Venezuela

I often joke about how I'm going straight to hell, usually for an inappropriate joke I made or for something I did. I might have to change this tongue and cheek remark as Im starting to think Ive already been. I really cant say enough bad things about Venezuela, though I sure can try. It wasnt all negative, however, so lets start out with the positive.

Some highlights:

The hot dogs. Sounds weird, I know, but the way they dress them is an art form where the actual meet takes second stage. Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and potato crisps are the standard topping, then you have about another 10-16 to choose from. I usually went with processed cheese and hot sauce, Julie took the former and some form of corn. Its funny how much this country loves its toppings, quite the contrast to argentina (pretty much no sauces, ever).

Our trip back to catch our flight was a little shakey. It was Easter weekend, which is pretty much the south american travel equivalent of thanksgiving in the US, except that you can only buy your bus tickets the day of. generally never a problem, but I went early to the station (about 15 hours before we wanted to leave) just in case. What I found looked more like the trading floor of the NYSE than a bus station, pure chaos with all the buses sold out. Our bus was sold out so we collected our things and returned, looking for a private car (much more expensive) but really just hoping to make it back so we could make our flight.

What we ended up finding was much better. It was a bus, one that was not altogether too comfy, but very clean. More important than the bus were the people inside it. Everyone seemed very nice and helpful and we actually ended up sitting next to some Law School students from Caracas. Although there was a language barrier at times, we managed to get along quite quite...the booze helped. They were having a time of it with Rum and Coke, but since I dont drink coke about every 15 minutes theyd offer up a cap full of rum. Julie wasnt as keen on the rum so one of the girls pulled out baileys. Although the never had enough to get intoxicated (they did), it proved a great social lubricant. Before I knew it our bus had turned into a variety show. People were getting up to tell jokes as we were stuck in traffic, one guy had a guitar and led horribly off key (but funny) sing alongs, etc. Julie and I actually became the center of attention as one of the students tried to convince some other individuals we were actually venezuelans posing as americans to trick them all. Babies then starting getting passed around to take pictures with us, we were giving samba dancing lessons while the bus was stuck in traffic, I really cant make this stuff up. Once we arrived the students then took us out for a traditional venezuelan type meal and even treated us! They called us a secure taxi that was half the price of our initial one from the airport and even offered up their place (we refused, had to draw the line somewhere). As tough of an experience as we had in Venezuela, it was so refreshing to experience such a random act of kindness and I will never forget it.

PLEASE NOTE: I would never recommend taking drinks from strangers or following the back to their place, especially not in Venezuela...this was a very special set of circumstances.



THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

Venezuelas' problems really stem from one main thing: Chavez. I have no doubt he is significantly better than the Caudillo's before him, but that gives him no right to run the country into the ground in hopes of boosting his own ego. From Chavez comes the currency problem. In order to curb growing inflation a few years back, the Venezuelan Bolivar was pegged to the US dollar at a rate of 2.15 to 1. Although inflation was somewhat tamed, its still high and the rate has become a farce. So much so, in fact, that just about anywhere you go there is a parallel (illegal but common) market for US dollars at a rate of around 5 to 1.

For tourists this is a problem because if you want to do venezuela on the cheap, you have to walk around with all the cash you are planning to spend for the entire vacation. Considering Venezuela is the most dangerous of South American countries, this isnt realy a good idea. For Venezuelans this is a problem because everything is sold at the parallel rate, making prices absurdly high. I can only presume that Chavez has used oil money to help appease the masses. Gas is priced at nearly free ($1 US to fill up your tank) and oil revenues are used to lower taxes and give money to those in need. This was all well and good when oil was $150 a barrel, but at one third of that Chavez is going to have to make some tough changes. My fears are as follows: currency gets depegged and collapses, chavez reduces social welfare programs and raises taxes thus becoming unpopular, refuses to give up control and becomes dictator type (by force if necessary).

OTHER TOURIST THINGS

You wont read much about Venezuela online, as most people either dont go there or those that do try to forget it. Its a shame really, cause a fair amount of the people seem good and helpful. They are, however, overshadowed by the massive amount of crime and the seedy underbelly. Id say Gotham City would be a good comparison, if the readers dont mind me summoning my inner comic book nerd. We spent most of our time in the Caribbean, on Margarita Islans and along the coast (palay colorada). Both are considered treasures but what we saw was trashed lined roads and beaches filled with litter. Some interesting security measures were instituting along our journey. To exchange what was about $7 US officially (before I knew of the black market) I not only had to give my name and passport number (plus a copy), but also my finger print. Addiditionally, on our way to the beach our bus would stop and everyone wuold have to get out for a luggage search and full scale pat down. Men with gun had all the males line up, hands on the bus, legs spread where they made sure you werent packing heat. Although there method could be described as quite thorough (or "all up in my junk") it actually made me feel less safe). Unless things change significantly in terms of politics, economics, and infrastructure, I really wouldnt recommend this country to anyone. Even these "beautiful places" that we were supposed to have seen were tarnished and hard to enjoy as we never felt comfortable.


