Wednesday Walk | Urban Park - The east park of Caracas.

December 2019 · 3 min read · Parroquia Leoncio Martínez

Inspired by the Wednesday Walk of @tattoodjay

Hello dear friends,

On this occasion, I did the Wednesday Walk in an urban park where my paternal grandmother took me to run and see the animals. We called it the park of the East.

The park of the East of Caracas was inaugurated at the beginning of the 60s of the last century with the name of Rómulo Gallego, Novelista and who was president of Venezuela in the 40s of the 20th century. With the passing of time it has been renamed several times with the names of: Raul Leoni, Rómulo Betancourt until his current name, Francisco de Miranda.

I remember from my childhood walking and running through the wide green areas, seeing large reptiles of the Orinoco River, turtles and big cats such as the Puma, the Jaguar, the Cunaguaro among others.

Today, as I walk with my camera in my hand, I have a sharper vision. The place is still beautiful, recreation is adequate as for the joggers, but it is noted that the country's crisis has also affected it. As for the big trees, they look sick with signs of ringworm.

The architect Carlos Guinand Sandoz was the one who designed the Humboldt planetarium between 1959 and 1961. Two years later, the distinguished architect died and in his honor this lagoon was given his name.

I walked about ten minutes looking for an artificial lagoon where there was a replica of a Santa Maria caravel on which Christopher Columbus traveled from Spain to discover America in 1492. On it, I walked more than thirty-five years ago. In 2006, it was replaced by the replica of the ship that Francisco de Miranda used on his arrival in Venezuela in 1806, in his attempt to free Venezuela from the Spanish crown.

I stayed for a while contemplating the boat, it showed signs of deterioration, I also didn't understand why its mastiffs were made of metal.

Nearby was a young man in his thirties with his three little daughters. I greeted him and took advantage of asking him if he remembered Columbus's ship.

To my surprise, he replied yes. That his dad wore him as a child and that the Bergantin was recent.

After a while, park rangers did not warn that the facilities were to close operation.

I walked back not before photographing the Amazonian Ounce (Jaguar).