Do not try to do much on any Sunday. It would be best if you planned tours spanning this day instead of trying to do anything in the city.  Or take it as a lay day and do nothing with the locals.  It is a family day and most everything is closed.  I made the decision that I had not seen nearly enough, or done enough.  My friend had to leave on the bus to return to Puerto la Cruz.  Her teeth were chattering in anticipation.  Birdwatching: For me, the birds of the Llanos, countless as they were, weren’t enough.  Knowing that Joe Klaiber, owner of Casa Vieja (www.casa-vieja-merida.com) was a bird watching professional, I begged him to take me for one day into the Cloud Forest around La Zulita.  This locale was about 1.5-2 hours out of Tabay.  It would be my first real experience concentrating on cloud forest birds.  After reading Steve Hilty’s book: “Birds of Venezuela”, I just had to try and spot some of these bits of color and add them to my growing list. I knew if anyone was going to find me birds of all kinds, it would be Joe. He has spent 9 years of his life finding, identifying and, recording birds in many Venezuelan landscapes.  Joe reluctantly agreed to take a day from his busy and hectic schedule and do special something for me.  He was just barely able to eke out the time which turned out to be a break for him and a great adventure for me.  He is not likely to do this one day trek again, but just ask Joe to put together a 2-3 day tour and you will not be disappointed.  You won’t find better. We drove out through the heavily forested countryside of the cloud forest.  Tree ferns were everywhere, along with the melastoma meridensis, its berries the favorite food of all the tanagers. We went way back in, to some areas where the roads were deeply rutted and there were no people, houses, livestock, dogs or anything.  There were only birds, tons and tons of them.  Joe recognized so many calls.  Then, he would consult his numbered sheet, wind the tape to the right spot, take out his dual speakers, and we would stand quiet and motionless as the birds he called came very close to us excitedly answering the recorded songs.  Wonderful!  The day’s list topped 75, including two very elusive toucans which flirted twice with the recording, and an extremely rare pink headed bobby!  We were very lucky with the weather. If it’s too sunny or too rainy, the birds hide. We hit it right. We moved from site to site - even where there were people, birds were everywhere.  We had an excellent lunch and capped the day off with a visit to Posada La Bravera. (www.estancialabravera.com).  The grounds of this posada are dense with flowers and tropical foliage and the area is very secluded and quiet. If you want to be off the beaten track (2 hours or so out of Merida), this is the place. They cater to birdwatchers - there were 6 species of hummingbirds on their flowers and feeders.  We were treated to a visit with Carlo Ferraro of Ferraro Nature Films C.A. (www.ferrarofilms.net) who was visiting there as a guest.  He produces nature films concentrating on Venezuela among other places.  I purchased his DVD of Colibri (hummers).  It is very beautiful and relaxing with an excellent musical background. We all shared a fine cup of herbal tea in the lovely outdoor restaurant with hummers all around. This posada would be an excellent choice for birders who like creature comforts but away from city bustle. Downtown Merida As a single woman traveling alone, there are few places in the world where I feel I could be totally safe.  Merida is definitely one.  I bid a sorrowful hasta luego to Casa Vieja to move into the city.  I wanted a taste of that side of Merida.  I wanted to walk the streets, poke into the shops, find some CDs of Venezuelano violin music, maybe some with the Andean flutes and I was successful in that.  I wanted to try some restaurants.  My Lonely Planet guide had listed some, and some had come to me from friends. I attempted to visit the museums, of which there are sadly few.  Seemed each one was closed, or very sparse in things to see.  One place, serenely lovely is the large cathedral Basilica Menor de la Immaculada Conception, begun in 1800, but finished in 1958.  It is exquisite with ornate carvings, frescoes and light catching stained glass domes.  This is on the border of, you guessed it, Plaza Bolivar.  Every little town, and every city has its Plaza Bolivar.  Simon Bolivar is like a saint in this country.  I walked up and down the hilly streets.  The oldest location of the University of the Andes is also in town and is beautiful.  Please be sure to enter and admire the courtyard.  If you are lucky, as I was, you will be able to stand outside on the sidewalk and listen to some rich piano music coming from the neighboring music school.

