Day 9 - Caracas

This morning, we went to my sister-in-law's painting class. Artist Gertie Páez Pate has a beautiful home and garden, where several students setup their stretched canvas and paint brushes and worked until past lunchtime.

The outside world was lost to us. For nearly three hours, I worked on a drawing of heliconias. Gertie was kind enough to present her book to me as a gift.

After lunch we did some shopping. I am cooking a farewell meal tonight.

Paula's painting "classroom"

at Gertie's
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

at Gertie's, for a painting lesson

at Gertie's
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Days 7 & 8: Road trip to Coro and back

On Wednesday early morning, my sister-in-law and I drove to the historic city of CORO in the state of Falcón. This was about 5 hours each way. We stayed in a hostel in the middle of the Zona Colonial and went to grab a quick sandwich before starting our walk around.

Coro was established in the 16th century and was the first capital of Venezuela. Walking around you get a sense of what has been lost due to human neglect or natural disasters.

The center of the city has two churches and a cathedral in close proximity. Several of the old homes have been turned into museums. Unfortunately the museum of ceramics was closed for renovations.

We finished most of the tour in the evening, got some dinner and then returned to rest. In the morning, we completed our tour and started the drive back. We stopped to look at some sculptures sold by artists along the highway.

The state of Falcón has many natural beauties including mountain ranges, palm tree groves and cacti. The fauna made the road trip very interesting.

We returned to cool and breezy Caracas in time for dinner and a much needed rest.

Coro - Zona Colonial

Coro - Zona Colonial
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Coro - Zona Colonial

Coro - Zona Colonial
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Coro - Zona Colonial

Coro - Zona Colonial
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

driving back to Caracas from Coro

driving to Caracas
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

sculpture stands

Coro - Zona Colonial

Coro - Zona Colonial
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

driving back to Caracas from Coro

driving to Caracas
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Palm grove, on the way to Coro

Palm grove
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Day 6 - Caracas

This morning we visited the Galeria de Arte Nacional, and the Museo de Bellas Artes, where I photographed quite a few portraits from the 19th century and some very recent paintings. I liked very much the works of Antionio Herrera Torro, Cristobal Rojas and Arturo Michelena.

Unfortunately the contemporary galleries were mostly closed and there was little to see. The museum shop was closed for a two hour lunch.

The weather was not nice enough to ride the teleferico, so we went up to El Hatillo, a lovely neighborhood where I did some serious souvenir shopping. Afterwards, we stopped by for groceries and some chocolate to take back home.

Caracas - El Hatillo

Caracas - El Hatillo
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Masks

Caracas - El Hatillo

Caracas - El Hatillo
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Caracas - El Hatillo

Caracas - El Hatillo
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Caracas - Museo de Bellas Artes

Caracas - Museo de Bellas Artes
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Day 5 - Leaving Canaima

As expected, the moon was bright again on Sunday evening, and we had a lovely dinner of local fish and vegetables.

On Monday, we all slept late and regained some strength after the 12 hour expedition, and decided to turn down the two hour tour of more waterfalls.

After breakfast we walked around the village and checked out the souvenirs. I picked up a lovely handmade basket and a wooden box with a ceramic tile on top.

After a quick lunch, we checked out of our campsite, and were given departing gifts of a necklace each and a musical instrument. We arrived at the airport and boarded a six seater plane which took us to Puerto Ordaz (Ciudad Guyana) an hour and a half later. We encountered some rain for a short while in the air and some wind but the flight was otherwise comfortable.

At the Puerto Ordaz airport we met up with the same folks who had taken the flight with us to Canaima and got to know each other better as inclement weather delayed our flight to Caracas. Luckily traffic back to the city was a breeze.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Our 12 hour expedition started prior to dawn. We were in the boat when the sun broke through.

Day 4: Expedition to Salto Angel

I couldn´t sleep a wink because of the noise from the waterfalls. My face had small bite marks from some bugs. Yikes!

A nice caffe con leche and crackers, and we left the camp promptly at 5:00 am. After an hour´s boat ride, watching the sky change to dawn, we stopped for breakfast in a hut. We returned to the boat, and continued for another two hours through some rough waters.

We started hiking for 30 minutes through the savanna, then another hour uphill, to a spectacular view of Salto Angel or Angel´s Fall. It is the 70th anniversary of the discovery of these falls, which are ONE KILOMETER in drop. Jimmy Angel crashed his plane nearby in 1937 and ¨discovered¨ the falls.

After another 90 minutes or so, we were back to ground and had a delicious pit grilled lunch of chicken, rice and potatoes.

After a short rest, we thought we were in for the 3 hour ride back or so, but our boat stopped at a lovely spot called Poso de Felicidad, or Happinness Falls, where I had a swim. It was lovely, and the water temperature was just right.

