News Article Adventures

Here´s an article Claire and I wrote for the Aldeas de Paz newsletter about our two week trip through Venezuela:

Over 94 hours on buses, the richest cacao in the world, the second oldest bell on earth, cowboys, The Andes, bustling cities and endless grasslands—these are a few of our favourite (Venezuelan) things!  The first stop on our two week journey was Mérida, nestled at the base of Venezuela´s highest point; Pico Bolivar. As Claire was soaring over The Andes, Brianna and Ellie were searching for the world record holding ice-cream store. The locals were sure to warn us of the black bean and sardine flavours among the 900—perhaps hearing about them was good enough. The heladeria was closed both times they came to browse the strange flavours.

Roque was our nature-loving guide on the four day trip to Los Llanos.  We saw everything but a live anaconda—That´s right, we saw some dead ones!  Anaconda road kill—Ellie almost made them stop the car to take a picture.   In the Llanos we saw prehistoric turtles and birds, a huge anteater (that almost ate the guy from France), caimans, buffalo, macaws, a monkey family, river dolphins, a pack of wild horses, and capybara.  Claire, Ellie, and I also danced in the moonlight with our travel companions, fished for piranhas, made music with cowboys, and saw a sunset while on horseback/mule back. 

After Los Llanos, we made our way north to Coro, the land of sand dunes and preserved colonial architecture.  We went with a guide out to the dunes just before sunset and learned to sand board!  By the end of the night, each of us had made it down a dune without wiping out. 

The next day, with sore bums and sandy underpants, we set off to Chichirivichi for a different flavour of Venezuela´s natural beauty.  We found a quiet posada to spend the night after walking around in the blistering sun for hours trying to find the best price and location.  The elderly Spanish man who ran the posada tested our Spanish by asking us to repeat everything loud enough for him to hear it.  Walking around town on our first night, Claire wondered why everyone wanted to sell her a hat.  ¨¿Sombrero?  ¿Quieres Sombrero?¨  She did not need a hat, but the beach Sombrero was beautiful!  Each day we took a boat ride to a different island.  We relaxed in the shade of palm trees, ate delicious fresh seafood delivered by boat, dodged falling coconuts, and went snorkeling. 

Our last stop was Choroní, on our way to Chuao home of the world´s best cocoa.  A rough ride across the ocean took us to the port of Chuao and we walked for over an hour through the cacao plantation into the town centre.  Red, yellow, and green cacao pods clung to the short trees lining the road into town and in the church courtyard the bare cacao lay roasting in the sun in huge circular piles.  Across the street, in a small shop, we purchased fresh %100 cacao bars for cooking, and chocolate frappes—Yum! 

Ellie made it safely through Caracas and back home to Australia.  Claire and Brianna eventually arrived back at the foundation with a renewed enthusiasm for their volunteer work, and a greater appreciation for Venezuela´s natural beauty and kind people.

Another article for the newsletter written by my friend, Mark Hutchins, about a daytrip we took recently:

Last weekend a group of us intrepid volunteers decided to take a daytrip to El Pauji, a small community of artists living on the edge of the rainforest. It was a bit of a last minute idea, but we managed to secure a car a guide for a pretty reasonable price, Manuel picks us up at 7am and after a quick stop to load up on food and water for the day we head out of town.

Soon after leaving Santa Elena the road turns into a dirt track, it’s an interesting drive through the rainforest, sharing the road with trucks and other 4x4s ferrying supplies and workers between the many indigenous communities that exist out here. It´s also a pretty bumpy ride, and since we had been out at a discoteca until 3am the previous night, a few of us were looking a bit poorly towards the end of the 2 hour drive to our first stop.

Fortunately, a refreshing shower under a waterfall was exactly what we needed, and what our first stop consists of. Salto Catedral is a secluded rock pool surrounded and shaded by the forest where an impressive waterfall around 20m high flows down a cliff face. The water in the pool is waist deep and we spend a few minutes splashing around and feeling the power of the waterfall, before sitting on the rocks to eat a couple of the pastry´s we bought back in Santa Elena.