Ill leave you with a comparison of costs to hammer to point home on just how expensive venezuela is.

Columbia: 6 nights, all in decent and comfortable hostels. Took taxis almost everywhere and ate a large majority of our meals in restaurants. Did laundray, stocked up on supplies (dry goods, shampoo, etc.) Saw sights, went to museums, and paid for excursions. Total cost per person per week: $200

Venezuela. 7 nights, 2 spent in a hilton hotel (free from points), another free as we slept in the airport. Two of the four night of paid lodging were in places visiting by working girls and johns, and the other two were spent in a commune type place where i slept in a hammock (or didnt sleep, rather). We are out once, breakfast. The rest of the meals werent realy even cooked, they were generally peanut butter sandwiches. Depleted supplies, no laundry, walked everywhere. Saw very few sights and paid no entrance fees (couldnt afford it). Total cost per person per week: $300.

Columbia

This country has come a long way from the days of Pablo Escobar, and even from the havoc of the early and mid-90´s. Safety and security have increased exponentially, allowing much of the culture-rich environment to shine through.

BOGOTA

Our flight was due in around 730, leaving me just enough time to gather my bags and get to the hostel before the dreaded 10pm hour. Fate, however, had different plans. Our flight was delayed out of Panama, putting my arrival time at 1030...the curse continues. In addition to our room being just above some sort of party room, I awoke to a little late night rendezvous in the bunk below. My bed was literally shaking; had I been in LA, I would have thought it an earthquake. After an extended throat clearing (much too long to be anything but a signal for STOP) they stopped. Paused is actually a better word as 20 seconds later the fun continued. Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for him), it didnt last a whole lot longer.

Nonetheless, I didnt let it deter me from enjoying the city. Thus far, Bogota is the nicest metro area that Ive been too and it has quite a lot to offer. We did a walking tour and ended at the gold museum, which was nice, but may have actually been an overabundance of gold. A few examples below:




We also stopped by Plaza Bolivar, which houses the legislative branch and parts of the justice department. This plaza has been plagued by violence over the past thirty years with bombings, shootings, and hostage situations. You can actually see the steeple of an adjacent church chock-full ´o bullet holes.


Part of Plaza Bolivar, minus the bullet holes

We also went ahead and toured the police museum, which is one of the better tours ive taken down here. The tour is free and right away you are greeted by a far too young columbian soldier speaking broken english. Service is mandatory in Columbia, though just for a year. The guides are friendly and very informative. The first half of the tour takes you pretty much through the war with the drug cartels, the second part is about the modern day police force. I really enjoyed the attitude they took about their history, it was one of humility with an optimism towards improvement.

On to Medellin...
Mom, close your ears. The road was pretty much as youd expect it: windy, hilly, and full of jungle. It took us thirteen hours to go 300 miles and seemed as if guerilla troops could hop out at any minute and take the bus. Again, this was just appearance. The reality was that it was beautiful scenery along a safe route.

Ok...now this is just getting a little old. Our delayed bus put us in late. No problem with the hostel this time, just the cabbie who took us there. He didnt know where it was and had to stop 11 times for directions (I counted), almost wrecked once (would have if I didnt tell him to look out), and went the wrong way down a one way street twice. On top of that, he charged us almost the full fare! He did take off 10% but it was still about twice as much as we should have paid. From now on Im making sure I get somewhere in the daytime.

MEDELLIN

Im not going to lie, the main reason for my going here was that it had been talked up so much on Entourage. E and the boys didn´t let me down, however, as this is definitely the best city ive been too thus far. Hell, its a remarkable city even considering Europe and north america. Some of the perks: the nicest metro Ive ever been on (tied with Munich, but provides a great view of the city), great safety (could walk around at night no problem), clean, cheap, and the people are all so friendly and helpful (without even asking theyll come up and give you directions/offer to help).

