Caracas

08.05.11

I left caracas. So many things to say that here is just a list of what happened. Will give more details upon request, or you ll have to wait for the pictures.

- visited a Bario (thats the venezuelian word to say "shantytown") called "23 enero". 350 000 inhabitants live there. Even had luch there in someone's house!
- celebrated my birthday party with more than 30 people singing some sort of Venezuelian birthday song.

I ended up staying there much longer than i d originally planned.


In the Bario









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04.05.11

I've been in Venezuela for the past week, and my opinion about this country has changed radically. Here's something strange that I've only ever experienced in this country: people that at work are despicable. But the same people in the streets, outside all working conditions, are the nicest in the world. While working, people will never ever give you clear directions, when they're off work, they could litteraly drive you to the place you want to go to.

After the plane landed from Cuba, I was able to check my email at the airport. No internet in Cuba... people don't have it coz it still costs what it used to cost in europe 15years ago. 10 dollars a minute or so. And well, reeived this eail saying i had this urgent piece of work to hand in. and ince i don't have quite the right conditions to write, I stayed four days and three nights at the airport, just coz it seemed like the better place to stay for it. Free access to th internet, food outside sold by epeople from the bario, and toilets were clean! i niw know what tom hanks felt like stuck in the USA...

Since I've figured out that people were atually nice here, I've decided to stay a few days. I didn't have many american dollars when i got here. pitty coz the rate of change is really interesting. 8 BsF for a dollar instead of 4.50bls if you got o an official exchange office. After the death of Bin Laden, value of the dollar even went up to 12bsF, and the euro went up to 15!!!! Anyway, another new experience: I was robbed for the very forst time of my life. Guess what?! It was the police who robbed me! I only had the equivalence of 30dollars US to have ripped off me - a rather good and interesting eperience for what I payed for it., but that would have enabled me to live another 2 weeks here! Now I have to use my credit card, and the place is suddenly much more expensive...

However, I'd like to stay till saturday before I head down to Merida. There's a party on friday I want to attend. I've made friends here and they're inviting me to it. Meanwhile, I've been visiting museums. Since this is an extra socialist country (that uses Cuba as a model of society), well everything is free of charge. Paradise for a bakpacker! I really don't get why there are't more visitors here. But better off that way, I'd rather people were afraid and didn't come, rather than having foreign people walking around with ice cream cones and sun glasses, speaking loud voice in the metro.

It's raining today. I was meant to go out with an urbanist to take some pictures of the "barios". (Venezuelian equivalent of the Favellas inn Brazil). i real pitty it was cancelled coz of the rain. would have been a unique opportunity to see wht life is like for the major part of venezuelian population.


Picture of some buildings in the center of Caaracas. Made me think i was in the Fith Element (Luc Besson)




Metro de Caracas





Center of Caraccas, old city - Capitollo

Traveling tips - lesson 1: dealing with the police

I've encountered many strange situations while traveling, and one of the main issues of any traveler is most likely to be the risk of being robbed. There are thieves like you see them in movies with knives and stuff, and there're the ones you come across when you're really traveling. The first ones probably do exist. Fortunately, I've never encountered them before, but I reckon you find them in particular places, like dark streets, large cities in the middle of the night, when nobody is watching. Best is just to avoid those places. Most likely, the thieves that will rob you will be completely unsuspected. All they need, is a good excuse to get close to you. The police in uniforms for example, are the perfect undercover to get close enough to rip your money off you. After several years of traveling experience, I've formulated the following tips that have been useful in many situations.

1 - The first thing that the police should ask you when you're traveling, are your documents. If they ask you too many other questions before, you should be start being alert. Foreigners are usually convinced that the police has no right to touch you. I think that when you're in a foreign country, there's no way you can really know what the local behavior should be when approached by the police. For this reason, the first thing you should do during a police control, is ask for the police man´s working ID. There are two reasons why you should do this. First, you can make sure that the person you're dealing is actually is a police man. Secondly, it make's the policeman understand that you are in possession of his personal information, information that you could potentially report if ever he had any bad intentions - like robbing you for example. If ever he refuses to show you his ID, be really suspicious, call for help, or do what's necessary to be taken to the police station. Find the reason for this in the following paragraph...

