Ok, so once again I woke up with a coughing fit – not good for a singer. And once again, I decided I had to at least go into town (which requires the extra effort of tendering today) to get some postcards and pictures and say, “I was here.” After all, this island technically is part of Venezuela, and so this is my chance to see South America…And once again, my day went a little farther than planned…..
No sooner had I stepped up the tender pier and spotted a nearby store that might have postcards, than I was surprised to see last night’s guest entertainer, Tian Jiang (an AMAZING concert pianist) running up to me, asking me to come along on a tour. For only $25, a 4x4 Jeep and a tour guide would take us all over the island, in four hours, showing us all the highlights it had to offer. His group of three needed a fourth person in order to take off. What can I say… it was too good to pass up.
Actually, having done a bit of homework the night before, I was actually interested in the possibility of seeing the religious center of the island, called El Valle del Espiritu Santo. There is a fascinating legend behind their patron saint, and so I asked if the other people on the tour would like to go there also. Well, as it turns out, the pianist and I were joined by none other than the ship’s chaplain and his wife, Sue. So it wasn’t hard to agree – and off we went!
Margarita is the largest of Venezuela’s 72 islands in the Caribbean. Just 25 miles northeast of the South American continent that spawned it, Isla Margarita is divided into two sections that are linked by a 7-mile long isthmus. The mountains of the eastern part catch most of the clouds and receive all the rainfall, making the land lush, green and fertile. 
The western part, Peninsula de Macanao (mack-a-NOW), gets what little rain is leftover, and has slowly turned to dusty sweeping deserts, leaving it sparsely populated. This is where the cruise ships port, and that’s why you need a 4x4 jeep to get to the good parts. 
After we all decided that none of us were interested in shopping or visiting the beaches, and that we all wanted to see mountain views and historical stuff, our first stop was El Valle del Espiritu Santo, the Valley of the Holy Spirit. Established by Isabel Manrique de Villalobos in 1529, El Valle was Isla de Margarita’s first capital.
The Virgin Margarita, patron saint of the island is reverently displayed at the church. According to legend, in the 16th century the statue of the virgin Margarita had been bound for Peru, but was inadvertently offloaded at nearby Cubagua Island. A prophecy foretold of an earthquake and subsequent tsunami destined to strike the island, and the frightened residents evacuated, statue in hand, to Margarita island. 
She was given credit for the blessed miracle of helping them to escape the storm, and since then, thousands of pilgrims have arrived to pray and ask her for favors. The stained-glass windows of the church depict the facets of her tale. 
(Again, I’m hopelessly enamored with the exquisite detail and color in stained glass.) Here, a more detailed look at the handicapped, wheelchair-bound, even the little children who have journeyed from far away places to kneel at her altar and ask for healing.
Even Pope John Paul II visited the site and consecrated the virgin as patron saint of the Venezuelan Navy in 1995.
Another legend tells of a fisherman who had been attacked by a stingray, severely injuring his leg. He came to pray to the Virgin, promising to bring her the first pearl he found if she would only heal his leg. When he recovered, he set out to fulfill his promise. To his great surprise, the first pearl he found (“la milagro de la pierna de perla”) resembled a human leg. The pearl itself is now on display at the nearby Diocesan Museo.
See the three sailing ships on the right near the bottom? The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Here, Saint Margarita blesses Columbus’ expeditions.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit endow the blessed Margarita with sainthood.
Bear with me – I cannot get over how gorgeous this is!
The patron saint watches over the island blessed with her name. Unfortunately, the vandals were able to desecrate a bit of the window near the bottom.
Just outside the church, vendors display tables upon tables of the country’s #1 export: pearls. Loose or stringed, bracelets or necklaces, on charms, set into rings, or posted as earrings, every shape and size and color can be purchased here.
After leaving La Valle, we continued up the mountainside to the national park El Cerro Copei. At an altitude of 1200 feet above sea level, you get a great view of the island’s current capital, Porlamar, which means “next to the sea.” Of Isla Margarita’s half-million population, half of those live in the capital of Porlamar.
I’ve tried to make the picture as clear for you as possible. Look close! 25 miles to the south, across the Atlantic Ocean, you can see the outline of mountains on the mainland of South America!!!
Later in the ride: a mountaintop view of Playa El Humo. On the farthest outlet of the coastline, there on the right, you can see a red and white lighthouse at the top of a hill.
These round fruits that look like un-ripened oranges are called ‘breadfruit.’ The land here is too hard to grow potatoes, and too hot to grow pineapples. But the breadfruit that grows naturally here serves as a citrus-flavored starch substitute. Many Italian immigrants were welcomed in Venezuela in the 1940s, and have had a great influence on the food and language today. When I asked if I could try one, I was told, “If you can reach one.” (I didn’t try.)
Venezuelans are very passionate about their politics. The elections for president happened last December, but everywhere you go, icons of the election still remain. This sign in particular was prevalent, hailing the re-elected Chavez as “Victoria de Venezuela.” (winner for Venezuela) The chant in the white bubble with the red outline is like a stamp that a child got ahold of and plastered on every blank space on a wall, building, door, or billboard. It says, “Uh! Ah! Chavez no se va!” which is the people’s way of reiterating that he’s not going anywhere, not going to be unseated by another opponent, in this case Rosales.
Another breathtaking view: this is Playa El Agua.
The Castillo de Santa Rosa, rising above the land-locked city of La Asuncion harbors another tale of female heroism. Luisa Caceres de Arismendi, visibly pregnant, was imprisoned in the castle’s jail for sixteen years, refusing to divulge her husband’s hiding place to colonial authorities. There is a tunnel leading from the center of the castle to the church below in the city.
The view of La Asuncion shows you just how far this “fort” is from the sea. Political leaders of the age built it here on the highest hill in the city to assert their authority to the townspeople. The castle was never used to protect the distant harbor.
Fishing is the number one occupation on this island. When children are young, teachers have a very hard time keeping them in school, because it is a well-known fact that fishermen here earn daily what most educated men earn in a week.Four hours later, we felt thoroughly educated ourselves. It was time to head home, but not before I got my postcards. I was also able to talk to some locals about their money, their exchange rate and the price of gas, and this is when I got my biggest shock of the day. I had seen signs at three BP stations that asked 60 Bolivares for a liter of unleaded gas. The exchange rate is 2150 Bolivares to $1 US.
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