Arriving in Lima

Well after our stay in Caracas, we we're about to throw it all in and book an early flight home... But instead we booked a flight with LAN to Lima, Peru. Great choice!! The booking process was quite interesting. As we had to do it through a travel agency.. Put it this way, I'm glad we are actually in Peru... and not the Philippines. (man i really need to learn Spanish, you feel like such a spaz not being able to talk..)
Arriving into Lima was such a surprise. The airport was ultra modern on new. We both were like 'are we in the right place'. We couldn't help but notice all the banners hanging through out the airport which said APEC. APEC is being held in Lima this year and we reckon APEC is one of the reasons as to the upgrade of the airport. None the less the airport was sweet, customs was a breeze and out of there in no time at all.
I had organised our accommodation back in Caracas through the Internet and booked a couple of nights a the Flying Dog Hostel, Lima. I also organised a pick at the airport from the hostel, because it was late at night.
We walk into the arrivals area and was greeted with banners all bearing names of arriving tourist. It was promising to see so many names, unfortunately our name was not shown. Crap. We had arrived at 11:20 pm and was out into the arrivals area by midnight. We wait for our pick up service till 12:30 and when they didn't show up we decide to take a taxi to the Hostel our selves.We find a taxi and head into the city of Miraflores where the hostel was located.
The taxi ride again was life altering....It turns out that the driving we experienced Caracas is typical for Lima also. The taxi driver was driving at 'light speed and with complete disregard for human and animal life..' Nuts... Taking corners like he was on a rally time trial and red lights - what's that????
Lucky to step out of the taxi with our lives we proceed up the stairs of the hostel, only to find out that I had booked our accommodation for freaking

NOVEMBER 24 instead of OCTOBER 24

this explained why there was no airport pick up... There was never a booking.... Leover you dip stick!!!!
So it was 2 am and we had nowhere to sleep.. Lucky for us the receptionist was a nice guy and hooked us up with dorm rooms at the hostel across the road (also a Flying Dog Hostel) and then for the following night we were to get a double room.
So after the crappy error that I had made, we finally made it to Lima and got some sleep....
Peace

Technorati Tags: Flying Dog Hostel,Lima,Peru,LAN

THE CARACAS CRONICLES - VENEZUELA

Well, Well, Well, Well. After 165 days of travel we have finally found a place, a city, an area on planet earth that is in need of desperate attention... CARACAS.... This city seriously hole... There are no possible reasons for anyone to come here that has no business of coming here.....
If you're a tourist, who is white, cannot speak very good Spanish, a kind hearted individual by nature, one that looks at the better half of our fellow man, then it would be best for you to stay the fck out of CARACAS....
Come to Venezuela, Yes! most definitely, Venezuela, is one of the great wonders of this earth show casing some amazing sights such as:

• the surreal terrain in and moon like landscape of the Roraima Tepuy.
• the blockbuster waterfalls and the wide open spaces of the Gran Sabana
• the breath taking Angel Falls
• the wild west and Venezuelan outback of Los Llanos
• Merida, the extreme sports capital of South America where the worlds largest, longest and highest cable car resides. (currently out of service, and will be until 2011, they are awaiting for a part from France)
• and beaches, beaches, beaches... From the island paradise of Los Roques, Morrocoy and Isla De Margarita..