2 - The second tip against the risk of robbery is only theoretical, and issued from my studies in sociology. But it just seems to have worked so far. People in their natural or usual social environment have a reputation. They're in an area where they have a name - where people know them - because simply, they live, work or just hang out there. Therefor, there are other eyes to look upon them, and make sure that they aren't doing anything stupid. For this reason, you should be able to trust the common street person, especially if he seems to just be hanging out, or just sitting there looking at people and cars go by. On the other hand, the police patrol is NEVER in their natural environment. Therefor, it is more likely for them to do something silly -like robbing your for example - , especially when there's only a small number of them, like in the case of a motorcycle patrol. This is valid not only in the case of the police, but for any individuals that don't seem to be at home. Therefor: trust more the locals who are socially controlled - trust less the aliens who have nothing to loose, and less at stake if they rob you! Borders and stations are therefor also spots of potential risk. For this reason, if the police won't cooperate, call for the locals to help. If you're taken to the police station, then the policemen will all be in their natural environment, where they must all behave!

3 - In case none of the previous pieces of advice prove to be efficient, then you ought to have respected this third tip, which is usually natural to any traveler. It is essential to separate the locations in which you keep your money. Not only does it make it more difficult for the police to find it. If you're lucky, they might miss out on some spots, but more especially, you'll notice if they start showing some suspicious interest in the places where you keep money, when they start collecting your bank notes and other means of payment. In this case, turn back to the basics reaction and scream for help!

Cuba

03.05.11

Right, It's been 5 days or so sine I'm BACK from Cuba. I actually made it there. What an adventure it was to get there.
Cuba is a fantastic place. Very tourist friendly. They have all the infrastructure there.Not like Venezuela! I'm currently in Caracas and I'vve met loads of people here. So instead of waisting time sedning info here that nobody reads anywy, I'll send a few pics this evening.

But for sure: Cuba is a place to visit before it changes.

PS: Special thanks to those of you (Ms. M) who have inspired me to go there!!!



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18.04.11.

Yeah well I'm meant to be in Cuba right now. I never left Venezuelian soil. It would be a mirracle if I actually got there within the next 48 hours...

Caribbean coast near Santa Marta

16.04.11.

What a life hre!just come out of Tayrona park- 2 days on screen saver like beaches, and a two day treck through the jugnle. was fabulosu! Treck was exhausting but took us through parts that were completely unsuspected. Came accross ruins of an old pre colombian city on the top of the mountain. It was a four hour walk from any road or beach, and given the heat, there was obviously nobody there. We found indigeinous children playing on a tree as thick as a house. They were dressed like dobby in Harry Potter: with nothing more than what seemed to be a pillow case. They were just as dirty as well. On the way down to the road that was meant o take us back to santa marta, we didn't tget to the road on time. People in this area comunicate by sending signals that sound like animals. We answered one and they automatically responded in spanish. A family invited us to their farm set on the top of a hill. They offered us a simple but very heavy dibnner, and we spent the night in our hammocks, in theyr front balcony... The fañily had 6 children and three grand children in a place made of wood, no electricity, and the size of the sitting room in Saint-maur. Fantastic experience talking to them.

Same story[ will send pics when internet will be free.
now heading to the venezuelian boarder.

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I just woke up on a beach of Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast. Didn't use a cover or a jumper all night. The fealing when opening your eyes on a white beach under a couple of palm trees is now definitely on my personal top 100 things to experience in life before you die!

Should be meeting up with my mate Frank today, to head towards another part of the coast together. We'll make an attempt in exploring the Ciudad PErdida together. Maybe some argentinian and Finnish friends will join us.

The Mystery Picture

Venezuela 1: MAracaibo and Caracas, on my way to Cuba

18.04.11

I'm meant to be on a plane to Cuba right now, but the announcement board went wrong and we're now 16 passengers stuck in Caracas airport....

