Once you make a few friends, they will inevitably invite you to go hiking for the afternoon or camping for the weekend.  Accompanying the mountains, there is a great qu!antity of rainfall, particularly in the latter part of the year.  Merida, unlike the rest of Venezuela, maintains a cool climate.  If you want heat and beaches, think Margarita or Chichiriviche.  If you don't want to sweat, Merida is the place.

The local nightlife is very colorful.  The Venezuelan word for party is "rumba".  Several spots in Merida play salsa music and the locals are eager to teach beginners how to dance.  La Cucaracha and La Cucaracha Cafe are for the well-dressed and not everyone can enter.  Then there are Gradas, El Hoyo del Queque and Birosca for those that would rather hear some rock.  El Hoyo, owned by a Frenchman, is the gathering spot for foreigners and it is easy to pick up a conversation with people from Denmark, Germany or Switzerland.

Eating and drinking are very economical.  Beer costs approximately $.25 for an 8 oz bottle, but you'll want to try the local juices.  A meal at a common restaurant might run one or two dollars and can include soup, a main dish and a glass of tropical juice.

If you want to eat cheaply, you can go to the Avenida 2 to Los Nevados.  Try the carne de res a la criolla (steak with tomatoes) or the pechuga rellena (chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese). It is a rather humble place but you will leave satisfied and will only spend a dollar.

There are also higher scale restaurants that cost around $4-$5 a plate. If you want ambience, there is La Abadia which is a converted monastery that now serves food and has internet stations. It has a nice terrace overlooking the downtown and the entire restaurant is themed around monks. In the Plaza de Milla there is La Astilla and Luz de Caraballo which offer good food and generally good service. A local fast-food chain, La Nota, is famous for their huge hamburgers.

Here, hamburgers tend to carry ham, perhaps a fried egg and sometimes french fries, so don't expect your average bacon cheeseburger.  There are, of course, McDonald's and Wendy's but they really are too expensive compared to the local foods and who wants to eat at a franchise in a foreign country?  I also have to mention Al Magid, on Calle 25, where you can get a great falaffel or shwarma.

Lodging is also quite economical.  I highly recommend the Posada Suiza in the Avenida 2 where you can get a room with or without private bath for around $5 a night.  A posada is like a hotel, but cheaper.  The Posada Suiza is a converted colonial home and the owner, Ricardo, is a brilliant man who speaks German fluently and English very well.  He is also picking up French.  He lives there with his family and can guide any visitor since he is a native of Merida. 

He loves to meet his guests and is always ready to help with a smile.  The posada itself has a nice inner courtyard and a second-level terrace that offers a spectacular view of the city and the mountains.

In the courtyard you can meet the other guests, and expect to find a new friend who is ready for a night on the town. Don't be afraid to meet new people here, as it is much easier than in the United States.

On New Year's Eve Ricardo throws a party complete with fireworks.  Venezuelans love fireworks, and if you! think there is a war going-on then Venezuela probably has just won a soccer game.  Ricardo also offers paragliding and mountain biking as well as four-day tours to Los Llanos and the Amazon where you can expect to see a great deal of wildlife.  His email is colibri_merida@hotmail.com. 

If you decide you like Merida and want to stay longer, you can rent an apartment or a room. Generally, this will run you between $50 to $150 a month, plus electricity and cable. Las Tapias is probably the safest neighborhood and you can get a penthouse with three bedrooms and two bathrooms for about $150 a month.  If you want a smaller place, you might like Pedregosa Alta where you can get a small apartment with a nice view, nestled on the side of a mountain for around $100 a month.

Many of the expatriates live in El Valle, a scenic area with a cool climate where your neighbors may be local farmers or German artesans.Once you have a place to live, there are a number of internet service providers and you can get cable internet or DSL for about $50 a month, so bring your computer.

However, if you prefer, there are dozens and dozens of internet cafes that run less than $.50 an hour.  Phone service is economical as well. You can purchase a cell phone for about $75 or brin!g your own and they will connect it for a nominal fee. Service can be by subscription or pre-paid.  If you want to call the United States, it runs less than $.10 a minute at any of the CanTV offices.

You don't need a car to get around Merida as taxis are plentiful and will cost around $1 to $2.  Although the vast majority of taxi drivers are honest it is best to negotiate the price before getting in, because there are no meters.  Buses are very cheap, at around $.10 - $.20 per ride, though it may be confusing for the newcomer to navegate by bus.

They are all privately owned and nobody publishes maps of the routes.

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