With all that in mind Venezuela 'should' be an amazing place to visit...
It's a shame that the largest city is the country is a poor representation of what it has to offer.. (and that's being nice)
So, when you are at the travel agent and they say 'would you like to stay one or two nights in Caracas', tell them NO!!! Keep me the fck out!!!
Pay the extra money to land in a different town... Hell pay any money to avoid having to set foot in this city....
Are there good people in Caracas... I would say Yes, there are good people in Caracas, hell, we met some. Bernadette's face book is covered with Caraqueños and Caraqueñas... We even met Jesus...
Are there bad people in Caracas... I would also say YES... THEY ARE CALLED THE
POLICE, TAXI DRIVERS AND CREDIT CARD CLONING HUSTLERS THAT TRAP
YOU IN THE ATM VESTIBULE, DEMANDING YOU SWIPE YOUR CARD TO GET OUT....
WHEN YOU KNOW THE DOOR IS UNLOCKED...AND MANY OTHERS
One could then say there are bad people everywhere... and I would agree with that, but in Caracas, more so than not.....
Shit, Caracas makes the Phils, look like it's the Garden of Eden... People say 'don't go to Columbia' because it is dangerous.... the people who say that obviously have no idea of what the hell is next door, in Caracas...
From the infrastructure that is obviously needing heavy maintenance, to the un built metro lines that are shown on the Metro Lines map found in the Metro, (when in the Metro, don't bother looking for the yellow line that is shown on the MAPS because it does not exist) to the decrepit vehicles that are still on the streets labelled TAXI and BUS...Caracas, needs work, a lot of work....
But to be fair, there are people here that are trying to make a living, trying to build a life of what is here....there the ones, my heart bleeds for, there in a predicament which to me is terrible...
the poverty is what you would come to expect in developing nations...everywhere...
when you stand on the street and observe people go about there every day lives, there is no joy, no happiness, there's struggle and abandonment... this is the feeling I got when we where walking around the city, people watching... The kids are the one's to offer you a kind smile and welcoming feeling.. everyone else you get the vibe that there getting ready to set you up for a jacking!!!
There is no trust, here and it is clear...as there is no certainty, no stability, no leadership... from ANYONE!!!! It is a clear every man for themselves situation in Caracas...
Does Caracas just suffer from big city problems, such as over population, corruption, poor infrastructure?? or is it just FUBAR??
Have other major cities we have travelled to given us such bad vibes, that we could not wait to get the farrr out of there?? No, in the other major cities we have been too such as NYC, London, Munich, Berlin, Cebu, Bangkok and San Francisco, we never felt so uneasy that we wanted to get the farr out of that city ASAP...
Caracas is the first Major city in S. America that we have been too... I wonder if all other major cities in S. America are like Caracas... I know Rio De Janeiro is nothing like Caracas... Will have to wait and see.....
The wealth in the city is distributed among the top 8% of its population... it's hardly fair... but here nothing is fair...
The people that live here, I don't know if they have hope... I mean they must have hope... Everyone has hope....
Hope that one of these days shit will change! To help those that are in need and not continually feed the already bulging pockets of the rich and wealthy....
Hope that one day government will actually do something for the people!!!
Hope that one can walk the streets and feel at ease and not have to worry about police harrasement...
There must be hope...... if not then, Caracas, is fcked.......knock it down and start again.... hell half of it is already down and the other half is on it's way.....
But what can one hope for when everyone and everything around you is just fcked up!!
Is it just fcked up in my eyes, and in reality everything is okay in there eyes??
Is the perception of fcked up different between people of different cultural backgrounds and upbringings? Or is fcked up, just fcked up where ever you are??? I mean I would think that fcked up is fcked up where ever you are... but, I don't think it is.... I think its situationally dependent.....
I mean the government here is corrupt as hell... It's so corrupt that they have an established and accepted black market for exchanging US money for Bolivarians... It's ridiculous, while the world trades there currency, at 2.1, (actually I don't know how much of the world trades Bolivarians, I know you can't get it in Germany) or there about's, here you can exchange US dollars for 3.5 and above on the black market.. If you find the right person you can get it exchanged for 4.0 to 4.8. When I say the right person I am talking about ANYONE on the street.
The black market currency exchange is so established you can go to the following website's for updates on how much the US dollar is being asked and sold for:
http://venezuelafx.blogspot.com/
http://www.notidolar.com/
I still am trying to figure out how this would benefit the people living here... I have no idea.. Someone, please Pauline Hanson me and 'pleeeaaassseee exxxpllaaiin'
From the corrupt government to the police....
Who the hell does one turn too when shit happens... I'll tell you who not to turn to the fricken police..... there the ones fcken you up, to start of with... When we were walking around Caracas we did our best to avoid police, we even took dodgy streets and lanes just so we wouldn't be seen by police...
Am I making this up.... um, NO.... of the Caraqueños and Caraqueñas that we met, they where the ones to quickly lay down the ground rules for the city... Usually, when I hear people lay down the ground rules for a city I FOB them of and not bother....but when every Caraqueños and Caraqueñas you meet tells you the same thing over and over again... you start to listen and pay attention...
Is the goal to scare the shit out of tourist, so that they tell other tourist not to come to Caracas and so no tourist will come to the city???? Because if that is the goal then it is well achieved.... Hell, just put up a big sign at the airport saying...
IF YOUR A TOURIST WE WILL IN SOME WAY JACK YOU!!
The ground rules layed down by every Caracanian we met and had the pleasure of having a beer with and eating an over priced yet AWESOME HAMBURGER with are as follows....

