A Little About Venezuela

Hello!

I'm back from Venezuela. I was there only 9 days but I think

I made the most of my time. Although Venezuela can be a very dangerous and crazy city

(robberies, kidnappings, horrible traffic, lines everywhere,

bad customer service in some places), one can still have

a good time, learn about the culture, admire the mountainous

surroundings in Caracas, go to nice beaches, and

experience a different lifestyle.

Despite the problems it may have, I think every city

can offer many adventures. I wish Venezuelans took more advantage of

the natural beauty of their country. Unfortunately their government

is not in the best shape right now; and the services they provide (in hotels, restaurants, shops)

can leave one a bit disappointed (not always though).

Here are some facts about Venezuela and things I noticed:

- their oil is extremely cheap

- their traffic is extremely bad

- women LOVE to be in the beauty salon

- cars make a lot of noise in the morning

- their shanty towns don't look as unsightly as

in other cities thanks to the green mountains all around

- their shanty towns are called "ranchos"

- some houses have female names instead of numbers: Berta, Alicia, Joanna...

- streets in Venezuela are crazy! They don't follow any type of grid or anything. But

one can usually be oriented again by looking at the "Avila," a national park-mountain.

- 10% tip is many times included in restaurant bills

- apartments have gates on the windows and at the entrance (not the building entrance only,

but the apartment one) ; houses too. All for security

And those were some of the things I remember most.

In Venezuela you can find:

over 1860 miles of white-sand beaches fringed with coconut palms lining the Caribbean coast

South America's largest lake, Lake Maracaibo as well as

the third-longest river, the Orinoco,

and world's highest waterfall, Salto del Angel.