[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_jTPnI7TRLE/Ukq9PaViTBI/AAAAAAAAXSo/wUlsD-nUkFI/s144-c-o/P9290022.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5929759931852016658″ caption=”The crew from the Americo Vesucio sailing school who keep my boat during my stay. Thanks!” type=”image” alt=”P9290022.JPG” ]

Eventually in an a/c room!
Pos: here
Loc: Barcelona
Acc: Hotel Punta Palmas
Dist: 37 km
Start: 5:15 End: 13:00

The place I decided to stop at the beach yesterday proved to stay quiet, no cars drove on the dirt track up to my beach spot to have a Saturday night party. thanks goodness, as I was not sure whether I’d stay on that spot where I just decided to land, due to the dirt track. I just saw something blinking in the distance, and knew that THAT was a car close to the beach, and that I liked to stay away from that one.

The car proved to host four harmless weekend fishermen I waved at in passing half an hour into my paddling day. They were probably wondering where I came from that early? Right after those guys I crossed the wide bay of Barcelona, there was a huge oil refinery with about twenty tankers waiting spread out way into the bay. Fortunately on Sunday morning none of them was moving, still you never know…

It was dead calm, the water fortunately a little cooler and almost refreshing out there in the bay early morning, and the wind decided to rather push than break. All in all a fast crossing, my only goal was to reach an a/c room as fast as possible.

I called my potential host Beatriz before I turned around the headland around noon as agreed, but unfortunately she did not expect me top arrive that early and was still far away somewhere, she’d come a few hours later. I could just paddle into the sailing school, they’d know about me and that I’d be coming…no problem.

The director lady greeted me nicely, and a bunch of curious young sailing students were around to ask me about my whereabouts. I took the time to wash my boat, and attentive students noticed my name lettering was half peeled off and instantly offered me to replace it very soon – for free! Many thanks! Next was to wash myself under the shower, with lots of soap, still outside…once refreshed, now I just needed to wait for my host Beatriz!

She came around 3 pm, but unfortunately had to tell me her house was without electricity since two days…nothing I could really live with, sorry…still thanks for the effort! But I urgently need air condition for my skin and recharge my electronics and internet and a washing machine…so we needed to find another solution. They called around, and I remembered there was another contact possibility on my e-mail via Edgar to his friend Luis to his friend Juan José who eventually arrived after a lot of phone calls to help me along. Thanks very much! The best thing they could come up with was to put me in the nearby hotel Punta Palma. If I’d not needed urgently air condition, I’d have just camped here on the sailing club beach, but now he drove me to the hotel and I checked in.

Here comes the question of the day: “Do you like a room with sea view for 2000 Bol or one on the back side for 100 Bol less?” Thanks, guy, I do have sea view all day, I’d take the cheaper one…Juan José negotiated around a bit and reduced the price to 1710 Bo per night. I need to stay three nights, so this tears quite a big hole in my budget, but my skin needs it. Fortunately I do have some cash Bolivars…

The room was good standard, but a laundry machine not available today. I used the bath tub and the hot water to do a quick laundry myself, there is nothing like hot water and a good size sink/ tub for that job. Not always available…even most washing machines here use only cold water. I even had a second shower with the delicious hot water to clean my skin even better after I was sweating again a bit while waiting in the sailing club, now all sores can heal nicely! I enjoyed my well paid peace, went on a fast internet, skyped Peter for mental support and cooked my usual noodle dish. Tomorrow morning’s breakfast is included, I hope to find some different food than my cereal/ oats with milk powder!

Lot of jobs to do the next two days, organizing and preparing the next legs, shopping and maybe even a bit relaxing? What is that?