I only spent c 8 days in Venezuela but there´s no doubt it was an interesting and thought provoking time.
I arrived in Venezuela very apprenhensive even though I had spent 3 weeks there 8 years ago. Before I went I had read a lot of negative things on the Internet about how dangerous it had become, including some warnings from other travellers. To give you a flavour about what my expectations were, here are a few snippets of what I had read on the Internet prior to arriving there:
1 - From Internet Site Newsflavor (International Relations Website)
"Why Venezuela is The Most Dangerous Country in The World
Can one person out of 28 million influence a country to the extent that they end up on this list? Yes they can, and Hugo Chavez does exactly that for Venezuela. This leader openly hates almost every country in the world, and makes sure you know it. The outspoken leader uses his countries oil wealth to influence weaker countries, and in the process, successfully makes an enemy of almost every other world power. Combined with the fact the country ranks #2 on the "List of countries by intentional homicide rate" produced by the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, the country is not one that you should take the kids for the summer. From personal experience, I have never felt more uncomfortable in a country in my life. As one local told me my first day in Venezuela, "Man, they will shoot you for your shoes here....hell, they'll shoot you just from being from the US."
4 - A FEW COMMENTS FROM OTHER TRAVELLERS ON THE LONELY PLANET WEBSITE WHO HAVE RECENTLY BEEN TO VENEZUELA
"BORDER CROSSING FROM COLOMBIA (This was the same border crossing I was taking)
Beware the boarder crossings with Colombia. We were crossing the boarder around 8:00 pm in a hired car due to a late bus (12/17/10). 5 minutes into Venezuela they opened fired on us with the driver being the main target. Bullets and glass were flying all around the car and we barely escaped the gunman. We were in a caravan of 3 taxis and they only shot at the one with the tourists in it. All the Venezuelans know the tourist are bring in dollars to take advantage of the black market so were all targets. I have several coworkers who are in Venezuela for the holidays and I plan on getting there reports when they get back after the new year. I suspect there will be more stories of robberies. I hope the kidnapping thing is just by the border. I also have traveled many places with the travel warnings in place including Venezuela. This time the 30% inflation and a notorious black market for dollars, it is more dangerous than before. I use to travel by the seat of my pants in taxis and rental cars here. I would not even think of doing this now."
"
Handling corrupt officials and heavy crime rates in Venezuela - pay bribes?
Hello,Going to Venezuela in some months. It will be the start of a 4 month long trip to S.A. but it is the only destination I am quite worried about. The money situation, with me having to bring in my money in cash, is rather easily solved by carrying a good money belt (a real belt) but some other things that seem to be going on in the country worry me more.
Recently, some people have posted on here and I have also heard from other sources that officials like military/police are doing bad stuff to tourists. Demanding of bribes, planting of drugs in bags to demand bribes, threats and even outright muggings by military officials. I myself have no idea how to react if something like this would happen.
Handling general crooks isn't that difficult, I guess - just hand over whatever decoy wallet I've got with 40$ you have and get out of there.
But with officials? Shall I, for example, pay bribes or is this always out of the question? How exactly does one handle bribe-paying (how does the procedure work) in order not to get extremely ripped off etc?
If the military robs you, is it more along the lines of stealing some stuff from your backpack or like total strip searches stealing everything I have etc?
A response
"storyseller,
I have been a victim of forced bribes on many ocasions so I'll just try to outline how I've gotten out of them.
My first recommendation is to not look rich, if you have expensive stuff on you, they will obviously think you have lots of cash as well. If you are well prepared, you should have your money spread in places that will be hard for them to find it even if they search your stuff. Money belts are not always a good idea because thiefs will look for them first and officers will allegedly search you for firearms and detect your moneybelts. Money should be in small pockets inside clothes in your bag and in other creative places that only you will know. This would be the single most important advice.
Never raise your voice, never disrespect them and show a little fear, but make sure you are in control of yourself. Fear will give them the perception that they have the advantage, which is crucial for a good deal.
Appeal to their pity, make up a sad story like that you got robbed two days ago and they took all your money, or that you spent all your money because you're at the end of your trip, say that you are not a wealthy person and that this trip was a gift from your grandmother.... making up a good story if essential to sympathise, if you take the road of confrontation, you might just end up in jail.
end of quotes----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course everything I read wasn´t negative but when you read comments and articles as above they tend to stick in the mind and heighten the apprehension about entering the country! Some or most of you will probably wonder why in God´s name did I go to Venezuela after reading the above but there was a part of me that was fascinated by the challenge and also intrigued to see was what I read pure rubbish or was it all true, especially having been there before! Crazy I know but "benvenido a mi vida" or "welcome to my world"!
