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VENEZUELA COMPILATION 9 June 1995 Contents [1] On-line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Question (FAQ) Lists [1-4] Trip Reports [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing-Lists [1-6] Other Internet Services [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Lonely Planet Guides [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.misc" Newsgroup [3-1] Getting there, Getting around, and Practicalities [3-2] Places to see [3-3] Isla Margarita Please drop me a line when you've downloaded this compilation, so that I may estimate how many people use this service. The (more frequently updated) original of this compilation is at: http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/venezuela.misc [Turkey] Note that I do NOT have more online information than the one listed in, or accessible from, this online guide. Moreover, this is just a service I provide as a pastime, but *not* my profession. Please contact on/offline travel agents if you can't find the requested information starting from this guide. Comments and suggestions are welcome! Happy traveling in Venezuela, -- Pierre Flener, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Computer Engineering Email: pf@cs.bilkent.edu.tr and Information Science http: //www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/pf.html Faculty of Engineering Voice: +90 / 312 / 266-4000 x1450 Bilkent University (GMT+2) +90 / 312 / 266-5031 (home) 06533 Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey Fax: +90 / 312 / 266-4126 ======================================================================== [1] On-Line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook The CIA World Factbook includes such things as population statistics, info about a country's government (names of heads of state, and so on), economy, addresses of U.S. embassies, and more, for many countries. Very interesting! The information on Venezuela is available as follows: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/ve.html [USA] The information is not necessarily up-to-date, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory The latest travel advisory for US-citizens wishing to visit Venezuela is available as follows: ftp://ftp.stolaf.edu/pub/travel-advisories/advisories/venezuela http://www.stolaf.edu/network/travel-advisories.html [USA] Such travel advisories are regularly issued by the US State Department. As you can imagine, this information is mostly relevant to US-citizens, but it gives an up-to-date, though slightly paranoid, estimate of the current political/economical/religious/... climate in Venezuela. Here follows the most recent advisory that I bothered to download (in November 1994): STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL INFORMATION - Venezuela ============================================================ Venezuela - Consular Information Sheet September 2, 1994 Country Description: Venezuela is a middle income country. Its tourism infrastructure varies in quality according to location and price. Scheduled air service and all weather roads, some poorly marked and congested around urban centers, connect major cities and all regions of the country. Entry Requirements: A valid passport and a visa or tourist card are required. Tourist cards are issued on flights from the U.S. to Venezuela. For current information concerning entry, tax, and customs requirements for Venezuela, contact the Venezuelan Embassy at 1099 30th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007; tel: (202) 342-2214, or the Consulates in Baltimore, New York, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Houston, San Francisco, and San Juan. Areas of Instability: Cross-border violence occurs frequently in remote areas along the Colombian border in Zulia, Tachira, Apure and Amazonas states. A U.S. citizen was kidnapped from a fishing camp in southern Apure state in February 1993. Most recently, a bomb exploded in the Caracas subway causing damage and minor injuries to passengers. A corporate aircraft was recently hijacked in Valencia with its passengers. The probable motives were kidnapping for ransom and/or use of the aircraft for drug trafficking. There have been no recent terrorist actions against visitors. Health and Medical Facilities: The beaches near Caracas and Puerto La Cruz are polluted. Cholera is present in Venezuela; however, travelers who follow proper precautions with food and drink are not usually at major risk. Dengue fever and malaria are endemic especially in the jungle and swampy areas of the states of Amazonas, Apure, Bolivar and Delta Amacuro. Good private hospitals and clinics provide U.S. level medical care at U.S. level prices and often expect immediate cash payment. