The group is sick.  It doesn’t help that sleep has been limited and proximities immediate, but the group is definitely sick and getting worse.  The rain (first of the trip) and cold doesn’t help much, however, we suck it up and head off to hike up Masada.  I’ve been here before but recall it to be a much tougher trek.

The climb is not too simple though as the dirt has turned into wet clay with the rain and I volunteer to carry my friend Marina, nicknamed Monkey, as far as I (the camel) can go.  I make it about half way up as she is about Jorge’s size!

The view is limited by the overcast sky but the thought that they built and lived there 2,000 years ago is still mind numbing, if the wind isn’t.  Supposedly they stored enough food to house a community of 1,000 for up to 2 years… truly amazing the things people used to do with such limited technology!

Back down on the bottom we motor on to a spa for some rejuvenation at the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea.  I hit up the sulfur baths before reading the sign that no silver is supposed to go into the tubs.

Needless to say, my necklace and ring discolor like clockwork and I get pissed as I read the sign on my way out.  I should have noticed the smell of sulfur had it not been for a constantly runny nose!  The sun clears up just in time for a run down to the water (which is receding every year and continues to pick up pace) and we all enjoy a good float in the sea as well as a little eye stinging.

I’m reminded as to how much I love swimming but not before Julia inspects my ring’s new color only to drop it in the water, lost forever… or until someone else finds it!

Last stop of the day is a kibbutz where we will be staying the night, our last of the trip.  We have some quality team time in between discussions about how we can return to Israel on different programs.  Yael teaches us a new game called Pinnochio, which is entirely way to fun for such a simple game.

Essentially everyone takes turns jumping and the point is to jump on someone else’s foot.  The catch: everyone can jump as long as they only jump while the person who’s turn it is moves!  Our group has been entirely burned out and everyone goes to sleep early instead of staying up for one last night together.

Waking up there was amazing. it was hot and we quickly dressed in shorts and a singlet and went off to the resturaunt for breakfast. There was a buffet breaky and the resturaunt was situated right on the beach, next to the restuaraunt’s pool, so much so as that you could jump over the edge and land in the ocean. We ate and did a minor exploration of Samui, and then headed by taxi to Big Buddha Pier where we could get the boat to Koh Phangan. It cost about 200baht, about $6, and took about fourty five minutes.

We were headed to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party, and had heard that it can get pretty packed out, so we pre booked at the “Drop In Club”, and fantastic group of Thai style buildings formed around an excellent free form pool, fringed with frangapanis. When we arrived it was even more than what we expected, and we stayed for five days, even though it was quite expensive. Koh Phangan turned out to be our favourite place in Thailand, we loved its laid back atmosphere and the fact that while seven to ten thousand people pack onto it once a month for the party, you can be sure a few days after that it will be completely deserted. it is also quite cheap in relation to Phi Phi and a few other islands. Thereis so much to expore and my peice of advise is to hire a scooter to do this. From the moment we hired one, we never went without one on Koh Phangan.

The snorkeling trip we did during the day was pretty cool, but I had never even heard of going out at night before.  So we booked the trip with the same company and headed out well after dark to see what kind of things wander the reef at night.  We each had wetsuits and powerful flashlights to allow exploration, and our guide was a cool English guy who new a lot about marine life and made sure we didn’t miss anything.

Jaws ruined my life when I was a kid and open water has always made me nervous.  Take away the bright lights and colorful creatures, and it’s absolutely ominous in the sea.  But instead of being consumed by panic, I was immediately at ease and in awe.

We saw tons of urchins, strange fish with giant eyes, an eel, and a baby octopus smaller than my hand.  Watching it propel itself through the water and toward my mask was easily one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.  I’m definitely not saying that I’ve done so much that I’m not longer impressed by each new place and experience, but there are very few moments that immediately impress upon you that they are rare and exciting and unforgettable.  Our guide said he had been diving almost daily for a decade and he’d never seen a baby octopus.  We were all enthralled.

