Caracas y Isla Margarita, Venezuela

Hola my friends!
Wow! What a whirl of activity and travel. My group of 5 consist of Josee (physiotherapist), Gisia (pharmacist), Carmen(our team leader, a retired civil servant with Canadian government interested in international language schools), and Luc (marketing director for manufacturing firms in Moncton). We are on a GSE Group Study Exchange with Rotary International sponsored by District 7810 of eastern Maine and New Brunswick for young professionals ages 25 -40. I JUST made the cut off, phew.

I brought my laptop but so far little time or availability for internet. We had an overnight in Caracas, great city with 20 percent of Venezuela´s population set in a valley at the foot of the Avila Mountains that separate Caracas from the Caribbean sea........incredible setting surrounded by lush rainforest.

Next day off we went for the weekend to Isla de Margarita to be hosted by Maneiro Rotary Group. Wow. This group of Rotarians are all BEST friends so each weekend they socialize together at each other´s houses. They took us to Laguna la Restinga where OYSTERS galore grow on the mangroves, Museo Marino, a marine museum rich with story of the over harvest of pearls by the Spaniards, and many many examples of corals, crustaceans and other marine wildlife, flora and fauna.

We visited Playa El Yaque, a beach famous for WINDSURFING. Peter Hilyard would be in his glory. Oysters for sale everywhere on the beaches for 8 B or Bolivares to 15 Bolivares.

The "official" or bank rate by the government for Bolivares is $1.00 = 2 B, the "unofficial" exchange is currently approximately $1.00 = 5.5 B so...IF you use your credit card you get the official rate and if you use cash and you decide to exchange your money on the black market which is in fact illegal by the current government then you pay at a rate of 1:5+

Last night we had fosforera (Venezuelan paella) with linguine with mussels, scallops, clams, calamari, shrimp, tomatos, parsley, scallions, and spices. OH MY GOD! Talk about absolutely positively the best food EVER. I was in heaven.

We also watched the most incredible sunset from Playa Caribe with a grasshopper the size of a hotdog that landed on my back. We ate mango jelly for a snack while we watched the sky transform then we had soncocho (stew) made again with SEAFOOD right on the beach and right next to a road. Wild experience.

Cultured pearls are EVERYWHERE in pink, white and blue and are relatively inexpensive so...my shopping spree has began.

Sorry so all over the place. We are having fun. Meeting wonderfully generous people and Luc is taking incredible photos.
Take care and lots of love, Georgie