9/12/2011 - French? Brazilian? American? No sir, I'm English.

Garden in the modern art museum

I can understand why the guys in the modern art museum, which I went to in the morning, might have assumed that I was French - obviously only French people are interested in modern art. But I never thought I had even a trace of Brazilian about me. Several inhabitants of Puerto Ordaz and Ciudad Bolivar seemed to think otherwise. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people's first guess is American, but what I enjoy is seeing their expressions change to “pleasantly surprised” when I tell them I'm English. Looks like the Brits still have a good reputation here (wonder what its like in Europe at the moment...). Putting my identity crisis to one side, the modern art museum was a perfect air-conditioned escape from the bustle of the city streets and, just as in Caracas, I seemed to be the only soul appreciating the exhibition. 

 

Back in the scorching heat of the friday afternoon, the downtown streets were filled with colourful market stalls and a pulsating atmosphere. For lunch I found a nice little eatery where a quarter of a chicken, spaghetti and salad set me back £1.50. A personal highlight for me was sitting down at a table with a bunch of other guys, them assuming I was an idiot gringo who didn't understand anything and then watching their faces and attitude completely change when I told them I could speak spanish. Immediately they were eager to chat, find out where I'd been and where I was going, warn me about the dangers of walking around at night etc(I think Chavez might have got a mention too). Again a great comparison to when I was in this very same city at the beginning of my travels and was mostly relying on people knowing bits of English.

If you look closely, you might find an actual hot dog under all the onion and sauce

Back at the hostel, Deiter, a German guy working there part time, organised a tour to the Orinoco Delta for me (for which I had to travel back to Puerto Ordaz early tomorrow morning... oops). I also met Jacob, a traveller from Holland (I think) and for dinner we all ended up at a nice little restaurant which I wouldn't have ever found on my own (there was no sign on the locked door that it was a restaurant). While I waited for the food on my own (the others joined me later) the owner put on a DVD about the culture of the Bolivar region of Venezuela (which encompasses Ciudad Bolivar, the Gran Sabana and stretched all the way south to Santa Elena and the Brazilian border). Traditional Venezuelan music, the Gran Sabana, Roraima, the indigenous communities and El Pauji all featured heavily, and having experienced all of them first hand it was satisfying to know that I'd really got to know the region during my time in Santa Elena. When it arrived, the food was delicious (I had fish which was a welcome change from chicken, meat and cheese) and we had a few drinks with the friendly owners who put on some Beatles, took photos and added me on facebook.