Travel Blog » South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Maracaibo Travel Blogs

Background: Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: an embattled president, a divided military, drug-related conflicts along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.

Venezuela

Map of Venezuela

Venezuela's Flag

Recommended Books:

Hostels in Venezuela
Latest Maracaibo Blog Entries
Maracaibo Photos

By Travelling Fraggles
September 4th 2008

Crossing the border - Maicao, Colombia to Maracaibo, Venezuela

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Our luxury transport into Venezuela (don't know who the dude leaning on the bonnet is)

Having flagged a bus just outside Tayrona National Park, which incidentally was the worst shed of a bus we have seen in Colombia we arrived at the border town of Maicao into chaos. There were several men greeting us off the bus shouting "Maricaibo, Maricaibo, Por Puesto, Por Puesto", traffic all over the place and no sight of a collectivo. We were closely followed and harassed as we tried to refuse to get in an unmarked bashed in shed of an old American Chevrolet as our Taxi and headed over to the Brasillia bus terminal to be reassured by the security [View Full Entry]

By Anika M
June 12th 2008

Learning to Fly

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Another weekend…another adventure… Thursday after class, four of us decided we would try to find something to eat. I haven’t spent much time in El Centro yet, so I was excited to go downtown and eat at a true Venezuelan restaurant. Two of the girls I went with had asked one of their professors for suggestions on where to eat, and she told us a name of a great Italian restaurant in an area we were all pretty familiar with. So after class, we took the bus to El Centro and started on our search for the restaurant. After walking for [View Full Entry]

By edsonlg
June 10th 2008

Catatumbo!

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

leaving Merida!

The weekend was another adventure to say the least : ) A group of students and I along with our trusty Venezuelan guide, Tony, ventured north to Lake Maracaibo in search of the natural lightening phenomenon at Catatumbo. According to Tony, who is literally the South American Steve Erwin (this guy catches piranhas and alligators bare-handed for fun), Catatumbo is one of four places in the world where the unique combination of a warm and cold front collide over open water composed of 50/50 sea and salt water to create methane gas and spark silent lightening 24 hours a day, 375 [View Full Entry]

By Lynnarowze
September 13th 2007

Catatumbo Adventure

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Liar1
One of our first guides who tried to trick us.

This past weekend was a wild adventure for nine of us here at VENUSA. We heard about a strange phenomenon known as Catatumbo and decided that we just had to see it! There is an area near Lake Maracaibo where it is lightening constantly but with no accompanying thunder. Scientists aren't really sure how or why this occurs, but they suspect that it is due to the change in altitude near this area. So, the nine of us headed to the bus terminal at 5am on Saturday morning with our bags packed and ready for adventure! We took the bus to [View Full Entry]

By rjh5000
July 16th 2007

Escape from Venezuela

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

So i started writing this entry over a week ago but things have become a bit delayed, possibly because i am fitting back into Latinamerican laidbackness or because i am a bit ill. Sympathy e-mails very much appreciated. Now I would like to cast your minds back to Monday the 16th of July when my nightmareish escape from Venezuela took place. I should have known it would be difficult, any country that asks for your passport number when you buy a pencil sharpner is seriously flawed. It was a hot dusty road from Maracaibo to Maicao (on the Venezuelan/Colombian border) and [View Full Entry]

By Life Is Beautiful
July 2nd 2007

This is the Chavez life

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

UH AH, CHAVEZ IS NOT LEAVING!
Whilst his slogan should immediately give you some clue that this man has some dictator-type tendencies, there are many here that consider him a god. One guy on hearing that we were from South Africa ... [more]

After 4 memorable months, it was finally time to say goodbye to Brazil and hello to Venezuela - the land of free petrol and no eggs. Venezuela is an interesting, but not too welcoming of a place to visit. Political tension is always in the air and the communist mood is inescapable. We had to quickly get used to societal climate change - coming from the warm, caring Brazilian people to the cold, unconcerned Venezuelans. The socialist president, Hugo Chavez, recently said something along the lines of “what the Americans don’t understand is that Hugo Chavez is not just Chave [View Full Entry]

By LobsterCheeks
June 20th 2007

Lightning Reactions

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Ambushed by Bandits!
Not really. This was our supply boat having a joke. If you look closely, the "guns" are actually a pair of flip-flops

Another early start at 7am, and a long drive to witness an unusual phenomenon which is unique to Venezuela; the Catatumbo Lightning. There is a particular area, no more than 20 kilometres square, where lightning occurs continually at night. Strikes occur between 30 and 100 times a minute, apparently enough to read a book by. But curiously, these strikes are not accompanied by thunder. Scientists have studied this phenomenon, but no-one really knows why it occurrs, or why it only occurs here. It is not a guaranteed occurance however. On average it will occur about 300 nights each year. Would we [View Full Entry]

By MariaLatina
February 10th 2007

Pa vag till Colombia

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

On the road again. Venezuela visade sig for dyrt och besvarligt for att gora nagot roligt. Varje gang jag skall lyfta pengar far springa runt i respektive stad for att hitta en bank som ger pengar pa Visa, och sedan koa andra halvan av dagen for att komma till disken. Ofta har det funnits bara ett bankbitrade som tar hand om en kilometerlang ko. Alltfor jobbigt, sa jag bestamde mig for att ta bussen till gransstaden Maracaibo for att snart emigrera over till Colombia. Lar vara billigare och lattare att fa pengar fran automat. Ett par dagar sedan traffade jag en [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo