Wow, I can’t believe I’m already working on week two in Venezuela! Can I stay forever, please? I love this culture; the people, the food, the DANCING. me gusta bailar!
Even after one week, I feel like I have learned so much about myself. This country is such a passionate and vibrant place. There is this organized chaos that I feel SO in tune with; I would have never guessed this would happen so soon, but… I think I love you, Venezuela! Haha.
Yesterday we went paragliding (es “parapente” en espanol), and it was seriously AMAZING! First of all, we rode up some of the steepest hills I have ever seen in this rickety van, and then once we got up to the take-off point, there were wild horses everywhere! It was SO gorgeous. Basically, you just get strapped to the front some guy and then you literally RUN off the cliff and take flight! Then you sit back and you have a little seat that catches you, and then you just glide over the mountains forever; it feels like you are sitting on a rocking chair in the sky. It was one of the most tranquil and beautiful experiences of my life. Thank God for motion sickness pills, though, otherwise, I think I might be telling you a very different story. Haha. I should have taken a video, but here are some pictures… (and since they’re worth a thousand words each, I think I’ll let them do the rest of the talking).
120 mph in an extremely sketchy van on the way to parapente! Haha.
The awesome yellow bridge on the way to the mountain-of-death! haha.
Take off!
Oh, you know… just hangin’ out over the mountain tops. No big deal.
Awwww, yeah! (deluxe edition)
Smoooooth landing! (unlike skydiving, haha)
This friday we’re taking a trip to an organic farm for my botany class–should be pretty cool! Then… well, I’m just not sure!
ps. did I mention that I love this place?
Mandy – Amanda – “La Chistosa y Sonrisa linda”
Location: Merida, Venezuela
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eerily familiar and you still did it. crazy lady? check. 😉
ps. i just spent an hour trying to hook up the webcam that i got from my house this weekend and it DOESN’T FREAKIN’ WORK. so i ask that you please continue to patiently wait to see my face on your computer screen 😉
wait… you’re not ang. haha. I meant, tinky!
dude… not gonna lie, ang, I thought of that too. hahaha. it looked eerily familiar, actually. ahhh! haha.
Hahahaha, I totally thought of the nightmare you had before skydiving, with the shifty van and the cliff and all. Irony at its finest 😉 I certainly hope you know what I’m referring to! 😉
I want you to know that I’ve been working on getting my webcam to work for the past three days with no success. I’ve had many a computer guru suggest things to get it to work and an international woman working for HP tell me that she could offer me ZERO phone assistance because the protection plan on my laptop was 1,000 days expired. Oh wait..she did tell me I could pay 49 DOLLARS to get phone assistance for up to 14 days. I’m not sure that I was even speaking to someone from HP..cause that sounds like bull to me. Haha. SO. It has been concluded that my webcam probably was ruined and is no longer functioning, so I will be getting a little one to attach to my computer from home this weekend hopefully. Now that I’ve told you my entire life story (you know, the stuff you’ve missed out on since leaving the states), I think I’ll be going.
Love the pics–keep on smiling 😀
As usual, you’re crazy. 😉
I just figured I’d let you know, I’m reading, and sooo jealous of how much fun you’re having! Everything looks so beautiful!
I’ve decided to read up on your happenings every monday instead of our usual phone ritual! Pretty clever, eh? Yeah, you know, just making intentional BFF time, ’cause I’m in it for the long haul. =D
I love you Mandia, please keep being safe and keep writing!! Remember, be transparent with us! =)