Hello all, We are back in Medellin, Colombia, for more medical treatment. Anyone interested in more information can go to CaringBridge.org, go to Visit, my web page is "debraaxness". Then ask to be added to the list of visitors. We will try to update this blog soon! -Debby and Larry

We are now in Medellin, Colombia. We flew here from Curacao on February 22, for medical and dental checkups and to do some tourism in and around the city. We have been pleasantly surprised at Medellin; it is a vibrant, friendly city, with great infrastructure. Medellin has a train system linking all parts of the city, including cable cars up the hills. We took a cable car ride in the northwest part of the city from San Javier today, overlooking all of the city. For less than $1 you can buy a ticket to travel on the Metro, including the cable cars.
We also visited the Botanical Garden in the city, and downtown are many Botero sculptures, since the artist Botero is from Medellin.

Seru Boca Marina, Spanish Waters, Curacao
We sailed the Debonair over to Seru Boca Marina, tucked away under Table Mountain in Curacao. We left her there while we flew to Medellin, Colombia. This is probably the prettiest marina we have ever been to, with the mountain in the background. It is next to the Hyatt Hotel and a beautiful golf course.

Our most recent fun about the boat has been dealing with a leaky fuel tank. We came back from Peru and Ecuador to find diesel fuel in our bilge. Getting the old tank out was easier than on other boats; we heard stories of other boats where the tank lived under the engine, or the galley had to be taken out with crow bars. The old tank was accessible and just had to be emptied, disconnected, and man-handled out. It was made out of black iron and gave 25 years of good service, but had probably been dribbling diesel for a while, bit by bit.

We contracted with a local machine shop to build a new custom marine-grade aluminum tank. This shop had lots of recommendations and had even made tanks for the Coast Guard and local ferry boats. Nevertheless, they did their best to make a tank that was too big for the space. They had the old one, we went over the measurements very carefully with them, and discussed at length how important it was to be EXACTLY the same. The tank still had to go back three times, a centimeter too big here, two centimeters too long here. Unbelievable. Que parte exactemente no entiendes? was Larry's final comment. They finally got it right.
It is now installed, and we put 5 gallons in to check, and so far no leaks! We got the air out of the engine and it started, but we have another problem with the engine - no cooling water is coming out the exhaust. Oh well!

Quito, Ecuador

We were only in Quito for four days but wished for a longer stay. Quito is a vibrant city, and, at 2,800 meters high, the second highest capital city in the world (after La Paz, Bolivia). We had gradually come up to that altitude, after Loja (2,000 meters) for 2 days, and Cuenca (2,500 meters) for over a week. We did notice the altitude, especially going up to the statue of the Virgin, with some shortness of breath.

Quito seems to be more of a real city, after spending time in Cuenca. It has several major city centers; we stayed in the Old City and also in La Mariscal. After a day, we were pretty comfortable with the bus system, and had taken some walking tours and seen several museums.

Cuenca, Ecuador

We stayed in Cuenca for a week, and it felt like much longer, as it had the most "Westernized" feel of any city we visited. Many American ex-pats have chosen to retire or stay for an extended time in Cuenca; I could nudge Larry with a "gringo alert" many times a day, walking down the street. Cuenca is a friendly, inviting, clean, and beautiful city, with cultural attractions including free symphony orchestra performances. It has a major university and the requisite outstanding cathedral, in this case two of them.

We took a double-decker bus tour of the city which wound its way up into the hills overlooking Cuenca for wonderful views of the city. We also enjoyed several museums and looked at many of the churches in the area.

The downside of Cuenca is the feeling that is hard to shake that it is not all a stage set - cities like Lima and Quito, even Loja and Trujillo, "feel" like real cities with a lot of earthy goings-on. Cuenca, perhaps because of the influx of Americans, at times did not feel like a truly South American city. In spite of this, I really enjoyed it and would happily spend some months there.

Lima

We stayed in Lima for a week before traveling to Cusco, and then another several days when we came back from Cusco and Machu Picchu. Lima is a huge city, with over 10 million people, making it just about the size of New York City. I was impressed with the size, the cleanliness of the city (especially after so much time in litter-strewn Venezuela), how busy everyone seems to be, and how welcoming it is. The police on the streets are friendly and helpful, as are most of the people we met on the street in the city center and in the suburbs Miraflores and Callao. I could have stayed in Lima for months, exploring the city's museums and other attractions. Of course there is probably the occasional pick pocket thief, and the city does have bad neighborhoods, but the sense of looking over your shoulder to see who might want to rob you that we have in Puerto La Cruz is nonexistent in Lima.

The presidential palace's changing of the guard on a Saturday at noon is quite an impressive show, with a marching band, decorated horses, and a full processional around the square. We toured the San Franciscan monastery and recommend that tour through the catacombs under the church.

Even just walking around the city is an experience, with new sights around every corner.

