Flavia & Gregory go LA

We have made it!!

We have finally made it to Guyana, URRAH!! The bus trip from Quito to Caracas was quite in order, actually. It took 63 hours, and they went pretty quickly. The bus was excellent, it was clean and comfortable and we actually managed to sleep quite a few hours. What got us by surprise was the type of people that were on the bus: all strictly Ecuadorians and Venezuelans, and not a single Western tourist. Maybe because no westener in their right mind would do take such a long journey to save a few hundred dollars?? Well. We wanted to save the money, but we also wanted to see the country and try the experience, and we are really glad we have done it.

So we were the only gringos on board and this is how we got called for the duration of the journey. It actually didn't start off very well: the bus was coming from another town in Ecuador and was already almost full. So the driver got up into the bus and showed us our seats. While I went back down to ensure our luggage was loaded on with us etc, the original resident of our just acquired seats came back and approached Gregory and started abusing him that 'this was his seat', and trying to get his bag off him etc. Gregory keeping hold of the bag shouting in Spanish that it was his own bag...ah ah ah! Cannot believe I missed tehe scene. By the time I got back up it was like nothing had happened, the guy perfectly peaceful. I went off again, and the guy had another go at Gregory. I came back up, all fine and the man is smiling... ??? So I went and asked the driver if there was a problem, and the driver said not to worry. Eventually, it emerged that the guy was indeed sitting where we were, but was moved so that the two of us could sit together. After a while, after seeing how comfortable we were being a couple and sharing the 2 adjacent seats, he must have realised that there were plausible reasons behind moving him elsewhere and he calmed down. By the time Gregory started talking and opening his big smiling mouth, they became quite 'good friends'. Throughout the journey everybody was making jokes on the gringo (Gregory) and we were all laughing about it, so it was ok. The toilet bit was particularly funny. The toilet was actually pretty clean, even after someone crapped in it, which is not allowed. The driver came out and had a right moan about it. Later, Gregory took a picture of him and showed it around saying he was 'quien caca' en baño'....

We left Quito at 11pm on Sunday night and got to Caracas at 3 pm on Wednesday.

Caracas is a dangerous, chaotic and quite ugly city. The city hasn't retained much colonial architecture due to a few earthquakes and a strong trend to modernise its infrastructure started in the 50's by dictator Jimenez. There is a big contrast between some of the very modern commercial areas and the shanty towns on the hill sides, some of which are beautifully colourful but many of which are pure brick and cement boxes hangling off the side of the mountain. Big contrast also between the many Chavez's and the McDonalds and westener companies ads.

We felt quite vulnerable there, not sure if once again because of the reputation of if the feeling was real. It has happened in lots of other places that you are told how bad it is and so you are paranoid about everything, and then the place turns out to be absolutely fine. Maybe in Caracas we did not stay enough time to lose the paranoia, or maybe it is really as bad as it looks. Certainly the hotel metal bars and the clientele coming to buy cigarettes and phone cards from it did not help to correct our perception, neither did the two crack addicts that started to fight right opposite the hostel, or the recommendations of our Venezuelan friend, Daniela's cousin, not to do this and that. Nor the two policemen on a motorbike who stopped us as soon as we got off the taxi in front of the hostel to search us, with a really threatening look on their faces. We thought the taxi driver was in trouble, not being an official cab, but it was us they were after!! The taxis are a crazy thing in Caracas. They are not regulated at all, anybody can put up a stick on their car and drive around like a taxi. They don't even have to pay taxes or anything. In fact, we actually should have not got into this unmarked taxi that we took, it's like getting into a car with an absolute unmarked stranger. I am not quite sure why we did. I think the guy was older and looked honest, somehow. Or maybe it was because his car looked a lot better than the wrecks that were circulating on the street. Don't know, but we took a chance and thankfully it went all fine. We started chatting and then we asked him how much he wanted for the airport and seen that he did not seem too greedy, we contracted him to come and get us the next day. he did and was early and really nice. In fact, if anybody is out there looking for a reliable honest taxi driver, Pedro's number is 0414 1109032. An official taxi ride from the airport costs $60, we paid less than half. Dollars... this is the reall crazy thing in Venezuela. If you buy dollars at an official establishment, the exchange rate is 2.200. If you buy them on the street, it can be as high as 4.300!!!!! So you cannot really talk about how much things cost in dollars, because it all depends on how well you managed to change your American dollars. We spent quite a lot of our short time there organising the acquisition of local currency away from the bank, and that saved us a fortune. Like departure tax. Departure tax is an astounding 132.000 bolivares. If you pay with money out of a cash machine, that means $65. If you pay with the money you buy with American dollars from someone, it can be half that! I think our departure tax cost us something like $37, not bad hey!!

The hostel we checked into was probably one of the cheapest ones around - Nuestro Hotel in Sabana Grande - and it was both very secure and very basic. We went to check out the terminal and connections to Cartagena for when we are back there, and were lucky enough to bump into the manager of Bus Ven, one of the companies that connects Caracas to Cartagena in Colombia directly. He gave us his number and told us we could phone him to reserve the seats a couple of days before we get to Caracas, so that we can leave the same day. Could not believe our luck!! So we went back to Sabana Grande for dinner but, while crossing Plaza Venezuela, we bumped into the biggest open place we have ever seen for chess street players. So of course Gregory took the opportunity and even managed to win a few games!! In the meantime I went to make some phone calls and contacted Daniela's cousin to see if we could meet him. We made an appointment and he came to see us and then we ended up having a few beers with him and another hotel resident - Italian - so we had an interesting night talking about South American and Venezuelan politics and at the end of it all we finally made it to bed at 1 o'clock in the morning!! At 5:30 we were up ready for the airport, so that by yesterday we started to feel pretty exhausted. We got the flight to Trinidad ok, spent 5 hours there waiting for our connection, and by 7 pm we were at auntie Bridget's house in Guyana.

So everything is fine and today we are already roaming the streets of Georgetown.

No pics, sorry...