Twas the night before voting...
December 1, 2007
…and all through the streets…
We worked only Wednesday this week. School was cancelled Thursday and Friday to secure the campus for the upcoming vote. We ran some errands on Thursday. Among other things we bought a Christmas Tree. It’s plastic and metal and adorned with lights and silver balls. Zachary was so excited he could hardly see straight.
Friday we loaded into the family wagon and headed off for Barquisimeto. We didn’t actually spend a whole lot of time in that particular city, opting instead for some smaller villages around it. There we found artisan markets and shopped for Christmas gifts and various items to make our place a little more homey. There were seven of us altogether. We wound through the hills, stopping in San Felipe for lunch. We ate sandwiches in Plaza Bolivar while we listened to Ahora Sí (Now Yes!) over and over and over again. Just as our heads began throbbing, we retreated to the car and headed out once more.
I should mention here that every city, town, and village in Venezuela has a Plaza Bolivar. It is usually in the middle of town and there is generally a church across the street. You will also, of course, find a statue of Simon Bolivar himself right in the middle of the square. Every plaza I have visited has been vibrant and alive with people. It is a place to sit and talk, or eat, or cuddle.
Barquisimeto is a big city (800,000). There were several No! rallies happening. While these rallies are peaceful, they always spill into the road and make driving even more difficult than normal. We threaded our way through town, landing at a small village about twenty miles past. There we found a hotel that was comfortable even if it was not idyllic. We sat in the bar and ate good food until Zman announced it was bed time. This morning found us in the swimming pool. We even got to have eggs for breakfast! It was quickly discovered by several members of our party that flour was available so we each bought two bags.
The artisan market was busy. There was lots of wood, pottery, and woven goods. There were also a few music shops selling cuatros and drums. We shopped for a while and then headed to another small puebla for more shopping before heading home. The road is a beautiful four lane highway through the hills. There were few people out and about as it is the day before the big vote. We were anxious to get home before dark.
Our anxieties were for naught. All is quiet here now; not a creature is stirring. Saturday nights are normally big nights out. People gather outside the liquor stores to drink or they head out to clubs to dance and carouse. However, it is illegal to buy alcohol in any form today and tomorrow as it is voting weekend (Ley Seca).
No one is quite sure what tomorrow will bring. One thing can be said for sure: every Venezolano I know is voting. Some will drive for several hours to get to the place where they are registered. Some will cut their beach trips short so they can get back in time to cast their ballot. Either way, they will vote. It should be an interesting day. Hopefully it won’t turn violent. We have no school Monday just in case things start to go southbound. I am optimistic.
MJR
…and all through the streets…
We worked only Wednesday this week. School was cancelled Thursday and Friday to secure the campus for the upcoming vote. We ran some errands on Thursday. Among other things we bought a Christmas Tree. It’s plastic and metal and adorned with lights and silver balls. Zachary was so excited he could hardly see straight.
Friday we loaded into the family wagon and headed off for Barquisimeto. We didn’t actually spend a whole lot of time in that particular city, opting instead for some smaller villages around it. There we found artisan markets and shopped for Christmas gifts and various items to make our place a little more homey. There were seven of us altogether. We wound through the hills, stopping in San Felipe for lunch. We ate sandwiches in Plaza Bolivar while we listened to Ahora Sí (Now Yes!) over and over and over again. Just as our heads began throbbing, we retreated to the car and headed out once more.
I should mention here that every city, town, and village in Venezuela has a Plaza Bolivar. It is usually in the middle of town and there is generally a church across the street. You will also, of course, find a statue of Simon Bolivar himself right in the middle of the square. Every plaza I have visited has been vibrant and alive with people. It is a place to sit and talk, or eat, or cuddle.
Barquisimeto is a big city (800,000). There were several No! rallies happening. While these rallies are peaceful, they always spill into the road and make driving even more difficult than normal. We threaded our way through town, landing at a small village about twenty miles past. There we found a hotel that was comfortable even if it was not idyllic. We sat in the bar and ate good food until Zman announced it was bed time. This morning found us in the swimming pool. We even got to have eggs for breakfast! It was quickly discovered by several members of our party that flour was available so we each bought two bags.
The artisan market was busy. There was lots of wood, pottery, and woven goods. There were also a few music shops selling cuatros and drums. We shopped for a while and then headed to another small puebla for more shopping before heading home. The road is a beautiful four lane highway through the hills. There were few people out and about as it is the day before the big vote. We were anxious to get home before dark.
Our anxieties were for naught. All is quiet here now; not a creature is stirring. Saturday nights are normally big nights out. People gather outside the liquor stores to drink or they head out to clubs to dance and carouse. However, it is illegal to buy alcohol in any form today and tomorrow as it is voting weekend (Ley Seca).
No one is quite sure what tomorrow will bring. One thing can be said for sure: every Venezolano I know is voting. Some will drive for several hours to get to the place where they are registered. Some will cut their beach trips short so they can get back in time to cast their ballot. Either way, they will vote. It should be an interesting day. Hopefully it won’t turn violent. We have no school Monday just in case things start to go southbound. I am optimistic.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 1:08 PM
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