During the final hour, we got soaked wet to the bone, as the boat hit some turbulences.

We made it back to the camp hoping to see the moon rise again over the lagoon.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Salto Angel - Ange's Fall

Salto Angel

IMG_0144.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

My brother and I at the tallest waterfalls in the world, celebrating the 70th anniversary of its discovery.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Our boat.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Our group, midway in the hiking, prior to the final leg of the climb.

3rd Day - Trip to Canaima National Park

Due to inclement weather, our small 20 seater plane ride was delayed, but we landed safely after 25 minutes in Canaima National Park and made it to the lodge in time for lunch. I have a lovely room in this posada, clean with simple amenities and lots of charm.

Most of the people in the plane are not staying in the same camp, Parakaupa, but are worth mentioning, especially the ecotourist man from Brooklyn who has brought tele-medicine to the natives. Somehow I expected a certain level of detachment and not so much modern technology.

We had a delicious lunch, then a siesta -- mine was in a hammoc -- before leaving for Canaima lagoon. The boat ride was very pleasant - we were six plus our guide. We got to see vultures flying all over the place, some termites in trees and iguanas.

After arriving on the other side of the lagoon, we walked up Isla Anatoliy. After a 25 minute hike uphill, we went down to our first waterfall, Salto el Santo. We removed our outer clothes, down to our bathing suits, and walked behind the waterfall, came out the other side soaking wet. It was quite a high. We took some pictures, rested then walked back through the back of the waterfall once again. We then hiked up to see where the waterfall shoots down.

Another 25 minutes hike took us the second waterfall, Salto Hacha, where the walk through was even more incredible. There were beautiful tiny flowers growing inside that hidden chamber of the fall.

We took the boat back in time for a shower and shared a bottle of red wine while watching the moon rise. It was magical; it had a yellow colour at first, then turned white with a light aura around it.

We turned in early, because our expedition has a 4:30am wake up call.

Canaima - Moonscape

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Salto Hacha

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

an indegenous man, rowing his boat.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

I meditated after walking behind our 2nd waterfall. The area was so serene, it made sense.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

The moonscape, end of day one in Canaima.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Self portrait in hammock

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

The flora in the jungle

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

.. in the jungle, climbing down.

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Life in a hammoc

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Salto Hacha

Canaima

Canaima
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Our posada

Day 2 - Flight to Ciudad Guayana

On my second day in Venezuela, we took a very early morning ride back to the airport, to catch a 10:30am flight of about an hour, South to the province of Bolivar, and the boom town of Guayana. We are spending a night here before taking tomorrow´s early ride to get closer to Canaima and Angel Falls.

This afternoon we had rhum and lemon poolside while reading about petropolitiks. There is a beautiful river alongside the hotel, parrots and palm trees.

The talk of the country, as represented in the media, on graffiti and official papers, is the Dec 2nd vote to reform the Constitution. Major changes benefitting the current president which would allow him to stay on... forever.

Day 1 - JFK to Caracas

I woke up at 1:30 am to get to JFK in time for a 5:30 am flight. The plane was very full and overstuffed with overhead baggages that could have been checked. This caused a bit of a delay, but we made it on time to Panama City, where after an hour´s rest, I caught another COPA flight into Caracas. The second flight was less crazy. My brother and sister in law picked me up, and after a short coffee break, we drove into one of the craziest traffic jams I have ever seen.

A late meal, introductions to the new cats, and reacquainting myself with the older cat, we all went to bed for an early ride back to the airport and our trip to CANAIMA NATIONAL PARK.

First impressions of Caracas: noisy, 6 million inhabitans, lots of shanty towns, and most of all unsafe. I doubt very much I will be able to walk around town or visit the city university which is in the world heritage site.

My brother and sister in law´s apartment is in the Alta Mira section of town, with private security, high on the hill. We dined al fresco with a beautiful back drop of the city as our view.

The World Heritage List (UNESCO) -

This is what I have seen so far. The year in parenthesis represents the site's election to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

To view the complete list, click this link

Armenia
 Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (2000)
 Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley (2000)

Australia
 Greater Blue Mountains Area (2000)
 Sydney Opera House (2007)

Austria
 Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn (1996)
 Historic Centre of Vienna (2001)

Belgium
 Flemish Béguinages (1998)
 La Grand-Place, Brussels (1998)
 Historic Centre of Brugge (2000)
 Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) (2000)
 Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex (2005)

Canada
 Rideau Canal (2007)

Cyprus
 Paphos (1980)

Egypt
 Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (1979)
 Historic Cairo (1979)
 Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (1979)
 Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae (1979)

