Sweet treat in Mérida

On an independent trip to Venezuela with two friends in December ’08, we visited Mérida.

First, the bad news — Mérida’s Téleferico (cable car), which is described as the highest and longest cable car route in the world, is CLOSED indefinitely and has been since August ’08.

Some say that it needs upgrading; others say that the prospect of large construction contracts and kickbacks accounts for talk about building a new one. In any case, if taking Mérida’s Téleferico is a major reason you’d want to visit Venezuela, I advise delaying your visit until it’s been operating again for at least six months; don’t rely on any announcements about when it’s expected to reopen. (As of early May 2009 there was no word on a date for reopening the Téleferico. — Editor)

In Mérida we visited the cathedral and several small museums nearby plus the major market and a few other bits and pieces.

On another day, we took a leisurely drive to Jají, a picturesque village in the mountains. There were a few shops and restaurants around its Plaza Bolivar, but what struck us more was just how little tourist development we saw.

Far and away, my favorite experience in Mérida was visiting the Heladería Coromoto (Avenida 3 Frente a la Plaza el Llano; phone [274] 252 3525). They claim to make about 900 flavors of ice cream, although no more than 50 or so are available at any one time.

I had a scoop of coffee and one of cheese, both of which were excellent. The Portuguese owner also gave me samples of corn, bean and beer, which actually tasted of corn, bean and beer, and they all were delicious.

Some of the flavors have names that tell you what to expect, for example, asparagus (which I didn’t have a chance to try), but others such as “Univision” and “B-747” leave more to the imagination. What’s more, the prices are reasonable: about $1 per scoop.

I can say with some confidence that there’s no place like the Heledería Coromoto anywhere else in the world, and if it were up to me, it would appear tomorrow on UNESCO’S World Heritage Sites list!

STAN BACH

Washington, DC