We also saw the largest lobsters I’ve ever seen, and a myriad of oddities.  We ended the dive with something we had been excited about the entire time, and which I had been experimenting with throughout the night: we turned off our flashlights and glided our limbs through the black sea to activate the phosphorescent algae in the water.  It lit up in an electric blue and looked like a thousand tiny specks of tinsel flashing into being from the nothingness.  I just kept doing loops and flailing around in the spectacle, giddy like a kid on Christmas or a drunk monkey at happy hour.  I didn’t exit the water until everyone was already in the boat and threatened to leave me behind.

Here’s a portion of a piece I’m working on for Koh Phi Phi:

I floated in the inky blackness, swimming in an abyss seemingly infinite in depth and possibilities.  I rolled onto my back and unknown constellations swiveled into view, crisp and luminous even through the water and sky that separated us.  There were no city lights to steal the heavens, and a blanket of stars spread out before me.  I spun, once again plunging my masked face into the darkness. I clicked on the large underwater flashlight which hung weightless in my hand and a spotlight pierced the void, calling into existence towers of coral and swarms of sea life.

The traffic that bustled below us was vastly different from that of a daylight dive. Razor-teethed barracuda lurked in the shadows, opportunistically using our lights to catch glimpses of potential prey.  Lobsters the size of Big Wheels trucks cruised along the edge of the limestone cliffs protruding from the island. Spiny sea urchins littered the sea floor, a minefield ensuring that divers keep to the surface and don’t linger too long in a world that is clearly not their own. I glanced ahead and found some new creature dancing animatedly in my path.  It floated toward me in the tunnel of light, and as it approached I was startled by recognition.  Even when only a few inches across, an octopus is an unnerving sight in the open water.  It was just a foot from my mask and its hue shifted slightly from pink to red as it investigated this strange intruder.  Each time I moved away, it would quickly jettison itself with amazing fluidity and close the gap.  For several minutes we danced like this, and I was embarrassed by the fear that gripped me as its tiny tentacles came too close to latching onto my mask.

Situated a few miles off the north west coast of Lombok, the three Gili Islands - Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air - were discovered by backpackers in the 80s and until recently remained a haven for budget travellers in search of paradise. The islands are surrounded by glorious soft sandy beaches, colourful coral reefs and crystal clear turquoise waters, ideal for diving. There are almost no roads or motor vehicles but small ferries transport guests between islands, none more than twenty minutes apart. Most of the accommodation is on Gili Trawangan, generally small bamboo bungalows a few metres from the beach - like Thailand’s islands twenty years ago. Mainstream tourism is beginning to establish itself here and a few exclusive hotels have opened up, most recently on the smallest, least developed island, Gili Meno.

Still in Chiang Mai at the moment and for the last four days we’ve been celebrating the Thai new year, its not just amy normal new year party tho, the thai’s have turned it in to a huge water festival. i think it original starts with people sprinking water onto the feet of monks but then just goes totally mental and people take to the streets with buckets and

water pistols. Its the 4th and i think final day today and im kind of relieved cos i’ve spent the last 4 days soaking wet and feeling a bit ill, i’ve noticed that most people just get their water from the river that runs through the centre of town and the water looks totally minging, i think i may have ingested a fair bit of it (mixed with plenty of beer as well tho). We’ve had a few good nights out here and have met some cool people, i was thinking about leaving today and heading to Burma with some people we met but have decided against it. We have had a slight change of plan tho and rather than going to Cambodia we’re going to Laos next instead, i think we should be there in a few days.