Venezuela definitely is unique within South America. It is bordered by Colombia to the west, Brazil to the south and Dutch Guyana to the east. It is famous for its beautiful chicas winning Miss World titles, being the home of Simon Bolivar, its beautiful beaches, being in the top 4 largest oil exporters in the world, being the only country in South America who are fanatical about Baseball and lastly for its current leader Hugo Chavez who continues to divide opinion not only worldwide but also in his own homeland.
I leave Venezuela with mixed emotions. I spent circa one week there inclusive of two days in Maracaibo, which is Venezuela´s second biggest city, circa 5 days in Merida, which is probably Venezuela´s most famous tourist destination and then a disasterous final day in the capital Caracas.
The country is unique in South America. The most talked about point in Venezuela and also outside the country is their current leader, Hugo Chavez, and the political situation. Chavez is an intriguing character and from the people I met it was very black or white regarding their opinion of him. To some he is loved and deemed a hero and to others he is despised but ironically both are with equal measure!
To give some background to Master Chavez, he has been in power for c 12 years in Venezuela. He was in the army before that and many moons before he won power he lead a failed military coup. A few years after though he managed to win power through democratic means. When I was there 8 years ago, Venezuela was at the end of a year long strike mainly in revolt to Chavez trying to change the constitution so he could remain in power indefintiely. Everybody I met appeared to be so anti-Chavez at that time that it is amazing the guy has managed to remain in power for so long.
He has very close ties with other Latin American leaders like Fidel Castro in Cuba and Morales in Bolivia. I am told he has very similar political views to Fidel Castro and more than one person I met in Venezuela told me that his aim is to make Venezuela into a similar political regime as what exists in Cuba.
He has been very smart in how he portrays himself to the genral public in Venezuela. Venezuela´s national hero is Simon Bolivar, who like Michael Collins in Ireland was the catalyst in the country (and also other surrounding countrys) winning independence from Spain. Simon Bolivar is revered in Venezuela and I think it is safe to say he is a national hero. Chavez has cleverly aligned himself very closely to Bolivar and you constantly see posters/pictures etc.... adorning the walls/streets/roads of Venezuela with Chavez alongside a portrait of Bolivar spreading his message to his citizens. In some ways you could argue that it is being implied that the message portrayed is that of Simon Bolivar as much as it is Hugo Chavez. You also see him everyday on National Television addressing the nation. I am not sure how popular this station is but it is safe to say that it is hard to ignore what he is saying and the citizens are constantly being reminded of his beliefs and aims "a todo hora" ie all the time!
From my limited experience, I would argue that Venezuela does not have anywhere near as strong a culture as most of its neighbours. It is rare you taste a uniquely Venezuelan dish or hear Venezuelan music or see many Venezuelan companies. I am not sure why but they seem to import everything and in the main from the US. It could be argued that as such a strong Oil Exporter that they do not need to develop other industries. It would appear that it is Hugo Chavez´s aim to make the country more nationalistic and as a result he is encouraging more Venezuelan music on the radio, has some aims to encourage more local business and takes a very anti-American stance, maybe to discourage the amount of goods they import from the US. To be fair, I would agree with his intentions but I am not so sure that his method of going about this is the correct one as I believe he has isolated the country in International Relations, which has been to the detriment to the country.
Chavez was very vocal in his Anti-American stance to their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. His relationship with George Bush was pretty much non-existant but I believe relations have changed since Obama has taken power. I would imagine the US would love to see Chavez lose power as Venezuela is the nearest Oil Producing Country to their shores and must be an important country for the supply of the required energy they need. Venezuela also has a strained relationship with Colombia which has only recently surfaced. Colombia claim, while trying to erradicate the terrorist threat, that Venezuela have taken refuge to a lot of FARC Guerillas on the Venezuelan border side and allowed them to continue to train etc......
There is an election next year in Venezuela so it will be interesting to see what happens. Those I met anti-Chavez were, in the main, adamant he would lose power but then again I also met a lot of pro-Chavez people so it is impossible for me to make a judgement. I also learnt from a guy from Panama I met in Medellin that in Panama they reckon they´ve taken in c 250,000 of the more educated Venezuelans in the last few years who are fleeing the Chavez regime. If this is true you would have to believe at least as many if not more have fled to Colombia and the surrounds as Panama does not border Venezuela.
