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Merida
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Nestled in the
northern end of the South American Andes, Merida is to Venezuela what Queenstown
is to New Zealand. For the outdoor-adventure-seeking tourist, Merida is a
playground par excellence. Within easy one or two day reach are the following
outdoor activities: paragliding, canyoneering, mountain biking, lightening
viewing, river rafting, Los Llanos (cowboy country) & Amazon exploration,
trekking and mountain climbing. Merida, with a population of 250,000, is a
wonderful city for an Investment Hiker. The city is home to Universidad de los
Andes, founded in 1785, and currently has some 35,000 students. All these
students means there are plenty of cheap eateries, cafes, bars and internet
access. At an altitude of 5,362 feet, it is good for acclimatizing for climbing
nearby Pico Humboldt or Pico de Bolivar, Venezuela's highest mountain.
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The city is safe,
clean, inexpensive and easy to walk around. Merida has the Highest and Longest
cable car in the world. It was French built in the 1950's and runs, in four
stages, from 1,577 meters to 5,174 feet to the top of Pico Espejo at 4,765m /
15,633ft. The fertile valleys between the mountains support agriculture,
including coffee plantations, sugar cane, flowers, especially the frailejón
which grows only in the altiplano areas of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
Tropical plants, palm trees, citrus, strawberries, orchids, and the Golden Rain
tree grow lavishly. The city, built between and bisected by rivers, maintains 35
parks in its long, narrow stretch. Earthquakes and wars of independence
have taken the toll on the city, but it cultivates a pleasant, quiet grace with
plenty of cultural activities. |
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Merida has many
nightclubs, which are all very popular, featuring live performances on Saturday
and Sunday nights. Each club promotes its own house drink in addition to local
beer, in bottle and draft, in addition to Venezuelan and imported wines and
liquors. Like all great tourist areas, Mérida offers both a wide variety, and
hundreds of goods eateries. A common mis-conception is that Spanish food is hot
and spicy. Not true! Sure, your waiter can bring you all kinds of condiments for
you to personally "doctor up" your food, but all will agree that the quality,
preparation, taste, service and price makes Mérida a gastronomic treat. In
Mérida, the largest and most important shopping center is-all of downtown! The
merchants of the city adapt to the needs of the students, the tourists and the
higher income group of professors and other professionals that live and work in
Mérida. |
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Don't forget
to visit "Heladeria Coromoto", the Guinness world book of records holder for a
wide variety of Ice cream flavors with more than700 to chose from. Some of
them are extremely extravagant and definitely hard to find elsewhere. Black
beans, Sausage, Garlic, Rice with chicken; you name it.. Manuel has it or is
just working on it. For the souvenir hunters "Mercado Principal" and the market
and shops around Plaza Las Heroinas will provide you with easy ways of spending
your money in handy crafts, T-shirts, etc. Several theme parks like "los
Aleros", "La Venezuela de Antier", "Jamu" or "La montana de los suenos" will
complement your visits to small colonial villages; the arqueological museum or
the botanical garden will welcome you to Merida, Venezuela. In the state of
Merida alone you will find all terrains and vegetations possible for eco- and
adventure tourism. |
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 Bed and Breakfast
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