Hotel Centro Lido Caracas

... companies really helped. Ben at Osprey Expeditions in Caracas, despite our call at the last minute, bent over backwards to help us quickly and efficiently and sorted us an overnight at the base of the Falls. He knows all the tour companies and speaks excellent English. In Merida the guys at Guamanchi Expeditions were straight talkers, not pushy and very professional, they even helped us with information on finding cash machines ...

... is driving these busted V8īs around. $1.50!!!! Hi all, Amy here. David has given a pretty acurate description of what it is like here. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have really enjoyed it. By the way, I have acquired skills for cooking for 30 people so if anyone needs a chef for a small wedding or other ocasión just let me know. As Dave has said already we are often left in charge of 5 boys of varying ages. There a couple of older boys in the house ...

The simmering heat remained with me as I left the Orinoco Delta and made my way north towards the Caribbean sea. Even the local people were feeling it and the it was not uncommon to see children playing in portable swimming pools and picnics by the river but my favourite scene was a woman lying in a hammock cooling herself down with a garden hose - absolutely classic!

Beaches
Being the Easter break things were a lot busier than ...

... but werenīt dismayed by the results. They said that in the longer term they will win. Its strange...there really seems to be a strong understanding amongst the Chavistas that they need to be calm and supportive...and cannot react to the opposition. Their unity is unbelievable too. A lot of Chavistas actually voted "No" too, as there are certain elements of the reforms and the way in which Chavez is pushing them they donīt agree with. Well at least this is acting as a ...

... 2007. Chavez's great socialist revolution was to be determined on 2 December. This may sound exaggerated (and I think it is) but that is the way that the Venezuelans, including Chavez, describe it. Caracas was plastered with pro-Chavez slogans. This appeared to be not about policy but about whether you were 'with' Chavez or not. The most common slogan, and it was on almost every wall and hanging from countless banners on street lights, was ...

... faced with a trip on the night bus to Merida but Homero kindly dropped us off that evening at the station which was in the pits of Caracas and made sure we got on the bus safely. For some reason the bus companies like their buses well air conditionned and I seriously think that people that are planning on doing any expeditions to the Arctic should do a few bus trips over here as it would prepare them well!

... Catolica where I meet Luisa (my aussie mate Guillermot's sister)and her friend. Still half dazed from my flight I'm dragged off to a Uni music festival where I see more hot women than anywhere else in my life, seriously this place makes Field Day look like the Miss Average awards. Ive got strange pains coursing through my body but I manage to forget about it downing Polar Ice and copping my first salsa dancing lesson while I meet Luisa's clique; theres Thomas the obligatory fat dude ...

... a very nice looking restaurant which was actually not full of tourists but locals and pretty reasonable too. Had a maizy pancake called a cachapas filled with ham and cheese (and a lot more flavoursome than normal arepa - very bland tasting maize cake). Tonight we have our meeting for this stage of the trip and goodbye/welcome meeting although we all know each other already. There are only 8 of us on the next stage ...

After all the months of planning, saving and boring our friends to deaths of our upcoming adventures I canīt believe we are finally in caracas. It is very sereal and just begining to dawn on us that this is finally happening. The journey flight over was fine, after an emotional goodbye at the airport. Having told everyone the flight was 14 hours long from Madrid, it was a nice surprise to find I was wrong! It was actually only 8 ...

... nd now is when I re*lly wish I could uplo*d pictures) it w*s like * gi*nt cultiv*ted r*inforest inside the city. We s*w * wild sloth, some be*utiful flowers *nd *bsolutely *we inspiring trees *nd pl*nts. It w*s gorgeous *nd we met some nice people (Tin* *nd B*rb*r* spoke Sp*nish *nd tr*nsl*ted for us). Admission to the g*rdens w*s 1000 Boliv*res (*bout 45cents US). After the g*rdens we w*lked the short dist*nce to the university where we s*w some re*lly cool outdoor pieces ...