GOOD FRIDAY IN MERIDA

WEATHER: Cool and 23C-perfecto

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: McDonalds for lunch-yes I said it out loud

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Can’t think of a thing

WORD OF THE DAY:  SLEEP-IN

SLEEP-IN

Man I nearly forgot what that felt like.  We had a free day today, Good Friday in Merida.  Breakfast was not included, so Kate and I decided to not set any alarms and just see what time we wake up.  Well it was a glorious 10.30am before we both stirred and we felt marvelous.  Not much was going to be open today, but we knew that McDonalds was somewhere in the city, so after a shower, we hit the streets in search of lunch, particularly McDonalds if we could.  I know how bad it sounds to your ears, but to have something familiar, no fuss is a god send when you are travelling and I had a picture of a Big Mac in mind, we WERE going to find it.

Mérida, officially known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan Andes. It was founded in 1558 by Captain Juan Rodríguez Suárez, forming part of Nueva Granada, but later became part of the Captaincy General of Venezuela and played an active role in the War of Independence.  Merida holds the highest and longest cable car of the world.  The city sits on a tableland nestled in the valley of the Chama River, which runs from end to end. The town of Merida is located at an altitude of 1,600 meters and as a background on the horizon rises the country's highest summit: the Pico Bolívar with an altitude of 4981 meters.  The city was named after the founder Juan Rodríguez Suárez, who called so in honor of his hometown of Mérida in Extremadura, Spain.

However, Juan de Maldonado renamed it as San Juan de las Nieves. In 1559 the name changed again, opting this time for Santiago de los Caballeros. Gradually, it was adopting the name of Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, combining the variants that had been appointed to the city until then.

The city is located in the center of the Venezuelan Andes, in a wide plain in the valley of the Chama River, between the Sierra Nevada de Mérida to the southeast and the Sierra La Culata to the northwest.

In the center of the city the terrain, located on a plain, is almost flat. Nonetheless, there is an average incline of 3 to 7 degrees, which causes a difference in altitude between the high and low parts of the city of more than 400 m, the average being 1,630 m above sea level at the Plaza Bolívar. However, the areas surrounding the city are rough and uneven, situated in the valleys formed by the Chama and Albarregas rivers and the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de La Culata ranges.  The valley in which the city is located was formed approximately 40 to 60 million years ago with the creation of the Venezuelan Andes and its continuous erosion by the area's water systems. Its soils consist of alluvial sediment and clay. Below the city runs the major tectonic fault in the western part of the country, the Boconó fault, which forms part of the South American Plate.

The streets were busy with traffic and a few shop 2 Dollar shops were open.  I needed a few things, so I was able to buy some more sticky tape, snacks and water before we continued on our Macca’s hunt.  We were walking downhill to what looked like a busier part of town and this was all we had to go on and luckily Kate saw a Macca’s sign after about 20 minutes, we had hit the jackpot locating it just around the corner.  Not only did I get a Big Mac but I also got 10 nuggets and a coke with ice and it was just what we needed today.  We were wondering how many of ‘us’ we would see there as well, and Mark was the only one when he walked in about 15 minutes after us.  We did find out later that just about the whole group had made a visit at some stage during the day, so we weren’t the only ones!

On our way back to the hotel, we walked past the main square, Plaza Bolivar, which had a lot of small stalls selling handicrafts, locally made jewelry and books.  So we did a lap and walked away with a few pairs of earrings and a ring that cost me a grand total of 15AUD.  They are really pretty pieces and it was nice to see some nice jewelry again.  We then stopped at an internet café, why not, there was nothing else to do and both Kate and I needed to print out vouchers and e-tickets and check the usual Facebook and emails.  I was lucky that Zeme was online at the same time, so we had a great old chat and a nice surprise for the day.  He’s well and off to Kenya next week for 2 weeks on a job, and he is super excited.  Man I miss him so much but in a good happy way and not a sad cry way as I know that we are meant to be and I am just looking forward to the day I move to Ethiopia.  I love you baby……  We ended up spending 1.5 hours at the internet café and the cost, including the printing was a cool 1.25AUD.  Yes peeps, it was cheap!!!!

We were back to the hotel at 4pm with a few hours to kill till our meeting at 6pm.  Allan then went through what was involved for the next few days as we travel to Los Llanos and what to expect, pack and go through the itinerary.  It sounds like a cool part of the world and our chance to see anacondas.  I hate snakes, but for some weird reason I want to see and touch an anaconda.  Yeah I say it all now like a tough guy, but what actually happens when we do see one I am sure will be a different story!

The town of Merida has a great feel and I liked it here.  We are off to Los Llanos tomorrow, the savannahs, more wildlife spotting and hopefully the mighty anaconda.