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. The Medicare/Medicaid program does not provide payment of medical services outside the United States. In some cases, medical insurance with specific overseas and medical evacuation coverage has proven useful. For additional health information, travelers can contact the Centers for Disease Control's international travelers hotline at (404) 332-4559. Crime Information: Pickpockets are concentrated around crowded bus and subway stations, along with the area around "Parque Simon Bolivar" near the "Capitolio" downtown. There have been cases of theft from hotel safe deposit boxes. The "Barrios" (the poor neighborhoods that cover the hills around Caracas) and isolated urban parks such as "El Calvario" in the "El Silencio" area of Caracas are dangerous. Most criminals are armed with guns or knives, and have used force. There is also a potential for theft of unattended valuables on the beach, from rental cars parked in isolated areas, or on city streets. A guarded garage is not always a guarantee against theft. Other Information: Sporadic political demonstrations occur in urban centers. These tend to focus near university campuses or secondary schools, and sometimes turn violent. Most tourist destinations, however, remain unaffected. The number and intensity of demonstrations have fluctuated widely over the past several months. Merida, a major tourist destination in the Andes, is traditionally the scene of regular student demonstrations. Travelers may keep informed of local developments by reading the local newspapers ("The Daily Journal" is an English language daily newspaper), following Spanish radio and TV and consulting their local hosts including U.S. and Venezuelan business contacts, their hotels, tour guides, and travel organizers for current information on demonstrations, the purpose and location of which are usually known in advance. Driving Information: Outside the major cities in rural areas, night driving can be dangerous because of unmarked road damage/repairs, unlighted vehicles and livestock. Local drivers often disregard no passing lines and pass on blind curves. Passing on the right on divided highways and crossing intersections on red lights are also common. Stops at national guard and local police road check points ("Alcabalas") are frequent and required. Drivers should follow all national guard instructions and be prepared to show vehicle and insurance papers and passports. Cars may be searched. In 1990, a U.S. citizen passenger in a car that resisted a search was shot and killed by a soldier. Very economical but less safe bus service is available to most locations. Drug Penalties: U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the country in which they are traveling. Penalties for possession, use and trafficking in illegal drugs in Venezuela are strict and convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines. Prison conditions are abject. Adoptions: The National Institute for Minors "Instituto Nacional Del Menor" (INAM) will not place a child under 5 years of age in an adoption abroad. However, such minors can be adopted through private judicial procedures. Adoption is generally possible only by couples who cannot have children. Single persons cannot adopt. Prospective adoptive parents should not accept or take custody of any child for adoption and transfer to the U.S. without assuring themselves that the child meets U.S. immigration requirements. Consular officers cannot act as agents for U.S. citizens seeking to adopt in Venezuela. Additional information is available from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas or the Office of Citizens Consular Services, CA/OCS/CCS, Room 4817, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520, (202) 647-3712. Civil Aviation Oversight: In September 1991, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration assessed Venezuela's civil aviation authority as in compliance with international aviation safety oversight standards for Venezuelan carriers operating to and from the U.S. The same level of safety oversight would typically be applied to operations to other destinations. For further information, travelers may contact the Department of Transportation at 1-800-322-7873. Embassy Location/Registration: All U.S. citizens who register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy at Avenida Principal De La Floresta and Avenida Francisco De Miranda, La Floresta, telephones (58-2) 285-3111/2222, fax (58-2) 285-0336 may obtain updated information on travel and security within Venezuela. The Consulate in Maracaibo was closed in February, 1994. No. 94-191 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) Lists See item [1-6]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-4] Trip Reports Currently (June 1995), there is *no* trip report on the rec.travel archives: consider this item as a call for contributions! