...to a solid 2011

I don't know if I can remember as awesome a start to any other year.  Must give a tip of the hat to 2010 for easily qualifying  as 'epic', but  2011 is definitely looking promising.

I had company in Caracas over New Year's.  Olga - the ETA posted to Margarita - spent about five days with me.  We spent a good part of her visit shuffling between travel agencies and banks (things I'm homesick for: BOOKING TICKETS ONLINE), trying to get our group on a flight to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival.  After the fourth straight day at the agency - SUCCESS!  Venezuelan ETAs will be tearing up Port Au Spain March 5-9.

New Year's Eve was excellent.  We started at my friend Leo's house where we rang in the New Year in a pretty chill, and VERY Venezuelan manner.  We had 12 massive grapes that we had to eat at midnight.  You're supposed to time the grape-eating with clock chimes at midnight, but we were sans clock or radio to tune in to any sort of countdown so we just started stuffing our faces when our phone clocks said 12:00.  With each grape eaten, you make a wish!  We also gave each other money (not much, just a 2Bfs note, or a 1USD bill), another tradition; you're supposed to keep that bill with you and NOT spend it and it'll bring you money.  Or maybe travel.  Or maybe both...hrmmmm.  And of course, we were wearing yellow underwear.  For suerte (luck) in 2011. 

Grapes at midnight!

 As we toasted with champagne, the Caracas skyline sparkled from the fireworks from hundreds of homes and malls.  People in the city set off everything from unnecessarily-loud noisemakers, to 4th-of-July scale fireworks, usually from parking lots or the roofs of apartment buildings.  I loved it - with the lights all around the city, it looked like all of Caracas was celebrating.  In the background, the steady OOOOOOO-WEEEEEE, OOOOOOOOO-WEEEEEE, of car alarms; apparently setting off noisemakers around cars sets them off.  Noted.  After fireworks we ate some plato navideño (christmas food) and headed to the DISCO!  It was awesome . We were out until 6:30.  It was bright when we came home.

A couple days to recover and then it was time to prepare for the birthday extravaganza.  On the 5th, I joined two other excellent ETA chicas and we headed to Choronil for a piece of some GORGEOUS VZ beaches.  Should be noted that we had a blast and we all made it there and back safely meaning...the mala leche beach curse has been broken!  WOO!  We got a chance to enjoy some Caribbean-blue water, and white sand, took a lancha (boat) to some private beaches for some emptier beach time.  We coined a new word this trip: 'unnecesario', in reference to the bathing suit situation. There was just SO much we didn't want/need to see.  That's all I'm saying.  Still, there was good food, good drinks, some good sun, and excellent company! 

On our lancha heading back from the beach!

We hustled back to Caracas for the weekend, three of us girls joining up with Eric to get some quality city time.  We stayed at a sex hotel.  There was no other word for it - when you have the ability to pay for three hours at a time, you're afraid you're going to catch something from one of the rooms, and couples of all sorts filter in with rum and coke but NO luggage, it's a sex hotel.  Aaaanyway, we had a blast and I really had a great time running around the city with the ETAs and Olga the weekend before.  It's been really nice playing tourist to the city, which I don't normally get the chance to do (I mean, who am I going to wander around with?).  We were dog-tired during the day due mostly to our tendency to stay out til the wee hours of the morning.  Still, there was a lot of food - a LOT of food - to keep us going.  

Part of the awesome birthday weekend in Caracas!

Aaand that's how the first 10 days of 2011 went.  Not a lot of sleep, a lot of dancing, a lot of food.  I don't think I've ever eaten so much.  Really.