Barrio 23 de enero, known for being the most militant barrio with the most weapons is the warmest, spirited place I have been in Caracas. When we arrived in our delegation bus, a leader from the barrio, Joel, jumped on the bus with us and stood in the open door as we wound our way up the hills deep into the heart of 23 de enero. When we offered him a seat on the bus our delegation leader, Edward, said "He is there for a reason." The reason? To announce, 'a bunch of gringos are coming and are under the protection of the Tupamaro and no-one had better mess with them.' Tupamaro have a history dating back to the late 1950s, starting in Uruguay as a leftist urban guerrilla organization. The descriptions I have got in my internet research range from, "terrorist left wing radicals" to "revolutionary freedom fighters." However here in barrio 23 de enero it it appeared to me to be more of a vigilante police force, with a connection to party politics. They do support Chavez as long as Chavez continues to work for the poor and keep a hands off approach in this barrio. The system reminds me of the the initial purpose of gangs in the United States. Before corruption riddled gangs, they were a well organized, renegade community protection system to fight against racism and police oppression. Arming themselves in order to protect the community from outside attacks. In so doing, warning others not to harass or threaten the community. We had our own security force in the hills and we had people guarding us from the wings. I felt safer there then I have anywhere and I was wishing I had some Tupamaro security yesterday when I was robbed 8 blocks from Miraflores plaza. That's another story.

The Tupamaro is not only a local Barrio phenomenon. It is a broader South American guerrilla movement, armed to fight against dictators and imperialists. Tupamora gets its name from Tupac AMan II, a leader of the 18th centruy revolt against Spanish rule in Peru. Also in 23 de enero there is a sub group of Tupamaro named after Leonardo Chirin, a slave who revolted against Spain in the 1800s. Historically police crack down frequently on barrios, destroying homes and arresting people. After the coup the Tupamoro came out in force to protect the broader community. They set up at locations so people could report problems of violence or harrasment. Even our uppermiddle class Venezuelan hosts, have a very positive view of the Tupamaro and the service they provide to the community.

I really want to go back to 23 de enero and stay 2 weeks with a family there and work on a media project with the children. It was great seeing the enthusiasm the children had for media making and I cannot think of a better place for Indy media here in Caracas. Although, so far I have had no luck convincing Andy or Zarha about this. The kids loved zarha and did not leave her side the whole time. They called her gordita which was translated as "thick" by one interpreter. They were not insulting her but they see her size as a strength and to recognize her size is a compliment. Many of the children were very small and zarha towered over them. They loved dragging her around and holding her hand and using the digital camera to take pictures with her. She was in celebrity standing. Zarha handled it great! She acquiesced to their coaching to dance and make silly moves. She moved in a mass of giggling, high pitched children for a full night and day. It was not until the final hour that Zarha became overwhelmed. The consistent, intense enthusiasm of the children and the non stop fast flowing Spanish, short circuited her only child wires and she broke down and cried. The children paused. They worried about her and backed away for a moment only to surround her shortly after again. They gave her little gifts and wanted little gifts to remember her by. That is a cultural tradition, trading little trinkets.
The generosity of those who have so little, sharing food and drinks and giving us parting gifts is very moving. When We first arrived, people came out to offer us plates of food and pull us into their little shanty homes to talk. I was pulled into one older mans house right away and given a shot of whiskey. I couldn't turn the gift down, even thou I don't like whiskey. He proceeded to give me a tour of his House and showed me his stacked refrigerator. He had 3 full chickens in the freezer and a frig full of beer. There is a 24 hour dry spell before the elections where alcholol is not sold anywhere and this man was fully prepared. This kind enthusiastic man kept telling me "whatever you want I have here, whatever you need is yours."
Andy joined a jam session with some talented musicians playing the Cuatros ,4 string guitars, Venezuelan style drums and Andy played the keyboard. Ill try to post an audio clip of this later. Music transcends any language barriers and it really eased us into our home for the night.
The community cohesion in the barrio is unlike any place I have been. They take care of each other and it functions like one big extended family. Its is hard to distinguish which kids belong to which parents. Kids run in and out of each others homes and guests are engulfed into that immediately.
One of the most amazing homes we were invited into was a Santeria house. The shrines and statues towered in a high ceiling, stoned walled room in back of the house. We were introduced to all the gods and the meaning behind it. It is Interesting how this home of Santeria is right next door to the monastery and church of the Belgium missionaries who have been in the barrio over 30 years. We are invited back to 23 de enero for a Santeria party tonight. Details to follow...
We did have to turn down two more events with Chavez. We were called to cover Chavez voting in 23 de enero on election day, but we would have to arrive again 3 hours early and wait around in the media mob. We had decided to be with the regular folks of 23 de enero and not the spectacle. The day after elections we were called to film his first press conference after his victory. Again we would have to go to MiraFlores and wait many hours. I had been editing footage all night when the call came in and we had to move out of our hotel room that we had used for 2 days during the delegation. I heard we had missed a good press conference. I don't have the patience for those kind of events. I don't like doing the trendy popular media game.

We hiked and explored Avila mountain range 2 days ago. It is the range of mountains that surround Caracas and have amazing trails and camping. The mountain range is over a mile high. It is a paradise in the northern backyard of Caracas. So close yet other worldly. We came upon a waterfall and the hippy in me came out. My clothes came off and I communed with the cascading water and mossy rock.

We have one more week in Caracas and then we head west to the coast and then inland to Merida. It will be good to leave because we are tired of Caracas noise and pollution. We have been invited to stay at the beach house of our amazing hosts. It will be hard to leave the warmth and generosity of our Caracas hosts. We have not made any connections for this next part of the journey. But we are ready for an adventure! We have had such an incredible time here it is hard to keep up on all the amazing experiences. I can only highlight a few. I am off to yoga, again, I have been able to do yoga almost everyday since the elections. The yoga style is Ashtanga and all my teachers have been male. They speak to me in this soft flowing Spanish and I just nod my head and follow my neighbors moves. I am still using a lot of sign language and if I don't understand I smile and either say "si" (yes) which could be dangerous or I smile and say "my Spanish is not very good."
Although my Spanish is getting better I really want to take some formal classes in merida. I think we may make the financial investment while we have the opportunity.
We will have to make some calls home soon, it will be good to hear your voice.
ciao amour