Thursday, November 2, 1995 - On Way to Trinidad

The weather forecast is still ENE 15 to 20, but this might be as good as it's going to get. As winter approaches, the wind will get stronger, so we decided to make a break for it. The German woman from Kleine Brise came by the boat and said they're leaving at noon for Los Testigos. They checked out the same time they checked in, so they're all set. She also told us the banks are now paying 285 to the dollar, and today is some kind of holiday. That scared us; we were afraid none of the officials would be working, but it turned out to be All Souls Day. Yesterday was the Day of the Dead, or All Saints Day. It's a religious or folk holiday, not a government holiday. It was business as usual at Customs, Immigration, and the Port Captain. We had no problem checking out. They even left us enough money for busfare downtown, so we could get more money. On our way back from the Port Captain's office, we got on a bus going in the wrong direction and ended up in Apostadera. Two men got on the bus and immediately got into an argument with the driver. The driver started the bus abruptly and one of the men either jumped or fell off the bus. After a very short distance, the driver stopped the bus abruptly, and he and the other man jumped off and began swinging at each other. They weren't kidding around; they were really fighting. We were the only passengers left on the bus, so we were a little uneasy. We couldn't understand what the men were yelling at each other. Maybe the argument was about the increase in fares. Another driver got on the bus, drove it off the road, and parked it. He asked us where we were going. We told him Porlamar, and he indicated a bus on the other side of the road, so we went over there and soon caught a bus going in the right direction. It was a relief to get away from the fight. We'd no sooner stepped off the bus in Porlamar than a man offered us 270. That was less than the new bank rate, but it was less hassle than a bank, so we took it. Exchanged another $20. Ate a delicious lunch at our favorite place. Then went to Rattan's to squander the rest of our money on groceries. When we got back to Pampatar, we still had a few Bolivares, so I bought a newspaper and a candy bar to use up most of them. On the bus, we had seen people reading Spanish newspapers with headlines about violence and looting in downtown Porlamar over the increase in bus fares. I wanted to buy a copy of the paper, so I could read the entire article, but they were sold out, so I had to settle for the Daily Journal, which is published in Caracas and didn't have anything about Porlamar. We left at 2:30. Beautiful day. Wind less than 15 knots, and seas fairly calm, except for some swells rolling in from the northeast. Looks as if we have a good chance of making it.