I'm Leaving On a Float Plane...

Buenos Diaz from Venezuela!

Climbing into the little floatplane, that held 4 other people, I started on my amazing race to Venezuela. 
Salt Spring Air is fabulous. Halfway across the water to Vancouver, the pilot spotted this incredible tall ship. He circled it low so that we could get a good look of the wooden decks, the masts, the sails.  Check it out: http://www.sailtraining.org/membervessels/vessel.php?@=222&pg=Public_Information)
I took some nice aerial shots with my phone but the photos wouldn't send once I got to Vancouver - so I can't post them here. 

View from the condo

The next flight took me to L.A. and from there I was on a midnight flight to Miami. Slept like a log all the way. In Miami airport I had many hours to wait but found a great little coffee shop with wifi. Then the 4th and final flight took me to Barcelona, Venezuela. It was cool to fly over the Atlantic and then the Carribean - seeing the Bahamas, Cuba and Haiti/Dominican Republic. I'd never been to South American so am learning more geography as I go. For instance, I didn't know that Costa Rica and Venezuela are basically at the same longitude rather than north/south of each other.  

Making arepas.

It is a balmy 34ºC here and quite humid. I'm staying with a wonderful teacher/librarian who feels like an old friend (she did visit me on Salt Spring this summer!). I booked a few extra days so right now it feels like a holiday. Turns out that today and tomorrow are Virgin del Valle Festival, a religious holiday. First, her library assistant came over to cook a traditional Venezuelan breakfast. She made scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, with arepas (Ah-ray-pass) - round bread made from corn flour and baked slowly on a special flat baking sheet. We had sliced avocados, fried plantains and freshly squeezed orange juice with it. Pretty awesome, what a welcome!

Coast of Venezuela

Then we spend some time in and by the pool under the palm trees (while Arnout emailed a photo of the first snow fall in northern Canada... heehee). We walked to the beach where the festival was in full swing, with lots of people, music and stalls with food. At the first stall we bought the most perfect pina coladas I've ever had.. Good festival.

Next we sampled warm tequeños, deep-fried breadsticks with melted, white cheese inside. Yummy. And of course we had to take home tres leches cake and torte de chocolate to eat on the balcony in the warm breeze after our bean soup and wine. I must say... I like Venezuela so far! But.. things could deteriorate once I have to go to work...  

Did You Pack This Bag Yourself?

This is Margriet - interrupting Kees' regular blogs from the Camino. I am now 'on my way' to join him there. But first I have to do workshops at an international school in Venezuela. I've never been to South America. Costa Rica was the closest. So I am looking forward to arriving there soon.
I left home yesterday for 2 months... (Nico put his arms around my neck, at the float plane dock and said "I like it better when you are home." THAT did not make leaving any easier...)
After Venezuela I will join Kees to hike the final week of the Camino. Then I'm happy to be speaking at a conference for international school librarians.
Then we'll fly to Amsterdam and from there to Zambia. I've never been to Africa either, so that's two check marks on the bucket list.
In Zambia it's volunteer work with the book bus and at an elephant orphanage.
So... what do you pack for 2 months, in which you need to have some dressy clothes, some old clothes, mostly hot but also cold (the last week of October in the Netherlands).... I need to carry my Camino pack for a week. AND I do not want to check luggage on any flight... So what do you do?

First of all, I found the perfect luggage. One small wheelie suitcase was already living in my basement. It's small enough to be cabin luggage. I'm allowed a second piece so a small pack. I still have a small purse around my neck. If anyone argues that this is a third piece, I can pack it inside the large pack.

For the pack I decided on 40L as the ideal size. It needs to hold everything for a week including a sleeping bag. And it's not as huge as the pack I'm wearing in the photo above. Carrying that on our last 2 hikes was too heavy.

So what's inside?
Most people tend to take their best things. I take clothes I'm ready to part with. Sometimes I even buy something specific at the second hand store so that I can leave it behind when I don't need it anymore. I packed one very thin, very light silk jacket that makes anything look dressy. One lightweight dress and a blouse I can wear as a jacket on it. 2 pairs of capri's, both of which I can leave in Africa. A pair of long pants for the last week. A fleecy, some tank tops. A nightshirt. One pair of flip flops that will stay in Africa, one pair of sandals and one pair of sturdy hiking shoes. Not boots but shoes - much easier to pack.
A large scarf - which I've already used as blanket in the plane.
Books - yes, I can't travel without books. But I selected titles I can part with as I go. A toothbrush that folds up. 2 small tubes of toothpaste. One cream that is also medicinal - for chapped lips, disinfectant, etc. All in one.
I also have a fair supply of pencils and bookmarks for kids in Africa. And a small photo album to show them my home town and grandchildren.

So.. we're off. Stayed tuned for Kees' next report from the Camino and mine from Venezuela!