June 3 - June 8
After spending a night in the bus terminal and things not going so well with the atm machine not working at the terminal, I ended up getting a hold of Paola the following morning and she met me at the bus terminal and then we went back to her house. Her mother and she were very warm and welcoming and definitely made me feel at home. She was kind enough to give up her bedroom to me and sleep in her mom´s room. Her mother cooked me meals the three nights that I spent there and all in all I had a great time with Paola and she showed me all around the town.
Maracaibo is not really a tourist town. It is better known for business and is also Venezuela´s second largest city and the oil industry´s nerve center. This is the reason Venezuela has become the world´s largest exporter of oil. Two-thirds of the national oil output comes from beneath the Lago De Maracaibo (Lake Maracaibo) and passes through the city before being shipped elsewhere. As a result, when we were in a vehicle and went to fill up the tank of the car, it was only $2 to fill up the tank! WOW! The bus rides are also a lot cheaper than other countries as a result too!
On Saturday I told another couchsurfer that I was going to stay at her house before I took the bus at 1030 pm on Sunday night (June 8) to Merida, Venezuela. Once I arrived Mary´s house she, her brother, and her mother all made me feel very welcome too. Mary even was kind enough to sew up my shorts that had a hole in the pocket. Her mother also made me some food while I was there, and we ended up meeting up with Paola and a few other couchsurfers to explore the town together. I felt good because I ended up introducing Paola and Mary to each other, and they both seemed to click together, and hopefully there will be a long-term friendship for them. I felt that was the least I could do because they helped me out so much in Maracaibo, and even took me to a public reggae concert that was interesting to watch. When in came time on Sunday evening to head to the bus terminal, Mary, her mother, and brother all went with to drop me off at the terminal and make sure I knew which bus was mine to Merida. I felt like I had another family in Venezuela. They were awesome!
I am now in Merida,Venezuela, and just arrived at 7 am this morning. Paola´s cousin was actually coming on the same bus, so she gave me her cousin´s phone number and I called her at the bus terminal, and it ended up that she offered for me to stay at her place in Merida. I definitely lucked out in Venezuela. I will probably be here for two more days, and then back to Colombia, and eventually making my way to Ecuador!
