Rah, I am back from Venezuela

* My good friend Miggie helped with all the hotel accomodations and played tour guide and translator throughout, and she introduced me to many friends and family, and I'd have to say first and foremost that the people are quite, quite cool -- their friendliness and humor easily reminded me of the best moments in my New Zealand trip, and though my imperfect Spanish meant I wasn't able to catch every joke or conversation (reading it is much easier for me than hearing it, alas), a good time was had, whether it was celebrating a friend's university graduation at a Mexican-themed bar called Tequilibrio with about twenty perfect strangers who cheered my bold and slightly drunken but utterly horrible attempt at salsa moves (though you all wish you were there when the DJ started spinning techno because when you've got Venezuelans dancing who know salsa moves from birth and combine it with rave, the result rules beyond belief -- and apparently the upstairs floor was even more dance crazy!) or just walking around downtown.

* Caracas sprawls, more chaotically so than any city I've yet visited, I'd have to say. Even the LA sprawl is of a sort that makes a certain kind of sense, bounded in the basin area as the LA/OC region is for the most part, then trickling out from there. Caracas is much more convoluted, resembling, say, crowded moments on Manhattan but everywhere all at once, or near to it. Cars reign supreme, despite a handy enough metro system, and easily NYC is the only other place I've seen so many taxis on the road or getting about at all hours of day and night. The taxis range from officially registered companies to 'pirates,' essentially just private cars with a taxi sign or the like on the top, and given the amount of knowledge one needs to get around in the various neighborhoods, a good taxi driver is clearly a must to know. I wasn't surprised to find out that both businesses and individuals rely on personal contacts and recommendations, and cultivating newly encountered drivers who turn out to know their stuff is crucial.

* The nature of the sprawl emphasizes in large part the obvious poverty, and the comparison point of the western half of the city in particular to the favelas of Rio seems apt. At a certain point things bleed over into housing which are patched together buildings and slums, no more than a couple of stories high per building -- with electricity for the streets and alleyways at least, lending a familiar enough appearance of suburbia at night, but in the day the truth of the situation can't be ignored. There were many warnings throughout my stay about avoiding certain neighborhoods even in the more well-off area my hotel was at, watching for pickpockets, generally keeping your cool -- not to the point of paranoia, but those who lived there were clearly not going to be euphemistic about the situation. The hotel's main door was always locked day and night. Even on Isla Margarita in the Caribbean, where Venezuelans go to enjoy the sun and sand without having to leave the country (as well as taking advantage of a no-tax situation there, sales taxes generally run around 17% I seem to recall), it was clearly no idyllic paradise of timeshares through and through.

* Politically, it was interesting to be in a country not my own where questions of leadership and policy were so central, though in large part this was certainly an accident of timing, visiting as I did between the time of the petitions for a referendum and the actual referendum itself, due on August 15th. Chavez is certainly an astonishingly polarizing figure, and though I abstained from any direct political discussion in favor of observation -- and certainly many citizens are a bit tired of it all as well -- there's little doubt as to the deep-seated emotions on either side. Chavez definitely is playing all his cards as he can in the run-up to the vote -- besides the main 'VOTA NO' campaign and his use of state radio and television for interviews or appearances, of himself or his supporters (more than once I noted great store was placed in speeches from activists or academics from other countries, including the US apparently) are any number of associated campaigns or public testimonials from the various mayors (if that is the best equivalent for alcaldes) of Caracas's many neighborhoods or the governors of the various states. The 'SI' campaigners are no less visible if not in a completely advantageous PR spot, and the vote figures to be extremely close. Chavez certainly emphasizes a leftist approach and aims at a populist image that specifically cultivates poorer voters, while also tying into a general anti-Bush sentiment as well, but there appears to be some question of how much of that latter sentiment is romanticized by either Chavez or his followers. There weren't any street fights or riots or the like that I saw or heard about from others, so the idea that the whole city or country is wracked with turmoil certainly doesn't apply.

* Relating to the vote is the general economic situation, which at present seems pretty chancy. Inflation is quite massive and the dollar is relied on heavily as a more stable currency than the bolivar, though you still have to exchange for bolivares for any cash payment, whether via official exchanges or alternate means. Apparently Chavez could, if he wanted to, quite literally pay off the entire country's debt to the IMF and all via past oil revenues -- Venezuela is a member of OPEC and from what I could tell, gas seems to be pretty cheap, though I'm not positive. However, if he did do that, the apparent effect on the economy would be to devalue the bolivar even further -- the current exchange rate is one dollar to nearly 2000 bolivares, the projected exchange rate after such a payment could go as high as 5000. Financially speaking, many voters blame Chavez for essentially ruining their savings over recent years as inflation has exploded, which in part explains the intensity of the current campaign. Life very much continues, and for all the poverty, my sense is that there is much more of a 'middle class' as broadly conceived than stereotypes might otherwise suggest, but perhaps much like Argentina, there are heavy economic pressures being brought to bear.

* Much of the country does seem very American in ways, interestingly enough. Part of it is the whole globalization superstructure of tall buildings and billboards and car culture and mall culture and cell phones and Internet access and familiar enough businesses, of course -- and not to mention baseball, easily the sports obsession of the country. There's also the mix of many backgrounds, European, African, native American, Asian and increasingly Middle Eastern -- not unique to the country to be sure but it was a familiar sight.