Anyway, here's about Caracas and my experience so far in Venezuela.
People are actually nicer than I thought. They're just all very narrow minded. They love their sociolist policies and their president. I don't tell people I'm english or french hgere. As far as people here are concerned, I'm chinese. People are nice, and the country is beautiful. Nothing touristy to see. There're actually no tourists at all. Even the international airport seems to be only used by locals... So best thing to do is to get involved in local life, walk around, go to markets, chat with people randomly... best things to do when visiting any new country really.

Maracaibo is really big, it's hot too. People all hang around in bars and I got to meet loads of people there. Caracas is a much prettier city than Bogota. MIt's not as active nor as rich, The're's an underground here. Could make the difference in Bogota. Temperature and weather seems good. May trip fronmt he center up to the inetrnational airport was interesting. The driver didn't know how to take me there, so all the passengers got involved and it eventually worked out.

I was on time for the flight at firstm especially as the board had announced that my plane was goign to be 1h30 late. So I went off for a coffe and to make a few international phone calls. Obviously, when I got back to the desk an hour later, they'd changed that silly board again. I never managed to get on that plane... I was furious, and the soldiers had to get me out of the office where I went to complain about the situation. So here I am, stuck in Caracas with another 15 unfortunate passengers. The company recognises that most of us had shown up at the desk at the right time: 3 hours before departure. So they said they'd try to fit us on tomorrow's flight. I hope its not just a way for them to get rid of us. Things here are much less serious than they are in Europe. If so, I guess I'll have to buy aother ticket to Cuba in order to not waist my return ticket too....

"Not surprised, this is Venezuela" said a spanish guy stuck with me.
None of us said it, but we all had it in mind: "s**t happens..."




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17.04.11

I'm in MAracaibo. I got accross trhe boarder at MAicao, in the desert north of Colombia. It's near the coast. This is the second biggest city of Venezuela. First iñpressions: well, people are far from being as nice, friendly and smiling as they are in Colombia. I thought it was a latin thing to be so nice. Apparently not. People are not unpleasant though. They're just "latin". They're like the french or the italians, int he way that their ordinary behaviour is naturally a bit rude.

Changed some money for som Bolivares. It so happened that Colombian Pesos were a much better deal than dollars or euros. Strange really.

But here I am anyway, place is fine and I'm about to explore the city center. Should be taking a bus tonight to Carracas. Will try to post something again from there.

Sang Gil, Santander

10/04.11

Today was really special. Don't think I ever fitted so many exciting things in just a single day. Will eventually write more about it, but here's a bit for now.
- visited a colonial village
- went rafting
- bought some Hormigas Culonas which litterally means ANTS WITH BIG BOTTOMS
- I gave the ants to the cook of a restaurant who cooked me a steak with them in a sauce

Will send pictures as soon as I find a chance.

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So, I'm in San Gil, on my way up north to Santa MArta. This place is meant to be some sort of a spot where people stop to get off tourist tracks. It's a small place and it looks quite lost, like a small village would be europe in the middle of the country side. So when you sit down in an open terrace low key restaurant to have their typical and local "gallina creola", all you can stare at are the cars driving along the national roads that cross hear: the one goigm from north to southm the other from east to west. Breathing in the fumes also didn't dfeal very healthy.

Weather here is much better than waht its like in Bogota. To start with, here, you actually sweat! You can tell you're getting closer to the carrebean coast even though you're still up high in the andes. Its even a bit sticky, a biot like what it was like durint the summer in tuscany. It was really nice just 30 mins ago when I was sitting on the central plazza with a fresh bear. Unlike what it's like in Bogota, people don't just walk up to you for aq chat, I guess people from the capital really are that special.

So, travellers stop here with one idea in mind, since San Gil is sittuated on a fast water river, people stay to do all sorts of extreme sports. I wanted to go bungee jumping till I saw that you in fact jump off an articially built metallic tower. I was hoping to jump off a bridge or something, So Instead, I'll just go for a 2 hour raft tomorrow: 25000COP. In the morningm I hope to get up early enough to have this walk between these two colonial villages up in the hills. Will send pictures once I'm back

This place seems bigger than Villa de Leyve, but people are dressed very occidentally, No ponchoes, leather boots or staw hats like in other country places i've seen so far. PErhaps I'll see some of those in the villages i'm goignt o see tomoprrow: Guane and Barichare