Another frustrating day in the socialist nirvana that is Venezuela. Things normally work out here, but only with extravagant effort. First, our laundry barely arrives in time for us to checkout. Second, our fixer, Miraye, was able to get us on a bus to Puerto Ordaz, but it’s another night bus (and according to Miraye not a very good one). Next the staff at our eco-friendly hotel (Ya-Koo) wants to charge us 200 Bolivars for yesterdays lunch; Christi and I think that’s outrageous and with Miraye’s help we get the bill down to 80 Bolivars. Miraye then very kindly drives us the 5 miles back to the border to get more Brazilian Real (although she is convinced the ATM, which is inside the bank, will be closed since it is Boxing Day). Fortunately the ATM is accessible and I take out R$1000; Christi grabs another R$500. We hope this will be sufficient cash to get us through the rest of Venezuela.
On returning to the town center, Christi immediately exchanges her Reals on the open black market for 1500B. We then have lunch at a crazy busy Chinese restaurant. It’s amazing that you can buy Chinese food in virtually every country, but it always tastes different. The Chinese really are like chameleons when it comes to tailoring their food to local customs. Which is a long-winded way of saying it wasn’t the Americanized Chinese food that Christi and I normally eat! Now we have a choice of either aimlessly wandering the streets of Santa Elena until the evening bus departs or hunker down at a slow internet café. We choose the slow internet cafe and the very slow news is that New Frontiers Adventures have still not been paid. Frankly, this socialist nirvana sucks when you actually want to accomplish anything. Unless of course you happen to be Hugo Sanchez, the Great Dictator. He has decreed that gasoline should be free – well near as damn it. One liter of petrol costs B0.07 (or about 2 cents) which means you can fill up any gas-guzzling vehicle for less than a buck. Not that our buddy Hugo is in any way trying to bribe voters you understand. By comparison, across the border in Brazil petrol costs the equivalent of B3 per liter. Not surprisingly, illegal petrol trafficking to Brazil is big business, which has the ironic knock on effect of causing long lines and petrol shortages in Santa Elena de Uairen. Fast fact number two. Hugo Chavez gave every child under the age of 11 a bike for Christmas this year. Even though I don’t own a car or have a child under 11, I just want you to know Hugo that I can also be bought so next year bribe me! Please bribe me! Although corruption is endemic and the people are mere pawns as far as the Great Dictator is concerned, there is so much beauty here – from magnificent tepuis to thunderous waterfalls and beautiful beaches. Perhaps it is a socialist nirvana after all.
We finally escape the seductive embrace of Santa Elena de Uairen on the 7 pm night bus to Puerto Ordaz. Phew!
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching tale.
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