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing Lists + There is a newsgroup, namely "soc.culture.venezuela", with continuous/ exclusive coverage of Venezuelan culture, politics, economics, history, sports, and so on. + Also, the "rec.travel.misc" and the "bit.listserv.travel-l" newsgroups periodically have threads about Venezuela: see section [3] of this compilation for an edited and annotated "Best-of". + The same holds for the TRAVEL-L bitnet mailing list. A bitnet mailing list similar in goals to rec.travel. To subscribe, send a mail message to listserv@trearn.bitnet consisting of the line: "subscribe travel-l firstname lastname". ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-6] Other Internet Services An excellent home-page on Venezuela (with a FAQ list) is at: http://venezuela.mit.edu/ [USA/MA] Lonely Planet Publications have more information on Venezuela, including very valuable and very recent feedback from travelers: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sam/ven.htm [USA?] http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/sam_pc.htm [USA?] City Net Express has more pointers: http://www.city.net/countries/venezuela/ [USA] GNN Travelers' Center has some info on Caracas: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/bus/wview/cityhigh/ch1ccs.html [USA] David Koblas' "Currency Converter" allows you to find out the current exchange rates of the Venezuelan Bolivar vs. major and some minor currencies: http://www.ora.com/cgi-bin/ora/currency?Venezuela [USA] Rick Bronson's "Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory", at: http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/lucas/travel/tourism-offices.html [Canada] listed the following addresses when I last checked (October 1994): Venezuela Corp de Turismo de Venezuela Av Lecuna parque Central Torre Oeste Piso 37, P.O. Box 50.200, Caracas, Venezuela +58-2-574-15-13, 507-88-15 FAX +58-573-89-89 Venezuelan Tourism Association 1101 Brickell Ave, #600, Miami, FL 33131 800-327-5454, 800-432-9070 FL Venezuelan Tourism Association Box 3010, Sausalito, CA 94966 +1-415-331-0100 800-331-0100 Many other travel-related (in general) resources are accessible via: + the rec.travel archives: http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] ftp://ftp.digimark.net/pub/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] or their mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://www.solutions.net/rec-travel/ [Canada] ftp://www.solutions.net/ [Canada] ftp://ftp.nus.sg/pub/misc/travel/ [Singapore] http://www.nectec.or.th/rec-travel/index.html [Thailand] ftp://ftp.nectec.or.th/pub/mirrors/rec-travel/ [Thailand] + Lonely Planet Publications: http://www.lonelyplanet.com [USA?] + GNN Travelers' Center: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA] or its mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://bond.edu.au/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Australia] http://www.wimsey.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://quasar.sba.dal.ca:2000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://www.germany.eu.net:8000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Germany] http://www.iol.ie/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Ireland] http://www.ntt.jp/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Japan] http://www.elvis.msk.su/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Russia] http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [UK] http://www.digital.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/CA] http://gnn.interpath.net/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/NC] + City Net Express and The Virtual Tourist II: http://www.city.net/ [USA] http://wings.buffalo.edu/world/vt2/ [USA] + Going Places: http://travel.gpnet.com/ [USA] + TravelASSIST: http://travelassist.com/ [USA] ======================================================================== [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Lonely Planet Guides + ??? Venezuela - A Travel Survival Kit Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 1994 (1st edition) ISBN ??? UK# 8.95 ??? pages, ?? maps, ?? color photos + ??? South-America on a Shoestring Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x (5th edition) ISBN ??? UK# 16.95 ??? pages, ?? maps, ?? color photos + ??? Spanish (Latin American) Phrasebook Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x ISBN ??? UK# 2.50 ??? pages I haven't read these. ======================================================================== [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.misc" Newsgroup [Editor's note: I considerably edited the following threads so as to keep them short and informative (and spell/grammar-checked). I also annotated them whenever I don't agree with other people, or have updates to what they wrote. Sometimes, I also include private followup email conversations I had with readers.] [3-1] Getting there, Getting around, and Practicalities From: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) To: pf@cs.duke.edu (Pierre Flener) Subject: Re: Venezuela? Date: