Venezuela is a land of sea and mountains. The village of Merida where my pal Catherine was getting married is in the middle of the Andes mountain range. Merida is the capital of the Merida state so apart there are loads of thing to do here. It's probably the best catered city from a tourist perspective because apart from being very safe here you can find lots of tour operators, restaurants and shops.

I spent 4 days in Merida in all and apart from the wedding and a whole day of shopping with the girls I went paragliding (in tandem not with that triangular thing). I thought it was going to be dangerous so I didn't take a camera with me and this was one of the biggest mistakes I made in the holiday. I asked the chatty Columbian who was with me on the tour to send me the photo but unfortunately they never arrived.

  

One of the highlights of Merida is the teleferico (cable car) that takes you up in the mountains. From here you can go on longer hiking trips to the different summits like Pico Bolivar and Pico Humboldt. Most of the pictures in the gallery where taken from the top of the cable car, and the scenic stops along the way, the rest where taken on the trip from Merida to Los Llanos.

Visit the rest of the gallery here.