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June 2000- It is so nice to start the week with bug bites, a sunburn, and sand all over the floor of my apartment. I had not been to the beach in a month (a whole month!) and the tan had left my body long ago. Daniel and Michelle were going with a group of people to Caracolito for the day and I was eager to come along. I dislike spending weekends in Caracas because I never seem to do anything. I would much rather be on the beach. Sunday morning the group was scheduled to leave at 8:00 AM. We made our intended departure time, but unfortunately due to a long night of drinking on Saturday the group was reduced to just Daniel, Michelle, and myself. As I drove to the beach Daniel slept in the backseat and Michelle was upset both with my driving and the dark clouds looming above us. It rained lightly on a few occasions but we forged ahead with hope for a sunny afternoon. Traffic was light and we made it to the beach in two hours. |
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As before, once arriving in Puerto Francis we had to wait for enough people to fill the boat before departing for Caracolito. The man in charge told us that we would depart when he had thirteen passengers. Daniel, Michelle, and I passed the time by eating empanadas (stuffed cornmeal pockets) of cheese and cazón (shark meat). Once thirteen people had arrived the same character informed us that he needed eighteen people. So the three of us waited a little while longer before boarding the boat. Once it was time to leave things did not go easily. The boat is backed up to the shore right at where the waves break, making perfect timing necessary to board. The problem is that while people are waiting for the perfect opportunity the waves were pounding everyone behind them in line. I attempted to avoid this problem by going around everyone else and boarding the boat from the side. This worked for me, however I still had to wait while everyone else came on board. At one point there was a rather large man sitting on the side of the craft and the boat almost turned over. This did not make Michelle very comfortable as she already has a dislike for the small craft that we take to reach remote beaches. Just as we were preparing to leave a huge wave came crashing over the bow and soaked me. Luckily I had my bag up against my chest and my camera did not get wet. Upon finally leaving the shore (with a total of 26 people in the boat) it was a short trip to Caracolito. The first thing that the three of us noticed once arriving at the beach was how dirty it was. More kiosks had been built and there was trash everywhere. We had a hard time finding a spot that was not littered with garbage. As a result of the litter I doubt that we will return to Caracolito. Since I had not been to the beach in so long I was out of the routine and forgot to bring the beach paddles and other toys. Daniel and I just napped and swam while Michelle read her book. It rained on us for a few short intervals but never enough to be an inconvenience. |
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At 2:00 PM Daniel and I set off for the rocks to jump from the cliff and take some pictures. I wore sandals this time instead of going barefoot as I had previously and it was a much easier excursion with the footwear. Also the tide was much higher on this particular occasion, making our jump less dangerous. We both leaped off the rocks twice and photographed our bravery before returning to Michelle and the beach. Unfortunately Daniel lost his footing on the way back on a particularly slippery rock. He cut open his foot and bruised his arm and wrist. Once back on the beach Michelle scolded Daniel for being so careless while he attempted to drink away the pain. I bought Daniel a coco crema (ice cream served in a coconut shell) to help make him feel better before we returned to Puerto Francis, where the car was parked. The trip back to Puerto Francis went smoother than the boat ride to Caracolito, but this was attributed to a larger boat, not less passengers or higher efficiency on the part of the crew. Daniel went to sleep again almost immediately after he got in the car. The three of us were planning on going out to dinner upon returned to Caracas but the ten beers that Daniel had drank during the day made us reconsider our plans. We stopped for bananas along the side of the road and battled the traffic on the way home. Once back in Caracas Daniel and Michelle went home and I tracked sand all over my apartment while attempting to clean up. Not bad for a day trip but I can't to get out of town for the whole weekend. |
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