* The food, ah, the food. Did not get the chance to try everything I wanted to -- there's a national dish of beef and rice and more that I missed out on, another time perhaps -- but Caracas, being extremely cosmopolitan, does indeed offer a hell of a lot to try from, regional cuisine from around the country and nearly anything from outside it. The variations can be surprising, though -- for instance, while sushi is quite popular, a core ingredient is cream cheese. I'd guess this is the equivalent of avocado for California rolls out here. Meals ranged from a fondue place on top of Avila, a mountain just north of Caracas, to an excellent Spanish location in the Candelaria, I gather a fairly European neighborhood (or maybe simply just Spanish!), to fresh fruits I'd never tried before, picked up from a local market, to the freshest and best grilled fish I've ever had anywhere, right on a beach on Isla Margarita, from one of the many small bar and grills oceanside.

* When it comes to the food vices of the country, along with other vices in general -- cheese, as partially hinted at with the cream cheese thing, is a deep love, something I enjoyed greatly. Fried cheese as part of breakfast is one hell of a way to start your day. Chocolate, meanwhile, is perhaps very unsurprisingly huge, I'd rank the passion for it and the amount to be purchased as equal to UK or New Zealand levels. Coffee is essential and intrinsic to everyday living, and everyone has their own very specific way of how they want it done -- apparently Starbucks has made no headway at all in Venezuela as a result, so that was satisfying. Smoking is widespread but like in the States the ads very heavily restricted -- I saw one cigarette brand that was regularly advertised via some billboards, called Bond (no Connery or guns in the campaign, though), but that was about it, and apparently it's completely off of TV and radio. Alcohol, meanwhile, is also a passion -- beer of course (the German influence in the country is partially measured perhaps by the fact that the 'national' brand, Polar, is a Pilsener), but would you care to guess what the other absolute hands-down slambang no holds barred favorite beverage is?

*drum roll*

Whiskey. Whiskey from Scotland and not any younger than 12 years if it can be helped. Whiskey ads are EVERYWHERE, the billboards, the signs, more. I don't think I've seen such an omnipresence on that level in any other country or area I've yet visited, and yes, that includes Scotland itself. Whiskey is THE suave drink of choice, and everyone wants it and loves it, it is a national passion, and I can only guess that said sector of Scotland's economy relies on this more heavily than can be realized. I asked about this passion and it seems that when the country was doing quite well a few years back thanks to oil revenue and the state of the world economy, it became the in-thing to drink, and while the economic situation is greatly changed the taste for it has only increased -- and maybe acts as a reminder of better times.

* Radio and local music is pretty damned great. Chuck Eddy noted on the Faith No More thread about the easy eclecticism so many South American performers can bring to the fore these days, something Begs2Differ has been no less vocal about, and you can hear it pretty readily. Quite often I was taken by pleasant surprise -- one taxi driver was listening to a grand hip-hop album and I really should have asked who it was. Though the feller's flow was at times a bit rough, the music was pretty good in a Timbaland style, suffused with threat and a variety of beats. Miggie was kind enough to burn me a slew of discs from such familiar enough heroes as Los Amigos Invisibles, Soda Stereo and Juanes, as well as newer efforts from Molotov and King Chango, plus a fine three pack of Aterciopelados efforts, and I can't wait to give them all a listen. As it happened, I missed a Los Amigos Invisibles show on Isla Margarita by a few days, much to my regret.

* The weather was certainly varied -- classically tropical and steaming down on the coast and in the Caribbean, a mix and match in Caracas (which is about three thousand feet above sea level), cold on top of Avila, which is literally in the clouds most of the time. Should you go, layers are essential. (Also, apparently the easiest way to make yourself a target for muggers as an obvious tourist is to rely on a T-shirt/khaki shorts combination -- which is generally my regular outfit at home, so I set that aside in favor of buttoned shirts and pants, which given the changes in weather was actually the right thing to do.)

* The scenery was often simply stunning. Well I didn't investigate deep into the country towards the Brazilian border or the like, perhaps another time whenever that might be. But Caracas's setting, as noted, is up from the coastal mountains, and is quite spectacular -- the valley the core of the city lies in runs east/west, with gentle peaks on the south and spectacular ones on the north, all covered in forest for the most part. The views from my hotel room in the city were simply divine, morning, noon or evening, and I hope the photos will capture a sense of that. There were some beautiful areas of the city itself, from botanical parks to the historical centers of government, while Isla Margarita is certainly grand as well -- the beach I was on there for a perfectly lazy afternoon, Playa El Agua, is apparently the one to go to, and I have to say it was well worth it. Again, hopefully the photos will show that to y'all.

In sum, I had quite a time, relaxing, enjoyable, carefree and low-key. I'd certainly recommend it but will again note I was very lucky to have friends to rely on and play the host -- English is widely known but brush up on your Spanish if you go (more than I did, I admit!). Always do what those there do whenever they can -- drink bottled or filtered water, never tap! I did that and I have to say that I never felt any worries from stomach upset or worse -- there were plenty of dire warnings and I guess I heeded them well enough! If you do go to the jungle areas, be prepared for malaria and dengue as possibilities, but when it comes to Caracas and the coast, hep A and B and tetanus vaccinations were what was recommended.

Beyond that, all I can say is that it was great! More thoughts will come to me as they do. Oh, during the quiet moment I did catch up on some long overdue reading, and now my appreciation for Iain Banks (in Iain M. Banks sf mode) and James Branch Cabell and Frank Pape is even greater than before. As is N-Joi, thanks to my iPod. Rah and all that!