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Venezuela - the end

So, okay. I didn't get to see anything besides work and the hotel. Although, I did get to go to a nice restaurant last night. Me and a couple other guys, left the hotel environs for Las Mercedes which is I guess a more upper scale area with shopping and restaurants.

We went to La Castañuela, a seafood place. Man, it was the best food all trip. We started with some sort of vegetable soup served in a teacup. You just drank it from the teacup. Then there was the mixed grilled seafood with chili sauce on the side. It was really good. Squid, clams, mussels, and some sort of fish. Then we had the paella valenciana which was so awesome. The same sort of stuff from the mixed grilled seafood, but with this yellow rice and olive oil and sherry. The flavor was wonderful. Then for dessert I had flan, which had a sort of burnt taste to it with rum. It was good, but not as good as Mom's.

I was at work until 4pm. And it was raining. I don't think I'll have time to do anything touristy today. Which kinda sucks since I'm leaving tomorrow. Kinda upset about that. I didn't get to buy knick knacks for my family. I doubt I'll be able to get any tomorrow am in the airport.

I'm the worst tourist ever.

it keeps going!

Another 11 hour work day. A couple of guys from America came today in an install project related to our stuff. They´re from El Paso though. They speak spanish.

I´ll be having dinner with them though. it will be nice to have dinner with other people for once.

I´m going back to work again tomorrow 9am. Then I leave Sunday am.

This Caracas trip is totally turning out to be a non-holiday. My only wish is to make it to the teleferico tomorrow. I don't know if that is even doable.

Oh and those mountains of stars you see on the way into Caracas from the airport? Mostly poor neighborhoods.

Here's an interesting fact. One way to not get kidnapped is to take taxis everywhere. It is not recommended you walk from place to place.

Plus, don't trust all the taxis. Only trust the taxis that the hotel or someplace gets for you. When I leave work everyday, I have to have the guard check to see if he knows the taxi driver. This means waiting for a bunch of questionable taxis pass by before being about to get into a good taxi.

Oh and another interesting fact: In Venezuela, gas is 25 cents a gallon.

caracas stoplights

Here's something to take note. In Caracas, stoplights are really only a suggestion rather than a law. So, when crossing the street don't expect drivers to stop simply because the light is red.

I've been working 11 hour days. I've had no time to see anything other than work and the hotel. I did wander around some more in the neighborhood last night. That was where I got my stoplight experience.

I was looking for some local food, but I think around here hamberguesas and pizza seem to be the most popular.

I'm 527 pages into Quicksilver: Volume One of The Baroque Cycle. I guess I can say that I've accomplished that much. I read during dinner mostly. And mostly at night because between working all day and wandering the streets in the evening, I'm too pooped to do anything else. And since most TV is in spanish and the only english channels are CNN and some movie channels, reading is the better thing to do.

I've been to these travelling solo websites. I guess the key to travelling solo is to meet people to do stuff with. This something I'm not much good at.

Hopefully, I won't be working on Saturday. But I can already tell that I won't be betting on it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get at least one tourist attraction in this trip like the Teleferico or Cafe Planeta.

mountains of stars

Another day in Venezuela. Didn't do much. I did a whole lot of work. I found out the taxis may have been charging me twice as much as they should. Damn tourist tax! Well, it's only 4 bucks anyway. I paid less than 2 bucks today because this guy I was with talked to the taxi driver first and secured for me a 50% discount.

Going from the hotel to work looks to be a walkable distance. Though, I'm not sure about walking it since I'd be lugging a laptop and backpack all the way there.

ps-I found out that the international election observers are staying in my hotel.

venezuela

I'm in Caracas. It's a beautiful city. It appears to be a city that is sorta covering a mountain range or part of one.

As I was coming into the city last night, the city was especially beautiful. Well, the lights were. I met the driver at the airport and he drove me here. The lights lit up the mountains. Like they were mountains of stars.

I feel kinda like a jerk because I don't speak spanish. I took a couple semesters of it in college like back in ancient history.

But I came to work. And work I have.

Even if I did understand Spanish, I guess the only thing they talk about around here is politics. Most folks, or at least the folks I'm hanging out with, seem to think that the past week's election was a sham.

That kinda makes me think. I don't think it bodes well for the future . There are folks out there who believe that democracy and freedom are a sham. And honestly, with Bush in office, it's hard to argue with that.

moved

I'm hosted at majcher.com now.