• CARRY PASSPORTS WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES
• DO NOT LET THEM TAKE YOUR PASSPORTS
• AVOID ALL CONTACT WITH POLICE
• DO NOT GO OUT AT NIGHT WITH OUT SOMEONE KNOWING THE CITY WELL
• DO NOT AGREE WITH WHAT THE TAXI DRIVER SAYS ABOUT PRICE
• WHEN YOUR AT THE ATM, YOU ONLY INSERT YOUR CARD ONCE INTO A SLOT AND NOWHERE ELSE

So, with all that in mind stay the faarrr out of Caracas...
Caracas, is not a tourist city, it's a city that's barely hanging on.... I mean that commercial building that burned for 6 or 7 days, that is shown in all the 9/11 documentaries... YUP, still in operation, without ever being refurbished or demolished and rebuilt...
The building burned for 6 to 7 days people, FIX IT........
You would think that in a country where petrol is cheaper than water.... (seriously fill up a bus... 4 bucks if that..... fill up a 747, 8 bucks) you would think, one would think that it's people would somehow be benefiting from this resource....but alas there not..... The rich get richer and the poor turn to crime....and who can blame them.... we all have to find a way to survive...
In Caracas, I don't think there is right and wrong... I think there is only 'how do I survive today!'.......
What would I know about the issues in Caracas, I'm just a tourist in a place where tourist are not welcomed!!!
If, and I say if you do happen to visit Caracas, I would suggest you do the following:

• LEARN AND KNOW HOW TO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND SPANISH
• HAVE FRIENDS IN CARACAS
• JOIN A SOCIAL NETWORKING GROUP LIKE COUCH SURFING AND JOIN THE CARACAS GROUP TO GET LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
• DID I MENTION, LEARN AND KNOW HOW TO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND SPANISH
• BEWARE CARD CLONING SCAMS
• AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST AVOID ANY CONTACT WITH POLICE

Venezuela, is a beautiful country and the perfect 4 week itinerary would be as follows:
From wherever you are fly into Barcelona (Not Caracas): Take the bus from Barcelona to Santa Elena De Uairen and get on a 3 day tour of the Gran Sabana.. The Posada Michelle is a great place to stay and organise tours from.. If you are a trekking nut, I would definitely climb Mount Roraima... This 6 day trek is a once in a life time trek and if in the area should not be missed... It's also hard and tough.. so it is a great adventure.
From Santa Elena De Uairen catch the night bus to Ciudad Bolivar and get on a 3 day tour of Angel Falls. The Posada Don Carlos is the perfect place for this as you can organise the tour from them. The service is very good and the place is great.
From Angel Falls Catch the bus to Merida and spend some time in the town taking in the atmosphere. Here you can do what ever the heck you want regarding extreme sports. Paragliding, Canyoning, Sky Diving, White Water Rafting... all in Merida... it's a student town so its hip and happening, laid back and chilled...
From Merida organise to go on a 3 day tour of Los Llanos.... 2 nights is enough... You will get to see and do everything in two nights and three days...
This is the 'outback' and 'wild wild west' equivalent, and it doesn't disappoint.
After this you will have had enough and it will be time to sit back, relax and let the malaria kick in... Hit the islands for one week.... to feel like your on holidays again....
Los Roques would be more favourable than the sometime over crowded Isla De Margarita..... Any, which way you go the Islands are spectacular......
Catch the bus from Merida to Maracaibo. Fly out of Maracaibo to Los Roques....
From Los Roques fly into Caracas, with a connecting flight out of the country the same day to wherever you are from.... to minimise time in Caracas........
PEACE...