RESOURCE LINKS FOR VENEZUELA About Moving to Venezuela Resources for Venezuelan emigration including both professional & official sources. Articles on Living & Investing in Venezuela An Index of Articles On Living, Working, Investing,Traveling Overseas & Real Estate in Venezuela. Art & Culture for Venezuela News, Media, Art & Travel in Venezuela. Banks Of Venezuela See Venezuela banks in our Latinoamerican Bank Section. Coro - The Venezuelan Colonial City The Historic City of Santa Ana de Coro - Venezuela - The Colonial City of Venezuela Isla Margarita - Financial Resources Financial Resources in Margarita Island. Embassies & Consulates for Venezuela Our sister site with a complete list of embassies for Venezuela and the entire world. Bookmark this page before leaving. Venezuela: Government & Country Information Information about weather, maps, flags, population and others. Hospitals in Venezuela See hospitals in Venezuela @ EscapeArtist.com Investing In Venezuela Including real estate & banks. Latin-American Search Engines A Gallery of Latin American Search Engines including query boxes  - Esta es la lista de catálogos busqueda en español. Links, links & more links Search Engines and links in Venezuela. Maps of Venezuela A large number of differing Venezuela maps, including city maps. Schools & Education In Venezuela Resources for Educating in Venezuela.  Newspapers & Media for Venezuela Escape Artist World Press is a growing index on this site. Real Estate for Isla Margarita Real Estate in Margarita Island Real Estate In Venezuela Real Estate in Venezuela Real Estate In Venezuela II Current real estate listings of Venezuelan properties. Travel & Tourism for Isla Margarita Travel, Tourism, Travel Guides, Vacations, Car Rentals, Resorts, Accomodations, etc. in Margarita Island. Travel & Tourism for Venezuela Travel, Tourism, Travel Guides, Vacations, Car Rentals, Resorts, Accomodations, etc. Previous articles on Venezuela: Venezuela: Hato Nuevo - Hato Huevo is a nearby oasis for the weary cruiser who must hide from the ‘tormentas’ for the whole summer and with all the work, doesn’t have a lot of time or simply needs a breathing spell.  Here is a place to find a tranquil getaway and a place to retouch nature, llanos style.  If you go on any weekday, you may be the only visitor, as I was - the weekends are very busy with the local Venezuelans enjoying this special place. Venezuela: A Fine Romance - Lovely Merida, an old world city/town with a cosmopolitan feel, situated on a meseta, a flattened elongated “table” of rock about 5000 feet above sea level and flanked by mighty rivers.  Looking off the edges of this mesa made me wonder -  how are the houses clinging to that edge going to stay there for much longer?  A game of roulette I would not be willing to play.  Retirement Planning for Offshore Living The advantages of outsourcing your retirement have never been better!

Places to stay
Of course, I decided to move into the city with no reservations for a place to stay.  This was high season and rooms were dear.  There is at least one posada on every street and avenue along with a sprinkling of higher priced multi-floored hotels.  By “higher priced”, I mean about $40 US and up per night.   I entered the main ones, mentioned in Lonely Planet and found the lobbies enticingly pleasant and clean.  Most have restaurants on the premises.  As to the Posadas, most range around $20 US/night and many offer tours as part of their service.

Again, using the Internet and backed up by the Lonely Planet guide, I moved into the Posada Suiza. (www.colibri-tours.com).  This posada had received excellent reviews, and I found, with relief, had a little room for me with an ensuite shower.  I am not interested in sharing at this stage of my life.  The owner, Ricardo, also the owner of Posada Alemania, a near neighbor, is an ex-cohort of Casa Vieja’s Joe, who has been in the tour business for a while.  He and the staff were warmly welcoming to me and they offered laundry services there, which I sorely needed after the Llanos.  The breakfast was superb.  For around $3.00 US I had a luscious plate of fresh fruit, jugo natural (one morning it was Mora - blackberry - fresh pressed), eggs,  arepas trigo, excellent coffee, cheese - just all you could eat and more.

Conveniently, there is a small kitchen where you can cook simply or at least, make your morning coffee.  It is set in an area where you can buy food, liquor, whatever.  The only problem I had was that the only room they had left was very, very dark, and dingy.  Clean, but not for me.  Other better rooms are available, but they were full.  This posada is a popular spot for travelers from all over the world, most all of them very young, trekking through South America.  The people in the office knew I was hoping for something else and did their best to help. 