Next we pile back into the 4x4 and head on down the dirt road to El Abismo, El Pauji´s main attraction. It’s a steep climb in the burning hot sun, Manuel looks like he´s just out for a stroll in the countryside but the rest of us are sweating and breathless before we even reach the halfway point. The view from the top is more than worth it though; lush green, unspoiled rainforest as far as the eye can see. It´s a pretty clear day and from the top of El Abismo it feels like you can see for hundreds of miles without even a hint of anything manmade. We spend a peaceful few minutes staring out at this breathtaking landscape before making our way down to the car and moving on to the next stop.

Now it´s time to visit one of the locals, we pull up at a small house surrounded by a beautiful tropical garden and walk round the back to find a group of people relaxing around a bbq. This is the home of Señor Paulista, apparently a well-known figure in these parts. He jumps and greets us with incredible enthusiasm for someone who must be in his 70s and leads us inside, where he has a small shop set up selling his natural products. The whole time we´re at Paulistas he´s jumping around like a kid, showing us the incense stick machine he ´invented´ from old car parts and telling us a bit about his laid back lifestyle at El Pauji, where he makes incense, soap and other natural products and plays host to a constant flow of artists and travellers from all over the world. It´s really a pleasure to meet someone so enthusiastic and joyful about life; and none of us really mind the sales pitch.

Our last stop of the day is another swimming hole, known to the locals as ´Esmerelda´. Here the water´s deep enough to jump off a rock about 10m above, we have a pretty good laugh with a group of Venezuelans who´ve brought a bottle of rum down there and most of us pluck up the courage to make the jump. The sun is starting to set as we pile back into the car and head down the dusty trail back to Santa Elena, everyone agreeing it was a great day and well worth the journey.

Water Source

All the water we use at the Foundation comes from the river.  It comes out of faucets, hoses, showers, and into toilets like normal water so I don´t often think about the river.

Today five other volunteers and I followed three black hoses into the jungle!

We were in search of a good spot to swim in the river.  Watching the ground for snakes, each of us made sure not to step on the precious lines that were leading our way to the river and providing our drinking, bathing, and etc. water.  Being completely surrounded by jungle, it was one of those moments where I really felt at the mercy of nature.

In houses and cities nature´s kept out--less bugs, less dirt, less drop-offs.  I don´t always have to deal with the sharp, scary, and gross parts of the earth, but along with these less appealing attributes comes some rare wild beauty too!  We hiked for about 20 minutes to get to the river, mostly over leaves and relatively flat ground, and one time using a fallen tree as our bridge across a small stream.

Once we arrived at the river, we had to follow it upstream to get to the swimming hole.  At first we walked through the sandy bottom, but we soon had to change our tactics as the river became filled with large boulders.  This boulder hopping and rock climbing was physically and mentally exhausting.  I started using my hands to aid my balance and bare feet, grabbing onto the mossy rocks with my toes and fingers.  This made me feel like an animal!

I am too tired to write more.  Thank you for reading!

Brianna

Cocoa in Chuao

Last night Claire, Ellie, and I arrived in Puerto Colombia.  This is a small town West of Caracas on the coast.  This morning we woke up a little before 5am to watch the sun rise.  Under the slowly brightening dark blue sky we walked a short distance up to a small mountain next to the ocean.  From this point we saw the sun rise from behind the mountains, giving light to Puerto Colombia and the ocean.

After breakfast we took a boat to the beach to the East, Chuao.  From there we walked 4K through cocoa plantations to reach the town center of Chuao.  Chuao is supposed to harvest the best cocoa in the world!  We saw the cocoa tree nursery, full grown trees shaded by the branches of taller guava, plantain, coconut, jack, and other fruit trees.  In the center of the town is an old church with a large cement yard in front of it.  This is where the cocoa is prepared.  Stains of old cocoa painted the ground underneath huge circles of fresh cocoa beans drying in the sun.  Across the street from the churchyard we purchased bars of pure cocoa and chocolate frappes with cocoa chunks in them.  It was delicious and so filling that this dessert functioned as my lunch today.

