Staufer Hotel Margarita Porlamar

... this one includes all food and drink up to 11pm – fantastic, my first all inclusive experience whilst backpacking! I even have a hairdryer and a fridge in my room, so it is very luxurious. They don’t speak any English here (but do know a little German), so somehow I am managing to get by on my amazing Spanish skills :s I think my most in-depth conversation has been with Guaco the parrot that sits by reception and can only ...

I am here in Ciudad Bolivar trying to catch up with the blog entry that I have missed over the last few days. This was just a small trip to Isla de Margarita and I never knew that there was such a place, nothing happens and everything is happening. There is so much development here but the transport to the Island is appalling, at least the one we were on ...

... De resto a comida é meia bomba e com o mesmo gosto, principalmente no café da manhã, onde o pão tem gosto de maçã, a maçã tem gosto de queijo, este com gosto de geléia, e assim por diante...
Fora do hotel fomos em algumas feiras, shoppings e apenas em mais uma praia (Playa el Agua), pois o tempo estava caído. O bom mesmo foi aproveitar a praia do hotel nas belas cabaninhas com colchões, bebendo cerveja ...

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 my mind that this country may yet administer a final kick in the nuts before I leave..............
Venezuela isn`t the easiest country in the world to get along in (let`s just label it "challenging"), but I would definitely come back here. There is so much to see, and it feels as though I`ve hardly scratched the surface. This is where the Andes finally peter out into the Caribbean Sea, and the scenery is incredibly diverse. The big river here is the ...

... to "democracy" and the "expropriation of private property". In fact, both of these reasons are not true. Venezuela is at the opposite end of the spectrum to Cuba in terms of liberty of expression and democracy. The Chavez government has had 11 public elections during the last 10 years. There are no constraints on political expression, as most of the mainstream press are supported by the opposition. In fact, the extent of opposition-led disinformation is greater within ...

... panacea to poverty. Microfinance websites promote themselves as the "solution to poverty", without even evaluating the real and qualitative benefits to the poor. Furthermore, research shows that MFI (micro-finance institution) financed borrowing largely goes towards consumption smoothing. Whereas initially the poor approached traditional money lenders for food security, market access, emergency expenditure, they now borrow from MFIs. Who is addressing the fundamental roots ...

... were the Caipirinhas. I think stronger stuff, I have never drunk! I had made a new friend at the bar, Svenja from Germany, but once she had to go, I was up for some jammin' - testing the Margaritan nightlife this time! So I got up from my bar chair, walked to my room and found some clothes. I had to take a quick shower because I was sweaty from the heat earlier in the day. But I was totally wasted. I looked at my bed, and thought - Hell, I'm ...

... for the best since I'm sure the rules would have changed. That night we went to the casino. I lost $20 at the roulette table within 3 minutes of walking through the doors. Karen however faired much better. She ended up wining 95.000,00 (95 thousand Bolivares or $40 US). The next day we went swimming with dolphins. This was something I was a little sceptical about but Karen really wanted to do. I'm glad we did though. Even though they were in a salt water pool and you'd think ...