Sanctuary! Casa del Mono – Coro, Venezuela

From Puerto Colombia the way takes us back through Maracay, then Valencia and then North past Morrocoy National Park to the old colonial town of Coro.

This route leads deeper into the heart of Venezuelan petroleum production. Around Valencia there is plenty of petroleum / gas industry so we pass some massive factories on the way.

We opt not to stay in the popular tourist destination of Chichirivichi because from our vantage point it looks like a bit of a hole.

The clutch cable snaps just as we enter the town of Coro. This amateur has some trouble getting it installed, but lucky for him he broke down conveniently in front of a mechanical shop and a couple of the guys from inside assist. (Of course we do give them a tip though it was not expected.)

We have to ride around the streets of Coro for a long while before we finally get to our destination – the street signs and layout are somewhat incongruous. But eventually we find our haven…

Turkish coffee in the morning…

It’s the most excellent La Casa del Mono (200BF/dbl & shared bath / 250BF/dbl & private bath; https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Casa-del-Mono/197705220304572). This place not only has excellent accommodation, parking and other facilities, but it’s a place of heavenly tranquillity and beauty. The courtyard is filled with beautiful plants and trees to give shade from the intense sunshine while you lay back and relax in one of the hammocks and do absolutely nothing.

Adriana, the lady who owns the place, is an awesome lady and we get on like a house on fire.

Finally Adriana has someone to test the new BBQ her father built here…

Another group of guests we meet are a French-American couple and a Colombian lady by the name of Gloria. The Frenchman, Jonathan seems to have memorized a number of books and is an overflow of information. But he has some interesting things to say. He tells us about this place they’ve been staying at, out in the jungle in Colombia. Beautiful, tranquil, idyllic, we should really come by there he says. Then we meet Gloria – she owns the place he talked about. A farm or “finka” in Quebrada Valencia, a valley off the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. We are invited to come and visit. We can do some helping out around the place in return for free stay. They leave the next day. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Ebru goes with another couple of lovely girls staying at the hostel, one from Italy and one from France, to visit the beaches and the peninsula north of Coro, which through some special natural causes is completely desert. They all said it was very beautiful. It sounds interesting, but I am too emphatuated with doing nothing (except reading) here in this beautiful hostel, so I stay behind for a change. Besides, I think at times, I am getting a bit tired of moving around.

We spend a wonderful few days at Casa del Mono, getting to know the lovely Adriana and her recently arrived friend and business partner from Slovenia, Morana. They tour guide foreign tourists through various destinations in Venezuela and Colombia, including Cartagena and Ciudad Perdida (the lost city), but they do it in a proper travellers style!

We make another friend at Casa del Mono. One morning we make up to a retching sound coming from somewhere close by – we cannot identify it, but it’s something between a small baby’s screams and a terrible cough. We trace the sound back to right below our bed – from a tiny little kitten. Adriana saved this little one from a couple of dogs somewhere in the street and brought it home, and here it is under our bed, lonely and terrified. We take care of it and by the time we move on it’s actually quite happy in its new home. However we cannot say the same for Mussolini, the other cat who lives here.

Frequently seen signs at Venezuelan shop entrances…

We still have to plant a tree in Venezuela, and Adriana is quite pleased with the idea of us planting a tree in the back yard of the Casa del Mono. Perfect! So, here we complete Mission 21 of our Planting Around the World challenge.

If you visit Venezuela, Coro and the Casa del Mono is definitely one place you MUST visit! You will not regret it!

Adriana, thank you again for welcoming us into your hostel with such kindness and generosity! We will never forget you, come and visit us!!