All of those who were anti-Chavez were really embarrased about his role and influence in the country and about their international perception but was also equally interesting was the majority of people I met had no idea the country had a negative perception worldwide for violence and safety etc......I know I am spending a lot of time talking about Hugo Chavez and Venezuelan politics and to a lot of natives this is a taboo subject so I do feel a little embarrased doing so but I genuinely think he is an interesting personality and because he is talked about so much worldwide it is hard not to take an interest in what his role is in the country. He is also the first question most people from outside Venezuela ask me about when I mention I have visited there.
To summarize, it is difficult to work out whether he is a good or negative influence on the country. I believe he has done some positive things like make education, housing and opportunites more accessible to the poor. I also agree with his intention to try and make Venezuela more nationalistic and encouraging more local industry. There just is more questions than answers like:
1 - Where does all the oil money go?
2 - If true, why are all the well educated and the future of Venzuela industry leaving?
3 - Why are all the voilence statistics so bad in Venezuela and only appear to be getting worse while nothing seems to being done to address this, unlike say what Colombia are doing?
4 - Why has the country got no tourists?
5 - Why does the country make it so difficult for tourists to travel through and why aren´t they trying to encourage more tourists to help their economy and worldwide perception?
6 - Why has Chavez isolated himself from the majority of world leaders?
7 - Why are so many people unaware of their negative worldwide perception?
8 - Why does he feel the need to spend so much time on TV spreading his message and not spend more time concentrating on running the country in the most efficient manner possible?
For all of the above questions, I am more inclined to have a negative perception of his influence on the country but there is no doubt that he is an interesting character and thought-provoking. For those interested in reading a brief BBC profile on Hugo Chavez, feel free to read the attached link..........................http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10086210
It is interesting to compare Colombia to Venezuela. When I was in Venezuela 8 years ago and close to the Colombian border, it was Colombia who was deemed to be the place not for tourists to enter and Venezuela was deemed to be a lot safer and a lot more tourist friendly. From what I experienced and have read, the Colombian government and the Colombian people have gone out of their way to change this perception and I think is benefitting today from this attitude as I saw lots and lots of tourists when there and also think this phenomenon will only increase in the coming years. I believe Venezuela would benefit greatly from replicating this attitude but only time will tell whether this happens or not!
What was also an interesting phenomenon, which I touched on earlier, was how much Venezuela is influenced by US. If you were to read Chavez you would think it was one of the most anti-American countries worlwide but from what I experienced on the ground it was definitely very different. I met at least 3 taxi drivers who had lived in the States and they all said they enjoyed it and liked it there even through they had returned home. I also met a few others who had strong ambitions to move to the States in the near future.
As mentioned before, there are a huge amount of US goods and companies there. Venezuela don´t seem to produce much other from oil and nearly everything I saw imported was from the US. They also had tons of US fast-food chains and much more than anywhere else I had seen in South America. All the cars I saw seemed to be American models, especially all the older cars, whereas in Brazil you mostly see Fiat and Volkswagens.
There is also the unsual money situation in relation to US Dollars there for those travelling. The official exchange rate is 4 Bolivars to 1 US Dollar which makes Venezuela much more expensive then Colombia. Despite that, it is possible to exchange money on the street on the black market and obtain in the region of 8 Bolivars to 1 US Dollar, which make Venezuela much cheaper than Colombia. I was aware of this before travelling and purposedly brought US dollars with me to exchange when I got to Venezuela as they have no interest in Euros. The whole procedure to get it changed could be either straight forward or very under the table depending on the location. I exchanged money in Maracaibo Bus Terminal and was brought into a dingy room with circa 5 or 6 peculiar looking characters and when in Merida I exchanged money with a travel agent, which was very straight forward and easier than buying milk in a newsagent! I had read many stories of people exchanging money and getting ripped off with fake Bolivars or getting robbed immediatly after doing the exchange, so you always had to be on guard when doing so. Again, it´s ironic when you view all this in context of the Venezuelan Goverment´s attitude to the US because on the street the US Dollar is King!
Lastly, they are probably the only country in South America who are not football or soccer mad but instead mad into Baseball, which as we all know is a predominately American sport. Ironically another very anti US country as in Cuba is also a massive Baseball fan! Maybe all of the above has influenced Chavez stance against the US as he may believe they are overly influential there but it was not what I expected to see when I arrived there!
The trip I took through Venezuela included two days in their 2nd biggest city Maracaibo, 5 days in Merida and my final day in the capital Caracas. I had a nice time in Maracaibo. I didn´t see the centre of the city but the city is surrounded by a massive lake which actually eventually flows out to the Caribeean Sea. I visited a nice park surrouding the lake while there which was very pretty. I spent most of my time in Merida, which is a place I really like. The people there are very friendly, easy-going and the town is realy easy to navigate. There are lots of things to do, especially actitvity sports, and the food is nice and good value!
