Howard Johnson Inn - Porlamar, Margarita Island

... inclusive beers and cocktails with the other guests. Despite reassurances from my new friends off the beach that it is safe for me to go out around here (but only if I go with them), I decided the sensible option would be to stay in! Oh, the joys of being a girl alone. Here at the hotel there are plenty of people, so I’ve had some fun. I’ve not met any other English people, but have met an interesting mix of people including one ...

... albeit an experience. We bought the pemier substandard tickets (I do not know either!) although not taking full advantage of the "Pemier" style up the stairs behind the Canteen on the lower decks!!! (see why we were fooled) Look at the pic. It was not too bad but daunting nonetheless. As for Margarita I did not stay long, wanting to get to Salto Angel ...

... buracos e gramas na altura do capô. Mais adiante tivemos que voltar pra pista que não tinha retorno e por isso fomos na contra mão e despercebidamente fiz o retorno (inverso) na frente do carro da polícia, a qual me ignorou visto a situação bagunçada que estava ocorrendo na região.
A surpresa: conseguimos chegar no aeroporto a tempo, pegar as malas entregar o carro na locadora e ...... o voô estava atrasado ...

Zo daar zit ik dan op Isla Margarita... het was lastig genoeg om er te komen dat wel; Op schiphol aangekomen was er gelijk al een vertraging van 2u, Arke Fly ¨kost niks, maar dan heb je ook niks¨... 9u, 2 kleffe maaltijden en geen onboard entertainment (moest los voor betaald worden) later kwam de captain met de mededeling dat het weer boven Isla Margarita te slecht was om te landen en dat we 1st naar Curacao zouden vliegen... Ah nee he, geen Curacao!!!! Dus toch naar curacao ...

Hola a todos! I'm in Venezuela since the 22nd, and it is a huge change since Miami! Ben arrived one day later that me because he missed his flight in France, so my first night in Caracas was kind of hectic! What a mission to find a hotel there, something not too expensive but not too dangerous either... Thanks God people here are really nice, so I finally found a place to sleep much better than under a bridge! :-) Caracas is ...

... of a shock - wobblers and waddlers all over the place.
Now that Fidel Castro is out of the game, Venezuela`s president, Hugo Chavez, is the most charismatic politician in Latin America. He is a Socialist, opposed to globalisation, and a fierce critic of US foreign policy. The American Evangelistist Pat Robertson has called for him to assassinated - so he can`t be all bad! Although Chavez has managed to put some initiatives in place, eg constructing free ...

... as those originating from externally. For example, constant food shortages could be solved internally. I remember seeing a lot of empty and wasted farmland, which could easily be cultivated to produce something. Most Cubans understand what is going on. They rightly highlight the corruption endemic in the system. In fact, the woman I was living with in Havana told me she thinks "that the real reason behind Castro's illness was all the fighting and corruption going on within ...

... They don't involve large start-up costs, and entrepreneurial and financial skills are not a barrier as the business idea is already mapped out. It's appeal lies in the fact that it is a pre-packaged form of employment for the less-skilled and unemployed poor, which in turn can provide skills training etc. Additionally, they can be linked with social and environmental objectives, so the new franchise is providing a good or service with greater social benefits. Some of ...

... take a quick nap so that I'll last through the night. So I layed down, without even locking my front door, closed my eyes and within seconds, I was deep in the dreamlands - and stayed there until late the next morning!

So, I really had to get something done. I went out in search of a decent, and low-ish priced diving company. I guess the price was more important than the quality but I got quite lucky. I went with Margarita Divers to ...

... boats which resembled the gondolas one finds in Venice , only these were powered by outboard motors. Apparently, the species of parrot that normally inhabits the mangrove lagoon are quite opposed to the noise created by the boats. As a result they have been extirpated from the 70 % of the park that the tourists are taken through. The unique attributes of this park are the variety of mangroves and the creatures that live symbiotically with them. There are 4 types of mangrove ...