Infinite Cantabria: Alto Campoo

What can you do for fun in Winter? Well, it is an easy answer, we can ski.

I had the opportunity to move on Cantabria about one year ago, and it is actually a beautiful and natural place. Cantabria brings different Tourism alternatives for any season of the year, included Winter. It’s located in North of Spain, but it has a good climate all the year especially in winter, the mean temperature is about 14ºC.

 

Cantur (Tourism Promotion Society Cantabra) offers us the Ski Slopes located in Alto Campoo, 24 kms of Reinosa. It has a minimum altitude of 1.650 mts and maximum of 2.125 mts. It has 23 ski slopes, one Snow Park, Coffee Shop, First aids place, Playground, School and Rent Ski Equipments. 

The ski slopes are: 4 green ski slopes, that mean very easy, 9 blue ski slopes (easy) and 10 red ski slopes, hard difficult. Also, Alto Campoo has modern lift equipments.

 

The Ticket cost for equipments and lifts you can find in: http://www.altocampoo.com/english/default.php

We visited Alto Campoo early winter, so the ski slopes were closed, but it didn’t stop us to enjoy the snow. We got a Sled, and we launched with it in Low Mountain. That day was a one of the funniest day of my life, my family and me spent the day doing snow wars, snowman and on the Sled. I recommend this family experience.

The Caribbean: Curaçao

All started in my 30’s Birthday, I wanted to open a new decade of my life; I like to do something different and here began my trip planning. I enjoyed do much so I came back with a friend to celebrate the New Year. 

Curaçao es a small island located to 50 Kms of Venezuela, in Caribbean Sea. It has belonged to Netherlands Antilles until 2010, and the official language is Papiamentu, but any person in the island speak English, Spanish and Dutch. The currency is the Netherlands Antillean guilder and the rate exchange is about 2 dollars. The Curaçao’s Capital has been declared UNESCO World Heritage since 1997. 

Well, first I booked my plane ticket and then, the hotel book. I stayed in Plaza CuraçaoHotel twice because is in Capital Center. This hotel offer the best Quality – Price relation and it is very good located. You can sightsee the Curaçao’s Center walking. Also, I recommend you hire the Hotel Breakfast Buffet, it is very good and the cost is 7.5 dollars per person all your stay. 

I recommend you to rent a car because you could visit the entire island and get to beautiful beaches. For me, the best rent a car company is AVIS, the average is 50 dollars per day and it isn’t require cash deposit or car insurance.  Curaçao is a small and accessible island, so I remember paid 50 dollars for half tank, and is enough for 5 driving days.

Now, we are going to introduce Curaçao. The plane lands in Hato Airport, located in Hato Zone, there you can have a taxi or collect your car rented. You have to go to WILLESTAND (Capital), it takes you about 15 minutes and the ways are marked. In Curaçao, the rent a car companies don’t rent GPS, you have to move with a Country Map, but is very simple to do it.

WILLESTAND is divided by a watercourse in two places, one is PUNDA and the other place is OTRABANDA. You can get to both places crossing the QUEEN EMMA Bridge; It’s a beautiful floating bridge who let pass to the Cruisers and Oil Ships.

I’d like to mention some places’ recommendations that you could visit in Curaçao:  

PUNDA-OTRABANDA:

Firstly, I want to talk you about sightsee near from the Hotel. In Otrabanda, just in the corner of the watercourse and in front of the Plaza Hotel, are the Renaissance Hotel, Mall, RIF Fort and Casino. In the second floor of the Renaissance Hotel, is a artificial beach, it’s visual connected with the sea and offer a excellent sunset picture.  
 

The Plaza Hotel is built on AMSTERDAM Fort, and there are good and elegant restaurants, you could dinner looking the sea and the sunset.

In Punda, you can also eat in Iguana Cafe, they offer delicious dishes and the best: Pinas Coladas. They are so good, that we were going all nights by them. The local is in front of the watercourse and night, you can see the lights of the bridge and Otrabanda. It’s open until 1 am.  

Shopping, you can go to shopping in Punda, you can find any store that you want and you can find also fast food stores, but All the stores close at 6 pm, except Restaurant and Stores located in the Rif Fort. 

Thursdays are THE SHOPPING DAY, so all the store close at 9 pm.

PLAYA SEAQUARIUM:

Is located in OOSPUNT, to West of the island with reference to Punda. It’s very near in car. You can enjoy: 

1.- SEAQUARIUM: it’s a big aquarium and the cost ticket is between 8 and 18 dollars, I don’t remember exactly. The ticket cost includes a Dolphins Show and a Sea Lions Show. You could pay 150 dollars and swim with dolphins. 

2.- Just next to the Aquarium, is located MAMBO BEACH. You have to pay 3 dollars to enter and include chairs, but you ought not to bring foods or drinks, you have to buy them there. The Beer cost is about 1.5 dollars. It’s very beautiful beach and at night, is the best disco in Curaçao and it’s in front of the beach, it’s divided in two zone: European zone and Latin zone, you’ll see the difference.

3.- By car, go head from Mambo Beach, you can find Caracas Bay, there is a Castle and you could walk to the top. We didn’t get there because, that day was very hot. 