Cusco, Peru

We spent a week in Cusco, Peru, which is high in the Andes mountains at 3,500 meters (about 11,500 feet). We took the bus overnight from Lima to Cusco, which takes 22 hours of travel, along the coast and then winding up through the mountains. I started to get altitude sickness on the bus ride and was very ill for three days afterwards, barely able to get out of bed and unable to eat or drink. We took the plane back to Lima, which took 45 minutes (!). So my advice is to fly into Cusco, and then plan to rest for a couple of days before descending to Machu Picchu. Once I felt better, I would get winded walking up stairs or a steep hill.

Cusco is a lovely city, old architecture in the cathedrals, churches, and Inca stonework everywhere. Cusco was the capital city of the Inca empire when it was thriving, but the Spaniards did their best to level the buildings and enslave the Incas. Now Cusco is one of the most heavily touristed cities in South America. You cannot walk in the city without being beseiged by local merchants to sell things, everything from alpaca scarves and hats, sweaters, to jewelry and everything else imaginable. Only a very few beggars were in the streets, however, and most people are very friendly. It is a very safe city and tourists can walk the streets all evening after sunset to see the beautifully lit main plaza and buildings.

Machu Picchu

(Double click on the slide show to see larger images)
In January and February, we took an inland trip to Peru and Ecuador, and the highlight of the trip was to South America's top tourist destination, Machu Picchu. Despite altitude sickness which kept Debby in bed for three days in Cusco, once she adjusted to the height (3,500 meters), and almost non-stop rain, we found the site well worth the high price. We took the bus trip up to the site early in the morning in a steady drizzle, expecting to wear our rain gear all day, but the sun came out after about an hour.

Machu Picchu has been restored to such a genuine site that we almost expected to hear the patter of Inca feet around the next corner as we scrambled over rocks and walked the site. They keep alpacas on the site to add to the authenticity of it. Nestled high in the Andes Mountains, the slopes of the surrounding mountains are so steep that it is not surprising that it was lost until the 1880s and not explored or mapped until 1911 by the American Hiram Bingham, swallowed up by the jungle for four centuries. One story has it that some of the Incas fled to Machu Picchu to escape the Spaniards during their subjugation of the local population and were never found.

Machu Picchu (the name means "Old Peaks" in the Inca language Quechua) was begun about 1400, and was still under construction at the time it was abandoned in the 1500s, in the wake of the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire for gold and other precious metals, and the enslavement of the Incas to mine it. The construction of the walls is to such a precision fit that mortar or other adhesive was used. Farmland was terraced on the mountain slopes. The site includes temples, schools, an astronomical observatory, and houses for about 500 - 700 inhabitants.

SOCIALIST SUPERMARKET

Within the past year the Venezuelan government has taken over many businesses, like banks, manufacturers and food companies. We have been shopping at a supermarket that used to belong to a French company but is now government owned and operated. The new store is called Bicentenario, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence. It is advertised as a "people's store" with lower prices although we haven't seen much difference in the cost of items. One real change has been in the deli area where customers can buy a type of sandwich called an arepa, a popular local specialty.


However in this store the price for an arepa is about one third of what you would pay elsewhere. These tasty concoctions of cornmeal, pork, beans, cheese or beef mixtures are called socialist arepas, to emphasize the lack of capitalist profit that yields a lower price. For an added bit of political education, the receipt you receive when you buy one of these has a quote from Karl Marx printed on it.

About 6 lines from the bottom of our receipt that we photographed(above) you'll see a sentence in Spanish which translates as, "To each according to his needs, from each according to his ability." We've never noticed anyone else actually reading or discussing this famous Marxist slogan while standing in line waiting for their food, but I suppose it's the thought that counts.

We had a great trip to Gran Sabana in south eastern Venezuela. We went by bus, first to Ciudad Bolivar, and then to Santa Elena, near the border with Brazil.
Our first waterfall we had to take a twenty minute boat ride and a short hike to see. It was one of the more spectacular falls. There are hundreds of waterfalls off the tepuis in Canaima National Park.


Larry is talking to our guide, Ramzi Zahalan, in front of a staircase waterfall. Each site was reachable only by an off-road drive in a 4x4 vehicle. After a rainfall, these "roads" looked impassable - but Ramzi was able to negotiate all of them.




Standing by the Toyota in front of the site for filming "Jurassic Park"....

Here at Bahia Redonda we still have the weekly Bar-B-Que to look forward to. Last week we had mostly clear skies and a spectacular sunset. There are fewer cruisers here, and there are great deals on dockage, so we are taking our time here in Puerto La Cruz.
At the BBQ










One of the Bahia cats (which someone called the Bahia Royalty) also came to join us by the rooftop. Garfield played the ham and posed for us.

