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Diane's DiaryJuly 7 Sunday We made it into the anchorage at Los Testigos around 9:30am this morning. We knew from all the other cruisers & our guidebook that we needed to check with the Guardia Costa. They do not have an office to clear in but you need to inform the Guardia that you are here. We anchored on Testigo Grande near Playa Tarmarindo beach since it looked pretty calm & it was the closest anchorage to Isla Iguana Grande where the Guardia Costa is located. S/V Mima had told us the pass between the 2 islands might be too rough for our dinghy however it was extremely calm so we decided to anchor only once & dinghy across. We found the Guardia Costa with a little difficulty- naturally they were at the other end of the beach where we landed our dinghy. No problem we could stay for a few days. I asked if the weather got bad, as the weatherman said it might, if we could stay longer & they said no problem. Of course, this entire conversation took place in Spanish so it's a good thing I can speak it. I am not fluent in Spanish but I usually can make myself understood. Larry & I have been to many Spanish-speaking countries so I do have some good conversational Spanish. I hope to get even better at it while we are here. Anyway, by the time we finished with the Guardia Costa the winds had really picked up. It was actually hard pushing the dinghy off the beach as the wind kept trying to force us back onto it so it was a little scary. Finally, we got out. If we had not had the 15HP engine I don't know if we would have made it as the wind was very strong & the current was just as bad. It was really pushing us anyway from Destiny & Larry really had to put the pedal to the metal & open the throttle up. We got back to Destiny totally wet. Destiny was really rocking & rolling & the anchorage that was once so calm was not comfortable now. We were both very tired & the wind had now built to around 20-25 knots from the SE (which made the anchorage exposed) with gusts up to 30-35 knots. We could see the next anchorage south in Balandra Bay looked calmer if we could have gotten a stern line to shore but there were already a few other boats there & didn't think there was any room for any more. So, we decided to stay put- how long could it last right? Anyway, we later found out it was a Tropical wave that was blowing through. This explained why we had no winds last night as we were right ahead of the wave so it looks like we timed that right! Glad we got in before the wave hit. If Larry had not cleaned the prop we probably would have still been out there motoring. Anyway, we both weren't feeling well - Larry had a terrible headache & my stomach was very upset. We just stayed on Destiny the remainder of the day. July 8 Monday The wind rocked & rolled all night long. We both still weren't feeling very well & I'm sure the rolling anchorage didn't help either. So, we just stayed on the boat the entire day & ate light. The wind is still strong but better than yesterday. July 9 Tuesday I guess the wave has passed through, as it is much calmer out. The anchorage is still a bit rolly but much better than before. We decided to take a dinghy ride & explore the sand dunes everyone told us about. So, we left at 10am & went for a walk up the sand dunes. It was an uphill walk against some very steep sand dunes but we finally made it over to the other side. It was really beautiful on the windward side as we were the only people walking along the beach. It was great being alone again after being with so many people in Trinidad. After all, isn't this what cruising is all about- long walks on deserted beaches with beautiful landscapes? Anyway, we walked around for 2 hours & then went back to have lunch. After lunch, we decided to clean the water line, as it was a real mess from the filthy water in Trinidad. It was very rough in the water & the boat was really rocking which made it more dangerous but we managed to do it. We knew the water was not clean in Porlamar, Margarita so we wanted to get the water line cleaned now since we didn't want to get into the water in Margarita. After that, we were exhausted & just took it easy for the rest of the day. We got the dinghy up on deck as we plan to leave for Margarita tomorrow. I am really looking forward to that as the shopping is supposed to be terrific. Anyway, I didn't get a very good night sleep & was up part of the night. July 10 Wed We had the anchor up & the sails set & were underway by 7am. Margarita & shopping here we come! We had a nice sail- winds from the E-SE 15-18 knots which lightened up to approximately 12 knots, seas about 5-7 feet. We had a nice downwind sail though it was still a little rolly. I decided to try the seasickness patch since the Sturgeon doesn't seem to help me much. But since it was pretty benign conditions, I didn't get seasick anyway. This is the first really downwind passage we have had in the almost 2 years we have been cruising! It was nice we weren't going to windward for a change! We anchored in Porlamar around 3pm. Our friends on S/V Kristali were already there & were waiting for us. After we got anchored they came over for awhile & stayed