So now I am in Ciudad Bolivar. I wandered round Caracas for another day before heading out of town to Santa Fe.

While walking in the markets in Caracas selling all kinds of goods I saw the most beautiful butterfly I have ever seen. It was enormous and a bright blue colour and seemed to move in slow motion. For a second I felt as if I had entered into a dream. There was a guy sitting by the kerb selling puppies in cardboard boxes. They had just been born. On the metro a cute little girl was allowed to look into a box containing her new bunny. It was pretty easy to get around and even though it is frustrating not being able to speak Spanish doing what you want is not so difficult.

I met a Norwegian girl called Rut on the way out of Caracas and ended up staying with her in Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a sleepy fishing village on the beach. There is not so much to do there but it is very chilled. I spent two days lying on the beach reading and drinking juice, rum and beer. Just perfect - no shoes, hot weather and good food . It was wonderful to hear the ocean again and finally go swimming, it has seemed so long.

Now I am in Ciudad Bolivar which is a medium sized city maybe halfway between the coast and the border. I´m planning to stock up on some stuff here before hitting Brazil. The streets around where I´m staying are all cobbled and overlooks the main square. I´m sleeping in a hamock and hopefully before I leave I will have one of my own. From here I will be heading for Manaus and from there the Amazon.

ros from URL @ 8:28 pm