HATO AIRPORT

Just near to HATO AIRPORT are Hato Caves. The ticket cost is 8 dollars and include a person who guide you in the caves route. The guide speech depends of the most visitor languages. You can get here only by car.

WESTPUNT

The best Curaçao Beaches are in WESPUNT, It takes you about 45 min for get there from PUNDA. Some of them are free and the others you have to pay. We took two days to know all beaches. We took a small cava, and before to go out from the Hotel, we went to the Hotel kitchen and we asked some ice. In a small supermarket in Punda, we bought some snacks.
 
By car, we went to the North-East place in the island, and we went down on the way. 

You should find this free beaches:

1.- KENEPA GRANDI Y CHIKI
2.- JEREMI BEACH
3.- LAGUN BEACH
4.- SANTA CRUZ BEACH

Also, you should find CAS ABO Beach, we paid 12 dollars by car and it includes chairs, but you have to be there early because they are few chairs.

Another Recommendations:

1. The WESTPUNT roads aren’t in good conditions, I recommend you be careful. 

2. You have to be careful with the time. Just I said, the stores and restaurants close early. 

3. I defenitely recommend you celebrate the New Year there. Curaçao celebrates with good parties, beautiful fireworks at 12 pm. Some options are pay a dinner in a restaurant, my friend and I paid to enter in RIF Fort, they offer good music, but we had to pay all the drinks. The cost was 25 dollars.

4. From December 31st to January 2nd, whole stores are closed. Curaçao tradition is off fireworks in front of the stores, they thank for a good year and they wish good sales in the next year. 

5. If like us, you are there on January 2nd and is Sunday, I recommend you have a small food stock, because nothing will be open.
 
6. One thing we couldn’t do was take a Sailboat to Bonaire, because wasn’t a working day, but we find out isn’t expensive to take it. You can find out in Punda, just in front of the Bridge, There are a Turism Office.
 

7. I recommend you know Curaçao’s people, they are kind persons with a smile in their faces. If you lose, you can ask them and they’ll always help you.

Bon dia... Mi stima Kòrsou!!!

Barquisimeto

I talked about what is my favorite place in Barquisimeto, but I didn’t talk about the City where I was born and grew up. 

Barquisimeto was funded by Juan de Villegas in 1552 as Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto, but its original name was Variquisimeto, this mean “ash color river” by the natives Catequíos. Barquisimeto’s main river is The “Rio Turbio” and it isn’t abundant and it have grey sands.


It called The Twilight City and the Musical Capital of Venezuela, is located in West-Center of the country and it’s capital of Lara State. This land gives to Venezuela some of the most important singers and artists such as: Gustavo Dudamel, Aquiles Machado, Salvador Garmendia, Pablo Canela

If you want to visit Barquisimeto, I recommend you: Bararida Zoo, Barquisimeto Museum (It have a permanent exposition of native culture), Obelisk, Cathedral and Cardenalito Park.

From here, you can also visit some other place of Lara State like Quibor, Tintorero (famous for Crafts Fairs and you could acquire Hammocks), Cubiro (Mountain and tasty food), Sanare (in December 28th is celebrate the  Zaragoza holiday, this day commemorates the dead children by Herodes), La Cascada del Vino (“Red Wine Fall” is because rocks under the river give a red color to the water, like a wine) and Humocaro.

If you are Catholic, you should visit it on January 14th because is the Divina Pastora Procession, Barquisimeto’s mother. The citizen's devotion, it had been become in the 3rd Procession in the World, after Guadalupe Virgin (Mexico) and Fatima Virgin (Portugal).

Guaro's land, it calls this way because Na’guara phrase (it’s more than a phrase, is a good feeling), they’ll be feel you at home and you’ll be back again.

Bararida Zoo

In this days, I though about what is the best place to visit in Barquisimeto, the city where I was born and immediately came to my mind The BARARIDA ZOO. This zoo is very important for me because is very near of my home, I remember the lions sound in the morning, they were asking food.

For me, this is the Venezuela biggest Zoo and it has a lot of animals. For details, I’m going to explain the route. First: Mondays, the zoo is closed because maintenance, I don´t remember the ticket cost but I know it’s not expensive.    

When you through the main door, you feel like a jungle, you find big trees who give you a enormous peace. I suggest you’ll begin for the African Zone: You can see: rhinos, elephants, dromedaries (camels), ostriches, hippos, lions, tigers, mandrels, leopards, zebras and more…

For the kids, you can find a contact zoo, where they could enjoy touching little goats, tiny pigs, ducks, ponies and llamas. 

We can find bison, a lot of monkey and bird specimens such as: flamingos, parrots and macaws, anteaters, orangutans, weasels, otters, bears and more…

The best of this zoo is see some animals endangered as: Andes’ Condor, Manatee and Frontino Bear. The zoo has a serpentarium where you’ll see anacondas, all caged of course.

Also, the zoo has some activities for enjoy with your families and friends as: Row a boat in the artificial lagoon, Climb a big wall and Leap from a tree to other, like Indiana Jones.

The Bararida Zoo is located in Avenida Los Abogados con calle 13. When your visit would be over, you can have a refreshing drink outside called “Cepillados”, I recommend colita with condensed milk (leche condensada).