France
 Palace and Park of Versailles (1979, 2007)
 Paris, Banks of the Seine (1991)
 Historic Site of Lyons (1998)

Germany
 Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (1990, 1992, 1999)
 Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin (1999)

Greece
 Acropolis, Athens (1987)
 Archaeological Site of Delphi (1987)
 Medieval City of Rhodes (1988)

Holy See
 Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura (1980, 1990) * 11
 Vatican City (1984)

Italy
 Historic Centre of Florence (1982)
 Venice and its Lagoon (1987)
 Historic Centre of San Gimignano (1990)
 Historic Centre of Siena (1995)

Japan
 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) (1994)
 Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (1996)
 Shrines and Temples of Nikko (1999)

Jordan
 Petra (1985)

Lebanon
 Anjar (1984)
 Baalbek (1984)
 Byblos (1984)
 Tyre (1984)

Luxembourg
 City of Luxembourg: its Old Quarters and Fortifications (1994)

Morocco
 Medina of Fez (1981)
 Medina of Marrakesh (1985)
 Historic City of Meknes (1996)
 Archaeological Site of Volubilis (1997)
 Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) (2001)

Netherlands
 Defence Line of Amsterdam (1996)

Portugal
 Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (1983)
 Historic Centre of Évora (1986)
 Cultural Landscape of Sintra (1995)
 Historic Centre of Oporto (1996)
 Alto Douro Wine Region (2001)

Spain
 Works of Antoni Gaudí (1984, 2005) 23
 Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (1997)

Syrian Arab Republic
 Ancient City of Damascus (1979)
 Ancient City of Aleppo (1986)

Turkey
 Historic Areas of Istanbul (1985)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
 Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church (1987)
 Tower of London (1988)
 Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995)

United States of America
 Grand Canyon National Park (1979)
 Independence Hall (1979)
 Redwood National and State Parks (1980)
 Statue of Liberty (1984)
 Yosemite National Park (1984)

Yemen
 Old City of Sana'a (1986)
 Historic Town of Zabid (1993)

What I hope to visit before end of my trip in Venezuela:
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
 Coro and its Port (1993)
 Canaima National Park (1994)
 Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (2000)

Immunization shots for Venezuela

As my trip will include the states of Bolivar and the Canaima National Park (to see Angel Falls), the state of Falcon (to visit Coro), and of course, Caracas, I have received shots for Yellow fever, a polio booster, a tetanus booster, malaria pills and a shot for Hepatitis A.

Plans for Venezuela

Properties inscribed on the World Heritage (UNESCO) List for Venezuela include:
Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas (2000),
Coro and its Port (1993),
and, the Canaima National Park (1994), which surrounds Angel Falls, the tallest waterfalls in the natural world.

I am hoping to visit all three.

Next trip: Venezuela

On Thanksgiving Day, I will be flying to Caracas to visit my brother, sister-in-law and the cats. I am looking forward to an interesting 10 day visit.

Dad presenting his work

IMG_0023.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Vahakn Karakachian stands on the right

Dad with the students

Dad with the students
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

TV interview

TV interview
Originally uploaded by Lola Koundakjian

Montréal, Que - September 2007

Four AM Wakeup
It was dark when my taxi arrived. Arriving at LaGuardia, I found the Air Canada section still dimmed. At 5:05 AM, the agents arrived and lit the stations. Twenty minutes later, I was having an "everything" bagle with cream cheese and hunting for a copy of the NY Times. Unfortunately, I was notified, the paper doesn't get there until 7:30 AM!!

We boarded the plane on time, a new Embraer 190, a beautiful and comfortable interior, with a small screen with video and audio capacity including XM radio at every seat. It was a great flight and the weather was exquisite.

Taxiing at LaGuardia, I had a full view of the bay, and the red sun rising above Manhattan.

It's amazing how my mood changed as soon as I boarded the plane. I had a big smile on my face -- right at home in the plane.

Pierre Trudeau airport in Montréal
It's been a little over a year since my last visit here; there was a long line at customs/passport control. I took a taxi to Laval, where I am staying. The reason for the trip is my dad's exhibit.

Soon after landing and joinining my parents at the hotel, we went to the Armenian center to see the exhibit and meet the visiting students and senior citizens. I was introduced to the editor of HORIZON, Vahakn Karakashian, and, poet Panos Jeranian. Both presented me with copies of their books, which I will use as research material for the Armenian Poetry Project.

We went back at 6:30PM for the TV interviews, and the formal reception. The Montréal cousins, my aunt and uncle were all there. I met poet Sonia Sanan, and a slew of acquaintances and former school mates there. Photos to follow.

Booking upcoming flights

In September, I will briefly visit Montreal where my dad is having an exhibit. Dreams of Lebanese food (both good and cheap) abound. Coming back with a suitcase full of goodies, perhaps.

