I found 5 Bolivars fuertes on the beach yesterday, wedged in the sand, getting washed over by the waves. As I walked back to our group, I couldn't believe my luck! I'm rich I thought! I'll buy something cool! And then as I sat down on my towel, the truth set in. Clutched in may hand sat approximately one dollar and 16 cents. Yay... But, it is orange, with armadillos, so I guess it was still a little exciting.
Click here to see for yourself the fun, colorful new bills we have in Venezuela:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagen:Reverso_5_Bs.F.JPG
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Overnight buses
I like the idea of the overnight bus. In Venezuela they are huge, two story buses with reclining seats and footrests. The one problem however is that I am somehow to small, or of the wrong proportions to enjoy such comforts. Either my legs just hang, not reaching to the end of the footrest, or I find myself scrunched up into a ball trying to fit my whole body into my seat to be able to fully relax.
Conclusion, I should take the day buses from now on and read lots of books... Or, I should grow at least six inches.
Conclusion, I should take the day buses from now on and read lots of books... Or, I should grow at least six inches.
Platano
Who knew I could get away with writing about my beloved platanos twice on my blog! Scroll down for more of a description of what they are. I just have to say though, that whatever there actual nutritional value (this is my next subject of research...) they have saved my life over the past weeks!
Crema de calabacín
One of my favorite new recipes for my stomach´s healing process:
Creme of Zucchini Soup
Slice up and boil onion, zucchini and a little bit of fresh cilantro until tender.
Blend!
Add salt to taste!
I love it! So tasty, so quick, and so healthy! You also can add a tiny bit of olive oil for flavor while it boils, and garlic (I'm currently not allowed to eat garlic or any other spices for that matter... so my version is really quite simple). I've also added squash or carrots to give it a bit of a different color and taste, it ends up a bit sweeter with these.
Enjoy! Or at least enjoy knowing what I'm enjoying! :)
Creme of Zucchini Soup
Slice up and boil onion, zucchini and a little bit of fresh cilantro until tender.
Blend!
Add salt to taste!
I love it! So tasty, so quick, and so healthy! You also can add a tiny bit of olive oil for flavor while it boils, and garlic (I'm currently not allowed to eat garlic or any other spices for that matter... so my version is really quite simple). I've also added squash or carrots to give it a bit of a different color and taste, it ends up a bit sweeter with these.
Enjoy! Or at least enjoy knowing what I'm enjoying! :)
Friends
As many of you may have heard, I´ve made some new friends over the last few months. I must say though, these friends are not very nice to me. In fact, I´m not even sure why we´re friends at all!
Would you like to meet my friends? I have had the pleasure of harboring a variety of parasites and bacteria for the last several months. The sneaky little fellows somehow managed to keep me continually under the weather, yet avoid detection for quite awhile.
Thankfully, after a week full of not-so-pleasant tests... we found the true source of my problems. Yay! So, I went through a week of hardcore medicines to try and kick these friends out of my body. I´m not feeling 100 percent quite yet... since they´ve hung around so long, these guys have managed to do quite a bit of damage to my insides which will take awhile to heal. But, I feel much, much better! Thank the Lord!
I´m actually enjoying my super healthy diet and learning all sorts of new creative dishes to cook. It is a bit frustrating to try and follow it while traveling, but remembering how badly I've felt for so long is encouragement enough to stick to it!
I may need to repeat the parasite treatment in a week or two, as they often lay eggs and you then have to treat them as well. But, it looks as though things are getting better. I'll probably have to continue with the special diet for at least another week or two and then start slowing adding things back in as my stomach allows.
In a way, I feel as though this is just part of my South American adventure!
Would you like to meet my friends? I have had the pleasure of harboring a variety of parasites and bacteria for the last several months. The sneaky little fellows somehow managed to keep me continually under the weather, yet avoid detection for quite awhile.
Thankfully, after a week full of not-so-pleasant tests... we found the true source of my problems. Yay! So, I went through a week of hardcore medicines to try and kick these friends out of my body. I´m not feeling 100 percent quite yet... since they´ve hung around so long, these guys have managed to do quite a bit of damage to my insides which will take awhile to heal. But, I feel much, much better! Thank the Lord!
I´m actually enjoying my super healthy diet and learning all sorts of new creative dishes to cook. It is a bit frustrating to try and follow it while traveling, but remembering how badly I've felt for so long is encouragement enough to stick to it!
I may need to repeat the parasite treatment in a week or two, as they often lay eggs and you then have to treat them as well. But, it looks as though things are getting better. I'll probably have to continue with the special diet for at least another week or two and then start slowing adding things back in as my stomach allows.
In a way, I feel as though this is just part of my South American adventure!
Home
I am happy to say that we arrived safely home to Mérida this morning. As you probably know, I am a travel addict. From January 1st to April 30th I will have spent somewhere around 48 days traveling and 74 days at home. Wow! In fact, I will be leaving for my next retreat in just 13 days! So while I am glad for the opportunity to see a lot of Venezuela and some nearby countries, I was glad to touch ground this morning after 10 days and approximately 34 hours in buses and taxis.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Salt
A neighbor stopped by to borrow some salt yesterday. It made me unbelievably happy. I was reminded of a sense of community that we just don't experience much anymore in the States.
I grew up out in the country, and did on occasion borrow eggs or sugar from a neighbor if I was baking and found myself to lack some important ingredient. Even far out in the country though, the natural response is more often to take a trip to the store or to put off the cooking project if an important item is found to be missing. It was fun to be reminded that I can count on the people around me if I need something, and to know that I am available for them when they need it. Even in a country where sugar, salt and other basic ingredients can often be hard to find, I feel confident that someone would loan a bit to me if I had need.
I grew up out in the country, and did on occasion borrow eggs or sugar from a neighbor if I was baking and found myself to lack some important ingredient. Even far out in the country though, the natural response is more often to take a trip to the store or to put off the cooking project if an important item is found to be missing. It was fun to be reminded that I can count on the people around me if I need something, and to know that I am available for them when they need it. Even in a country where sugar, salt and other basic ingredients can often be hard to find, I feel confident that someone would loan a bit to me if I had need.
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