As we wondered around looking for the interactive museum, we stumbled upon some sort of temporary exhibit they had up. The exhibit went through Medellin, past and present. It honored those that were killed in the drug wars, while emphasizing a better tomorrow. Medellin currently devotes 40% of every tax dollar to education, that three times the amount of any other place in Bogota. They pretty much had enough of all the crime and violence, pulled themselves up by the bootstraps, and turned the city into an international destination for both tourists and business. It really is remarkable and Id recommend it to anyone.



A few pictures from Plaza Botero. Sorry, these are borrowed from my buddy Adam so theyre the best I can do for now. Notice the interesting design of the church. Botero was a famous sculptor/artist whose designs are all bubbly (see statues in pic 2). Its kind of hard not to smile when seeing these overly-corpulent statues, though one was used to hide a bomb several years ago.

We did take one day trip out of the city to Guatape, about 2 hours outside. Here there is a massive rock that you hike up to see this beautiful lake landscape that almost appears as an archipelago. We wanted to swim in the lake but the clouds rolled in and it was a bit too cold so we had to settle for a fresh fish lunch. The trout was fried whole and brought out to use, head, eyes and all. Still delicious though.

My three days there wasnt enough and I definitely want to go back.

NATURE

Editors note: As aforementioned, my camara capabilities have been limited. I no longer have a working one but plan on borrowing pics from my travel partner, Julie. As of now, I have a few from Galapagos (posted) though there are still hundred more that will have to wait until mid-May. As a results, Ill probably be changing the format a little bit.

Also, Im a bit behind on my posting (surprise suprise) so I will be attempting to make a new post every five days or so.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

There really is no way to explain them in full. Its nature at its best, Keats perfect moment frozen in time. Every island we went to it felt like I was a guest, and that the animals were allowing me to see what their lives were like. Its amazing how close you could get up too them, though not too close as you didnt want to change their habits. I was actually pretty happy with the way that the tour was conducted in the sense that it was very respectful of the natural envirnments.

Every day we did two different land excursions, each having something unique to offer. There was also snorkeling once a day, which was probably my favorite part, but the pics from Julies underwater camera will have to wait. Just a teaser though: I got to swim with sea turtles, sea lions, penguins, king rays (about fout feet across), and even sharks!

A quick run down on the stops:

BARTOLOME- Our first stop was one of the more popular islands, or at least the most fotographed. It is an extinct volcano and much of the land is composed of old volcanic rock. Off to the side is Pinnacle rock, a popular spot for snorkeling and the main symbol of the galapagos. On the top is a volcanic cone that provides great views of terrific landscapes.

FERNANDINA- Not much to offer in the way of plant life, but the Fauna was pretty great. This is the home to the largest population of Marine Iguanas in the world (so many you had to watch your step), which made for an interesting boat ride to island to see them scurrying across the water. The island is popluated with iguanas, the sally lightfoot crab, and flightless cormorants. Along the waterside sea lions and rays can be found.


Flightless cormorant shakin its tail feather (drying off)


Look close, theres a lizard chillin on top of the iguanas head

ISABELA- The largest island in the Galapagos that really stands out as its shaped like a sea horse. This island has great views of the volcanos and its terrain is composed mainly of lava fields...so much so that it can get quite hot during the day (hot enough to fry an egg!) We had two stops on this island, one where we got to see the lava fields, and another to see some wild life. We were treated to some pink flamengos, various other bird species, land turtles, and land iguanas (much bigger than the marine iguanas, up to 20lbs!)


Blown up puffer fish on the volcanic field


Boobies Everywhere! The blue footed boobie is native to the islands and known for its distinct feet, as well as its mating dance.

FLOREANA- Predominantly known for Post Office Bay. This was an old school post office where people would drop letters and fisherman would come by and see if any of the letters were addressed to where they were going too. If you took a letter, it was your responsibility to hand deliver it to the addressee, thus no stamp needed. The tradition continues today, though unfortunately there was no post card going to Richmond and I didnt have any to address. Theres also an underground cave, which is kind of cool for a few minutes but lacks in the islands main attractions: flora and fauna. As we made our way back to the main island for our return, we were also treated to a small group of sperm whales swimming near the boat...absolutely amazing.


The post office, oddly enough looks better than most Argentine ones!


Julie and I at Post Office Bay. Id love to say thats some sort of weird sea/land creature to the left, but its just a pair of legs. Thank goodness for photoshop!

SANTA CRUZ- One of the main islands with the largest population, thus not much to see in the way of nature. I disliked this island as it meant we were leaving the next day.

