun for when we went swimming in the water. We hung out by the falls and ate lunch for a while and then needed to head back. The trek back was more difficult than going since it was uphill and we were all already pretty tired. Despite being tiring, it was definitely a pretty cool hike and nice to do something outdoorsy instead of feeling locked up and crowded in Anaco.
The car that was driving us around all day on Saturday.
Beginning of the hike.
The views throughout the hike were awesome.
Dereek and our guide.
Along our hike there were lots of gardens. Apparently they grow a lot of produce in this area. Our guide also told us that a couple of mountains over one of the farmers killed a jaguar. He went to jail. And I'm disappointed I didn't get to see a wild jaguar.
First sight of the waterfalls, but from quite far away.
Crossing over a stream while it was raining. Everywhere was pretty slippery.
Seeing the waterfalls from up close for the first time. Only thing left was to walk down the hill to them.
Chorrerón waterfalls.
They were really quite big. I was plesantly surprised.
While I was there I almost fell off a cliff. (just kidding)
Thankfully Heather was there to save me.
There were lots of these really pretty blue butterflies. They really liked the banana peels.
This one let me get really close for a good picture.
Dereek and I in front of the waterfalls.
This picture more or less defines our relationship.
Sunday was the day we were heading back home, but not before going to the guachero statue. In Caripe there is a statue of the guachero bird and if you don't take a picture in front of it and eat fresas con crema (strawberrys with a type of whipped cream) you haven't actually been to Caripe. So, Sunday morning we got some breakfast and took our pictures. We also went to what we were told was the best place for fresas con crema. (which are really quite good, especially when you're as deprived of berries as Anaco is.) We left about midday from Caripe and it took a little longer than usual to get back because there was some pretty heavy rain, and our taxis got a little mixed up at a roundabout. Overall, it was awesome and I really want to go back next year. To be able to get away for well under $200 for a weekend to somewhere that is cooler and with fresh air is totally worth it once in a while.
Myself in front of the statue.
A view of part of Caripe. I love the mountain backgrounds.
Can you tell that we're about to drive into a huge rainstorm?
Fire!
Just thought I'd add these pictures to show you how much excess gas there is here. All over the country near refineries and rigs are these giant, constantly running fires. The country simply chooses to burn excess gas because they've decided its too much work to refine it. They want the oil, so if when they're drilling they hit some gas, they simply burn it. Seems kind of wasteful when you come from a country where both those things are pretty expensive. It's almost like their burning dollars. Unfortunate when the country is in such economic problems that there isn't even toilet paper in the grocery stores anymore...