Technorati Tags: Caracas,black market,Venezuela,corruption,Police,tourism,Bolivar,passports,9/11,couchsurfing,Angel Falls,Roraima,Los Roques,Los Llanos

Los Llanos back to Caracas

After 2 nights and 3 days in the Venezuelan outback of Los Llanos, we had enough, and decided to throw the towel in and ask for some of our money back...

The tour had not been quiet as successfully as what we had planned. We should have known this right from the beginning, when just getting to the place was a pain in the a$$. It was hell, but we got through that so we thought that the rest of the expedition would be okay... WRONG...

So, finally we decided to leave...again, we thought this would be an easy process but alas..it wasn't... (man, I need to learn Spanish).  We had to find an ATM in Mancatel that would take our cards, unfortunately there where only two banks and both of them didn't take international cards. So we where stuffed. Then we visited a shop that allowed large eftpos transactions but with a 12% BS fee.

We had no choice but to do this. Dodgy as man. There was a point in the transaction process where the lady had swiped B's card and then started to walk off with it. We both screamed out loud protesting to her removing the card from our sight. B by now was really nervous about us getting scammed, I was too a little but we had no money to pay for the tour that we just went on so we had no choice.

Finally, the transaction went through and we got money - paid off the lady from the tour and we were off to the bus stop.

We followed a nice lady from our hotel to the bus station. We were going to catch a taxi but she said the station was really close and there was no need for a taxi. She was right... it was about 300 metres away.

The bus we caught was called a Los Llanos Express, looked like a nice bus. I had seen them driving around the countryside..It was a 12 hour bus ride to Caracas from Mancatel, 6pm to 6am...

The bus ride was rough, the roads are bad and the driving is hectic...To make it that much more exciting for us, the bus was freezing, seriously, were talking like 2 degrees C. With the television not working we where provided with the alternative form of entertainment, concert style salsa music.

To easy the misery of the bus ride nothing like a couple of night time cold and flu tablets... My dealer seems to have an endless supply of these tablets. Take two in Mancatel wake up and your in Caracas...

Peace

Technorati Tags: Los Llanos,Caracas

WHERE TO NEXT IN VENEZUELA?

After being eaten alive in Canaima by Puri Puri's ad mozzies, we decided to stay an extra night in Ciudad Bolivar. We stayed in the same place, the Posada Don Carlos, but this time we opted for the cheaper accommodation option and stay in the hammocks. It was cool sleeping in hammocks, B opted to sleep on a mattress on the floor.

Ciudad Bolivar is a pretty boring place, nothing much to see and do.. You could go people watching but it was more like the opposite, they where watching you. Probably thinking ''how much money can I get out of that gringo' I'm talking about the police here. The town itself is very pretty with lots of colourful buildings, pink, blue, yellow, green and white to name a few of the colours used to paint buildings.

B took about 300 photos just on the buildings. Other than that there really isn't much else to see and do in the town except to sit in the hammock and watch time go by.... And in South America for some reason time goes by really, really, really slow... So you would just hate to be in prison....2 years would probably be like an eternity...

Not knowing where to go and what to do for the rest of our time in Venezuela we had decided to narrow our options down to three.

a) GO to Roraima and climb this puppy

b) GO to Los Llanos and hang out with wildlife

c) GO to Los Roques and sit on the beach and chill

We chose to go with option (b) Los Llanos.....Sounded fun, 4 day tour in Los Llanos, the promise of seeing; anaconda's, fresh water dolphins, caimans, capybaras, birds, iguanas, more birds, piranhas and did I mention the birds.. over 380 species of birds..... Pity we had no binoculars to see the damn birds... or a telephoto lens for our SLR to take photos with. But what can you do...

So where off to Los Llanos!!!! Be there or Be square...

Peace

Technorati Tags: Los Llanos,Venezuela,Canaima