My best vacations.

For me, vacations represent the opportunity to travel somewhere and enjoy time with family or friends. Ever since I was little and lived in Amazonas, I got used to traveling during school holidays, often to Apure. Once there, my aunt would enroll me in a course or take me out to eat something delicious or go shopping.

To my sadness, I don't have some of the photos on hand because they are in physical form in Amazonas, and I no longer live there. However, while going through my Facebook, Instagram, and Google Photos, I found a couple of pictures from the last vacation I had two years ago, which were incredible to me. I will tell you a little bit about them.

My uncles and parents were visiting here in Apure, and they stayed for a month. However, I didn't get to enjoy that time with them much because I was working. I decided to wait and ask for my days off when they were already planning to return to Amazonas, so I could join them on the trip. Traveling in a group is more fun for me than traveling alone.
The journey began, and it was quite enjoyable. We were on the road with a lively atmosphere, and even though Victoria was little, she had good energy. We spent some time playing and teasing each other. The rest of the time, we slept because it was a road trip that could last up to 7 or 8 hours, and in the worst case, even up to 12 hours if you're unlucky and arrive at the crossing when the ferry that transports cars isn't on your side.

On the day of the trip, we were stranded for about four hours in a place called Puerto Paez, where you take the ferry to cross to a place called El Burro. From there, you would be entering Amazonas, but there would still be about two more hours of road to reach Puerto Ayacucho, which is the city.
The good thing is that while waiting for your turn to cross, you can explore several shops that are located in Puerto Paez. You can find a variety of Colombian merchandise there because, yes, you can also travel to parts of Colombia through that river. People bring a lot of merchandise from there and sell it here, and passing tourists can buy anything from sweets to hats, belts, and coffee. Another thing you can do is walk around the area to enjoy the landscape and admire the impressive Orinoco River, which meets and contrasts with the Meta River. You can see a distinct line where one half of the river has clear water and the other half has yellowish water.
We wandered around until we found a tree that provided good shade, and we spent some time telling family stories, playing with Victoria, eating some snacks. Towards the end, my uncle took advantage and bathed Victoria in the river to cool her down because it was quite hot.
All of that was just the beginning of my vacation, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was grateful to be able to travel with my family because it had been a long time since we had done so.

One of my favorite activities is crossing over to Casuarito, which is Colombian territory. It can be reached by water and is only about 5 minutes away from the Puerto Ayacucho Dock. I love it there because of the variety of sweets you can find, and they are much more affordable. There is also a place that sells delicious food, but unfortunately, it was closed that time. I couldn't take many photos because we went to buy some things to celebrate Victoria's birthday, and as soon as we arrived, we headed back.

For this trip, there was very delicious food, and of course, fish accompanied by manioc salad and yuca with a bit of spiciness couldn't be missing. I also had fried chicken, hamburgers, pizza, and other tasty dishes that were made by either my dad or my uncle.
The truth is, what are vacations without delicious food?

One of the fun things about going to Amazonas is the number of rivers you can visit with your family and have a great time while enjoying a swim in those refreshing waters. Some rivers have facilities, and you can start your day early, bringing everything you need to consume or cook there. You'll truly have a fantastic day, which allows you to recharge your energy. In these spaces, you are obligated to disconnect from your phones because there's no cellular signal.

Those have truly been my best vacations so far, starting from the family trip, crossing over to Casuarito after approximately four or five years. It was incredible to also meet up with several friends I knew from high school. Additionally, I attended a family gathering that lasted for 15 hours, haha! It started in the evening and went on until the morning. We had lunch and then went to sleep.
I also enjoyed being able to celebrate Victoria's 2nd birthday and all the time I spent with her. I can't forget how amazing the food was during that time. I even gained weight and realized it when some of my pants wouldn't close, haha! I think I gained around 5 kg (11 lbs).

Well, friends, I have nothing left but to say goodbye, mentioning that the photos shown here are from my personal collection (taken from the treasure chest of memories), and of course, I'm using a translator, so I apologize if I make any mistakes in the translation.