Teleferico
By Kat
Sorry for the delayed post! So, back in August when my mom Yolanda was still here visiting, we decided to take a family trip up the Avila — the lush green mountain that forms the north border of the city and sits between us and the Caribbean.
We’d heard that one of the most enjoyable ways to get up there is to take the teleferico, or cable car.
So the 4 of us took a $7 cab ride to the teleferico station at the foot of the mountain, bought our $4.50 tickets, and found our place in line. Then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. As it turns out, we’d chosen to ride the teleferico on it’s first day open after a substantial hiatus for routine maintenance. Needless to say, the line was loooooong. I think we ended up waiting for over 2 hours, along with what felt like half of Caracas.
It wasn’t too bad. There was upbeat Latin music playing on the speakers throughout the waiting area, snack vendors, a public bathroom, and even an inflatable bouncy house. But the weather turned foul after about an hour of waiting, which meant that our chances of having any views from the mountaintop were slim.
However, we didn’t give up! As we approached the turnstile to board the cable cars, Graham fell asleep in my arms but he woke up just in time to experience the 10-or-so minute ride up and up and up, over the freeway and above the jungle to the peak. Albeit drizzly, the ride was exhilarating.
We were famished by the time we reached the top, so we immediately sought out a fondue restaurant we’d heard of. We were seated and served drinks right away, but much to our dismay we faced yet another long wait before we got to eat. It turned out that the heating elements installed in our particular table weren’t functioning, so we had to wait for another table to open which seemed to take forever! (See photo of me about to fondue my own eyeballs.)
The fondue ended up being very tasty and Graham loved being able to cook his own meat in the sizzling pot of oil and dip chunks of baguette and sausage into melted cheese. Halfway through our meal we were treated to two additional treats: 1) a marching band came parading down the path outside of the restaurant (Graham, of course, loved the drums!), and 2) the clouds parted, revealing a view of Caracas to the south and of the Caribbean to the north).
We spent the rest of the afternoon running around the touristy attractions atop the Avila, drinking hot chocolate and cafes con leche in the closest substitute for Seattle weather we’d experienced since arriving here.
Perhaps the loveliest part of the day, though, was the quiet sunset cable car ride back down to the city.
All things considered, the day was worth the wait(s).
About Neverita
Fino Cambur 