Thongs ahoy! I’m in Margarita Island off the north coast of Venezuela and it seems there is a competition to wear the smallest bikinis possible… even the pregnant women are in on the action, and the men aren’t shying away as there are also speedos aplenty. Although I think that the most likely explanation for the speedos on Playa El Agua is the large number of German tourists that flock here. I should’ve realised as soon as I saw all those towels laid out on the sunbeds in the morning…
 
The hotel I am staying in here is right by the beach and is called “Hotel Miramar Village”. Despite the fact that from the name it sounds like somewhere you might find in Benidorm, it is actually very nice. There are lots of hotels up the same road getting progressively further from the beach, but I thought it was worth the extra £1 per night to stay here considering this one includes all food and drink up to 11pm – fantastic, my first all inclusive experience whilst backpacking! I even have a hairdryer and a fridge in my room, so it is very luxurious. They don’t speak any English here (but do know a little German), so somehow I am managing to get by on my amazing Spanish skills :s I think my most in-depth conversation has been with Guaco the parrot that sits by reception and can only say “hola”; although to start with I thought he was saying “cola” (Spanish for queue), which I found quite entertaining considering that here in Venezuela there is a mammoth queue for just about everything.
 
I’ve spent most of my time here on the beach, sunbathing and striking up conversations with the beach vendors to try and learn some new words and improve my language skills. Despite the large number of Germans that are here, all of the locals seem to be amazed by my blue eyes. I would mention something here about Hitler and his ideals, but I’m not meant to be mentioning the war so I shall leave that…
 
Anyway, back to the beach and its vendors… they are all very friendly, and seem to be quite quick to propose marriage. At least now I know that if I find myself lonely and considering buying a cat I can come here and find a husband without any trouble! There’s also a lot of “hello lady, you want massage?”, which I’ve not heard since I was last in Thailand, only here it sounds less like it’s coming from a cat trapped in a blender. I’ve also been approached by what can only be described as a tangerine granny who keeps trying to sell me lotions and potions to use to get a tan like hers, but so far I’ve politely declined. Since I’ve been here and told people that I am from England there has been an unusual lack of “David Beckham” conversation… here they seem more keen to talk about the Beatles, it’s a real step back in time to come here. The beach itself is beautiful and the sea is the perfect temperature. A great place to relax with a cocada in one hand and a book in the other.
 
In the night time I have stayed in the hotel to drink my all inclusive beers and cocktails with the other guests. Despite reassurances from my new friends off the beach that it is safe for me to go out around here (but only if I go with them), I decided the sensible option would be to stay in! Oh, the joys of being a girl alone. Here at the hotel there are plenty of people, so I’ve had some fun. I’ve not met any other English people, but have met an interesting mix of people including one very strange slightly older German man who has been staying here for 8 months and still speaks no Spanish!
 
Before coming to Playa El Agua I was staying with Tita (Alejandro’s mother) at Playa Guacuco. I arrived there with James after a nice long bus/ferry journey from Caracas via Puerto La Cruz. The traffic in Caracas had been horrendous (for a change) and it was hit and miss for a while whether we’d make it to the bus station on time, but thanks to Andrea’s “cola” weaving skills and Armando buying our tickets for the bus we even managed to get some arepas to eat before we left. Once we arrived Tita took us to get some empanadas for breakfast, which were very tasty. Then onto her swimming pool for the perfect antidote to our tiring journey.
 
My time in Margarita is now drawing to a close, it has been a great place to relax before the hard work starts!