On our 1st day here, before the water festival started we went on this like action day thing that included mountain biking, elephant ridaing and white water rafting. The mountain biking was pretty hard going with the heat and the poor quality bikes, Me and Tiley got a bit competetive as usual and tried racing for a bit, Banj had the best idea tho he got a lift in a pick up truck and met us at the end. I remembered that i don’t really like the elephant riding from the lastr time i was in Thailand, i think its pretty cruel to just make an animal ferry tourists around all day, luckily it was only for an hour tho. Our elephant did wander uo the steepest hill in the whole area, Me and Tiley were both holding on trying not to fall out at one point, i dont know how the thing managed to stay upright. Tiley got a video of it all with us both looking terrified that we’re about to fall down a big hill closely followed by the elephant. The video has since been destroyed since he foolishly took his camera out into the water festival. The best bit of the day was the white water rafting, it wasn’t as extreme as we were thinking but was still a good laugh, its the wrong time of the year im told, its a lot better in the wet season.

Anyway thats about it for Chiang Mai, i’ve just uploaded some photo’s but you’ll have to look back at the 1st blog entry because i couldn’t be bothered to sort thru them all (if your on facebook as well you’ve maybe already seen them)

We hired a taxi van and driver to take us around the south of Tunisia. We figured this would be the best way to see everything we wanted to see. The driver spoke English (and ‘ other languages- North Americans are lacking in language trainng compared to the people we have met on our trip). This gave us an opportunity to find out more about the Tunisian government, education and school systems and culture in general.

We went to Tozeur and saw Troglodyte homes that are built into the ground to be invisible from the Romans. It was here that they filmed Star Wars (the original) -Luke’s Aunt and Uncle’s home. we also saw homes built out of the stones of the atls mountains (desert of rocks) that were also invisible to the eye until it was too late (Roman safety again). We then drove to Douz which is the start of the Sahara desert. We did the typical tourist thing and rented camels (dromider spelling? actually) for an hour and went into the desert and played in the sand. Morgan got a new nickname - Dune Dude - as he was decked out like a sheik with his nike shades to boot. My camel must have known it was my birthday as it kept kicking me in the foot as it walked. We figure it was giving me the bumps!

Berber house -Atlas Mountains
The sand was white, so although I didn’t have my normal white birthday I still had a white one. The sand is so fine that when it moves it moves like water. Its hard to explain.

We learned that a teqcher here makes about 850 TD (Tunisian Dinar) a month. 1 dollar CDN = 1.26TD. A police officer starts at about 350TD and if he is good and moves up he will earn more than a teacher a quite a bit. The taxi driver (who did not own the car) makes about 350TD a month. It is very difficult to get a taxi lisence. We asked about disabled

people. The government saves 10% of jobs for them and if they are so disabled that they cannot work the government gives them a lisence for a taxi or to sell cigarettes. They can’t actually do these jobs due to their disabilities but they can rent out their lisence to earn their living. The divorce rate in the north is 12% and here in the South 1-4%.

Berber house-Trogoldyte
We had a wonderful day. We are planning to stay here at least another week. I’m afraid I won’t post pictures though as it is a slow connection. We are looking forward to seeing you all soon. Keep emailing we love to read your letters.

Woke up early today to check weather and see if could get a better visit to Lake Matheson. Was 7:15 when looked outside and discovered only grey sky; an all too familiar thing here on the Wet Coast. Secretly glad though; still really tired and fancied a good snooze. Scuttled back into bed and snoozed for next 45mins. Lovely. Then up at 8am, had porridge, cup of tea and read another magazine; all good ways to start a day. Got ready then and spent last few hours in Fox on internet. Internet = one good resulting feature of rain. Back at hostel then and ready for Atomic Shuttle pick up at 10:50.

Bikes dismantled, bus on time and off we went to Haast = 2 and a half hour journey. Really cold outside, much colder than other days, and was even cold on bus. Cuddled up under scarf and read book for entire journey there. After just an hour though, found ourselves stopping for a lunch break at The Salmon Cafe. Wasn’t even hungry, but had heard of this place and food did look tasty. I said food then, but what I
Unbelievable clouds

actually meant was cakes Anyway, had to get something really, because were stopping there for an hour and there was nothing else there but tasty cafe and a whole lot of rain. Got a v.mini pizza - which actually had spaghetti on = tres wierd! - and also the famous giant muffin that had been described to us. He was huge; probably one of biggest muffins ever seen, so got some tea as well to wash him down. I’ve got to say, although he was tasty, it wasn’t the best muffin I have ever eaten. Think people were just impressed by the colossal size and you couldn’t fault him on that. Managed to eat it all with my 2 cups of tea, and then was time to get back on bus.