This afternoon we will swim at the beautiful beach, Playa Grande, in Puerto Colombia.  Tomorrow I will travel back to a larger city, Maracay, to catch a 24 hour bus to Santa Elena.

Every time I prepare to travel to a different city here I get nervous that people will not be very nice or that we will have trouble finding a place to stay, and every time I arrive in a new city these fears are abolished.  Most of the strangers I have interacted with in Venezuela have been very friendly and helpful-always willing to give directions, provide a ride into town, recommend a good place to sleep or eat, or just want to chat with us.  I am either lucky or Venezuela is a really welcoming place-maybe both!

These two weeks of traveling have gone by fast for me!  I hope to write more about my adventures when I am back in Santa Elena.  Thanks for reading!

Brianna

Update

The past few weeks have been full!  Since my last post I have planned and taught seven English classes in a nearby school called Michelena and also during youth program time at Aldeas de Paz.  Both of my feet have been way off the ground three times: Once while practicing to paraglide solo (don't worry, I made them tie a rope to me) and the second and third times in a 4-person plane flying to and from Angel Falls.  I have seen the tallest waterfall in the world, made arepas (a classic Venezuelan corn bread pocket stuffed with yummy foods of your choice) from scratch after only hearing the instructions in Spanish, and I also got to fly the earlier mentioned 4-person plane!

I feel congested with good experiences.  The kindness that continues to come my way and so many once-in-a-lifetime experiences have made me busy giving thanks and trying to make sense out of this whole experience.  My line of sight has been forced wide to include so much variety in culture that I cannot find organization in myself or my surroundings.  I feel confused, more curious than ever, and most of the time, strong.  What a gift to feel brave and rattled all at once!  

Last night two other volunteers (Claire and Ellie) and I took the bus from Santa Elena to Ciudad Bolivar, beginning our two week journey through Venezuela.  The usually freezing cold bus had no air conditioning so I was sweating in my wool socks and long pants.  Ciudad Bolivar is more dangerous than Santa Elena.  We've been advised not to go out with too much cash.  This morning, while waiting in line to buy a bus ticket to Barinas (the hometown of Chavez), a woman pointed to my side.  I didn't understand why at first, but I had a bit of cash sticking out of my front pocket and she was motioning for me to tuck it in.  Dangerous places are not void of kind people.

Here's some info about the two week adventure:

From Barinas we'll take another bus to Mérida where we'll spend about a day and a half.  Mérida is a University town and we've heard that it's a happening place.  From Mérida we will begin a four day wildlife safari through Los llanos.  We're hoping to see anacondas, anteaters, pink river dolphins, many birds, and go piranha fishing for dinner one night.  I don't eat fish, but I have to admit I'm pretty excited about the whole process of fishing for piranhas and then watching my friends eat them.  After this tour we're planning to head north towards the Coro sand dunes, some national parks, and a few other small towns on the coast.  November is the peak bird watching month on the coast.  I haven't ever been too interested in bird watching, but the birds I've seen here are beautiful and so I'm really looking forward to it!

After these adventures Claire and I will leave Ellie at her flight in Caracas and then head back to Aldeas de Paz in Santa Elena.

Brianna

The Best Part Yet!

Tuesday was a day of mixed emotions.  During a trip to the hospital to play with the children, we learned about a car accident which killed five people and a fight that resulted in a murder.  Many more people had been injured from these events on Monday night and the hospital was literally overflowing with patients! In the middle of this chaotic and sad time I found special connection and some real brightness with one young person, Manuel.  

Manuel was the only child in the hospital who was awake and well enough to have visitors on Tuesday so we spent about an hour with him.  At first he was curled up next to his mother, very shy looking.  I brought out a book with colorful pictures of animals form the sea and started reading it with him.  Manuel loved the surprise of seeing what animal would be featured on the next page.  I acted very scared of the shark page and accidentally dropped the book!  This act sparked Manuel´s laughter which was so joyous that it managed to knock out his iv and disrupt a few other hospital patients! 