It is a small town by Venezuelan standards but famous for tourists from Venezuela and outside. It was the only place where I did see other gringos even if only a handfull. I had spent 3 weeks there 8 years ago and it was really weird visiting all the places I remembered from my previous visit and it brought back a few memories. I felt really safe there and there is a cool vibe to the place as it is University town. If I were to visit Venezuela again, I would defo go to Merida.
Picture of the Main Square in Merida with a Staute to Simon Bolivar
A picture of the exact location 8 years ago in Merida I got threatened with a gun!
View of Merida mountains and the old Telliferico which was a cable-car ride up the mountians which has been closed for last 3 years
Me standing on the edge of the mountain just before going Paragliding
I had intended hitting the Caribeean coast but due to travel complications (lack of space on buses) I didn´t get around to it. It was a pity as I believe the coastline is very beautiful in Venezuela. I did spend one day in Caracas, which is deemed very dangerous for tourists, but because I was travelling from the bus station and had my bags with me, I went straight to the airport to see if they would let me leave my bags there so I could spend some time looking around. Unfortunately, they wouldn´t let me leave my bags there so I had to spend nearly the entire day in the airport, which is not a nice place!
As for my own personal experience of Venezuela, I can´t make up mind whether I like it. There are defintely things that I really liked about Venezuela. Firstly, there are some really cool people that I was fortunate to meet, mostly through couchsurfing. I made some good friends in Venezuela including the below:
1 - Liliana - she´s a really cool girl who I made friends with in Maracaibo. Lilianna really looked after me even to the point of ensuring I got sorted with decent accomodation when I arrived as honestly, I didn´t know where to look. She was really easy-going, fun and always smiling. She chaffured me around for the two days I was there despite having her final college exams looming a couple of days after I left. Liliana really made me feel welcome and the hospitality she afforded me would be hard to find in Ireland! Liliana has been to Europe but is venturing to Egypt in May which should be a real interesting time for her considering the current political instability there!
A picture of Liliana!
Picture of Lili and her buddy Gustavo, one of the many Vennezuelans I met who wanted to move to the States
2 - Danny and Luis - In Merida I spent a really fun night out with Danny and Luis. Danny had been to Ireland and now owns a Japenese restaurant in Merida. She was another fun girl, full of life and always smiling. Her boyfriend Luis was a sound bloke who is currently living in Spain but was back home on an extended holdiay. They brought me to a cool nightclub full of beautiful Venezuelan chicas and we all had a great laugh. These guys were really good fun and we all gave it socks with mad dancing etc...
3 - Brigiemar - I met Brigiemar on the bus from Maracaibo to Merida. She sat down beside me on the bus on what was a long journey and really made a big effort to chat to me and make me feel welcome. Even though we didn´t meet up when I was in Merida, we have been in contact since on email and facebook.
Pic of Brigiemar!
Pic of Claudia!
6 - Two headers I met outside Barina Bus Station - I had to take two buses to get from Merida to Caracas in order to catch my flight to Brazil. I took a bus from Merida to Barina and had to stop there for a couple of hours at night to wait for a bus to Caracas. I was starving and had to go outside the bus terminal which you are warned not to do as a gringo to get some food. I went to some food/bar joint down the road and there were two headers sitting at the table beside knocking back the gargle who were only dying to enagage muggins in conversation. I was reluctant as was fully aware I was isolated and very vulnerable but these guys were not giving up easy and we ended up having a great laugh talking about anything from women to football to Europe and pretty much talked abot anything and nothing. These were great characters and full of craic and it was really pleasant to meet such nice guys in the most unlikely environment!
7 - Guy selling CD´s at stall when I arrived - I took a bus from Colombia over the border into Venezuela. I was warned that this was a dangerous journey, especially for Gringos and now further complicated by the FARC influence on the Venezuelan border. If you remember above some guy mentioend being shot at when travelling the same route. We did get a few poilce guys search the bus but luckily they never hassled me. For some unknown reason the bus I took didn´t leave us at the Bus Terminal in Maraciabo but to a small car park in the middle of nowhere. It was c 10.00 at night and I had pretty much no cash and nowhere to stay. Luckily I got chatting to a guy selling CD´s at a stall beside the car park who was very helpful and ensured I got into a reputable cab as he warned me that if I flagged one down I could end up in trouble. I was grateful for his help!
