Sorry for the delay in posting- it's been a busy few weeks. Can't believe tomorrow marks one month of being here in Mérida. Time sure has been flying. School is picking up the pace, and this week I have a few exams and a presentation to do, so I'm sure it will go by just as quickly as the rest of them.
Last weekend some friends from the group and I saddled up and went to the hot springs (aguas termales) in Musui, on the outskirts of Mérida. It was a good experience- there is nothing like being up high in the Andes and relaxing in a natural hot tub with some friends. We camped Friday night and after some hiking on Saturday, made our way back to the city.
La tranquilidad.
Sierra Nevada Mountains, Pico Bolívar in the background covered with clouds.
Last Friday (2/18) I requested that Nilda and the family let me cook a meal for them, so I used the bag of wild rice I brought from Minnesota to make chicken wild rice soup. It was great because this immediately became a family event, in which we all went together to the market and everyone participated in the meal preparation. As we walked from stand to stand at the market, I noticed that all of the fruit stands sold bananas or "cambures" as they call them here. I asked my sister Andrea about them, and she said they are some of South America's best bananas. They are uniquely sweet, but have an amazing texture. I also asked about banana bread: sure enough they had never heard of it, and I told them it was absolutely necessary that they try it, so we bought the ingredients that we didn't already have to make some of that as well.
El mercado- so much food, all locally grown, and incredibly cheap
Fresh fish market- the trout here is exquisite
Cooking with the family
Banana bread or "Pan de cambur"
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María Eugenia y yo después de la cena
Family dinner- María Eugenia (left) was especially excited to try the soup
Last weekend we had two paradura celebrations- one at my sister Nilmary's house on Saturday and the other was on Sunday here at our house. Since we had just completed one that was purely prayer, Andrea chimed in and said she would prefer to "conversar con dios" rather than repeat prayer after prayer from the rosary, so the seven of us (Nilda, Jorge, Andrea, Franko, María Eugenia, José Alejandro, y yo) sat in a circle in the living room, and Jorge led us in an open prayer to which we all contributed. The thing that amazed me the most was that this was their first time having a paradura like this, and I was able to experience it with them. They all made sure to include me in the blessing, and with a lump in my throat, I shared how thankful I was to be placed with this family. It was an unforgettable experience that I feel really brought us all closer together. I was so happy to have been a part of it.
Today, I am just arriving back from an overnight hiking trip in which my friends Tiffany and Betho and I went to La Mucuy to hike and camp in the mountains. Whereas La Culata consisted of mostly open spaces of valleys, La Mucuy was a more claustrophobic trail through the dense woods that really seemed like a jungle. The trees were incredible- mostly at least a hundred years old or more, and the fog and clouds that closed in made the views spectacular.
Andean trees
Our goal was to make it to La Laguna Coromoto, which we did, after 9 km up, and about 5 hours of walking/climbing. The view we had once we reached the lagoon made the rigid and tiring hike worth it. We met a few Venezuelans who were camping with us, and after sharing a cup of hot aguamiel (water and melted cane sugar- by far one of the best hot beverages I've ever tasted), we set up camp near a water fall at the top of the lagoon. As it got dark we attempted to build a fire but were unsuccessful since it had just rained and everything was pretty damp. When the clouds would clear, the sky was incredible- the constellations were so brilliant, and we saw countless shooting stars.
When we woke up the next morning, Betho and I decided to go for a dip. The water is arguably colder than Lake Superior, but the lagoon was full of trout! I only wish I had a fly rod at the time...
This was one of those decisions that you regret mid-air
The Andes are really incredible. The terrain and flora are so diverse, and every view is breath-taking. Can't wait to see them when we travel further south- I can only imagine the sites that await.
Hope you are all in good spirits- at least try to be, even with the current snow storm I'm hearing about, for those of you in Minnesota!
Ciao,
Travis
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