Lunch in El Hatillo was a delicious rugula and serrano ham pizza at Das Pastellhaus Pizzeria. The town has an abundance of Italian, Asian, and Spanish restaurants. They also have a couple of Swiss fondue joints.

Dessert was gelato at Gelatto e Caffe. They didn’t have as many flavor offerings as other gelato places I’ve been to in Caracas, but the mantecado was lovely.

Lastly, I had to try the local chocolates. Blue Moon Chocolates has a variety of flavors. The only downside is that they don’t let you sample

Over the weekend, we headed over to a small, historic town located in the southeastern part of Caracas proper called El Hatillo. I’d heard a lot about it from other expats who weren’t that impressed, but still wanted to give it a try. I’m so glad I did…

View of the mountains from Plaza Bolivar

El Hatillo has managed to keep its historic architecture, while still blending in new structures. As you walk downtown, you can peer into the homes (most doors are open) and see that not a lot has changed since 1784. At the same time, there’s a pretty big mall and you can find just about everything that you would in more urban parts of Caracas. I loved it! It reminded my of Jacmel, Haiti. The narrow, mountainous streets…

Calle Sucre

The colorful homes of the Caribbean…

Calle La Paz

Street off of Plaza Sucre

Predominance of religious structures…

Iglesia Santa Rosalia de Palermo

Templo de San Constantino y Santa Elena

I loved this place so much I started thinking of how we could move here. Unfortunately, weekday traffic is so horrendous that the 30 minute drive can take 1 1/2 to 2 hours (reminds me of South Florida ). With the idea of moving kiboshed, I suggested coming back for an entire weekend to really get a feel for the place. But, I was informed by our tour guide that there are NO hotels in El Hatillo. Can you believe that?! This beautiful, extremely touristic attraction cannot house visitors overnight. Apparently, the local government is looking into this right now and as far as I’m concerned it can’t be soon enough. In the meantime, I’ll settle for the occasional day trip. This place is definitely worth the sacrifice!

Next post: Why I can see myself putting on lots of weight here…