8 - Taxi Driver in Maraciabo - The following morning I headed to the Bus Terminal in Maracaibo as I was very low on funds and had read it was a good place to exchange money. As I said I was running low on cash but was told I could get a bus directly to the terminal. Anyway I get chatting at the bus station to a local who tells me to get on a certain bus to bring me to the terminal. The only problem once I got on I found out it left you c 2 miles away from the terminal so I then porceeded to leave the bus in a nearby area but it was jam packed with people and I was gettign a few sinister looks. An old lady noticed I was vulnerable and approached me to help me out and told me there were no buses from there directly to the terminal, it wasn´t safe to walk and I would have to grab a cab. The only problem is that I had pretty much no Bolivars left and next thing the old lady flags down this shared taxi (common in Venezuela) and tells me to get in. I tell the guy I have no cash but he says don´t worry he won´t charge me. I must admit I was worried about where he may leave me but as good as his word he left me at the terminal and he wouldn´t even accept the few notes I had on me. Again another really nice experience in the most unlikely circumstances!
I also had other positive experiences in Venezuela including experiencing the natural beauty of the country. As mentionend above, I really liked Merida and Maracaibo was also a nice place to visit. After you get you head round the intricate money-changing environment, Venezeula is also very cheap. The food in general was also better than Colombia but the women were not as attractive but then it is hard to outscore Colombia on that ladies front!
There were things that I was not so keen on in Venezuela though. It has to be the worst place I have visited for service. I venetured into numerous restaurants and got ignored or made feel like I was not welcome. The attitude of people working in the airport and the bus terminals were a pain in the arse. Any time you asked a simple question or for help in these places you got a look as if to say "fuck off" or "I couldn´t be arsed helping you". Often you would get ignored and people rarely made eye contact with you when you asked a simple question. When trying to get from Merida to Caracas, there were no buses available for the day and I needed to get a bus in order to ensure I made my flight to Brazil. Nobody in the bus terminal was interested in helping me and I was just lucky that I made friends with a Scottish guy back in Merida who was able to help me out and clarify that I could get a bus to one terminal and then I would be able to get a direct bus from there to Caracas.
The army and police in Caracas Airport are a disgrace to their country. I lost count of the amount of times I was harrassed and searched at the airport. One particular guy even stopped me three separate times to search me. Luckily enough nobody asked me for money but if they had I think I would have told them where to go. These guys are just pig ignorant and most of them are on a power trip. They actually get a buzz out of making you feel uncomfortable and they always take your passport and other valuables and only hand them back a few minutes after they let you go. Only god knows what is the justification for the amount of them there as most of them could by used policing the streets like in Colombia. I was never so happy to reach Brazilian soil as I had a connection flight there and the difference in the attitude in Sao Paulo airprot is immense as airport staff etc...are so helpful and conscious of tourists.
While in Caracas aiport I met a few other tourists who experienced the same harrassment and most were saying they would never return as a result. I can´t see Venezuela experiencing a surge in tourism until safety concerns are alleviated and those working in the service inductry change their attitude.
The only really mad night out I had in Venezuela was in Merida on a Monday. I was out with Claudia and her friend but they left early and I joined Paul, a young Scottish guy who was living there and his buddy Ormando from Ecudaor who was there on business. The two boys were waiting to meet two girls from Caracas but the girls were at some tour and wouldn´t be arriving until midnight and I joined the boys drinking around 8pm so we´d consumed a good few units by the time the girls arrived! We then went to a club which was deserted and Paul decided with us well oiled that the girls needed to play catch up so he bought this concoction he christened "rocket fuel". The only issue was the girls were not to keen on the drink and with the boys paired off with the girls it was left to me good self to devour the "rocket fuel".
I don´t remember much of the night after we ordered the 2nd bottle (bottle as in equivalent to wine bottle) of "rocket fuel". All I know is that I fell on the way home and developed a small UDI (Unidentifiable Drunken Injury) on my arm! I met Paul the next day and he told me we all went to a local park after the club closed and the girls took some crazy pics of all of us. He tells me there is one with me on my knee with one of the girls rings in my hand pretending to propose and there are lots of similar photos! Unfortunately, I am still waiting to see the photos as the two girls fell out the next day and haven´t talked since!!!!!
The one pic I took from the mad night out with Paul, Ormando and two girls!!!!!!!
I think that is enough about Venezuela so will try to cut short this epilogue!
To summarize, Venezuela is a beautiful country with tons of really nice and friendly people. There is a complicated political environment and the country isn´t really catered for tourists but don´t believe everything you read as it is not half as dangerous as it is made out to be. Sometimes I wished I hadn´t read any of the reports as the preducied my viewpoint while there but I am glad I visited Venezuela as it was an interesting time, I made some good friends and due to the lack of gringos there, my Spanish improved a lot when in Venezuela!!!!!!!
Adios amigos,
James.
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