Gran Melia Caracas Hotel

So long South America. What a sad day! We are heading out of the South Americas (onto the US so not so sad but still...). We have had such an adventure travelling around 10 countries in 3 months. Our last few days have been a little crazy. We hoped on a bus to Venezuela, only 25 hours. For all those who were worried about our safety have no fear Colombia and Venezuela both had the largest military presence we ...

... down on the city . We did this again ,its OK .I did not have high expectations as you know what its going to be like before you do it. The weather was shocking as you can see by some pics. I did tho enjoy the ice scatting , its actually real good fun.I hadn't done it for like 10 years , but i was pleased to find out , Ive ...

... put a smile to my face. This is what I love about traveling, breaking barriers. Breaking people´s reality as much as my own. But then again, no one seemed to mind me except for this lady sitting next to me. She was curious and I wanted to practice my Spanish. And sure enough, we end up talking about trivial topics when all of sudden a succession of loud popping sounds interrupt us. I immediately duck and cover my ...

... told that staples are price controlled. So we asked what effect that had. The result, unsurprisingly, is that staples are exported and sold for dollars which can then be changed on the black market for double the official rate. That is why there is no milk in Venezuela, although the official explanation is the world milk shortage. Perhaps I'm out of date, but has anyone else heard of a global milk shortage? But against these criticisms, one ...

... a base here and nice to be able to relax. October 15th 2007 - Day 126 The next day we were up nice and early after a good nights sleep. We headed out to Sergio's work to pick up our bolivars which made us instant millionaires - it was a good feeling. We also managed to find out about a bus that evening to Ciudad Bolivar from where we planned to make a trip to the Angel Falls. We spent the rest of the day hanging out with Homero ...

... at Luisa grandparents were I found a host of wealthy old Venezolanos eating a lunch of Dominos Pizza (I kid you not) in an impeccably beautiful terrace dining area while being served fine wine by suited servants. For lunch her friends decide (without my input!) on the 'Outback Steakhouse' where they serve up such delicacies as 'Kookaburra Wings' and 'Toowoomba Pasta', I settle for a 'Mad Max Burger' then head home for a rest before my first saturday night on the town. On the way in we ...

Looking out my tiny window at the turquoise ocean 34,000 feet below I am still awestruck (like a lot of people) at our ability to fly. being able to cross thousands of kilometers in just a few hours, landing in unknown countries filled with new, scary and confronting experiences which are bound to change you in one way or another. As totally mind blowing as all this is, sitting in cattle class surrounded by 5 kids younger than 6, 2 who are screaming ...

... continuously throughout the day (even when driving) and finish the night with . . . you've guessed it more beer. Its the type of environment I like but certainly not one I can compete in. On the few occasions that I've sunk a beer before 11am, I felt I was breaking a cardinal drinking rule (bloody British licensing laws), but in Venezuela it is accepted and often expected, no matter what sex you are. I cant leave this section on alcohol without mentioning ...

... the *rmy cle*red the street briefly to escort * he*vily protected *rmoured c*r) or m*ybe not, I guess we'll never know. We *lso drove through * m*rket *nd I s*w * person with no legs, *nd no wheelch*ir, just going *long, doing his shopping using his h*nds to propel himself through the street. The sight of it re*lly shocked me, but I guess I'll h*ve to get used to sights like th*t during my tr*vels. It w*s s*d, his p*nts just dr*gged behind him *s he went, it w*s so shocking ...