Friday night we went out to dinner with some of my friends so they could meet. We went to this restaurant called BarSi, which was supposed to have a "vegetarian" menu. It seemed promising because it was a Thai restaurant, but when we got there the menu didn't have any vegetarian entrees. Of course they had changed the menu the day before. But we made it work and it was a fun dinner. Afterwards we went to see Spanish Flamenco music and dancing at the Hard Rock Cafe. We got there just in time to see the last song. After unsuccessfully finding other entertainment in the mall, we called it a night.
Happy Couple
Saturday we got up early to go hiking. We planned to hike the Paraíso trail, which I have not done yet, so I was excited. We hiked to the ranger station and the ranger said we were good to go. We took a little break there and took some pictures of the view. Then when we continued on our way, the ranger said he just got a call and we were not allowed to go any further because all the further trails are closed because the forest is too dry right now. When the area is dry, it's too at risk for a fire for people to be on the trails. So we walked to a different hike, the popular Sabas Nieves. I just about died on that hike. It wasn't long, but it was steep and rocky. 1) I was expecting it to be an easy breezy hike because it's such a popular one. And 2) I was very congested and couldn't breath very well. Lane thought he was an expert hiker when he was able to do it with ease. I'm hoping my excuse of having a cold is really the reason it was so hard for me. But we made it up and back down and got a reward of a refreshing Cocada at the end. On the way home we had lunch at the really good Mediterranean restaurant I had been to before. It was delicious and we ate a lot so afterwards was obviously nap time.
There was a belly dancer who was messing with everyone,
including balancing a sword on Tracey's head
Saturday was Valentine's Day, therefore all of the good restaurants were completely booked so Lane and I decided to make our own romantic dinner at my house. It was really nice to have a relaxing night in :)
Sunday we went off to El Hatillo for brunch; I found a place that not only has Sunday brunch, but even serves Bloody Marys. When I was asking the taxi driver to take us there I forgot that 'h's are silent in Spanish and he had no clue what I was saying. Finally a lady nearby corrected me and we were able to get there without a problem. While walking around to find the restaurant we got stopped by someone asking for money. It was amazing how well he spoke English. I was later telling my tutor about it and she said that often homeless people here are actually well educated, they just have addictions that have shamed their family and have no one to help them. Anyway we found the restaurant, El Cine, only to find out we could not order Bloody Marys nor Mimosas. It was a sad brunch experience indeed. I was not sure if it was because they did not have the supplies or because it was Carnival but we clearly understood the waitress when she said no alcohol. But at least the restaurant was really nice and you ordered on tablets that had pictures of every item on the menu. And of course, the good company.
Non-Alcoholic OJ
After eating, we walked around the shops where all the locally made souvenirs are sold and I got some pots for my new orchid plants I got from a friend! We ended up passing a place that had live salsa music playing on a terrace and decided to go there for some afternoon beers. The weather was perfect, the beer was cold, and it was a good time. And the taxi driver home understood me the first time.
At Happy Hour
The plan for Sunday night was to have dinner at a nice restaurant and get drinks afterwards. I texted one of the taxi boyfriends and while waiting for a response, we took a bottle of wine down to the pool to drink while the sun set. After trying six different taxi boyfriends with no avail, I messaged a friend to get some more taxi numbers. They tried two more taxi boyfriends, two taxi services, and a taxi app, but we could not get a single taxi! We finally gave up, a bottle of wine and two hours later, and made another good dinner at my house. These things happen in Venezuela, you just have to be "flexible" as my friend said. It still turned out to be a good night of course, it is just one of those things that is annoying.
Monday we went with other friends downtown to the center of the city. There is not much to do in the city center, but even less during a holiday. However, there were still lots of people there for some celebrations that were taking place. We took the bus and then the metro so Lane could see what it is like. First we went to Simón Bolívar Plaza and then to his house and museum around the corner. I had never been to the museums so that was kind of neat.
Beside the National Assembly Building
Simón Bolívar Plaza
Casa de Simón Bolívar
Three most important people to Venezuela?
Simón Bolívar, Jesus, and Chávez
From the museum
Then we took another bus to the mausoleum where Simón Bolívar is buried. It was closed so we couldn't go in, but it was really neat how empty the square was. We also walked to some "famous" churches that weren't really so impressive. We went into one of the Catholic churches and I was so embarrassed because one of our new friends walked up near the alter and was having her picture taken while people were trying to pray. And when it didn't turn out the way she wanted, she was asking someone to take another and so a congregation member shushed her. Yet she still went up to pose again!
Side of the mausoleum
Me on the front steps
We ended up taking a bus to La Candelaria, a neighborhood which has a strong Spanish influence, and got an amazing lunch at La Cita, a Galician restaurant. We were there for a long time, eating and drinking Sangria. It was by far the best meal I have had in Caracas! It was also the most expensive. But even then, for two people I paid an equivalent of $31. We left fat and happy and took a bus to Chacaito so we could catch our bus home.
Near the bus station was very crowded with holiday celebrations. Tons of people dressed in costumes and spraying silly string and confetti everywhere.
Chacaito Carnival
Monday night we were still so full from lunch to even think about going out to eat, but we successfully got a taxi to go get drinks. We made it to Lola, the lounge I wanted to show Lane, but it was closed. Luckily Entre Hojas Lounge was open and so we lounged around on their patio for the evening.
Tuesday was just a sad day. The last day of a much anticipated weekend and a farewell to the much appreciated boyfriend.
Only 36 days until next time :)
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