till 3pm. It was really nice seeing them again & catching up with them. We last saw them in Martinique back in January. We didn't want to clear in here as we were only staying a few days & it's expensive to clear in & out. We had heard you could stay a few days without having to clear in & out to save the expense. In VZ, you are legally supposed to clear in & out of each state you pass through. We only wanted to get some rum & do a little shopping since we are going home in 2 weeks. But we will definitely be back shopping here before we leave for Trinidad! July 11 Thursday Shopping day! I know those of you sitting in the US can't understand why cruisers would get so excited over shopping but they really do. Most things in the Caribbean are much more expensive than in the US & a lot of things are hard to find. When you do find them, the cost is usually more than we want to pay. Shopping is not that great in the rest of the Caribbean but we had heard things were cheaper here with huge shopping malls like we have in the US. We have heard Venezuelans love to shop & we found this to be true. VZ is an oil rich nation & back in the 70's many people lived at a standard of living much higher than the US. Speaking to some locals, they told us they used to go to weddings where Johnnie Walker Blue label was placed on each table. I had never even heard of the blue label but we later found out it is over $150USD per bottle! So, VZ definitely were used to spending money big time. Anyway, Larry stayed to work on the boat- he hates shopping anyway. He had to fix the gooseneck- the bolts had sheared off again. We had gotten this fixed back in Bermuda in November 2000. Anyway, we went shopping to 3 different malls. Cabs are very inexpensive here- about $2 for a very long ride. In the US, that same trip would probably be around $15. We went to the Sambil mall- brand new & beautiful. Then, the Rattan home store- similar to Home Depo but larger I think. We also went to the Rattan supermarket & house wares store in town. Each cab ride was only about $2 each & Kristali & I split the cab costs. I tried to get some money out of the ATM machines but my card wouldn't work in any of them. If we couldn't get Bolivar's I didn't know what we were going to do. However, Steve exchanged some Bolivar's for me & I gave him US cash. Wonderful shopping- I really didn't get a chance to look to much but Kristali wanted to show me where everything was. I will definitely be back! I got back late in the afternoon- tired & hot. We got used to the AC in Trinidad & I found it very hot here. I think we are just not used to the heat again plus, I think we are both tired. Thankfully, Larry was able to repair the gooseneck. We were both tired this evening so we decided to stay in. July 12 Friday There was a free bus to the large Sigo large shopping center this morning. I was able to finally exchange some USD into Bolivar's at the bank after waiting on a long line. Apparently, the banks don't want to exchange money unless you are a customer. They would only let me exchange $200USD. With the $100 Steve exchanged for me, hopefully that will be enough. Anyway, the booze prices were outstanding & the shopping great. Beer for $5 per case, St. Theresa rum for $1.60, Pampero rum for $1.20, & the best rum, Aniversario, for $2.84 bottle- all 750ml. Smirnoff vodka was $3.40 Sure can't beat those prices. Even the cheapest rum is better than Bacardi. It's no wonder the cruisers fill to the brim before they leave here. Margarita is a duty free island so everything is cheaper here than in the mainland. The shopping centers are clean & beautiful. I think we love VZ! We really didn't need any food since we are leaving so soon but we will definitely be sure to stock up before we leave! Anyway, we bought 4 cases of rum & 4 of beer- that's just to get us through until we get back to Margarita! Anyway, all the cruisers hang out at this restaurant called Jak's so we all went for dinner tonight as they were having Mexican night. We saw a number of other cruisers we have met over the past 2 years. After having lots of drinks & dinner, the bill was around $17 for the both of us! Sure wish we could have a night out in the US for this cheap price! Anyway, the exchange rate at the bank today was 1319B. July 13 Saturday I took Larry shopping into town today. We heard they had a good price for Teva sandals at one of the stores so since we both needed new pairs, we decided to go. We bought the sandals for almost half their US price- no tax either so we really saved quite a bit. Afterwards we walked up to the Rattan in town & bought a few other things. We ate lunch at McDonalds as it was close nearby & since it was so hot out, we didn't feel like walking anywhere. We will definitely be back to so more shopping when we return. Kristali came over to the boat when we got back around 2pm & stayed till around 9pm. We had a good time catching up with them. We will both go to Cubagua tomorrow. They are heading to Tortuga & we will go on to Puerto LA Cruz. Since we are just going a short distance & it's all downhill, we will trail the dinghy behind us but we will take the engine off. We would like to see some of Cubagua tomorrow. |