Puerto La Cruz & Isla de Margarita

I partied until dawn with Frane and friends on Friday night, drinking Diplomático rum with club soda and dancing reggaeton in the sala de fiesta of a Caracas appartment building. And then I missed my morning bus and took a later one from Caracas to Puerto La Cruz. Buscamas, bed-busses, are very comfortable. I arrived in Puerto la Cruz at night and checked into a fairly derelict hotel on the main strip. I walked along the boardwalk at night, but there wasn't too much to see there. In the morning I caught the express ferry to Isla de Margarita, Venezuela's most frequented tourist spot.

On the ferry I met a Russian who spoke marginal English but was nice enough. We decided to go splits on a room in Porlamar to save some cash (2-bed room is marginally more expensive than a 1-bed and there are no hostels in Venezuela). We went to check out the beach near the hotel and when we got there, I was horrified to see my new Russian friend in a blue Speedo. Somebody needs to tell this sect of Europeans and Russians how wrong Speedo's are. At the Olympics, yes. At the beach, no.

Speedos aside, I met some of the other travellers at the hostel, a group of 3 Québécois that I has seen on the plane a week ago. We took a short tour to the Spanish castle at nearby Pampatar, and then were dropped at the massive Sambil mall. Venezuelans like their malls and this one was massive, but a comparison of prices of some items such as boardshorts and sandals revealed that this duty-free island is not such a good deal for anyone. Venezuela, unlike any other country in South America, has a parellel exchange market (mercado negro) for currency. Due to political instability, an official exchange rate of 2.15BsF to 1 US$, overwhelming economic reliance on oil prices, and harsh limitations on foreign currency for Venezuelans, the prace that can be had on the street for the Benjamins fluctuates. It was about 6 to 1 in December (pre-referendum), and prices in this touristy area were raised accordingly, but is now about 3 to 1, making a 90BsF per night hotel less of a steal. But the high prices cannot take anything away from the island's beauty. I have yet to see the "best" beaches. Photos soon...