I should be pretty familiar with Venezuela... after all, my mother was born there and I speak the language like a native.

Here's a somewhat detailed but brief summary of what you'll find there:

DL, AA, CO and UA fly into Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS). There are other foreign carriers that fly there, notably BA, AZ (Alitalia), LH (Lufthansa), KLM (but not from the USA, you'll hafta catch it in Amsterdam) and most of the South American carriers such as Varig and Aerolineas Argentinas. Domestic airlines such as Aeropostal and Avensa usually fly out of the domestic terminal next door, so if you fly to Margarita, you'll more than likely transfer there.

The drive into Caracas is pretty impressive, if the traffic's not too bad. You'll go through three tunnels and a couple of concrete arch bridges before getting into the Caracas valley near downtown.

Like any big city, you'll see ultramodern high-rises in the city center and shantytowns dotting the hills. There is a relatively clean and modern subway system.

Of course, there are the requisite warnings about crime... avoid flashing cash and looking like a tourist, travel in groups, don't go out alone at night, etc. Most cities and towns have a "Plaza Bolivar" marked with an equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar; while in the plaza, visitors and locals are expected to maintain a sense of decorum, as it is a memorial to the Liberator of South America.

The freeway system around Caracas is modeled after ours, though the major interchanges are quaintly named, such as "La Araņa" (The Spider), "El Pulpo" (The Octopus) and "El Ciempies" (The Centipede). One highway is built at the base of the valley's mountain range, and is known to locals as "Cota Mil", because it was built at about the 1000-meter ridge line. Caracas drivers are maniacal and traffic laws loosely enforced. Rush hours can be as bad as LA.

I don't know if it is currently operating but there is a cable car ride that takes you to the top of Mount Avila, where there is also a hotel called the Humboldt. On a clear day you can clearly see most of Caracas from there.

Margarita Island is considered a duty-free zone, so there is a lot of shopping. The governor of the state of Nueva Esparta (New Sparta, which is essentially Margarita Island), Irene Saez Conde, was a former Miss Universe. There are plenty of beaches and the fishing is supposedly decent.

Maracaibo, where my mother's side of the family is from, is reminescent of Houston: hot and very humid, with plenty of evidence of the oil industry around (oil wells, refineries, etc.).

BTW, "chipi-chipi" is the local version of conch. You'll see plenty of it in Margarita.

I could continue on but I'd bore you to death with the details that rightly should belong in a good tourist guide. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!


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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.




[This message has been edited by AlphaSigOU (edited 06-21-1999).]