Iguanas

IGUANAS!

Many iguanas live in the trees here on campus.

This guy took a moment to pose for the camera.

OWLS

Several burrowing owls live on campus.

 

They are very neat to watch. 

They come out during the day, so it is easy to get pictures of them. 

 

They stand about 8 inches tall. 

The NOT SO PRETTY side of Venezuela

I know I have been showing photos of sunsets and turquoise waters...

But, there's more to see in Venezuela. 

Some that are not-so-pretty, 

and others make you laugh out loud!!!

It's quite fashionable to dress your child in PLAYBOY clothing...

There's no such thing as TOO SHORT shorts...

Fanny packs make the perfect fashion accessory...

Sometimes a massage on the beach can be more than you pay for...

There's no rules for WHO can wear a thong...

I think she thought she was Rose on the bow of the Titanic...

God knows???   

     

 I think she gets her fashion tips from watching '80's Rap videos!

Some people have NO CLUE that their swimsuit is SEE THROUGH!!!

...and others just make the perfect photo opportunity!

Eastern Magazine

In EWU's alumni magazine there is a page where people can send in pictures of themselves holding up the magazine in different parts of the world.  Since Dad and I are both alumni, we decided to send in these photos.

Who knows...maybe they'll be published!

Mom and Dad's Visit

I was counting down the days for months, but finally it was here...Mom and Dad were coming to visit!!!

They left Spokane at 6:00am on Thursday and had long delays in Seattle, Houston, and Caracas, but finally arrived at the Barcelona Airport at 2:00pm on Friday, where I was anxiously waiting.

We were only in the taxi 5 minutes before we were pulled over and hassled by the police. AS IF MOM WASN'T ALREADY SCARED ENOUGH!!!! We were lucky to have my good friend Julio as our taxi driver, who calmly paid him a bribe and we were on our way.

A taxi ride is always a fun way of introducing someone to Venezuela.  There is no way of explaining it, but the drivers here are CRAZY!!!  We need to travel 80km on a 2 lane highway to get to my school from the airport. The road is in terrible condition, everyone drives at least 80mph, and they pass even if other cars are coming, expecting everyone to just move off onto the shoulder out of their way.  

Dad had fun taking videos, while mom just closed her eyes and held on!

After the long trip, we had finally made it to Escuela Anaco where we put our feet up for a while. 

Dad was excited to practice his spanish and quickly became buddies with the maintenance guys. These men are the hardest working people on campus.  They run around fixing everything with rusty tools, so dad decided to bring them their very own CRAFTSMAN tools, that he got a good deal on at the Cheney SEARS store!!! The workers were THRILLED!!!!!

Here is a picture of me with 2 of the workers, David and Emmerson

The next morning we headed to the marked and then back to the airport for a quick flight to Margarita Island.

On the island, we stayed at Hotel Costa Linda Beach. It was fantastic!

We would spend our next four days basking in the sun and playing in the surf.

Mom said her favorite part of the trip to Margarita was playing in the waves. They are so powerful that you barely get a chance to pull your swimsuit up from around your ankles before the next one comes along. WHAT A BLAST!

Dad & Mom in the Waves

Mom & I in the Waves

I think Dad's favorite part was taking photos of all the half naked women on the beach for Bill & Paul!

We had a big trip planned to visit Angel Falls, but the flight was cancelled because of bad weather, which was a total bummer.

But, we settled for a trip to a little museum called Margarita Pueblos.

 

Our tour guide was the cutest little man that showed us all sorts of artifacts from the indigenous tribes of the Venezuelan Amazon.

Dad got a kick out of the Venezuelan Barbed Wire Fences!

It was very interesting and Dad and I got some great photos!

On our last morning, we got up early to watch the sunrise.

 Dad and I took pictures while mom collected shells to give to her students.

On certain days Chavez banns alcohol for some dumb reason or another, but it doesn't stop anybody from serving it. They just disguise it a little...

By serving it in coffee mugs!!!

A lot of coffee was served on the beach that day???

 WE HAD A FANTASTIC TIME IN MARGARITA!!!

Carnival

Mom and Dad were here for Carnival. There were all sorts of parades all over town with elaborate floats and costumes!