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Travalog
Twelve We really enjoyed the Bahia Redonda Marina in Puerto La Cruz. We had planned on staying for a week and ended up staying for three. The marina is very well maintained, with a beautiful pool, restaurant, mini-market with fresh bread delivered daily and an english language newspaper. Our first chance in weeks to catch up on the rest of the world. Our dock was mostly transient cruisers made up of Americans, French, English, Canadian, German and one Italian with a Grand Soleil 38! There was always a lot of activity with BBQ's, a Halloween party and some local side trips. Speaking of Halloween parties, we were invited by our boat neighbors, a wild Canadian and his Venezuelan girlfriend, to share their table at the local marina restaurant's party, costumes optional. They had decided to go as a couple of tattered Vikings; and not to be outdone, we showed up as a couple of Kuna Indians, complete with molas, face paint and nose rings. Of course Pam looked fabulous, but my outfit offered the only comedy relief of the evening. I don't think anyone in that crowd had ever seen a Kuna. As it turned out, the crowd was half Venezuelan and half cruisers. The Americans all showed up dressed in their "Leisure World Bingo Contest" costumes and the Venezuelan women were of course dazzling in their mini-skirts, gold lame jumpsuits, spiked heels and heavy on the make-up. Other than a couple of cowboy hats, no costumes in that crowd! Well, we finished as runner-up in the costume contest, second to our friends the Vikings, the only other contestants! A few Cuba Libras eased the pain of defeat and fortunately, the food and live music was great. The marina is part of the huge new El Morro Development, which contains over 25 square miles of waterways lined with marinas, boat yards, hotels, waterfront homes and condos, reminiscent of Huntington Harbor, Newport Beach or Channel Islands. What Pam really enjoyed was the new Plaza Mayor Shopping Center, where you arrived after a 15-minute dinghy ride. It really had it all, shops, movie theaters, lots of restaurant, including a food court. Just like "The Galeria", only without Nordstroms! The best part was the beautiful new market, very clean, well stocked and they delivered to your dinghy! Many of you have inquired about provisioning, both quality and availability. I think we are going to write an article on "The Procurement of Alcoholic Beverages in Third World Countries". Of course it will have to include a chapter on wine selections. By far the best (and most affordable) wines in this part of the world seem to come from Chile. The vintage is not as important as making sure it hasn't been stored upright in the sun for the past two years! Although it isn't very classy to be serving wine through a sieve, it is sometimes the only way we can get the shredded cork out! We have on numerous occasions been reduced to the level of screw cap Gallo Burgundy or wine-in-the-box of dubious origins. One interesting spot in every Venezuelan town is the local "Licoreria", a combined liquor store and stand-up bar. You probably get the picture….try before you buy. Even without bar stools, it is one of the best-patronized stores in town! These establishments are always busy on market day. While the women are busy at the meat market and veggie stands, their men are handling the more serious purchases! Like much of Central and South America, we have found Venezuela to be a land of many contrasts. Upon leaving the marina gates, you enter into another world. Very poor, run down with bars on all the windows, even six stories up. It looked as though all the public services had topped. No trash pick-up, potholes in the streets, electric service out much of the time, pretty sad. There doesn't appear to be a middle class; either very rich or very poor. We of course were always wandering around parts of town where we shouldn't have been, but never felt threatened and the locals were always quite helpful. We definitely plan on returning next summer for some inland trips to the Andes and Angel Falls. The landscape is also quite varied with the almost desert-like offshore islands to the deep mainland bays with heavy jungle and mountainous terrain. The mainland coastal climate is quite dry, even in the summer and fall, which makes it a great location for maintenance and a place to spend the hurricane season. After leaving Puerto La Cruz, we headed East toward Isla Margarita, about 30 miles to the northeast. This area encompasses 25-30 small islands, most of which are part of the Mochima ational Park System. Other than a few fishing camps, they are mostly isolated anchorages, with beautiful clear water. On weekends, of course the locals would head out for the day; but during the week we were constantly amazed to find ourselves alone in these pristine deserted coves and bays. Days would go by without seeing another cruiser. For the most part, the water is quite clear and the snorkeling is some of the most colorful we have seen.
This spectacular section of coast also includes the Gulf of Cariaco, a 35-mile deep bay, lined with some more incredible coves and anchorages. The mainland side of the Gulf has palm-lined beaches backing up to dense green hills, where the opposite side, only 10 miles away, is a typical desert landscape complete with cactus, bright red hills and deep, still mangrove-lined agoons. Another nice feature of this area is that after days of isolated anchorages, you can always find a little restaurant or resort hotel, for a good meal off the boat. One of the more memorable spots was a tiny bay, home of the Punta Congrejo Yacht Club. This gorgeous spot is owned by Kike a local Venezuelan and T-bone Fisher, a transplanted California blues guitarist, who ended up here after a cruise down from the Virgin Islands. Last September, Congrejo hosted a blues festival with over 30 boats and 125 people in attendance. After a home-cooked fish dinner, we had a private sampling of T-bone's Blues expertise. This area is really off the beaten path, and there have been stories of isolated break-ins and thefts. Since Pam installed her high-tech security system of strategically placed frying pan lids on the companionway steps, we have never had a threatening experience! Another nuisance in his area is the vampire bats. About the size of a hummingbird, they have razor-sharp teeth and an anti-coagulant in their saliva to make one bleed a lot! They only come out at night, so we keep screens on the hatches and a light in the cockpit. So far, no problema! After two weeks in that gorgeous gulf, it was off Isla Coche, just south of Isla Margarita. Waiting at the anchorage were our B-dock boat buddies, CHARIS and SECOND KISS, who had just arrived from the offshore islands. Since we had been traveling alone for almost three months, we had a lot of catching up to do. Coche is a very flat island with a couple of resort hotels for windsurfers and sun lovers; and after a day of trading tall tales, war stories and numerous rum dittties, it was off to Isla Margarita. This beautiful island is about the size of Catalina, with mountains in excess of 3200 ft. You have o get away from the big cities to experience the real beauty of the island. We arranged for a day's driving tour with the Nixons, Lorentzens and Bernardo our local tour guide. It was money well spent and really the only way to learn some history and see the sights. Margarita is sort of a shopping Mecca for the mainland locals and definitely for all the cruisers. Being a duty and tax-free island, everyone flocks there for all the shopping bargains and the last of the cheap booze! The anchorage at Porlamar, although a bit rolly, is convenient to town. There is a daily turnover of yachts from all over the world, arriving to restock their holds. The local marina has arranged a bus service to a nearby shopping center three times a week, and after paying your bill, your purchases are boxed, numbered and delivered by truck to the marina dock. Pretty decadent! Since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in this part of the world, some of the local cruisers rranged for a potluck dinner on the beach, complete with turkey and mashed potatoes. A lot of water under the hull since last year in Los Frailes, BC, with BBQ'd tri-tips and shrimp dinner! We hope you all had a good Turkey Day. We will be leaving Margarita the end of this week and expect to arrive in Trinidad the middle of December. Drop us a line when you have a chance. Best wishes, Steve
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