El Balcon del Yaracuy A Side Trip of the Caracas Victoria Society EXPEDICION BOTANICA to Parque de la Exótica Flora Tropical San Felipe, Yaracuy, Venezuela Text & photos by Juli Carbonell - Click to enlarge

Gertrud invited us for lunch at El Balcon del Yaracuy, her small coffee plantation 1400 meters above San Felipe, a nice cool place about an hour away from the oppressive heat of the valley below. The von Fedaks have built a European style mountain house which they rent to selected visitors. This house has 8 bedrooms, all with private bath, and is fully equipped including domestic staff and meals.

A cozy corner of the living room

For lunch everybody helped in the kitchen. I was the exception since I take the pictures!

Coffee Processing

Tanks for the coffee beans - Left tank: beans as they come from the coffee tree must soak for several days to loosen their skin Right tank: beans after having been descerezadas (sort of peeled) before the drying process The drying machine - After the beans are descerezadas they have to be dried before roasting and grinding >	Luis observes the descerezado process.	Coffee beans as they come from the descerezadora machine.