Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
Venezuelan sailors show their dancing prowess with guests at a reception aboard their ship, held at Newport East. They were attending a reception on board a Venezuelan army vessel.
VENEZUELAN SAILORS got a brief look at Jamaican shores on Monday, May 8, when their ship Los Llanos docked at the Kingston Wharves as it makes its first stop on its humanitarian tour of the Caribbean.
The team brought materials to build 100 homes across the island, as well as repairing and constructing schools and churches that were damaged by Hurricane Ivan. After their stop in Jamaica, the crew will be heading for the Dominican Republic before stops in other ports, including Aruba. The Los Llanos will be in the Caribbean for approximately two months. The ship is also a training vessel and for over 90 cadets of the Venezuelan Naval School, the trip being part of their final lessons. Not the typical classroom we know.
After welcoming guests to the frigate, crew members showed a video giving a brief history of the Venezuelan armed forces, some of the training that the crew members go through and the latest initiatives to work with civilians to aid development.
Those crew members that weren't bad with the English language and guests with a bit of Spanish in their repertoire were busily finding out about each other's country. Jamaicans were asked about everything from Bob Marley to our fascination with new cars.
DANCE SESSION
While Latin music had been playing all evening, a small group of crew members then did their own song and dance routine. But one navyman openly declared that while that was South American style, they were going to show their Caribbean roots with the merengue. That's when a full dance session broke out with a few sailors finding willing partners. I asked one sailor who had been quizzing me about Jamaica if they always have this much fun.
"Yeah," he laughed before whisking a young lady on to the dance floor.
So when guests did leave the ship behind, they indeed had a few stories to tell.