After two nights there, I was resolved to find something else.  Which I did with some help from Joe.  How appropriate being that my name is Margo to find a lovely room at La Casona de Margot! (www.lacasonademargot.com).  This posada is located across the street from Casa Sol (www.posadacasasol.com)  which has an excellent reputation too and looks very nice through the windows.  Casona Margot luckily had space and was perfect for me.  The room was clean, bright, airy and newly equipped.  The price was close to the same as Posada Suiza. 

Just two doors down, in the morning at 7.30 am, you can have a wonderful breakfast prepared by smiling Chef Billy at his “Café-Café”.  Home-made arepas con trigo, fresh squeezed orange juice, excellent coffee (there is only excellent coffee in Venezuela), fresh chopped cilantro sprinkled all over your plate of beautifully presented eggs Venezuelano.  And the tocineta (bacon) was crisp and lean.  All at very reasonable prices.  He speaks some English, so you can visit with him.  So, even tho’ Casona Margot has no food facilities, they are close at hand and available early. 

Nothing is very far away in the city of Merida.

Shopping
Much of my time was spent sampling different lunch places, walking the streets looking for Artesan gifts - sadly, there are not too many to be had.  At least, I could not find any of high quality.  Plaza Heroinas, near the Teleferico, offered the best choices and I was able to buy some small things there.  The Mercado Artisanal nearby had only a couple of shops open.  There were some marvelous wood carvings in some of the windows, but no one was there to open the door.  I returned over a few days, and still, not open.

As to finding music, it is worth a taxi trip to Giro’s store, at the Centro Commercial Alto Prado, outside of town in a Mall.  Their selection is vast of old jazz, vintage rock as well an emphasis on latin violin and other music of the country.  Bring money, they are not cheap but here is a lot of what you cannot find anywhere else. 

Mercado Principal
Located more than a walk from the main bus terminal, this place is about four floors high, with tons and tons of vendors.  You can find all sorts of food to buy and eat there or to take home from the fruit, meat and cheese stalls.  It is very, very busy, with almost no room to walk around and the “artisans” were not very good. 

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La Abadia www.grupoabadia.com
My treat for my last night there.  I had read a lot about it and I went.  The restaurant is housed in what used to be an Abbey, as the name implies.  It is a very old and fully restored building multi-level for dining.  The decorations are classically appropriate, and the gardens are peaceful. And so is the excellent music.  I had trout grilled with herbs, served with al dente vegetables and an excellent rice pilaf.  I also treated myself to two glasses of excellent Alta Gracia white wine from Venezuela.  They have an internet coffee café to use if you wish.  My thoughts were more on a fine meal. 

La Nota
Here you can find a plate of anything you want.  From mega-burgers to some of the best broasted chicken I have ever had.  Many different sides are offered and the cole slaw is some of the best I have had anywhere.  They feature eight different sauces in the middle of each table to use on your lunch choice.

Plaza Milla
Located just a few blocks away from Casona de Margot is this plaza.  It was a Sunday, and I was having trouble finding something open where I could have dinner.  Here you will find two pizzerias, which as they all do, serve other things.  I wasn’t very hungry so ordered fresh cream of asparagus soup with garlic bread and it was excellent.  The plaza was packed with families out for a Sunday evening - admiring the two fountains. It’s a pleasant walk on a Sunday evening.

Restaurant Vegetariano El San Gloton
Fabulous food - not far from Casana Margot (or anywhere else, for that matter.)  Granola, nuts and other packaged offerings are available for sale.

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When I return, I will take advantage of some of the excellent “total immersion” Spanish courses offered here in Merida.  Being a city anchored by a major University, you can also find private tutoring by many of the students offering these services.  You can find their business cards in almost every posada lobby.

In closing, to be able to walk in the streets of Merida, a woman alone, after dark, and feel safe might have been an illusion, but I didn’t feel so. Nor, would I tempt fate by being out too late or carrying anything valuable on my person.  At 900pm, the latest I ever returned to my posada, there were women, families, children all going about their business of walking home.  Each traveler has to make their own choice about these matters.  I am not advising anyone to do what I did.  There is so much more to experience in this great country.  But, so far, Merida has shown me the most gracious hospitality of all.