So, for the first time ever, Juan and Quico are going to coincide in Caracas over the next few days.
Since a grand total of one reader turned up to Masa Critica (you know who you are, and you’re a star) we’re doing a more traditional Meet’n'Greet at Boo! Café in Las Mercedes – Calle Londres con calle Nueva York, Centro DMC, across from Movilnet – on Sunday night.
We’ll be there from 8 p.m. sharp…unless they decree 3 days of mourning for Carlos Escarrá and shut down the whole neighborhood!
I hear Boo! is a nice place, and it won’t break the bank. You can RSVP here, or just show up.
Then, on Tuesday, we’re hoping to trek on out to Parapara, in Guarico State, for a one day fact-finding mission on a randomly picked bit of rural Venezuela. We’ll try to leave very early, stop for lunch in San Juan de los Morros and be back before midnight. With luck, we can even stop at El Layero.
Thing is, we need a ride. If no better solutions bubble up, we’ll rent a car. But if you have a car and a Tuesday to burn, why not drive us out there?
While in Calabozo, remember the cool winter breeze on MontRoyal park that you left behind…
i’ll try my best to drop by…
You better stop for lunch in San Juan de Los Morros, as Calabozo is several kilometers south of Parapara de Ortiz. Enjoy
Dang, foiled by geography. Thx!
If any or both of you come to Maracaibo, please let me know.
We’re both going. I’m letting you know.
Francisco:
What an envy! The place where our great caudillo Crespo grew up! One of the Pillars of Hercules to the Llanos proper! Consider yourself a Venezuelan Phoenician going to the limits of the world!
http://books.google.be/books?id=DXhCAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA22&dq=parapara+Venezuela&hl=en&sa=X&ei=l1kiT67eJo7w8QOs1a2oBw&ved=0CFIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=parapara%20Venezuela&f=false
Vei Parapara e poi mori en las carreteras de los Llanos si no conducen con cuidado, carajo!
Can you guys please take pictures for the sake of Wikipedia?
I have contributed a bit to Wikipedia articles of that region, specially
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%A1rico
but few pictures seem to come from such forgotten places…
pity there are no pictures for several municipios, each the size of Essex.
I recommend reading Humboldt’s stuff about his travel from Valencia to Calabozo (Parapara is briefly mentioned there, just for the geographic formations marking the border with the Llanos proper).
This area is drop dead gorgeous.I still have a small parcel of land in El Castrero, not too far away,though it has been partially invaded by Chavistas…Not always a very friendly place, though I still love it for its amazing landscape and out of time quality.
El Castrero is very nice, I used to swim in the river there at lunch time.
really? my land is near the river
I’ll be coming back from Margarita on Sunday. If the gods of traffic jams are kind to me, I’ll might make it. Boo is a fun place, nice rock music
I hope it’s not too loud, though. I really thought a Tasca was a better option, but they all seem to close on Sunday nights, and Sunday night was really the only time Juan could make it.
No it is not that loud. Believe it or not 4D, the ice cream shop a few meters away gets much louder…
Have a good time guys. Just landed in Maiquetia and don’t think I can make it on time
here’s a wild suggestion: why not bus it to Sn Juan de los Morros, enjoy your lunch, then pick up another bus to the rest of your journey. Call it Quicuan’s autobus del progreso.
Yeah, that sounds absolutely enticing.
:-P
Well, then. Find a gas-guzzling Explorer with tinted windows, put the A/C on max, so that you arrive and feel as one with the pueblo in these outlying areas.
Preferably after you have written on the rear windows: “DE CARACAS/DE MARACAIBO”
(I reckon there will be some discussion between Juan Cristóbal and Francisco about what city comes first)
don’t forget adding MONTREAL and SANTIAGO to the list. All 4 cities listed are sure to create affinities.
Don’t forget it should be armoured.
with a glass bubble top for protective filming.
I’m being serious. :-P
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-21/surging-crime-under-chavez-fuels-venezuela-armored-car-boom.html
And you guys are planning to have that much fun without me… Merde!
Sorry I have relatives in several of the places you are going, but they are older, teachers,
small business, etc. (and I have mentioned your website to them) they are the “silent majority”
and not interested..I bug them and try to wake them up, they just want Chavez to go away and
have apeaceful life…
I wish so much I could drive you. Love to drive around Venezuela. Myself just arrived last night fron Halifax, NS. and a bit of “mucho calor” would be nice :)
Have fun!!!
Take some video as well as still photography! And don’t go all Steve Martin & John Candy on each other.
Quico, te llamaron gordo.
Lol, at first I read that as “Quico, sweety, they’re calling you.”
What a difference a comma can make, right? LOL
Carolina, Carl, it is almost like you say..but not quite.
“Quico, sweety, they are calling you” would have been
“Quico, gordo, te están llamando”
Very funny, indeed, specially coming from someone that used to be called Katy. (LOL).
Bruni, endearments like ‘gordo’ can be afterthoughts, or they can be said to add emphasis. As in, “Quico, they called you, sweetie. (Don’t forget to call them back.)”
jajaja.
Syd,
Still: it would require a comma.
Of course, if Mr Nagel says to Mr Toro “Quico, te están llamando, gordo”
it almost becomes an illocutionary act where the semantic weight lies in “gordo” and it is rather an expressive declaration, whereas Quico, gordo, te están llamando” is more directive than anything else.
But love by its very nature is never precise, and it makes no room for big fat words. Nor does it demand commas in the right place. Anything goes.
(Poor Juan! I’m sorry for laughing at your expense.)
Have you ever looked into your loved one’s eyes and whispered to them “My fatman, I love you…”
I think it translates as fatman even if it is a girl. fatwoman just doesn’t exist.
Guys, what fact are you hoping to find?
Have a good one!
Some traveling music: “live for the moment”
I just wanted to thank everyone who made it out to Boo! on Sunday. It was great meeting all of you! As we always say, if it wasn’t for our readers, we would have closed shop years ago. Thanks for making this little place something worth maintaining.