February 1991 Your travel agent might give you information about any visa requirements. Anyway, you could contact any Venezuelan consulate. The one in New York can be reached at (212) 826-1660. Airlines that fly to/from Venezuela + American Airlines (USA) (800) 433-7300 + Avensa (USA) (800) 872-3533 + Eastern Airlines (USA) (800) 327-8376 + VIASA - Venezolana Internacional de Aviacion, S.A. (USA) (800) 327-5454 Customer attention in Venezuelan airlines is much better than in US airlines. Food is far better, and the service inside the airline is better (e.g., you get (a) free drink before your meal, headphones are free of charge, Venezuelan flight attendants are *very* friendly, etc). Also I recommend Avensa over Viasa, for the moment. --- From: mrees@cix.compulink.co.uk (Martin Rees) To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr (Pierre Flener) Subject: Holiday in Venezuela Date: November 1994 Domestic air services: fares have risen sharply, and services are being drastically cut, with some routes being dropped altogether. There is a good service from Caracas to Margarita, but do not rely on guidebook information on other routes. For instance since October 94 there is only 1 flight a day between Caracas and Puerto Ayacucho, which leaves Caracas at 8.00am. Long distance buses: over 50% of buses have deep purple windows, while this may protect passengers from the sun's glare, it totally ruins the view! "Por puestos" proved a viable alternative. Although rather more expensive than buses, they are more comfortable, and significantly faster, and as they go as soon as they are full, you don't have to wait long. Even the longest journey can be tackled this way if the journey is broken into sections, for example to travel from Ciudad Bolivar to Puerto Ayacucho, take por puesto to Caicara, then from there to Puerto Ayacucho. Army check points: are frequent on long journeys. They will always want to examine your passport, and especially if you are off normal tourist routes will ask questions. As they only speak Spanish, I consider it most important that one member of any party can communicate in that language. They all treated us with courtesy. Monday closing: we found a number of tourist sites, parks etc. were closed on Monday. There were normally no signs to indicate this! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3-2] Places to see From: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) To: pf@cs.duke.edu (Pierre Flener) Subject: Re: Venezuela? Date: February 1991 You could so easily spend weeks in Venezuela. You probably won't have a chance to do even a fraction of the following, but your friend may be interested in some of the places. The highlights of my various trips to Venezuela were: + Merida: a small city in the Andes mountains. The Park Hotel is a nice place to stay. You can take a telefe'rico to the top of Pico Bolivar. Once up there, you can walk around for as long as you like. But you shouldn't expect to be able to do much. It's amazing how the altitude saps your ability to do more than walk a few steps at a time. And it's cold! There is an artists' market nearby that is fun to browse through. [Editor's note: Currently (November 1994), the telefe'rico is out of service, because they are replacing cables.] Downtown Merida, like almost every town in Venezuela, has a central square -- the Plaza Bolivar -- with a statue of Simon Bolivar in the middle. Around the town center are lots of little shops, people, churches, ... There's a museum near the center that has some very nice art and gives some history of the area. The Public Market is a lot of fun and has many, many local `artisanias' who sell crafts. It's a good place to buy fruits and vegetables. If you rent a car, you can go to the National Park. The road that goes north-east from the city goes through the Park. After about a 2 hour drive, you reach La Laguna de Mucubaji. From there, La Laguna Negra is about a 1.5 hours hike into the mountains -- a nice day trip, and a good example of hikes in the Andes. Los Aleros is a Williamsburg style recreation of an old-style Andes town that sits about an hour north of Merida on the same road. Pico Aguila and Hotel Los Frailes is also neat to visit on that road. + Puerto La Cruz: a beach town, through and through. Although we stayed with friends, Hotel Melia was recommended to us as a place with less of a touristy nature. Hotel Doral has all the amenities of a big resort hotel. In Mochima, you can hire a boat to go to some of the offshore islands to swim and snorkel. + Chichirivichi: in Falcon State, there is a National Preserve in which many islands just off the coast have been declared offlimits to all except sun- bathers and swimmers. We stayed at a local hotel in the town and hired a boat each day to take us to a different island. My favorite was 'Sombrero Island' with a resident flock of flamingos. + Puerto Ayacucho: en la selva -- they only