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From Margarita, we headed to Cubagua, a small island inhabited by a few fishermen and their families.  Along the beach there were some unpainted huts and a tiny chapel painted Pepto Bismol pink with a turquoise door.  The water here is reminiscent of the color of the Bahamian waters.  As we were standing in waist-deep water talking, a woman with three small children approached and asked, "Creama?" as she pointed to dermatological eruptions on her toddler's face.  Jackie communicated with broken Spanish and gestures, trying to determine whether the problem was a rash, insect bites, allergic reaction, etc.  We said we'd bring back some cream.  Then she asked for milk for the small children.  Again, we said yes.  She came back shortly, asking for a needle and thread, then chocolate, then cigarettes.  At the cigarettes, we finally said no.  After we finished bobbing in the water, we returned to the boats and put together a care package with everything but the cigarettes and Bob delivered it. 

The next day, we again departed before 0600 and headed along the western side of the Arayan Peninsula into the Gulf of Cariaco toward Laguna Grande.  Inside the huge lagoon were many coves for anchoring.  We were glad to be safely surrounded by hills because the first hurricane of the season, Alberto, was making his way west.  The predictions were for him to turn north and track east of Bermuda, but weather is not predictable so we checked on the weather twice a day to monitor his movements.  There was also a tropical wave headed our way which had some bad weather associated with it.  Fortunately, neither weather system affected us.  The landscape here is like Arizona, rounded barren hills of red, white and brown with scruffy green bushes, giving the appearance of a two-day old beard on the hills.  The surface is mostly rock with little soil.  Where the scarce soil has washed down gullies to the water, there is green vegetation then mangroves at the water's edge.  A few tall skinny cacti jut up now and then.  The scenery is strikingly different from Margarita.  Venezuela is an interesting place with many different faces, only a few that we have seen so far. 

We use Nobeltec electronic navigation charts.  Heading into Laguna Grande, we discovered the first of these charts to be wrong.  We were following Drogheda into the anchorage but the chart showed us taking the boat over land.  We were quite surprised since this is the first chart we've used that was not accurate.  We've since found another one, the blowup of Americo Vespucio in Puerto La Cruz.  Both times, the problem seemed to be the quilting, that is, the piecing together of various charts, where the piecing doesn't match and the more detailed chart is fraction of an inch off.

After Laguna Grande, we headed for Medregal Village about eight miles east.  It took us three hours to make the trip since we were motoring directly into the wind and current.  On our right side was mainland Venezuela with high purple mountains and on our left was the Arayan Peninsula with red rounded hills, sometimes green with scrubby vegetation.  The boat would not hold its course, going first to the left and then veering off to the right.  Jackie told Mel she thought our boat had PMS, it was so erratic in its course.  Bob was pulling his hair out trying to analyze the problem.  He'd work on it and then come topside and say, "I give up."  He'd think a while then go back down to try something else.  Finally, he asked if I had moved anything around in the stern area.  I remembered storing groceries in one of the storage lockers.  I went down and took two large cans of V-8 juice out and tossed them onto the berth.  The boat made a swift turn back on course, like a dog heeling upon command. I had inadvertently moved the metal cans too close to the electronic compass.  We were sooooo relieved that none of the major electronics were defective.

For several days, we anchored at Medregal Village, a small resort with open thatched-roof bar and dining area, swimming pool and a few rooms.  The grounds were landscaped with colorful native flowering plants and two large bushes of basil.  Another day in paradise with palm trees, warm breezes, blues skies, and lazy days in the sun. Cruisers are welcome to use the pool for free.  We went to their barbecue Saturday night, but these people have no concept of the word.  The drink was outstanding, but the rest of the meal was certainly NOT barbecue and was barely palatable.  Seven Americans and one German sat together and the conversation was lively, including a discussion of dry barbecue from Memphis and mustardy North Carolina barbecue.  The resort provided transportation in a small pickup truck to the town of Cariaco 45 minutes away for the Saturday market.  We went in and stocked up on fresh produce.  Unable to speak Spanish, I took pen and paper and had the vendor write the price of lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, celery, and apricots.  We looked but did not buy the many kinds of fresh fish, live chickens, pig heads, and sides of beef.  At Supermercado Italia, Bob ate several slices of pizza for breakfast and lunch.  It was incredibly good.  The lady at the supermarket even gave Bob a tiny cup of coffee for free.  Communication doesn't have to be by words, it can be by gestures and smiles.