Mi Primer Fin de Semana

During my first weekend in Santa Elena, I enjoyed delicious meals, watched fútbol, danced at a discoteca, and swam near waterfalls – ¡Qué rico!

Una mariposa hermosa (a beautiful butterfly) in an indigenous village, Waramasen, 3 June 2012

            On Saturday, 2 June, after yoga, pool-scrubbing, banana & cantaloupe (cambur y melón)-eating, and blogging, some fellow volunteers and I ate lunch at Cerve Kilo Restaurant.  There, after you fill your plate with various meats and veg, you weigh it at the front counter, and then the staff calculates the price of your meal based on the weight of your filled plate.  My full plate only cost me 48 Bsf, which is under 7 USD – not bad for a warm meal!

 

The rickety ride to town in our new (used) 4x4! Santa Elena de Uairén, 2 June 2012

Christina and me bouncing around in el carro, Santa Elena de Uairén, 2 June 2012

My plate at Cerve Kilo Restaurant, Santa Elena de Uairén, 2 June 2012

            Afterward, we headed to La Frontera, the areparía where I had my first arepa a few days earlier.  But this time, we weren’t there for the food, but the TV – to watch the Venezuela-Uruguay football game broadcast en vivo (live) from Montevideo.  I have to admit, I didn’t stick it out for the whole game (final score 1-1), but only the first hour and a half, after which I walked back to the Foundation Grounds with Christina.

            On the way, I attempted to describe the basics of my senior thesis on Nietzschean solitude to her – but in Spanish, so maybe I didn’t provide the clearest synopsis…  Later, I blogged a bit more and then Christina made us some eggs scrambled with sautéed peppers, tomato, onion, and garlic.  Nomi also shared with us some of her delicious sautéed eggplant and leeks, and on the side we had casabe with black bean hummus and mermelada (jam).  ¡Qué rico! (So tasty!)

            That night, we celebrated Randa’s birthday (which was actually on Sunday, 3 June), so for the first time in Santa Elena, I stayed up past 10 pm (indeed, past midnight)!  The festivities commenced at Café Goldrausch – the bar connected to a local backpackers (hostel) – where Randa very sweetly bought us a bottle of gin plus some tonic water and limes to share.  Next, we danced at a discoteca for a couple of hours, and eventually headed home to rest for the next day’s excursion.

            Usually, on Sundays, the Aldeas de Paz volunteers travel to one of the many nearby waterfalls of the Gran Sabana.  On 3 June, we drove to and walked around an indigenous pueblo (village) – Waramasen – and swam in a nearby river with small waterfalls (near Maurak).  I slept in until 8:40 am that day, which was the latest I’d slept in since I arrived in Santa Elena (I’m typically up and moving by 6:45 am here). 

The view from the road from Santa Elena de Uairén to Waramasen, 3 June 2012

The view from the road from Santa Elena de Uairén to Waramasen, 3 June 2012

The view from the road from Santa Elena de Uairén to Waramasen, 3 June 2012

Sleepy Christina, on the road from Santa Elena de Uairén to Waramasen, 3 June 2012

The church in an indigenous village, Waramasen, 3 June 2012

Seated on the church steps in Waramasen, 3 June 2012

 

Unfortunately, puri puri thrive near rivers, so I got chewed to pieces while taking a short break from swimming to munch on some bread and cheese that Nomi, Christina, and I bought at the Panadería Santa Nana (bakery) in Santa Elena that morning.  So, for most of the afternoon, in order to avoid la plaga (the bugs), I tried to remain as completely immersed as possible in the refreshingly cold water.

Our beautiful swimming spot near Maurak! 3 June 2012

Nomi and me at the river near Maurak, 3 June 2012

 

Later that evening, we had a special communal dinner for Randa’s birthday – pasta with tomato/vegetable sauce and salad – and later surprised her with a two-layer vanilla cake with chocolate icing from the Panadería.  Such a lovely way to end my first week at Aldeas de Paz! 

It’s hard to believe that today marks the end of my third week here!  I’ll be sure to tell you all about my second and third weeks in my upcoming postings.  ¡Adios for now!