Quote: “Dead Man’s Path”: Anytime that I see a sign indicating that I’m soon to die, I know that it will be a good day. My group made the wise decision to stay away from the paths but, even still, we had a great deal of fun at Mount Avila. Just a note on the hiking, I was informed that these paths can be strenuous, hence the name. The paths go in various directions and go all the way from the top to the bottom of the mountain, while others wind around the top. Most of the sign are in Spanish. Many places offer tour guides who go to Mount Avila, so if you aren’t fluent in Spanish or an avid hiker, I would avoid the paths or get a tour guide.
Mount Avila around Christmas time is beautiful. Coca-Cola seems to sponsor Christmas in most countries, and Venezuela is no exception. Giant gift boxes were outside of the cable car station and inside there were cutouts where you stick your face inside a hole and you get a picture of your face on the body of a penguin or a bear next to Santa Claus.
The best way to reach the top of the mountain is by cable car. The ride to the top takes about 10 minutes and gives you an amazing view of the mountain and Caracas. The ride up was pleasant. The ride down, however, was another story. The wind picked up and the car was swinging and a, what I call a ‘danger-you-are-about-to-fall-to-your-death light began to flash.
On top of the mountain, there is enough entertainment to keep you busy for a good portion of the day. There are trails and ice-skating at the top, but we chose not to do that do to our time. The top was decorated in preparation for Christmas. There was a huge tree, decorated with Coke ornaments, and a German Village behind it with a house appropriately named the “Bier Haus.” I’m still trying to figure out the German-Venezuelan connection.
After walking around and watching kids play on a jungle gym, most of the stands started to open. I got a cheese charapa. These are wonderful. I got to watch the guy make them. They pour out a wrap that looks similar to a pancake and then they wrap it around a chunk of cheese. After that I got Hot chocolate. It tasted like a melted chocolate bar, thick and sweet, with the sweetest cream on the top.
If you arrive early, then you get to see the mountain covered in clouds, this is what they refer to as a cloud forest. As the clouds and fog lift, you do get a nice view of the mountains.
From journals Venezuela though new eyes