The road to Caracas

I spend most of the day on the Internet setting up (this) blog, typing up days and uploading photos (as well as the usual trip to the bakers!) I must comment on the cars here. You see an abandoned vehicle on the side of the road, no lights, no bumpers, doors hanging off and rusting from wheel to roof. Then you notice a person inside. You get a little closer and the thing drives off. Incredible! If it has doors then it usually has a Taxi sticker slapped on the windscreen too! They also like their American muscle cars (i.e. Ford Mustangs and their lookalikes) with oversize wheels. Most of them look like custom home made jobs!

I'm still upset about the useless Travellers Cheques, I can't believe no-one told me I can't cash my USD cheques into USD cash, only local groats. That sucks because the black market rate for USD is far greater than the official one I get for cheques. e.g. 2,200 Bs : 1 USD official compared to 3,000 Bs : 1 USD black market. More over USD can be used anywhere, it's the Euro of South America! Had I know I'd have brought a shed load more USD with me.

Anyhow, tonight I plan to get a coach to Caracas where I fly to Guyana. Will had told me stories of how the coaches in Venezuela were nice and clean but have the air-con jammed on full (to gently squeeze the bladder) and all the toilets locked! Therefore I pack an empty plastic bottle and my jumper in my day-pack. Before I leave the Posada all the staff warn me against the banditos in Caracas. Francesco says they'll even rob the pants off me! If I wasn't nervous before, I am now!

The Posada calls me a taxi to the bus station for 10,000 Bs. I'm there for 19:45 - it's chaos. Lots of buses, lots of coaches, lots of people and lots of shouting touts. I sign up to the 1st person I hear shouting, "Caracas, Caracas!" for 40,000 Bs. I choose the 9:30 bus over the 8:30 because it gets in at 6:30am when I hope it'll be day light (it'll be safer then see!). As the time clocks on, lots of coaches come and go. I motion to the cowboys who sold me the ticket. They tell me to stay seated. I watch them sit outside their office and harass any unsuspecting female who walks past. There's a posh office next to their shabby one and I begin to wish I bought my Caracas ticket there, especially as 9:30 seems to be the generic last bus time. So if mine doesn't turn up then I'm screwed with regards to getting to the airport in time. But it does, some 20 minutes late and far from what I was expecting, it's very nice - with large inclinable seats upstairs. I settle in and would have had a fantastic nights sleep if it wasn't for the air-con jammed on full! I was cold, the jumper wasn't enough and looking around, everyone else had brought a blanket. Thankfully I didn't drink enough to need the empty bottle - for the toilet, as foretold, was indeed locked.

Posted by Steve Eynon