Bus to Caracas

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The first in a long series of travels began on Friday, this bus ride started out about an hour late as the Colombian police decided to search our bags. This was my first such experience in South America; I am not sure whether I felt burdened or comforted by it but probably a little of both. The first two hours of my journey were very nice. I had a seat in the front, which means extra leg room and a frontal view as it was a double decker, meaning that the front of the upper deck are two large windows. I opened the curtains covering them, at which point one of the drivers (there are multiple drivers so they can rotate on long journeys) asked me to shut them so as to prevent the heat. I partially obliged but kept a good sliver open for my viewing pleasure. He wasn't kidding about the heat though. I fell asleep at one point and awoke to find that I was on the short path to becoming my own solar entity. I thus closed the blinds a bit further. After the two hours we were joined by a second wave of travelers. At which point the bus became quite full and Jorge, who had the assigned seat next to me but was in the two across the aisle, was forced to give up the extra room and sit where assigned. The extra room of an empty seat is generally the best option, aside from a beautiful duchess, but Jorge wasn't a bad second. Jorge has lived in New Jersey for the last 34 years but grew up in COlombia. About the time that he moved to the states, his family moved to Venezuela. 35 years ago, Venezuela was apparently an idealic place to live, with a thriving economy and progressive politics. It struck me as ironic, as the relationship between Colombia and Venezuela seem to be inverting. Jorge's family lived in Maracaibo, the oil town of good size, which meant he would be in for a shorter voyage than I. He was very nice and open. In fact, he insisted on paying for my lunch, which was quite nice and unexpected. Lunch consisted of chicken, rice, and tripe soup. I had never had tripe before and didn't think I would have much of a stomach for it. It actually wasn't too bad. When we got back on the bus, one of the drivers warned us to close our window shades most of the way. People on the roadside have been known to throw rocks at passing buses and the shades serve as good glass deflectors. We were also told that this area used to be known for its bus kidnappings but now we would notice the beefed up military presence, which I did. We got to the border crossing around 3:30 after repairing a blown tire. Jorge was kind enough to look after me. And while waiting, I met yet another Irish girl, Orla, who was very nice and just about to finish her travels. I had heard terrible stories about this border crossing and was not looking forward to it. We actually coasted through with no problems. Just on the other side of the border, the roads were terrible. There were potholes big enough for small cars on two lane roads. The streets were lit by coffee cans of kerosene. And a third of the cars had at least one of its lights out. The roads were pretty bad for about 100 km but then improved vastly. We were in Maracaibo just after 8 on a Friday night, which gave some view of all the activity. Shopping malls in Latin America are quite the congregating point on nights out. THere was a big one in Maracaibo that was sprawling with activity.We headed out and were on our way to Caracas. Fortunately, much of the bus cleared out and we were all able to spread out on two seats. We were supposed to be in Caracas by 4am but only made it there after 6. This was good, as I don't like being at bus stations at 4am and gave me a better view of the city. Caracas is set in hills close to a coast. It is a very pretty city and was apparently once a beacon of light but has since fallen on hard times through corrupt politics.

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Photos

Coastline
Though some of the coast looked dumpy, there were several beautiful places along the Colombian Coast

Border Crossing
Thought it would be a big hassle but was easy

Border Crossing 2
Getting out and walking

Kerosene Lights
Hard to see but these are the kerosene lights

Caracas
The town is quite pretty with lots of greenery on rolling hills.