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March 2000- Everyone converged at my apartment on Saturday morning for our trip to Morrocoy. On this particular occasion "everyone" consisted of Tom, Jo, Michelle, Britt, and myself. Jo was in route from Maturin to Las Morroches and had a stopover for the weekend. Dayle was in Houston though and Daniel was searching for an apartment so they could not come along. We got on the road at 7:30 in the morning and the drive was rather inconsequential. Tom was acting as DJ and had brought along some great tunes from Bob Marley, Khamed, and Buena Vista Social Club. As it was nearing 10 AM we made a stop in Puerto Cabello for empanadas (stuffed cornmeal pockets) at Britt's insistence. The back seat occupants slept most of the way to the beach so it was a quiet trip. We finally made it to our launching point around 11:15 AM, where I did a perfect e-brake stop which impressed the locals and angered my friends. From there it was a short 20-minute boat ride to Cayo Sombrero. |
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Once arriving on the key we staked out our territory and the others went for a swim while I set up camp. I put up a couple of hammocks and covered up the bags and put the ice chest in the shade. Everyone had a good laugh at the mini-tripod chair that I brought along, but I thought that it was cool. We relaxed and hung out all afternoon, typical of a day at the beach. I ate three coco-cremas (ice cream served in a coconut shell) and decided that I was only going to eat and drink out of coconuts from this point on. Tom and I played paddleball and flew the kite, and Tom and Britt went snorkeling. Our Venezuelan neighbors had brought a boom box and were slightly annoying Tom, but it didn't bother the rest of us. As the sun set we got ready for dinner. It was quite windy so we took shelter at a picnic table positioned behind a hut to try and escape the gusts. Tom and I had brought flashlights and candle lanterns but they were hardly necessary with the full moon looming above us. The moon was so bright that it cast a distinct shadow on the ground. I had brought a large amount of food, since this wasn't the usual crowd of Tom, Rob, and myself and some of these people have picky palates. We started with a dinner salad while the pasta was cooking. I had brought macaroni and cheese, along with some extra spices and vegetables to add flavor. Michelle and I were amazed to learn that Britt had never eaten mac and cheese before, since this (along with Top Ramen) was the cornerstone of our college diet plans. Tom brought along a bottle of white wine and some Belgian chocolate as the finishing touches for dinner. |
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We stayed up talking for a few hours after dinner before heading off to bed. This is when the problems started. Tom, Michelle, and I were all planning on sleeping in hammocks with mosquito nets. I had done this previously on Cayo Sombrero with great results. Britt and Jo were going to sleep on the ground with sleeping bags and a mosquito net over them. I hadn't brought a blanket with me (the one I usually bring was left on the bus when returning from Merida) so I was chilled by the breeze. At 10:00 PM it started raining and everyone started panicking. It really wasn't coming down very hard but I was already cold from the wind. The Belgians moved their plastic groundcloth skyward to shield them from the rain and I gave Michelle a space blanket to keep her dry. I took down my hammock and tried to just tie up one end and make a sort of lean-to but that didn't really work. It would be one of five different configurations I'd try before actually settling down to bed. I put the hammock back up without the mosquito net, and that worked until it started raining again. I tried to hide under the plastic with the Belgians but there wasn't enough room. Finally I took down my hammock completely and went to lie under a tree that would shield me from the wind and rain. I didn't even bother hanging the hammock up this time, I just used it as a blanket. As if the weather was not trying enough, while all of this was taking place our Venezuelan neighbors (whom Tom had been weary of earlier) were now drunk, yelling, and blasting their music. They continued this all through the night, until at least 4:00 AM. The tree that I chose to sleep under was as far away from them as possible, but the others were not as fortunate. |
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Despite a poor night's sleep we were all up fairly early on Sunday morning. Michelle said that it was the worst night ever, but I had to disagree. At least we weren't in jail! We all went swimming in the morning to wash the sleep out of our eyes before eating breakfast. I brought along Musli especially for Tom; it is his favorite. The rest of the day on Sunday I alternated between sleeping in a hammock and sleeping in the sand. It was a day far exceeding my usual beach-laziness standards. We headed back to the mainland at 4:00 PM, despite my request to leave earlier in the afternoon. We were on the road about 4:30 (along with the rest of Venezuela) and headed home. Once again the backseat crew fell asleep almost immediately, but Britt did manage to wake up long enough to remind me to stop in Puerto Cabello again for empanadas. From Puerto Cabello traffic was thick all the way home. I was in a poor mood by the time I finally got to my apartment at 8:45 PM. I had to drive the last two hours home in the dark and I hardly had any time to clean up before the next week started. Tom agreed to drive all of the Belgians home though and Daniel came to pick Michelle up at my apartment, both of which saved me a little time and helped to improve my disposition. I did manage to take a shower and start a load of laundry before starting another week in the office. |
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