speak Spanish there. A friend of mine and I went on an arranged canoe trip for a few days up the Orinoco River to visit Indian villages. It was very interesting. No one spoke English though -- not even our guide -- and we had no Spanish, so most of the time we had no idea of exactly what we were looking at or where we were going until we got there. It was an adventure in a different sort of way. I'd like to go again now that I've been studying Spanish for a year and a half. [Editor's note: It *is* possible to find guides there who speak English.] + Caracas: if you get a chance, go to El Avila -- a park in the mountains north of the city. You can climb one of a number of paths up above the city for a wonderful view. The particular path we took had a waterfall with a sort of basin underneath. We took a very cold, and very quick, swim there. The city has so much! The metro gives you access to quite a bit of it. The new downtown center is kind of an open shopping area with lots of space for people to walk around. The older area where the capitol building and Simon Bolivar's house are is very interesting. And of course, the Plaza Bolivar is right there. The relatively new Teresa Carren~o theater is a wide open architecture that you won't find anywhere in the US. There is a very nice art museum near there. If you can possibly find a way to go to the top of one of the two twin government buildings that rise above all the other buildings downtown, do it. They have an incredible view of the whole city. Some of the traditional foods... Arepas, a type of bread; be sure to go to an 'Arepera' where you can get corn arepas stuffed with a variety of meats, vegetables and cheeses. Fruit! Try guava (guayaba), guanabana, parchita, various melons -- even bananas taste different. If you go to Merida, try a drink called 'Vitamina' in the market. Try the juice drinks -- Venezuelans drink 'jugo de frutas' the way Americans drink soda. I haven't been to Angel Falls, but they are supposed to be spectacular. Los LLanos, the plains, is an area that is completely different from the rest of the country, but you can only get there by renting a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I haven't been there either. --- From: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr (Pierre Flener) Subject: More about Venezuela Date: October 1994 If you go to Venezuela, I strongly recommend you to visit Puerto Ayacucho (there are daily flights from Caracas to Puerto Ayacucho), mainly the indian museum and the indian market. IMO, the best indian handcrafted products are those of basketry, and among them a kind of trays called WAPAS (with series of geometric figures, mostly animals) by Makiritare indians are really unique (indeed for collection). P. Ayacucho is a town on the Orinoco river (the third largest world river). From P. Ayacucho you can visit by car the funny jungle toboggan and by aircraft the impressive "cerro Autana" (indian sacred mountain). Venezuelans are friendly people, though delinquency is high (so it is useful to have Venezuelan friends who can advise about risky places and situations). The most dangerous places in Venezuela are the cities, specially Caracas. It would be better if you don't go alone in Caracas at night (go with a well trained friend). You can visit almost everything to see in Caracas in two days (Boli'var's House, Bolivarian Museum, Panteo'n Nacional, Concejo Municipal, Quinta Anauco Museum, UCV, cultural zone: Teatro Teresa Carren~o and surroundings, etc.). Next to Caracas there are some interesting places. One of them is "Colonia Tovar", a German town (approx. black forest style) in the mountains with good restaurants (strange! a German town in the tropics). If you like camping, I recommend you the landscapes around Salto Kama' (a 40 meter high waterfall) or around Aponwao river in Gran Sabana (a huge savanna near Amazonian forest). Avoid gold and diamond mining areas because of malaria and some rivers like Yuruani' river because of a kind of tiny mosquitos (really annoying!). If you like sand and sea, I recommend you the "Cayos de Morrocoy", where you can also camp (beautiful coral islands, especially for scuba diving). This is in western Venezuela. Many people say the best beaches of Venezuela are in "Peni'nsula de Paria", eastern Venezuela, and probably the most famous is "playa Medina" (someone called it "the perfect tropical bay"). Standard touristic places in Venezuela are Me'rida in Los Andes (small towns and snow mountains), Coro, a town with an old colonial area (don't let apart the "Me'danos" or sand dunes), isla de Margarita (a lot of duty free shops, hotels, and beautiful beaches), Los Roques (more coral islands) and Canaima (a bungalow camp with a big lagoon) in the tropical forest. From this camp you can visit the "Salto Angel" (world's highest waterfall). Margarita, Los Roques and Canaima could be expensive (at least for the Venezuelans) when you fall in some travel agent's hands. There are some "hatos" (cattle ranchs) like "hato El Cedral" and "hato Pin~ero", where you can see the best of Venezuelan fauna, including chigu"ire (world's largest rodent), baba (a kind of crocodile) and tigre mariposa (jaguar. Actually it is not so easy to see). Those "hatos" are especially interesting for bird-watching lovers (Venezuela possesses one of the world's largest varieties of birds). On this issue, you can contact the Audubon Society of Venezuela. For a better time use, I recommend northern Venezuela (beaches, islands, Coro) during the rainy season for it is drier. The rainy season is: May-August intensive, Sep.