Venezuela #2

Pictures of our host family, the house and the mountains of Merida






7/24/05
Hello loved ones,
Here{s the update on my adventures here in Venezuela. We spent a few days in Cumana, in complete luxury. We hung out in a nice apartment with air conditioning where we had free access to the fridge, cable TV, and DSL internet. Monica and Willy, the host family that we were staying with were very nice and very friendly. Especially Monica, she giggled after almost everything she said and always had second helpings of dessert. Very nice people. One day they took us to a fancy hotel which they belong to like a club and we hung out at the beach and by the pool. The carribean is so nice! Warm turquoise water, white sand...a little bit of paradise. Yesterday we went to Mochima national park which is along the coast. You get a boat to take you to your own secluded beach, hang out there for a few hours, and the boat comes back and picks you up. Unfortunately we chose a beach with almost no shade, so at times we were all huddled next to the cliff that was next to the beach in the 2 feet of shade that was cast by the rocks. But, that didn{t make it any less beautiful. We did a little snorkeling too and saw some nice corals and fish. Night time for us consisted of baking things such as pineapple upside down cake or bananna bread and watching movies in english with spanish subtitles.
Now Simone and I have arrived in Merida. It is absolutely gorgeous here. We stepped off the plane this morning and the view around me took my breath away. Huge steep mountains all around us. The air is much fresher here, it just feels cleaner because it is cooler and less humid. We had to get up at 4 45 this morning to catch our flight here. But, that{s better than having to ride a bus for 20 hours so I{m not complaining. Senora Gladys was there to pick us up from the airport. Sheñs probably in her forties, but just like all the women here she was dressed to the nines in tight pink pants through which you can see the outline of her thong. No one leaves the house here without getting all dressed up. The women buy there clothes a size too small and nothing is left to the imagination. Today simone and I went into a church and I put on my sweater to cover my shoulders and be more polite before I went in. But, turns out I needn{t have worried because almost immediately we came across three 20something women with skin for miles and boobs popping out everywhere.
Walking around Merida, I really like it here. It{s really beatiful, slightly reminiscent of Antigua. There{s quite a few tourists, but I can see why, it{s really gorgeous. I{m hoping to do some trekking in the mountains.
I love you all,
Liz