Montezerpa y Mucuy Baja

Highlights of last week include seeing Oz the Great and Powerful in 3D for $2.50. Unlike most of the movies in theaters here, this one was dubbed in Spanish, so we got to watch James Franco, Zach Braff, and Mila Kunis “speaking” Spanish. I definitely missed out on a few subtleties and the occasional joke, but it was a pretty visually appealing film so it didn’t matter all that much. We had seen Argo in the same theater a few weeks back, so when Maduro expelled the US embassy official, we joked about things getting crazy enough that we would have to flee to the Canadian embassy and get rescued by Ben Afleck. Also this past week, I ventured to an area in Mérida where many of the art studios are located. I thought it was interesting that they all paint similar subjects in the same style and sell their work right next to each other without much differentiation or specialization. Friday we had a Botany field trip to Montezerpa, a cloud forest just outside the city that lies within the boundaries of el Parque Nacional Sierra la Culata, and is characterized by the bromeliads that grow on almost every tree. We were led by our Botany teacher as well as a long-haired guide whose beard was braided in the style of Jack Sparrow. Along the hike, we stopped and identified different plants until we came across a clearing with hanging vines strong enough to swing on. We spent a short time there and then climbed another half hour to los Chorros de Milla, small cascades on the river Milla. Since I was wearing whitey tighties, I was hesitant to swim in front of our female teacher, but then I looked over and noticed that our guide had completely stripped down and was wading into the water. I have noticed that Venezuelans tend to be a more comfortable with nudity than Americans. A few weeks back, we stumbled upon an art gallery featuring pretty graphic nude photos that shocked most of us, but when we asked Cointa about it, she casually responded, “Not my cup of tea” (paraphrasing a bit). The water in the stream was as cold, if not colder, than that of Superior, but we spent about an hour climbing on the rocks and sitting under waterfalls. Best field trip ever! Saturday we had been invited to visit our friend Manuel, the tour guide who we met at los Llanos. We took a 45 minute bus ride to Tabay ($.20) and then a jeep up to Mucuy Baja ($.30) where Manuel’s parents live. When he is not guiding a tour, he lives with his parents saving money to build his house nearby. Mucuy Alta, which is just east of where we were, is the start of the trail to Pico Bolívar and Pico Humboldt when the teleférico is not running. We spent most of the afternoon hiking to a waterfall by Manuel’s place and hearing about his adventures. Later on, we met his friends and neighbors Rojo and Gustavo. Rojo creates sculptures out of metal, plays guitar, and is well on his way to building a greenhouse in the backyard and starting a small farm. With regular rain, fertile soil, cheap land, and a long growing season, this area is ideal for farming. Gustavo is a painter, designer of Swiss Army knives, and plays the bongos. It caught my attention that their house did not need a refrigerator since they have constant access to fresh fruit, veggies, and fish. It was Rojo’s birthday so that night all their friends came over with more instruments and the jam began around 7PM. Their setup included a keyboard, drum set, three bongos, guitar, bass, and some other percussion equipment. The vibe was constantly changing, with people trading instruments and rotating out to say hi to friends, smoke a cigarette, or drink a glass of wine. They continued until about midnight when we went to bed. Today we hiked back to the waterfalls and made plans to return after spring break and possibly after our program to spend a week summiting the two aforementioned peaks. This weekend was a very inspiring experience seeing all of these people living simply and doing what they love. On the way back, we came across a store that sold limoncillo, which I have been trying to find for a while. I first heard about it during a Botany field trip to the Universidad de los Andes medicinal garden and later on discovered the tea’s calming effects. For our Botany class, we have to write a paper on a topic of our choice, so I am going to research tropical plants used to make teas and their medicinal and therapeutic properties. Happy St. Patty’s Day to all! We hardly noticed here...