-Nov. so so. And I recommend mountains, forests, southern Venezuela, during the dry season (Dec.-April). --- From: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr (Pierre Flener) Subject: More about Venezuela Date: November 1994 Here is an additional list of Venezuelan fruits with their typical names (some are standard Spanish names, some not) and their English equivalents: cambur = banana pla'tano = plantain (a big banana people eaten fried) patilla = watermelon parchita = passion fruit aguacate = avocado guana'bana = soursop ni'spero = medlar mamo'n = genip lechosa = papaya coco = coconut merey = cashew nut caimito = star apple rin~o'n = a fruit relative of soursop (not kidney!) pin~a = pineapple --- From: mrees@cix.compulink.co.uk (Martin Rees) To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr (Pierre Flener) Subject: Holiday in Venezuela Date: November 1994 Puerto La Cruz. Sea front restuarants we tried were poor in quality and expensive. However the sea front area is well lit and seemed safe even after dark. Visit Los Altos (por puesto jeep) for good walks and dramatic views of the coast, plus much bird life (large flock of parakeets sighted close to path). Ciudad Bolivar. Attractive river frontage and well restored city centre around the Plaza Bolivar. The fortlet (if you can find it) gives good views of the surrounding area. The Gran Hotel Bolivar has good views (ask for room with a river view), pleasant rooms at a reasonable price, but the lift was not working. Caicara. Tolerable overnight break on journey from Ciudad Bolivar to Puerto Ayacucho. This town is very remote, I won't attempt to describe the Indian style of dress here, you must see it to believe it! Hotel Miami has clean rooms and comfortable beds but little else to recommend it, but we were told it's the best in town. The road from Caicara to Puerto Ayacucho passes through some spectacular scenery. Puerto Ayacucho. Useful centre for extended trips into the jungle. Much of the surrounding countryside is savannah with forested areas most frequent near rivers. Granite whaleback mountains make for dramatic scenery. Hunting has drastically reduced the wildlife. However we did see a jaguar, tree frog, as well as many birds, insects and plants. We stayed with an Indian family, there were no other tourists there. The hut was by the river, about 15 kilometres from the paved road, no electricity. It was a great experience, although 5 days and 4 nights cost $600 for 2 persons, so it was expensive. Accommodation was comfortable but extremely basic. However their kindness and wish to make us happy did mean we enjoyed our stay there. Macuto. Old fashioned seaside resort. Better for an overnight stay than Caracas, and closer to the airport. Hotel Santiago is recommended (although lifts were not working). The town is very busy at weekends, but quite quiet during the week. It is possible to climb the hills behind the town, but the steep trails are exhausting, and very hot, and bird life was disappointing. Be careful to avoid the barrios that occur on many of the lower slopes. Town beaches are small and overcrowded at weekends. --- From: ie1cl@agt.gmeds.com (Carolyn E. Lanker) Subject: Venezuela To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr Date: January 1995 I too went to Venezuela a few years back. I had a wonderful time also. I had the chance to visit the mountainous regions of the country, south of Caracas. We were in a large group and had been issued temp. visas from our boat. They made sure to keep us all grouped so we didnt get lost or as he put it, "caught in the wrong hands". I went on a jeep mountain tour which was quite a rugged drive up into the areas where some of the officials take vacations. The views are absolutely some of the most beautiful and breathtaking I have ever seen! We took a paved road for a short time, which eventually turned into gravel then dirt. We stopped for a break at a small waterfall and of course played in it. It was very very refreshing to swim in, since the weather was quite warm. After that we got back into the jeeps and went to a village where we had lunch at a small open air cafe. We had some local dishes. Some of which I can't even remember. We did have some sort of salad (reminded me of cole