[ENG/ESP] La Puerta in Trujillo state, the entrance to the Venezuelan Andes / La Puerta en el estado Trujillo, la entrada a los Andes venezolanos

La Puerta is a town located about 20 minutes from the city of Valera in the Trujillo state of Venezuela, which for many years has been a favorite place for tourists who love the cold weather.

The temperature in this beautiful town ranges between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius since it is located at an altitude of 1,758 meters above sea level. This makes it a place with a very pleasant climate for rest and recreation.

In the center of the town is the church and in front of it is the Bolivar square. In every town in Venezuela, there is a square named after Simon Bolivar, our liberator.

When I go there, I like to sit on the benches of this square to enjoy the weather, the imposing mountain scenery that rises right next to the village, and the calm and relaxing atmosphere that reigns around me. Time seems to pass more slowly there, away from the noise and stress of the city.

Around the square is located the largest commercial activity of the town, formed by stores selling handicrafts, wooden figures, ceramics, rag dolls, clothes for the cold, and wool blankets among other items. In addition, there are restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and sales of sweets typical of the region.

A few blocks up from the Bolivar square is located an ice cream shop that I always like to go to because they sell delicious strawberry and cream ice cream and because the place is decorated with old bottles and objects that were used many years ago and that the owner still keeps and exhibits in the shop.

Diagonal to this ice cream parlor is the only shopping center of this town. It is called Valle Verde and was built at the beginning of the year 2000. Walking through its short corridors you can see clothing stores, video games, costume jewelry, and in the center is the fast-food area where we enjoyed a delicious snack.

In the gardens of the shopping center, there are iron figures of peasants working the land, a symbol of agriculture, another important economic activity in the area.

On one side of the square, there is a path that leads to a river of icy and crystalline water that crosses the entire town. To get there we had to walk down a steep road for a few minutes. There the children bathed despite the cold weather and we had a great time, enjoying the view, the weather, and the pleasant sound of the water passing by.

Finally, we visited a very busy place fifteen minutes away from the gate called La Lagunita, which owes its name to a lagoon where tourists can take a boat ride and observe the colorful fish that live in it. There we rented some horses to ride around and had a great time!

I enjoy it very much when I make known the beautiful places of my beloved Venezuela. The Venezuelan Andes is full of beautiful towns that keep their traditions intact and are waiting for us to show us the natural beauties of our land.

Now you know a little bit about my country, I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour we made through the town of La Puerta.