In three weeks in the boatyard at Navimca, in Cumana, Venezuela, we ac- complished many jobs. The biggest ones were with the prop shaft and engine. We had a new dripless shaft seal installed, cleaned, painted, and machined the transmission coupling, new cutless bearing. The engine got new motor mounts, a new thermostat and coolant, a new shut off switch, new transmission oil. We used Cesar the diesel mechanic in Cumana and were very satisfied with his work, and he was great to have around.

Here we are in a boatyard again. This haul out is at Navimca, in Cumana, Venezuela. Our last haul out was in March, 2008 at Bobby's Boatyard in St. Martin. We have a list of projects that we need to complete at this haul out, as always. We have a new propeller shaft seal, and new motor mounts, for the big projects. Once our mechanic pulled the shaft, he strongly advised us to also replace the cutless bearing. Fortunately he was able to find one at a local marine store here in Cumana.




Our new home for a couple of weeks. The boatyard only has a couple of other live aboards here.


Trying to fish a necessary part out of the filthy bilge. We had to go at it from aft, where Larry was pushing sludge up to me, and I was mopping it out.

Just a few words about the Marina Cumana- goto, which is the only game in town if you want to stay in Cumana. There is no anchorage, either. All of the facilities are in terrible shape. The docks are falling apart, the electrical connections are nonexistent or questionable, the water pressure is bad. The showers are in the mall itself, so you get to share the space with everyone using the mall. The saving grace of the marina is the staff, who are personable, friendly, and helpful to a fault. We especially like the managers, Ruben and Gaston. The dockhands and guards are great too. The rates are almost 50% more than Bahia Redonda in Puerto La Cruz, where the facilities are so superior it's like a different world. But if you want to see Cumana, or need a mechanic, you will need to go to Cumanagoto.
Here's Larry in front of a neighboring boat, which seems to have been abandoned here, and left for the cormorants that splat on the deck all day long. Larry wanted to have someone over to the boat and stop here, telling them that we need to have a bit of work done.

We have a PYI Packless Shaft Seal, or "dripless" shaft seal, which has been great for many years. What we have found out, however, is that when it goes, it really creates a flood into the boat. The word in Spanish for flood is "inundacion" and that's what we had a couple of weeks ago. We found out about it 15 minutes away from the dock, thank goodness - because our automatic float switch for the bilge pump also decided to give way at that point too. We have an Ultimate Pump Switch, which has given great service for many years, but is now also kaput. After much footwork and investigation we have figured out how to get spares for both, and are having them shipped. Our simple haulout has turned into more of a project, with a shaft seal to replace, and also our engine motor mounts, which the mechanic strongly recommended.

In between things breaking on the boat, we are actually fixing some of them. Our latest project (which we haven't tested for water tightness yet) is a new kitchen sink drain. Here's Debby washing dishes out in the cockpit. We've been using a bucket for our sink for months now.
Here's the new sink drain. We couldn't find a drain to fit the holes for the sink; it's too small for standard kitchen drains, and too large for bathroom drains. So we found some plastic drains and had to cut some washers using a hole saw out of plastic plates. Everything is bedded with silicon.
Underneath the sink, here's the new fixtures. We are hoping for the best with this. It will be nice to have a working galley sink again.

In Cumana, close to the marina on the waterfront, is a small amusement park which reminds us of the 1960s rides we went on in Excelsior in Minnesota. They were from the same vintage, probably sold when they were decommissioned in the States. Just like the fleet of 1970s and 80s American muscle cars we see on the street.
This car, we think a 1959 Chevrolet Impala with the big fins, we found downtown Cumana. It was a real beauty, and still running.

Being in Venezuela is somewhat like an archeological expedition - what are we going to find that is 30, 40, 50 years old, what was built 40 years ago, and what was it when it was built?
We bought some yellowfin tuna steaks ("si hay atun aleta amarilla") from these guys, who set up shop every morning with a generator to run a jigsaw, all mounted on a modified bicycle. I don't think they see too many gringos, as we drew a lot of attention. The steaks were lovely, and cost about $2 a pound. Local fisherman pulled them out of the gulf right here.

We have been in Cumana, Venezuela for a month now. We like Cumana, and have been doing things like taking care of dental visits for both of us, and having the engine cooling system looked at. We tried to leave last week and overheated. It turned out to be a faulty thermostat, but of course we can`t buy one here. So we just took it out and will get one when we get to Curacao.

We did some of the touristy stuff and went to the fort on the hill here.

We also found a great wall with Venezuela`s motto on it here in Cumana.

We made it to Isla Chimana Segunda, then El Occulto, Mochima in Mochima National Park, Laguna Grande, and then Medregal Village in the Golfo de Cariaco.
Laguna Grande is especially beautiful, a huge protected bay with hillsides that remind us a lot of the American Southwest. It is very desert-like, full of cacti and other desert plant life, with red hills. It was a beautiful vista when we hiked up to the top of the hill by our anchorage.