ONE WARNING: If you are considering booking an island tour, stay away from both Columbus Travel (a travel agency) and Latin Trails (the tour organizer). This may be hard as your options are limited but defintaley check to see who is offering the tour. I say this because my friend Julie and I booked together, and were promised a room together, but ended up seperate. My roommate ended up being a photographer that Latin Trails stuck in there since there was an empty bed and Julies was a lady who only spoke russian. When told of the error of their ways, they offered nothing more than an apology, which was hard enough to get out of them. It sounds bratty, but when you spend enough money to live in bolivia for several months on one week, you expect things to go right.

A MOMENT OF HILARITY- Julies roommate provided several as she always tried to speak russian like anyone on the boat understood here. At one point we were going through some coves on a boat and identifying fish and she started to ask if there was a certain one but no on knew what she was saying. Finally she stuck two fingers out of her forehead and starting mooing. Everyone was still confused, except me, I knew right away. Manatee, or sea cow...thank you Jim Gaffigan.

When Life Gives You Limes...

Make Limeade! I realize this is a departure from one of my previous posts that suggest to just start hucking the assigned fruit at individuals. However, a certain amount of optimism is required.

Lima is the spanish word for lime, and the city itself actually takes on some of its attributes. Its good an small dosis, but a little bit goes a long way. That being said, the four of us (Lee, Brynn, Marie, and myself) managed to make a day of it. Any time youre driving from an airport and see a car on fire, you know things are going to be at least interesting. We carried on towards the hostel where we met the owner, who seemed to be a surfer party boy with little else to do. He also had no concept of time as we told him we were only there for a day and he suggested about 72 hours (continuous) of events.

Jose then hooked us up with his cousin/brother/friend who, for the low low price of $3 per, prepared us fresh ceviche and parmesan scallops...probably one of the best deals for meals Ive ever had. We then meandered across the plaza to get some much needed ice cream (you get weird cravings out on the trail) but walked into bizarro world. Instead of a regular menu, everything this place had was in picture form because they created sculptures out of their ice cream (mickey mouse, a duck, guy with a cannon...you get the idea). Fully engorged, we decided to work off some of our intake with a little late afternoon surfing. The waves werent great, which was fine because we werent either. Still, rather lovely. The night life wasnt too promising, though we werent looking for much. They do, however, have a water fountain park that makes the Bellagio look like a squirt gun. No a bad send off for the rest of the gang though.

BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN

Steve Winwood is full of shit. After a brief hiatus in Lima (sea level) I returned to elevation in Quito, around 2800 meters. Quito is what I would like to describe as a "shithole" and it kind of caught me off guard. There are two main tourist parts to the city, old town and new town. Old town being more colonial and historic, new town having more of the nightlife. I decided to stay in new town. Ive also decided that I should never arrive in a new city after 10pm (remember the girl that wanted to drug me in Cuzco?) as there was a prostitute on the corner when I arrived. It turned out it wasnt the timing, as I woke to find crack dealers up and down the street and spread throughout the neighbourhood. I tried my best to see the city during the day but took it rather easy during the night. My second night I was really considering going out until I came back to the hostel and heard three mugging stories from that day (including one guy who was mugged three times on his walk home). I stayed in.

I wouldnt really consider myself the cautious type, but just didnt have a good feeling about this city. Turns out I was right, I went out the next night (four blocks away and only stayed out until 11) and on my return was almost mugged. One of the three crack dealers on the street was running across and screaming at me and I was able to get in the hostel just in time to close the door in his face.

Some of the highlights: They have a really nice old cathedral in town. By really nice I mean they let you do whatever you want. Seriously, I was crawling around in the rafters and made my way up into the old bell tower...not the safest thing in the world but pretty fun. Also, their central bank was putting on a currency exhibition, which was interesting to see the history of their currency.

For those of you who dont know, Equadors official currency is the US dollar. Rememeber when the Sacagawea coin came out? Ever wondered where they all went? Answer: Equador. Other than a few minor coins, everything is US mint. Do you have any idea of the benefit the US receives annually from this? Every dollar outside the country is essentially a debt the US government never has to pay. Add to that the thousands of dollar most wealthy thrid world country citizens keep as their savings and the US is reaping a massive benefit. I just hope the dollar remains the common currency of the world, if not, that could mean trouble.

SAD NOTE: I believe that I mentioned my camera broke on the final day of the trail, just as we reached Macchu Picchu. Although Im now traveling with Julie, who has two cameras, it also appears as if my Picasa Web Albums is full. Ill try to figure out a way around this but until then there will be few pictures available. I just posted about 100 from Peru.

Until next time...