Read for next 1 and a half hours, then arrived in Haast to sunshine. Not too impressed when got off bus though. Was expecting a fairly large town, but all could see was a shop, a bakery and a motel. Oh no! Booked into the Wilderness Motel and was really annoyed to hear they had no banks or ATM’s. Next cash machine = Wanaka = 2
A random waterfall
They’re everywhere.days away and now only had coins left to my name; $2 worth to be exact. Oh no! Started to get really worried about it. Knew card would work in some places, but also knew it didn’t work in them all and I’m just a really funny person with money. Hate being without it = security gone. Laid on bed and stressed for about 30mins, then realised there was nothing I could do about it and just had to deal with it. Got ready to go out…somewhere? Went to supermarket first. Needed something for dinner and needed to see if card would work. Bought usual pasta and had to spend last $2 on it as card didn’t work; although man behind counter said it would have worked if hadn’t have tried for cashback. Little less stressed now.

Dropped foods off at hostel and then set off to do the only thing possible in town = a visit to beach. Asked motel owner what could do because was still only early afternoon and his answer was “Nothing”. V.helpful I thought. Haast = a tiny town and there really was nothing to do. Even beach was a 7km walk away, but
Thunder Creek Falls
were so bored and feeling a little stir crazy that decided to do it anyway. That was until we set off and could see journey ahead. Walk to beach was along a main highway, with no paths, no scenery and nothing to look at at all. Was the worst looking walk possible and the thought of having to do it twice was more than enough for us to turn round. No way were walking 14ks on a main highway with no footpath, no matter how bored we were. Turned back after only 10mins and back to unfriendly motel.

Was a nice, sunny day, so looked for an area to sit outside of motel. Didn’t have a garden or any grassed area, so pulled 2 chairs out onto concrete at back. Noticed some jigsaws inside - have been known to enjoy a few of the old jigsaws in my time - and set about trying to find on to complete. Used to love jigsaws as a youth. Avoided the 1000 piecers and found a suitably small 100 piece jigsaw. Took it outside and off I set upon it. Took a good hour, even had to move inside because of rain,
An action shot
but finished it and really enjoyed it. This is what Haast will reduce you to. Was still only 4:30 then and really had nothing left to do. Played on a game on my phone, tried a really hard jig (of the puzzle variety, not the dance), chatted, played jenga and then was finally 7pm and time for dinner. Had pasta, tomatoes and bread (which was suprisingly nice) and was 8pm by time finished. Did another puzzle (at least brain been challenged today) and then went to bed at 8pm. Wow. All in al, a v.uninteresting day; can only hope will be better tomorrow. Crossed fingers for sunshine tomorrow and rain to go away; don’t fancy biking in rain.

9/3/09 = Day 4: The waterfall route across the treacherous Haast Pass.

Didn’t end up with an early night; ended up reading and finishing book instead, so really tired when woke up to early alarm. Crawled out of warm bed into dark room and trundled off to make porridge breakfast in preparation for day 5 of biking. Chatted to a fellow porridge eater who was also a biker from Oz. Was even 2 other guys there who were also
A posed shot
biking; one of them in our direction. Always nice to know that other people do this kind of thing too. Then had to drag things out of room and pack up on kitchen table; didn’t want to wake other 2 people in room. Packed, ready and excited by lack of rain, pedalled off at 8:45. Had to stop a sandwich shop on way because no food stops available en route today, then set off in cold. Freezing cold. Hard cycle ahead today and v.long. Even worse that last part involves a 600mclimb spread over 20kms - not feeling that!

