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> The Journey > South
America > Venezuela > Overview /
Journal
 Venezuela
Ever since my plane stopped briefly at Caracas on my way home
from Ecuador in the early 1990s I have had a hankering to visit
Venezuela. Back then it was one of the top destinations in South
America. After the basic facilities in Ecuador, the polished pink
granite and air conditioning of Caracas' main terminal building
seemed positively palatial. This, along with the memory of the
subsequent flight east along the Venezuelan coast - endless white
beaches emerging directly from lush green mountain forest, before
being swallowed by a pristine aquamarine Caribbean Ocean - has been
imprinted on my mind for well, almost decades.
Today's Venezuela has not lived up to the promise of my earlier
preview however. While the country itself is lush, green and
beautiful the shine of the forest fades somewhat when you are among
the messy human life that lives beneath it. In particular, for the
motoring tourist the police are a real headache. There are seemingly
hundreds of different police departments, each with their own
uniform and set of road blocks, almost one for every half hour on
the road. Police checks in themselves are fine - we've had them
regularly since California - the difference here is that their main
purpose appears to be to extort money from the road user. They are
not looking for guns and drugs like other forces. The result was
that we could not relax and enjoy what Venezuela has to offer and
after a few days did not want to be there at all. Perhaps that is
what Venezuela wants, but it is in stark contrast to Colombia where
almost everyone wants to know what you think of their country and is
keen to ensure that you are having a good time. |
