Mauro and Maracaibo

We’re approaching the end of our first ‘couch surfing’ experience.  A great ethos behind this– you register on the couch surfing website, filling in lots of information about yourself, some of which defeated us – life ambitions etc.  People all over the world are registered on it, when you’re heading somewhere, you search for people there who may be able to host you or meet you for a drink.

We found Mauro in Maracaibo, Venezuela’s second biggest city close to the border with Colombia. It got off to a shaky start. We couldn’t find where he lived – in a gated development in the far north of the city. We arrived in yet another downpour and we were delivered by a disgruntled taxi driver.  Things soon started looking up. It’s been a really interesting experience. We thought we were arriving in time for his sister’s birthday party, which we were quite excited about, but it turned out to be the night before – whoops. Instead, we were taken out by Mauro and his friend to a local fast food place serving the Maracaibo version of a burger – meat in fried plantain instead of bread. 

They are so proud of their city, a sprawling, sweltering collection of modern apartment and office blocks and poor barrios on the edge of the enormous lake Maracaibo. The city generates the most revenue in Venezuela through oil – you can see up to 6 tankers on the lake and refineries in the distance. Apparently it also had the first hospital, first access to electricity, a superior version of Spanish is spoken and they have better food!  A biased opinion maybe but it’s better than just relying on a guide book for information.

Today Simon and I have marched all over the place (for the first part in search of a toilet). Pretty much everywhere was closed for election day. The only activity was around the polling station – massive queues, and around the Cathedral. Maracaibo has its own saint – the Virgin ‘Chinita’ (who apparently has ‘Chinese’ eyes).  There was a big festival in her honour last weekend and in the cathedral there’s a story about her and a lump of wood.

An old lady was washing clothes in the lake one day when she came across an interesting piece of wood. She took it home and for some reason put it on her wall. Apparently the wood started banging on the wall prompting neighbours to call round to see what was causing the noise. The wood then started glowing and the image of the virgin holding baby Jesus with two figures looking on became clear. It was decided the miraculous wood should be taken to the Cathedral of the rich people but when it came to be moved the wood became too heavy to lift. When the wood was instead taken to the poor peoples Cathedral it became light again and has been there ever since, surrounded by garish gold and good people dressed all in white. The Cathedral is now the only Basilica in Venezuela.