This time with Manuel was very special for me.  In the moments we spent together, we created so much laughter and joy!  This experience has brought some new meaning to my time here, and to my life.  I hope to return to the hospital many more times during my stay in Venezuela.  

 Dana, Manuel, and me

Manuel playing with his new mask!

Brianna

P.S.  Think of me in the sky on Saturday--I´ll be paragliding!  

Two Waterfalls in One Week!

Today six other volunteers and I followed a 9 year old over a mountain, into a cave, and finally into a natural pool fed by a waterfall.  Nilaya, Manfred´s daughter, was an excellent guide for this morning adventure to Tiger Cave and the nearby waterfall.  The sun is hot close to the equator so we were all relieved to reach the swimming hole.  Nilaya went straight to the high-hanging rope swing over the small natural pool, but could not reach it.  Since I have long arms I was nominated to reach for this stick tied to a rope.  I got the swing for Nilaya, but decided then that I was definitely not going to use it to enter the water!

9 year olds want everyone to participate, so I was forced to consider the jump into the river.  I thought about the possible dangers, decided that I´d probably be just fine, and then changed my mind completely!  I stepped up to the tree branch launch pad, took quite a few deep breaths, and went for it!  Just as I swung off the branch, my volunteer friend Claire said, ¨Face you fear!¨  I ¨whooped¨ and ¨woo hooed¨ for a bit after the jump because I had done just that--faced a fear!  I´ve been facing a lot of fears here in Venezuela.  I had a lot of fear about coming here.  Sometimes while I´m just looking out at the mountains, riding in the car, or about to fall asleep I think to myself, ¨I am here in Venezuela!  I made this decision.  I didn´t have to go on this wild adventure, but I did!¨

I have had some wonderful experiences with people here that really help to puncture this big balloon of fear about Venezuela and Venezuelean people.  The other day I went into town with three other volunteers and Nilaya.  We decided to inquire about a store we had heard about that sells vegetarian empanadas and fresh natural juices.  I asked the man that we often exchange money with and he walked away to go check with someone else.  He came back with a woman and told us that it´s complicated to get to this store and she would show us the way.  We followed the woman outside, got into her car (¡¡¡ I would never do this alone or if I had a funny feeling about it, so don´t worry!!!), and she drove us to this store.  How kind!  We thanked her and sat down to split four different delicious veggie empanadas.  Side note:  The empanadas that I´ve encountered here are usually filled with meat, sometimes cheese, but never vegetables, so these ones were a rare treat!  

On Wednesday, I was able to visit one of the natural treasures of the Grand Sabana.  I traveled with Dana and Claire, two other volunteers, to Jaspe, a magnificent red waterfall and river!  The whole river bottom and falls at Jaspe are made out of this precious stone, I think in English it´s called jasper.  Striking red, orange, and golden yellow rock marked with black tiger stripes.  It was a really beautiful sight.  The water was cold and too shallow to swim in, so I stuck my head under the falls and then just sat in the river for an hour.  Dana and I talked about our lives and sat in silence, thinking, while Claire climbed to the top of the falls to explore.  It was a very special adventure and became even more special when the taxi driver pulled over on the way back into town...

The taxi driver stopped on the side of the road and pulled out a handmade bracelet that he had just purchased at the gift shop.  He presented it to Claire with a casual marriage proposal!  He said he was in love with her and that if she married him, she could stay in Venezuela longer.  Thankfully he wasn´t too persistent and gave up on this idea by the end of the car ride!

Tonight, Sunday, is pizza night!  I´ve got to go make the dough!  Thanks again for reading.

