Venezuelan Time and Space

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... and other observations, facts and snippets.

1. There are hotels which specialise in renting rooms by the hour. They are known as "Love Hotels"

2. It is impossible to order a large coffee. Coffee is served expresso style everywhere, in little shot-glass shaped cups

3. If you are vegatarian, it isn´t enough to say that you don´t eat "carne" (meat). Chicken is in a different lingustic class, and therefore doesn´t count as meat!

4. There appears to be only one beer company over here: Polar. I´ve drunk plain Polar, Polar Pilsnen, Polar Ice, Polarcita, and Polar Light. They all taste the same to me!!! I have heard rumours of another company, with the imaginative name of Regional, but have yet to find anywhere selling it

5. Venezuelan women have won more international beauty pagents than any other country. The average Venezuelan spends one-fifth of their income on personal grooming and beauty products. Apparently, the Caracas yellow pages lists over 900 beauty salons, which is one for every two restaurants and cafes!

6. Venezuelans are either very unfriendly or extremely helpful. There doesn´t seem to be any middle ground. They are either surly and non-communicative,
showing your teeth is a common greeting in Venezuela
(not really, I just made that up. This was a drunken night out with Jules leading me astray)barely giving you the time of day, or they fall over backwards trying to help you!

7. The official exchange rate of Dollars to Bolivares is 2.1. This is what you get at a bank or cash machine. However, all around Venezuela we have been using "black market" money changers that have given us up to 3.7!! I do no understand how this works. How can they give you more money?? Answers on a postcard please

8. There are only two types of cheese here. One is white and one is yellow. They taste the same. Tasteless.

9. Venezuelan time and space. They have their own concept of time here. Mañana, which usually means "tomorrow", means any time in the near future. Ahora, which means "now" varies between a few minutes time and a few hours! Very confusing if you ask when a bus is coming and someone says ahora. Their concept of space is also unique. If something is cerquita (very close), it can be an hours walk away.

10. A popular food is the arepa, which is a thick hamburger-sized corn pancake. You slit it open with a knife and fill it with grated
dog in a box
This breed of dog is unique to Venezuela. Unfortunately I don´t know the name...cheese, meat, chicken etc. Tasty, but very filling.

11. I quite enjoyed Chivo En Coco - Goat in coconut milk

12. Twenty percent of all Venezuelans live in Caracas

13. Venezuela is a Socialist country. Petrol is part of the national wealth, and is made available to everyone for TWO CENTS a litre! It is exported at $60 dollars a barrel

14. A funny translation I heard. A bus driver was trying to overtake another bus, but it wouldn´t let him. He turned to me and said "pork of the road". I think he meant Road Hog!

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Photos

Funky Love Bus
Bright custom-painted buses like these are common in small Venezuelan towns

dog in a box
a species of dog unique to Venezuela

Showing your teeth is a common form of greeting in Venezuela
Not really. This is just Jules and me goofing around on a drunken night out

Giant Fruit
Some of the fruit out here is huge! Papaya can grow to the size of a rubgy ball. Here I am getting my hands on a big pair of melons