Set off in direction of Makarora and although were both really cold, was a really nice cycle. Started with small hills and lots of flat sections = :). After 5mins, was just like cycling through set of King Kong movie…looked just like it. Surrounded by steep hills of green that were dripping with water and a v.low/thick mist covered nearly everything in front of us. As pedalled on, realised that mist was actually cloud, cloud so low to ground that we were actually riding through it. Crazy. Amazed by it for a while. Next 2 hours passed just like
Cute little Huts
Amazing location.this; nothing really eventful. No big hills had to pedal up, lots of waterfalls, green hills on either side and still a cold, blue sky. Nice. At midday, after more than 3hrs cycling, got to Pleasant Flat = only toilet stop and eating area on our whole 82km journey. Quite happy to stop here because already done 49kms; always nice to stop knowing you are more than half way. Shame that the second half = so tough.

Looked like a nice picnic area, but as soon as stopped, sandflies descended. Really hate sandflies. Hate the name for them even more. How can they be called sandflies and then pop out of the grass…that’s just misleading?! Hundreds of them relentlessly swarming and eating us, so ate as quick as we could and got ready to move.Just as getting ready for off, a cycle tour bus pulled in, with some cyclists following behind. They had just come the way that we were going. Didn’t bode well that a girl slumped off bus, laid on a bench and had blood dribbling down her arm after falling off her bike down the hill. First aider comment: “Well it is a bit of a
View from the hut
killer that hill”. Oh no! Filled water up - good job they had a tap here because not passed any houses so far - then did only thing we could = peddle on. Should have waited longer to let food settle, but just really couldn’t face flies! Only 5mins into journey when came across the big Thunder Falls. Did the 2min bike ride to visit them just to give belly a bit more time to settle. Nice falls really, but just a bit waterfalled out today; seen so many!

Did a few minutes looking at water, then got back on road. Got hit by a steep hill almost straight away. Didn’t look too bad because could at least see the end, so head down and off we went. Definitely underestimated it. Was so steep found myself willing the bike on and leaving the rain mac on was a big mistake. By time had finally crawled up hill, was totally out of breath and so sweaty clothes were stuck to me. Worst part was that that wasn’t the worst part. That was only the start of what was coming! Pedaled reluctantly over gloriously flat bride, then came to The Hinge
Home for the night
of Haast Pass = the killer. This hill was neither short nor undulating. It was a tower of incline that we couldn’t see the end of…it was death! Stupidly, we tried to cycle up it. That lasted all of 5minutes, even in granny gear. We were moving slower than a walking pace and killing ourselves in the process. Had to get off. Usually hate giving up on things, especially physical challenges, but I know my limits! I was no more likely to cycle up this thing than I am to win the next Nobel Prize! We both got off and up we pushed. Even pushing up the hill was a nightmare. Now instead of thighs burning, our calves were killing, us pushing forward and weight of bike trying to drag us down. Didn’t lift head. Couldn’t. Every time did have a sneaky peak at journey ahead, end seemed no closer. How long does this hill last! 15 v.long minutes later, we deep breathed our way to top. Relief. Such relief. Collapsed back onto bike and pedaled steadily across next part. Were still some hills, but much smaller and much more doable. Went at a nice, slow pace and all was
The Amazing Long Arm Reach
Wouldn’t wash up without it.right with the world again.

20mins later, finally got to the downhill. And what a downhill. Was an incredibly steep and straight descent. Woo hoo! Flew down it. Let legs fly round pedals. Such a great feeling to be moving so fast with so little effort. Love downhills Did a few up and downhills after that and all rest of ride was a lot more enjoyable, especially when got to Davis Flat. After 2hours, felt like I had at last got my second wind. Just nice, steady riding = my favourite kind. Stopped for a mini break just before end for water and to admire view. Usual beautiful mountains on all sides…can’t get enough of these mountains. Then did last 10k to Makarora; all enjoyable. Never thought I would be able to use that word after cycling 80ks. Strange how quickly you adapt to things.

