Venezuela travel blog by Mark Berman -
January 2011
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4 Hours by Ferry from Puerto La Cruz
From the
Conferry terminal in
Puerto La Cruz
I made the 4 hour trip by ferry to Porlamar on Isla Margarita (Margarita Island). It was early morning in Puerto La Cruz. I woke
before 6am and walked the 20 minutes west from the center of town to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket for $40 Bolivares one
way (around $6USD). Before I boarded the boat my belongings were checked by the police and they asked me to play my guitar to show I could
actually play and that it wasn't some kind of 'cover' for something else.
Conferry Ferry to Porlamar
The trip on the ferry from Puerto La Cruz is quite scenic passing by many islands
along the way, I saw dolphins and pelicans. The ferry was quite empty and I was able to sprawl out on a bench seat and rest for a while. The
ferry arrived in Porlamar, people with cars drove off the ship and onto the jetty to shore.
Co-op Taxi into Town
I caught a co-op taxi van which is the cheapest
option into the center of Porlamar and found myself a budget hotel one block from Plaza Bolivar. From the ferry to the city center is 28kms
and cost $5 Bolivares.
Walking Around the Center
Next day I set out to have a look around and explore the city a little.
The place is full of life in the central streets with food for sale, stalls and shops, the houses around the center are in
colors of pink, blue, green, orange and yellow, many have little shaped designs on the front. Plaza Bolivar is large with tall trees,
people relax during the day and drink black coffee. The white and gold church Iglesia de San Nicolas de Bari stands at one side of the plaza.
In the grounds is a monument to Rev. Brother Elias Maria Sendra and nearby is a monument in bronze of 4 women dancing in a circle holding hands
and is called La Ronda by Francisco Narvaez. Porlamar offers fancy shopping in the area around Av 4 de Mayo where there are a lot of imported
goods.
A Dramatic Twist
It was about now while I was walking around the shopping area that my visit to Isla Margarita took a dramatic twist. I was sitting
down having a cold drink when a young lady nearby caught my eye. I said 'hola' and we sat and chatted for an hour, she invited me to visit
the place where she lived with her family on the island. The next day I took a bus from Porlamar to
La Restinga where there is a lagoon and
national park. I didn't plan to, but I ended up staying there for 2 weeks living in a house at the beach with a family of fishermen with
free board and food!
Buses Around the Island
There is a bus terminal about 5 blocks from Plaza Bolivar that has buses going towards the western regions of the island like
La Restinga while buses going to
La Asuncion,
Pampatar and
Juan Griego leave from around the plaza and down the road from the church on various street corners.
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