Arrived in Venezuela :)

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Ok...so I am not in Kansas anymore!
I am experiencing a travelers culture shock of some sort. First difference is obvious...I have never been to Venezuela before...so EVERYTHING is new. The money, procedures with transportation, even that you drink water out of a water bottle with a straw! Second difference is that Venezuela is definalty not on the GRINGO TRAIL like Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala...much more authentic and less polished...but also much more foreign! Third difference, I am traveling alone from now until the end of my trip...no more meeting up with anyone...here I go!
After 24 hours of travel, I made it on a shuttle from Antigua, Guatemala to Guatemala City´s aiport. Then flew to Mexico City to transfer planes in the middle of the night to Caracas, Venezuela. Arrived very early in the morning after maybe 3 hours of sleep. I had purchased a flight 2 months ago to my next destination, Ciudad Bolivar, so that I would not have to stay in Caracas. However, I got an email last month that the flight was cancelled. So at the airport this morning, I spoke with the airline and they got me on the waiting list for a flight with another airline to another city, Puerto Ordanaz, that is nearby the city I want to go to. So I waited, slept at the aiport for a few hours, finally managed to get on a plane (ended up in first class actually) and landed in Ciudad Bolivar by 1 pm. Then I had to take a taxi to the Bus terminal, where the bus I needed was just about to leave. Luckily, I was able to jump on and made it to my destination by 3pm. I arrived to this bus terminal, got a taxi to the center of town where I knew there would be a couple Posadas (guest houses) and hoped that one of them had an available room because I did not have a reservation anywhere yet.
The manager of the guest house is going to sign me up for the 3 day, 2 night tour to Angel Falls...but he needed the complete payment before saving me a spot. So I just dropped my bags in my room and immediately navigated my way through the bustling, strange town in search of a bank. Found one and got in the 20 person line for the ATM. After waiting in line for a half hour, I couldn´t work the damn thing because not only does it ask for a PIN, but also the first 2 numbers of your secret number...what the hell is that? So I found another bank, but because it was almost closing time and because only one of the 2 ATMs even worked, this one had an even bigger line! Shit. So I waited in that one too. Only this time the ATM wouldn´t take my card and said I had to go into the bank instead...but by this time it was close! Shit.
So it looks like I get to spend tomorrow exploring and resting in this strange city on the huge Rio Orinico, then head out to Angel Falls on Saturday.
Wish me luck with those damn banks! 😊

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Comments

[Lauren]

Good luck!
What a whirlwind... Amazing to think of a place off the beaten Gringo path! ;) Enjoy, baby, ENJOY.

[cheko]

Venezuela- The land of Banks (no pun intended)
Thanks for the birthday wishes! If you can master the banking system in Venezuela, then you should have no problem surviving the other trivial matters of the Amazon Basin like deadly pirahnas, venemous serpents, alligators, dinosaurs, and and of course those vicious cannibalistic savages that are threatening to not give up their land to the progress of capitalism. Have fun at the falls. Just don´t fall. Love ya- S y E