Monday 19 May 2008

Slight detour


Venezuela was definitely not on my travel plans, so it's a bit of a surprise to find myself in the university city of Merida. It certainly comes as a pleasant change after by brief but too long stay in Maracaibo. Seldom have I taken such an instant dislike to a city (and i guess, by association, a country) as I did when reaching there from Colombia. I dunno if it was the endless litter trail on the way there, the rip off antics of the taxi drivers, or the rudeness of the food servers at the bus station, who looked like they would much rather sever your throat than serve you the sandwich you wanted, but I was very pleased to get out of there ASAP. Merida, thankfully, is a lot different. Nice people, cool weather, good nightlife and the longest and highest cable car in the world.


Before crossing over the border, I spent a few days more on the Colombian coast. First up was Tayrona, a pretty national park where you can sleep in hammocks ( again :( ) and enjoy the beaches in relative solitude. Apart from the mossies. It was a bit overpriced and the over-zealous inspection by the corrupt Army dude on the entrance took the shine off a bit, but it was still well worth seing.


I also went to the fishing village of Taganga, know for its good and (relatively) cheap diving. The diving wasn't half bad - loads of sea horses, lobsters and morays. But the highlight was the gigantic schools of sardines being hearded into bunches by attacking tuna. Amazing.
I almost loved Taganga, but its been ¨discovered¨ by a spring break and pseudo hippie combination that tries your patience after a while. Shame really, cause it has a lovely village feel in parts, and the locals are typically welcoming. A fact thats highlighted after spending a few hours in Maracaibo. Did I mention I didn't like it there?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

looked up maracaibo on wiki'ia....hugh skyline of skyscrapers...3.2million inhabitants...nothing of note
eabha here and
says hi

seanmullins said...

They should add the word menacing to the name...

i see the u.s. are flying planes here where they shouldnt be, that will really make the locals like us tourists Even more

PMcB said...

Hey Mullins, so your still knocking about South America. Fancy some snowboarding here in Santiago for a week or two (mucho cheapo!)? Sarah's doing a language course for the next week, and then we hit the slopes (season is just starting). How's about it?

Triple D said...

Mr Sean, I have loaded the fridge with beer and looked out the pr0n for you imminent arrival in Glasgow. Till then, take it easy matey!

Oh yeah - Big Prashant arrives in Glasgow on Monday. Sooooooooooo tastyyyyyyyy!!