In late November, I am visiting my brother, his wife and the KATS, in Caracas, Venezuela. Should be fascinating!!

The wedding in Resteigne, Belgium

I had the honor of reading this poem at the wedding in Church, at the beginning of the ceremony.


The Confirmation

Yes, yours, my love, is the right human face.
I in my mind had waited for this long.
Seeing the false and searching for the true,
Then found you as a traveler finds a place
Of welcome suddenly amid the wrong
Valleys and rocks and twisting roads. But you,
What shall I call you? A fountain in a waste,
A well of water in a country dry,
Or anything that's honest and good, an eye
That makes the whole world bright. Your open heart,
Simple with giving, gives the primal deed,
The first good world , the blossom, the blowing seed,
The hearth, the steadfast land, the wandering sea.
Not beautiful or rare in every part,
But like yourself, as they were meant to be.

Edwin Muir (° Deerness, Orkneys - +1939, Cambridge



The wedding was absolutely beautiful and we partied all night long.



Left to right; Patricia Naets and her sister Nathalie, Lola, and Karin Bauer. All three are cousins of the bride.

Research and poetry

Today I went to Square Alboni in the 16ème to visit the AGBU's Librairie Noubar. I read and took notes for about 5 hours in peace. The library has two indexes in Armenian and in French and thousands of volumes, periodicals and other research materials. I was able to see original copies of ՄԵՆՔ [MENK (we)], a periodical published in Paris from 1931-2 and books and criticims in both languages.

The library has most of the original issues of ՄԵՆՔ. The review editorial board was composed of 15 French-Armenian writers, with an original manifesto. It published poems, short stories, book and art reviews. It also published pieces by young authors outside of the MENK (we) group such as Harout Kosdantyan.

Montmartre

I spent half a day walking around Montmartre. I hadn't been there in quite a few years, and despite the rain (yes, again!), I enjoyed the walk.





The downpour got heavier just as I was heading to the Basilique de Sacré Coeur. See the dark sky in that picture.







Afterwards I walked back down the hill, past the vineyards and by the "Lapin Agile".














In the afternoon, I met up with cousin Anahid at St Michel, then checked out some bookstores.

Paris 16eme

Today's menu was in three courses in one of the chicest neighborhoods of Paris 16eme: Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian, the Museum of Modern Art and the Fondation Bismarck.

The first stop was to see a small exhibit of Arshile Gorky's drawings, on loan from Lisbon and part of the "L'Arménie mon amie" (Armenia my friend) -- a year's worth of different exhibits around Armenia and its culture.












The second stop was 5 minutes away at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris -- an old building containing works from early 20th century to present. The ground level starts with a large room containing a huge incomplete painting by Matisse, a Barnes Foundation commission, mentioned in the book I read last year entitled "Matisse, père et fils" by John Russell.





There were interesting paintings by Robert Delaunay; a series of portraits of artists by Edouard Vuillard; a room dedicated to the Fluxus movement, another to the New Realism (contemporary to Pop Art in the U.S.);









The museum's bookstore was very well stocked with interesting titles such as the two seen below: "Women who write live dangerously" and "Women who read are dangerous".



My last stop was at the Fondation Bismarck, a private museum currently hosting an exhibit of amazonian paintings by Margaret Mee (1909-1988), borrowed by the Royal Botanical, Kew, England.

On the way back, I rode bus 63 from Trocadero to Gare de Lyon. The weather finally improved and temperatures rose a bit. I walked alongside Rue Cremeux, a beautiful side street which has the feel of a village in the 12th district. I did a detailed series of the houses there. The series may be seen in my flickr.com account.

Baby it's cold outside

It's been another miserable day weather wise. Only 12C or 60F AND it rained most of the day.

I went to the Theatre de la Ville, but tonight's concert with the Kronos Quartet was already sold out. Afterwards I headed to the Place de la Concorde, entered the Tuilleries gardens to visit the Musee de l'Orangerie. I stook on line under the rain for an hour.

This small building houses a unique collection of Monet panels depicting the Nenuphar series. Two oval rooms contain 8 panels; only 40 were painted in these dimensions.

Monet made these paintings between 1895 and 1926 (his death), working indoors and outdoors at his garden in Giverny in Normandy. Nympheas series (ie water lilies) as they are called, were promissed as a gift to the state during WWI, but Monet couldn't part with them until his death. The painter prepared a special studio for this project, and conceived the idea as a special retreat from modern life, a retreat for humankind.



I spent a lot of time at first looking at the paintings, and then watched the other visitors. Observed the observers so to speak. You can see my entire series, and all my travel pictures all the way back to 2001 by clicking this link that takes you to my flickr account.