slaw but wasn't), some bananas I think fried. The rest of the meal is vague because I was too intrigued watching the children dance for us. They were all smiles and took great pride in this show. The older boys would blow into a conch shell type instrument, some played a drum, the little girls and boys danced their little hearts out. After their dances there were a few who went around selling souvenirs to us..some tiny bamboo type drums which were about 5 inches tall. After lunch we walked about the village and noticed the lack of pets there. I saw only 1 cat and 3 of the skinniest dogs ever. It's obvious pets are not as big of an item there as here in the U.S. After about 2 hours or so we got back into the jeeps and began our decent down the mountain. The terrain was so rough that we blew a tire. The driver said they did this at least once a week! I was glad we had some bottled water for the wait. I walked around some and looked at the local greenery..some beautiful flowers and trees etc. Other than the village, we saw very few other people until we reached the bottom of the park. There was a drive up type restaurant there, but it wasn't open yet. It was apparently a night spot. From there we were taken back thru the city. That was fun seeing the neighborhoods and how they are in everyday life. Overall I really enjoyed that part of the tour. My only regret was not going on the City tour also. Its definitely a place I would love to see again! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3-3] Isla Margarita From: MPRICE@bclands.crl.gov.bc.ca Subject: Re: Isla Margarita, paradise or living hell? Newsgroups: rec.travel Date: February 1994 >Two months ago I made reservations for a two weeks visit to Isla >Margarita. I'm supposed to go there in March. > >The past week Isla Margarita has been on the Dutch television and in >the Dutch newspapers a lot, and both media stress that it's living hell >out there! > >Both media claim that the Island is dirty (garbage everywhere), >criminal, and tourist unworthy. The beaches are death-traps due to the >stream. People get robbed often. Hotels are poor and often without >tap-water etc. etc. One has to speak Spanish to be able to communicate >at all, even in hotels. > >If this is all true I'd like to cancel my trip, but I'm not sure. > >Has anybody visited this Island? I saw one mail on this subject but >it seems to be cancelled. > >Any experiences (good or bad) with Isla Margarita? Any experiences >with Hotel Miragua Village, Playa el Agua? My wife and I came within three weeks of going to Margarita on our honeymoon in 1991. [...] Meanwhile, I had read almost everything I could find on Margarita and we were really looking forward to it. There is no secret that Margarita is not a well known tourist spot (it's not even really classified Caribbean, though it is so close it should be) and there are not many travel books on it. The one we used (and didn't need!!) is called Venezuela Alive (Margarita is part of Venezuela) and really made it sound good. As for the garbage, the stealing and the beaches, I don't know for sure. What I do know is that most travel books I read (Fodor's, etc.) are very honest (almost to a fault) and tell you everything. I think Margarita is probably a nice place to visit but, definitely, learn a few Spanish phrases. Oh, and secondly, don't believe everything you hear on TV; sometimes they are very wrong.... --- From: Some.Body@Some.Where (name withheld) To: pf@cs.duke.edu (Pierre Flener) Subject: Re: Venezuela? Date: February 1991 + Margarita: a popular touristy island off the coast. The government set it up as a duty free area to give people incentive to go there, go to the beach and spend money in the stores. It's fun to rent a car and go exploring along the northern, western, and eastern coastlines. --- From: mrees@cix.compulink.co.uk (Martin Rees) To: pf@bilkent.edu.tr (Pierre Flener) Subject: Holiday in Venezuela Date: November 1994 Margarita Island. There is no water shortage, nor did we have any hint of a threat of crime. Cleanliness of beaches varied from excellent to reasonably clean (it was low season, rubbish removal would be better high season). The only exception was La Restinga, where much litter has been blown into the mangrove swamps near the beach. As taxis are reasonably cheap, they represent a practical way to see the island. The walk from the guard post to the radio towers at Parque Nacional Cerro El Copey (paved road) gave excellent views of the island as well as varied vegetation and much bird-life (including the best view of humming-birds we had in the country). The ferry from Margarita to Puerto La Cruz is recommended for excellent scenery. Plenty of outside space, although seating is limited. In view of comments about timekeeping in Venezuela I should mention the ferry left within 60 seconds of the scheduled time. ========================================================================