Arrived in town and pulled up to only building could see. Soon discovered that Makarora town = 1 building, which is the shop, accommodation, pub and restaurant. Multifunctional. Checked in to a v.expensive $30 room, but v.happy to discover it was a lovely, private hut. V.cute and in an amazing setting. Yes, the good old mountain backdrop again. Wheeled bikes in, had quick snack of nuts and museli bar - living on at least 5 portions of these a day lately - then went to check out shop. Not too impressed to find they only had a few shelves of food and was most expensive have seen so far. Food in restaurant next door = even worse. Rubbish. Consoled self by booking skydive again. Info lady already told us would be rain for next 2 days, but really wanted to do dive, so booked it just in case. Can’t believe how excited I am…v.strange to say I’m usually petrified of heights. Booked on for 10am in Wanaka…just in case weather changes. Back to lovely hut then to deliberate about dinner. Some hours later (didn’t spend all that time talking about dinner…despite what you may think) decided on a pizza, Deb pasta. Bought it, then back to kitchen, where one of funniest things so far happened…funny for me anyway. Kitchen had a cooker and some huge gas burners. Don’t know why Deb chose to use burners, but it was definitely her downfall. She turned on gas, held match to ring and then there was a glow of orange so large and so bright that I could hardly see Deb. She was swallowed up by flame. Stood perfectly still, hot - from flame and nerves…mostly flame - and in shock from whole turn of events, Flame settled after a matter of seconds and left behind my newly balded friend Debs. There she was, singed and smoking, with a look of horror on her face. Did a quick visual check to make sure she was o.k., the laughed so hard I couldn’t stand up straight. Her eyebrows were singed, her hair smelt like burning and all the ends of her eyelashes were white like ash. So, so funny. Even she laughed…after a few minutes. Ha! Needless to say, she chose not to use that burner again! Ha! And I laughed on and off for rest of night; even laughing now as I’m writing it again.
Ate my burnt pizza - my culinary skills were dashed too - chatted for a while, then made a cup of tea and took it to our little hut. Had a lovely, lovely hot shower. All the better for being an en suite. Then got into bed all warmed through and happy

This has been the first chance I ve had to update the blog in the last few days due to being on the move and events beyond my control; read on……….
There were only five residents staying in the posada in Merida - quiet season. In fact Merida is prolific with hotels and posadas. I made an early start as I wanted to see as much as possible of the area before moving on. The posáda manager told me that the teleferico (world famous because of its length) was closed for repairs, so I went down to the main plaza to see if I could get a tour. I was very lucky as one was organised and soon to leave for the mountains. I decided to join them; 700BVs, a reasonable price for a full days tour. The rest of the group in the minibus were all Venezuelans, so I had to ask the driver, who was doing a running commentary as he drove, to speak more slowly so I could keep up with him. I also sat in the front seat so I could get a good view and ask him questions. The minibus wound its was round hairpin bends and as we climbed higher in the mountains it got noticeably colder. We went through many small scenic picturesque villages; farming was the main income for them with a few tourist shops sprinkled around. We stopped at some view points, a monument to an Andean dog and a small stone-built chapel - unique (see photo). We continued climbing until we reached a restaurant where we had lunch - a Pizca Andina for me - soup with egg, vegetables, milk and herbs (tasty), followed by a fresh strawberry juice - strawberries seem to be the speciality of this mountain region. More hairpin bends and still climbing until we got to Culata National Park - about 4,000 metres above sea level. We saw some condors in large cages; walking and climbing was difficult because of shortness of breath (altitude). It started to rain and the clouds came down and covered the mountains; he drove to a glacial lake but not much of a view due to the cloud cover. On our way back down I saw some people with oxen ploughing the steep mountainside with a wooden plough. I tried to get a photo of them but the rain and distance made it difficult. We arrived back in the plaza about 5:30. I got back to the posada and worked out the next part of my journe into Colombia. There were two options. After a discussion with the popsada manager I decided to travel north to Maracaibo and then cross the border and onto Cartegena - a long journey. Had an evening meal in the restaurant attached tot he posada with a glass of wine; wine is not popular here and is quite expensive; most is imported. It had been a long day and I wanted an early start but got into conversation with one of the posada staff who turned out to be a graduate who could not get employment to match her skills so ended up helping in the posada. She said her husband was in the same situation and they would now like to leave and find employment in another country. She said she was typical of many graduates who qualify and end up unemployed. She also talked of the “List” - a document opposing Chaves signed by many people a few years back; those on the list are barred from getting many jobs. I eventually got to bed ready for an early start.

