Venezuela

[sam3g]

I just got back from Venezuela with my Argentine girlfriend. For a month we traveled the coast from Caracas to Colombia. I know most of SA, (minus Brasil and Ecuador) and Venezuela has been my LEAST favorite country. The exchange rate is rigged by the government, so unless you want to pay double for everything you have to bring huge amounts of cash with you and exchange it on the mercado negro.

80% of the people we met were either unfriendly, rude, or tried to rip us off. The streets are so dangerous in many cities, (ex: Maracaibo or anywhere within 50 km of Caracas) that you can't leave your hotel after sunset. The situation with Chavez is sad and the life is aggressive. If you know any Venezuelans living in BA they may tell you the same. Crossing into Colombia for my second time in two years, I was amazed at how the different the culture is there. The Colombians overall are sweeter and more friendly - and more geared toward tourism. It was like going from Afghanistan to Spain.

Venezuela has so much natural beauty and is an interesting place to visit. I hope the economic and social situation improves so that the beauty of the culture can catch up to the beauty of the landscapes.

Happy travels.

PS - Archipelago Los Roques is absolutely beautiful, and the people are much more relaxed. Not your typical Venezuelans!

 

[2GuysInPM]

Have you been to Isla Margarita? Its a tourist spot and they usually have cheap flights from here, but I'm wondering if its worth it.

 

[gouchobob]

I just got back from Venezuela with my Argentine girlfriend. For a month we traveled the coast from Caracas to Colombia. I know most of SA, (minus Brasil and Ecuador) and Venezuela has been my LEAST favorite country. The exchange rate is rigged by the government, so unless you want to pay double for everything you have to bring huge amounts of cash with you and exchange it on the mercado negro.

80% of the people we met were either unfriendly, rude, or tried to rip us off. The streets are so dangerous in many cities, (ex: Maracaibo or anywhere within 50 km of Caracas) that you can't leave your hotel after sunset. The situation with Chavez is sad and the life is aggressive. If you know any Venezuelans living in BA they may tell you the same. Crossing into Colombia for my second time in two years, I was amazed at how the different the culture is there. The Colombians overall are sweeter and more friendly - and more geared toward tourism. It was like going from Afghanistan to Spain.

Venezuela has so much natural beauty and is an interesting place to visit. I hope the economic and social situation improves so that the beauty of the culture can catch up to the beauty of the landscapes.

Happy travels.

PS - Archipelago Los Roques is absolutely beautiful, and the people are much more relaxed. Not your typical Venezuelans!

I waiting for somebody to write in and tell us how good it is in Venezuela under Hugo. Hopefully the problems there are not a preview of what Argentina will be like in a year or two, after all the K's and Hugo have many of the same ideas and have always been very chummy.

 

[BROOKLYN]

I waiting for somebody to write in and tell us how good it is in Venezuela under Hugo. Hopefully the problems there are not a preview of what Argentina will be like in a year or two, after all the K's and Hugo have many of the same ideas and have always been very chummy.

I pray to god Argentina doesnt turn into a shithole!

 

[BROOKLYN]

I just got back from Venezuela with my Argentine girlfriend. For a month we traveled the coast from Caracas to Colombia. I know most of SA, (minus Brasil and Ecuador) and Venezuela has been my LEAST favorite country. The exchange rate is rigged by the government, so unless you want to pay double for everything you have to bring huge amounts of cash with you and exchange it on the mercado negro.

80% of the people we met were either unfriendly, rude, or tried to rip us off. The streets are so dangerous in many cities, (ex: Maracaibo or anywhere within 50 km of Caracas) that you can't leave your hotel after sunset. The situation with Chavez is sad and the life is aggressive. If you know any Venezuelans living in BA they may tell you the same. Crossing into Colombia for my second time in two years, I was amazed at how the different the culture is there. The Colombians overall are sweeter and more friendly - and more geared toward tourism. It was like going from Afghanistan to Spain.

Venezuela has so much natural beauty and is an interesting place to visit. I hope the economic and social situation improves so that the beauty of the culture can catch up to the beauty of the landscapes.

Happy travels.

PS - Archipelago Los Roques is absolutely beautiful, and the people are much more relaxed. Not your typical Venezuelans!

Wow that bad! how are the woman over there??? and food

 

[mini]

I have family in Venezuela and visited twice (80s/90s) and my parents visited many times in 60s/70s. Yes by the early 90s Caracas was "dangerous". But the rest of the country was not. Maracaibo certainly not.

My family are so tight knit they never wanted to move away from each other. My oldest cousin even cut her month long European honeymoon short as she missed her mom & sisters. Sadly now they are starting to leave one by one. There is no life for them and no future for their kids. But my mother's aunt is in her 80s and her husband in his 90s. They can't go anywhere now.

The whole thing is really very sad. The country is a mess.

 

[estebandepraga]

I can't agree with Sam3g more!
I was there a few times in 2010 unbelievably expensive and even with black market exchanges money, almost everyhting was a rip off. Hotel I stayed at in Caracas only for the "safety" of the area was bad.Staff worse!
A shame a country with natural beautiful but I will not go back until things change!

 

[BankNote]

I remember traveling to Venezuela is the 90's pretty often. Maracaibo was my favorite. I remember meeting some amazing women in Venezuela in the early 90s. Having said that, Venezuela was always a dangerous place even in the 90.s I remember being warned not to venture out on my own late in the night even in the 90's in the small towns of Venezuela.

Colombia on the other hand was safer even in the 90's!

So nothing has really changed safety wise except that the chicas have gone rude and prices sky high.

 

[ReemsterCARP]

I´ve worked a few months in Caracas in 2009. I lived in one of the safest zones of the city (Los Palos Grandes / Altamira), which was ok. I really enjoyed the neighbourhood with its parks, squares, bars and shops.


Los Palos Grandes by remi de nimega, on Flickr

But I didn't like much of the rest of the city: very unsafe, dirty, public transportation is a mess and people aren't too friendly.

And I dont think Chavez policies have helped the country much the last 12 years. Things have only gotten worse and worse.

 

[sam3g]

Have you been to Isla Margarita? Its a tourist spot and they usually have cheap flights from here, but I'm wondering if its worth it.

Never went to Margarita, although from what I hear it's a nice place. Far too accessible to the people from Caracas so overall I would say it's probably not THAT nice.

"Wow that bad! how are the woman over there??? and food"

Women weren't bad, but not as good as Colombia and certainly not comparable to Palermo. The food was surprisingly greasy and fresh fruit surprisingly hard to find compared to neighboring Colombia where there is a batido stand on every block!