Brianna

Beware: Random writings about this past week

We were rained in at the foundation on Friday!  It poured all of Thursday night.  There were no leaks in my room except for the one right over my head!  The rain soaked the recently repaired roads leading to Aldeas de Paz.  It was like a Wisconsin winter out there.  I got up early to go shopping with Manfred and while going up a hill the car just slid into the ditch.  The new road was not compact enough yet, so the rain made it muddy and slippery like ice.  We left the car in the ditch and walked back to the foundation.  Geder and Manfred chopped down two trees and borke something electrical in the car while trying to get it out so the rest of the day was spent at a car electrician in town.

On Thursday I went for a run with another volunteer, Claire.  It is a bit scary to run here because there are many off-leash dogs that bark and sometimes chase after us a half a block or so.  Don´t worry, I know the trick to scare them off...  I´ve been told if you pick up a rock they will leave you alone.  Haven´t had to do that yet.  Anyways, Claire is training for a marathon and so I turned back to the foundation before her.  This was the first time so far that I´ve been in Santa Elena alone.  It almost felt like the fist time I´ve been alone in Venezuela too.  I´ve made so many friends and travel companions along the way that I haven´t had to navigate by myself.  So I got a little disoriented on the run and for a few blocks I thought I was lost.  I was only scared for half a second.  There´s no logical explanation for my lack of fear, but it´s like some part of me knew that I´d find my way just fine.  And I did!

I am happy to report that there are no sick children in Santa Elena!  Earlier in the week, Claire, Dana, and I went to the children´s wing of the hospital with an art project and games for the children.  It was empty!  The nurses were just sitting around chatting and eating.  What a great reason to cancel a program!

We have visited a few schools this past week.  We got thrown into this preschool classroom without any plans, just a bag full of books and art supplies.  It was a wonderful experience!  We tried to teach them duck duck goose, but we didn´t explain it well and the preschoolers made up their own version.  They had a blast, chasing  each other around the circle, sometimes a few kids at a time, with the others cheering, ¨¡Corre!  ¡Corre!  ¡Corre!  ¡Rapido!¨  Of the volunteers that were at the preschool I think I was the most comfortable improvising time with young people, but my Spanish is laughable.  Seriously, people laugh.  I took it upon myself to explain an art activity involving the option of gluing those little colored puff balls onto paper.  ¨¿Quieres una puff puff?¨  I made the puff puff name up on the spot and for the rest of our time at the preschool there was an aleatoric choir chanting, ¨¡Quiero una puff puff!¨  This chanting was accompanied by arm pokes, head pats, and shirt tugs as I sat with one of three glue sticks.  I just smiled and added a second part to the chant with, ¨Un momento, por favor.¨  This experience could have been stressful, and I think it was for some of the volunteers, but for me it was perfect.  Full of joy, connection, and spontaneity.

Spanish lessons here are good.  The teacher, Karla, is a public school teacher and so teaches very traditionally and can be a little strict with us.  The class is a nice place to learn and review basic verbs and grammar.  Karla needs to work on her positive reinforcement though...  ¨Claire, where is your head?¨  ¨Brianna, that was not very good.  You need to practice.¨  It´s not perfect, but I am very thankful for the class.

The presidential election here will take place in about a week.  Schools are closing for this week and next because of it.  Everyone here has a different opinion about how the election will turn out.  Some people are sure Chávez will win and others are sure of Rodinski.  This weekend, everyone started displaying their candidate´s flag for the election.  On Friday there were no flags and then on Sunday, everyone had a flag.  Here at the foundation, we are stocking up on gasoline and food just in case things get wild in town or there is a shortage after the election.

That reminds me... Gasoline!  As the fifth largest oil exporter in the world, I thought fuel would be easy to come by in Venezuela.  People have to line up in their cars outside of the gas station parking lots.  These lines can take up to 24 hours to get through!  Even then, unless you´re willing to pay the attendant extra, they wont let you fill up a whole tank!  I´ve only been in a short ¨petrol cue.¨  Vendors walk through the line selling sunglasses and iced tea.  The long wait is worth it though.  Manfred paid a little extra to fill up the whole tank and the price of the just the gas (minus the bribe) was just 4 USD!!!

Today a new volunteer comes and we might take a trip to the river!  Thanks for reading!

Brianna