Tuesday 17.03.09 (St Patricks Day)
Got a taxi to the bus terminal and managed to get the 8:20 bus to Maracaibo, not due to arrive there until 5:00pm. There were only four of us on the bus initially but after a few stops it quickly filled; the girl sitting next to me was not very talkative and when she did speak it was difficul to hear her above the music blaring from the speaker above me. The journey seemed to drag interminable, broken only by the fantastic mountain scenery. We went through a few long tunnels and broke into daylight greeted by the towering peaks of the Andes either side of us. As we approached Maracaibo the scene changed to flatlands dotted with working oil derreks - from a distance they looked like the moving cogs in a clock. Pipelines criss-crossed and fed into one larger pipe. The sight of the Maracaibo lake was refreshing, its massive, as is the bridge across it; it took us about fifteen minutes to travel it - a great piece of engineering. When we hit the city the traffic came to a standstill and we ended up getting in at 6:30, an hour and a half late. Looked for an office to buy a ticket onwards but only one was selling tickets direct to Cartegena and their next bus was not until 6:oo next morning. The other option was to get a collectivo to the border and another from there. I decided to find a hotel, have some sleep and go for the 6:00 bus in the morning. I negotioted a reasonable rate with a nearby hotel, had a bite to eat (steak, diced yuka and salad) and an early night. The hotel staff called me at 12:15 instead of 4:15, and not after that so it fortunate I woke up myself. Took a long shower and got ready for the long trip.

Wednesday 18.03.09
The ticket was expensive 250 BVS - the most I paid in Venezuela; I waited for the bus which was coming from Caracas. While waiting chatted to a Venezuelan girl who arrived from Merida and was waiting for her mother to pick her up. Like the girl in the posada last night she was also a graduate (Law), and was not hopeful of getting a job. Two Canadian girls who were also on the night Merida coach were also travelling on to Colombia and were waiting for the bus from Caracas. They sat in the seat across from me and chatted about their travels. Things went well until we got to the border; after paying the exit tax, we were asked for more money to speed the process through (a bribe!). It didnt seem to help as the whole process was interminably slow, not helped by warding off the harassing moneychangers adn teh constant stream of peddlers through the bus. We were again asked for more money; this time I didnt oblige. As we were waiting I read one of the national papers and noticed an article about the St Particks Day celebrations in Ireland, complete with accompanying pictures. Changed my last few bolivars on the bñack market for some Colombian pesos. We noticed we didnt stop at the Colombian immigrationto have our passports stamped. Whe the 2 Canadians and I pointed out the ommision to the drivers assistant,he said its no problem. We stressed the need for him to go back, as we would be illegal in Colombia without an entry stamp; I could foresee many problems without it. He kept going back to the driver and discussing it with him. Only after over an hours journey from the border did hestop at Riohacha where he thought we could get them stamped instead. The assistant came off the coach with us, but as we would have to wait for the DAS (Immigration & Security Department)
our bags were taken off the bus so they could continue. We waited and waited but nothing happened; then the assistant with our original tickets disappeared.

April 19th, 2007 by Sue