Date: February 1

(Dan)

On the Venezuelan side we were standing there wondering how to get a ride into Maracaibo. Five minutes later a bus came by and we paid for a ride. Man, were we happy to be moving along again. About ten minutes into the bus ride we stopped at the first of nine check points in the next fifty miles. The first four were in the first four miles. We are still speculating what they were looking to find in that bus. The locals were pretty upset because at some of the stops the solders would tell everyone to get off and they would searched the bus. They also were keeping some of the bags of stuff people had been carrying with them. At about the third or fourth stop we thought about grabbing our bags and switching bussed but never did. We pulled into Maracaibo around ten o'clock and found a bus to Caracas. That was an all night bus and we arrived in Caracas the next mourning.

Date: February 2

(Ryan)

Now our second day in Venezuela and we slept a bit before doing some necessary banking. Dan was up a little earlier than me and went in search for a replacement to out travel guide. At the tenth bookstore he hit pay-dirt. Before going on the great bank hunt I knew I would need something to eat to help me cope with the assuredly frustrating experience. Our hotel was close to a long promenade with outdoor cafes and shops. We walked past many banks and thought of going in but I knew I should eat first. Wouldn't you know it they have a Wendy's in Caracas. Wow! After seeing some of the local cuisine at the bus stops "normal" food sounded great! Easy, you-know-what-your getting, good old American food. And let me tell you it was good. Bacon cheese burger, chili fries and a coke. Of course we super sized our meals, starved for something familiar. We were stuffed and happy. Just the amo. I need to do banking. A travel agent that spoke English helped us make some calls and I found a bank that had an ATM machine that would accept my American Express card just a few short blocks away. The bank had just closed but a teller passed a note through the crack of the front glass doors telling me where a 24 hour ATM machine was. It wasn't very clear but we found it. We had some cash and it was time to relax. The past couple days had not been a lot of fun so we took it pretty easy the rest of the night checking out some local bars.

Date: February 3

(Ryan)

We were up early and in high spirits. We had a couple errands to do and set off to explore the city. We hopped on the subway and went to the end of the line then back to the University but we couldn't get on campus with out an ID. Next we headed to the Post Office. When we came off the subway we saw a huge tower of stairs a block away and decided to see where they went. At the top was a park with a panoramic view of Caracas. The park had numerous monuments and structures but was in disrepair. None of the monuments had any inscriptions or signage telling you about it. The park was built into the side of a large hill with winding paths and elaborate winding stairways always leading to another vista and monument. It looked like it must have been a beautiful park in its day. There were a few men raking leaves but most were leaning on their rakes. It was sad to see what could have been such a great place so worn down.

We found the Post Office and did our mass post-card mailing, (if you don't one we don't have your address.)

After a full day of exploring and a few hours of the evening on the phone to banks, we turned in.

Date: February 4

(Ryan)

Time to get out of town. Taxis in Caracas are some of the most expensive that we have encountered. We try to take busses around town but sometimes we just don't know where the hell we are going. So we mapped out our rout to the bus station by subway and a few blocks of walking. No Problem! Ya Right! I first have to mention my lack of satisfaction with our current Guide Book "Lonely Planet- South America on a Shoe String". We lost our first copy and make the mistake of buying a replacement. We have the most current edition and yet the information is tragically incorrect, and we are only on the second country. (If you are looking for a guide book for South America my recommendation would be to buy a different book.) The inadequacies are not all the result of being outdated like prices but crucial information that has been left omitted. I'll get back to my story and explain... With book in hand we set off for the bus station to take us out of Caracas. On the subway we notice a note in the book that says that there are two bus stations in Caracas but it only mentions the name and address of one. We feel confident that it must be the main bus terminal that will take us to our next stop. Exiting the subway it's about 105° and due to the lack of street signs we get a little turned around and head in the wrong directions for about four or five city blocks. (That's with 60lb. Packs) So it seems like miles. We get our bearings and finally find the bus station but it's the city bus terminal. It is boiling out and there is no shade. We consult the guide book again and there isn't any information on the second, and surely, the bus terminal we need. It's too hot and we are out of options so we hop a cab. He wants about $8 to take us to the bus terminal. That's a bit steep. I try to ask how far it is but there is a communication problem. I don't speak Spanish. We cave and hop in. We go about five block, right about where we were the first time we got lost. It defiantly doesn't look like the bus terminal that we came in on so we say no. "Mucho Grande"! We try to explain we want the big station and after a while a light goes on over his head and we are off to the next bus station. We come around a bin and are excited to see the terminal that we came in on. He pulls up and I go to pay but now he wants about $17 and I'm not going to pay. Dan, The Voice of Reason, remembering how many cabdrivers we have seen with guns, quickly pays and we are heading into the terminal but I'm pissed! A minute goes by and I concede that he was right to pay, and besides, we have a new situation to deal with. Going up the ramp we are bombarded by people trying to sell us bus tickets. We would prefer to just buy at the window like civilized people and enter the terminal. 15 people swarm us SCREAMING at us trying to sell us tickets. (It's nice to see capitalism alive and well. jk.) We are hot, sweaty, mad about getting ripped off by the cab driver, and a bit frustrated as to where to buy our tickets when in stereo Dan and I scream "QUIT YELLING AT US!" Loud enough to get most of the people in the terminal to stop for a moment. The hustlers abate for a moment and we go to one of the 20 ticket windows. The woman has bad news. Apparently we are at the wrong terminal. Well... we've heard that one before. We are about to proceed to the next window and the hustlers start in again. But now they confirm that we are in the wrong place. We are still not convinced so we proceed to where the bussed actually leave from and sadly there too we are informed that we are at the wrong bus station. A taxi driver inside the terminal is there, ready and happy to take us to the correct terminal for $16. I'm past mad and now beginning to find humor in our situation (which is unlike me) and Dan is mad. He is going to walk back before paying another $16. The cab driver wont leave our side and Dan cuts his price in half. Cab driver comes back with a counter offer but Dan's about to blow. "NO! 5,000 not 10,000! SI o(or) NO? The cabby caves, I couldn't believe it and we were lead to cab waiting outside. I'm sure you have guessed, he brought us back to the bus station the first cab took us to. Now our big money saving trip to the bus station cost close to $25, almost as much as the piece of crap guide book. And to top it off, the guide book reported eight bussed a day to our next destination. There was only one and it wasn't until 8:00 p.m. that night. We studied our options and decided to go on the next bus in our direction. "Anywhere was better than here". So...Dear Lonely Planet, Here's one for the suggestion box. If your going to write a guide book, it would help to have the names and locations of all the bus terminals for a given destination, including their specific destinations. Just a though. Ryan Gee

We did get lucky and caught a connector bus to Ciudad Bolivar and arrived at midnight. The hotel conveniently had a tour company and within  five minutes of arrival we were receiving the hard sell for their tour to Angel Falls. We saw shinny pictures and heard wonderful descriptions of the trip and of course it was our lucky day, the price had dropped $100. the past week. The problem was the tour left the next morning at 8:00 a.m. and I had to make a decision before I went to bed. Our experience had instinctively told us to hold out and compare prices in the morning with other tour companies but I caved. It sounded like a good deal and very convenient.