Saturday, October 6, 2007

A Different Paradise



We have found a different kind of paradise! After the dense lush green rain forests of Trinidad and the Windward Islands, only pictures can truly describe what we are enjoying now. From the cockpit is a panoramic view of a desert landscape dominated by red and yellow cliffs, showered with gray & green cactus, bordered at the shore by mangroves. All this in an incredible lagoon that is a little more than 2 miles long. The lagoon is full of enough little nooks and crannies to easily harbour a couple of dozen boats AND you would never see your neighbour. Several years ago the lagoon protected over 150 boats who sought shelter here from a hurricane that threatened Grenada. Today (September 24th) there is only one other boat in the lagoon and she is out of sight from us.
Over night the water is so calm it is like a mirror. It’s wonderful to have good night sleeps after the poor rolly anchorages we experienced in Porlamar and Trinidad. In the morning we are woken by the sound of baby goats bleating as they search for their mothers on the craggy hillside & the swoosssh of wings of the Frigate Birds as they scoop up the fish that swim in the shade of Rhiannon’s Hull. In contrast the splash of the Pelican is loud enough to startle you. Pelican’s are graceful flyers and they glide silently forever above the surface of the water but when they land, it is the most hilarious crash landing imaginable. Occasionally the peace is broken by the sound of an outboard motor as the local fishermen slowly cruise by in their wooden pirogues. We always receive a big wave and Holá as they pass by. There is a small fishing village of about 5 families that live in one of the bays near the entrance to the lagoon. They live a very simple life and seem very happy. They often come by the boats looking for swim masks to help them dive for mangrove oysters. Next time we are in a city we will buy a supply of masks to give them. Maybe trade for some Spanish lessons? Hardly anyone speaks English so we are desperately trying to learn a few words everyday. Meanwhile sign language is usually the most effective means of communication.

I think we will stay here until our food and fresh water runs out. Until next time
Fair Winds
Miriam
10°35.1’ N
64°02.0’ W

Laguna Grande,
Golfo de Cariacou,
Venezuela

Isla de Margarita


September 3rd
Our permission to stay on Los Testigos for 4 days was over so we headed to Isla de Margarita. It was a calm day and we ended up motor sailing the 50 miles to the anchorage in Bahia de Guaraguao. It is a huge bay surrounded by the city of Porlamar & is home to over one hundred cruising boats. Some cruisers stay here for all of the hurricane season while others (like us) come to visit and restock our ship’s stores.

Porlamar is a duty free port and is a shopaholic’s dream come true. (I really HATE shopping). I have never seen so many big malls and shopping districts in my life. The hardest part about shopping other than the crowds of people is getting used to the local currency. We changed $500.00 and became instant Millionaires. One US dollar is worth 2150 Bolivares at the bank but some businesses will give you a much better exchange rate, as they need the US$ to purchase goods & services outside of their country. Needless to say, everything is very inexpensive compared to the rest of the countries we have visited in the Caribbean. It is a real treat to pay 1500 B’s (about 40 cents) for a beer in a bar or 850 B’s (22 cents) in the grocery store, or 12,000 B’s ($4) for a nice bottle of wine. Taxi’s average about 7000 B’s a ride (less than $2) so we didn’t experience the local bus system here. One day we hired a taxi for 35,000 B’s an hour (about $9) to take us to a half dozen little shops in the different areas of town. We would never have found these places on our own. Needless to say we thought we would save money and get back on budget once we arrived in Venezuela; however it is easy to spend a lot of money here too. On the other hand, we were able to fill our lockers with non perishable food and refreshments, and the fridge was overflowing with fresh produce when we left. Hopefully we will encounter some Gold Star Days soon. (A Gold Star Day is what cruisers refer to as a day you don’t spend any money).
Marina Juan and the Rum Bar each offer a “free” dinghy dock for you to “park” your dinghy while going ashore, however you are expected to Tip the dock boy about 2000 B’s for looking after your dinghy. Marina Juan is also the pick up point for a free bus service 3 times a week to one of the local shopping malls plus he has a Happy Hour every afternoon. It’s a great spot to meet other cruisers. At 1000 B’s for a beer, everyone wants to buy a round. We ran into some old friends and acquaintances and made some new friends as well.

It seems that we always stay longer at places like this than intended, usually due to boat maintenance or repairs. One of our propane tanks ran out and while changing to the other tank, Pat noticed that the fitting on one of the hoses was leaking. This turned into a full 2 days of searching for a replacement. We finally ended up having a shop make a new hose for us. While we were at it, we decided to install a fitting for the Bar-B-Q so that we could run it off our main tanks instead of using those little green disposable propane bottles. This was truly a nice upgrade, one that we had been talking about doing for a long time.

Not all areas we visit are paradise. Porlamar demonstrates the contrast between the rich and the poor of this country. The economy of Venezuela is in question as the gap between the rich and poor widens. Venezuelans from the mainland come here to shop and to holiday while the Barios (shantytowns) get hidden behind concrete walls.






The army comes in and builds and paints walls with doors & windows in them to surround & hide the rubble and shacks that people live in. At first they look like neat little neighbourhoods until you peer through the open doors. It is hard to imagine that people live in such hovels. It’s also hard to get a really good handle on the local politics when you don’t speak the language. One thing is clear, that the people either really love or really hate Presidente Chavez.


Sunday September 16th. It’s time to move on & in the company of Cheers, we head to the Golfo de Cariacou. We first met Bob & Zan on Cheers in New York City September 2005. We were new to the cruising life while, at that time, they had been out for 2 years. It truly is an incredible cruising community. As much as we miss family & friends from our land home, we form new friendships as we go, only to say goodbye & then meet up again in some other foreign port. One of the reasons to go to the Golfo was to catch up with Bev & Ross on Raft, a couple from the Barrie area in Ontario whom we first met in Georgetown in the Bahamas, January 2006. Since then we have crossed wakes many times.
Till next time,
Fair Winds
Miriam
10°57.1 N
63°50.0’W