Another two-tone-wall, this time in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.
Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venezuela. Show all posts
Monday, April 21, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Posada La Casita, Ciudad Bolivar
posada-la-casita.com
In the heart of Venezuela, near the "small" town of Ciudad Bolivar, you will find the Posada La Casita witch is run by Peter Rothfuss and his wife Maria.
Peter, also called "El Aleman" has his own world in a green park including pool and a little zoo. He offers rooms or free standing "casitas" all with air con, privat bathroom and hot water. A room costs 25$ and a cabin 32$, he accepts transaction or you can pay cash in bolivar, dollar or euro.
The place is a 20 minutes drive away from the center but he has a shuttle service twice a day and will pick you up if you give him a call.
Peter also has his own travel agency named Gekko Tours and an airplane to Canaima. He has the best connections and fair prices. If you plan to go to Salto Angel he is your guy!
In the heart of Venezuela, near the "small" town of Ciudad Bolivar, you will find the Posada La Casita witch is run by Peter Rothfuss and his wife Maria.
Peter, also called "El Aleman" has his own world in a green park including pool and a little zoo. He offers rooms or free standing "casitas" all with air con, privat bathroom and hot water. A room costs 25$ and a cabin 32$, he accepts transaction or you can pay cash in bolivar, dollar or euro.
The place is a 20 minutes drive away from the center but he has a shuttle service twice a day and will pick you up if you give him a call.
Peter also has his own travel agency named Gekko Tours and an airplane to Canaima. He has the best connections and fair prices. If you plan to go to Salto Angel he is your guy!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Salto Angel (18.12.2013 - 22.12.2013)
We left early in the morning with two canoes. On the five hour up river we stopped three times. The first time we had to walk a short distance to lighten the canoes so they could pass through some bigger rapids. Conveniently there was a gift shop selling craft on the way ;) We resisted the temptation. Later we stopped to take a plunge in the so called Happiness Pools. But most of us where already wet from the different rapids encountered on the way ;)
When we stopped for lunch later the westerner wer all drinking water and the rest of the group coming from various parts of latin america all leaped at the Coca-Cola. Our guide also always stressed that there would be enough Coca-Cola, something you need in the middle of nowhere...
Not much later we arrived and prepared for the one hour walk up hill. But not everybody in our group was in good shape. Some had quite the struggle, I guess all the Coca-Cola doesn't help.
We marched almost to the foot of the waterfall, the highest in the world! It plunges down 970 meter from one of the many plateaus which are around 2000 meters above sea level. Quite an impressive sight. Some took another bath before we descended across the river where our basic camp for the night lay. After some chicken roasted over the fire and the common Coca-Cola (sadly no beer or spirits in the camp) we lay down in the hammocks for the cold night.
The journey down river the next day was much faster and we reached Canaima before midday. After lunch we boarded another Cessna to fly back to Ciudad Bolivar. Sadly we hadn't booked an overflight of the waterfall by plane beforehand and short on cash couldn't afford one on the spot. So make sure you have this included in your package!
After another night in Ciudad Bolivar our ways parted again, Joel and Patrick went to spend some days in the Orinoco Delta where as the two of us had to organise our way back to Caracas.
By chance we ended up at Peters lovely Posada close to Ciudad Bolivar. We stayed three nights and finally got with his help a bus ticket to Caracas.
The four of us met again at the airport to spend the last night in Venezuela together. We bought a big bottle of rum and Coca-Cola and headed to the little beach close by. We had purchased a set of Uno to play but where surprised that it had only two colours, kind of pointless this way...
We got up with a little hangover and three of us headed to the airport. Patrick had to stay another night as Alitalia had postponed this flight for 12 hours.
We knew the airport was chaotic but it even overthrew our expectation. It took us half an hour just to find the right line and another three to check-in. Of course our flight was then delayed for three hours.
Once in the air we where relieved and looking forward to spend christmas and new years eve with my family in Curacao.
When we stopped for lunch later the westerner wer all drinking water and the rest of the group coming from various parts of latin america all leaped at the Coca-Cola. Our guide also always stressed that there would be enough Coca-Cola, something you need in the middle of nowhere...
Not much later we arrived and prepared for the one hour walk up hill. But not everybody in our group was in good shape. Some had quite the struggle, I guess all the Coca-Cola doesn't help.
We marched almost to the foot of the waterfall, the highest in the world! It plunges down 970 meter from one of the many plateaus which are around 2000 meters above sea level. Quite an impressive sight. Some took another bath before we descended across the river where our basic camp for the night lay. After some chicken roasted over the fire and the common Coca-Cola (sadly no beer or spirits in the camp) we lay down in the hammocks for the cold night.
The journey down river the next day was much faster and we reached Canaima before midday. After lunch we boarded another Cessna to fly back to Ciudad Bolivar. Sadly we hadn't booked an overflight of the waterfall by plane beforehand and short on cash couldn't afford one on the spot. So make sure you have this included in your package!
After another night in Ciudad Bolivar our ways parted again, Joel and Patrick went to spend some days in the Orinoco Delta where as the two of us had to organise our way back to Caracas.
By chance we ended up at Peters lovely Posada close to Ciudad Bolivar. We stayed three nights and finally got with his help a bus ticket to Caracas.
The four of us met again at the airport to spend the last night in Venezuela together. We bought a big bottle of rum and Coca-Cola and headed to the little beach close by. We had purchased a set of Uno to play but where surprised that it had only two colours, kind of pointless this way...
We got up with a little hangover and three of us headed to the airport. Patrick had to stay another night as Alitalia had postponed this flight for 12 hours.
We knew the airport was chaotic but it even overthrew our expectation. It took us half an hour just to find the right line and another three to check-in. Of course our flight was then delayed for three hours.
Once in the air we where relieved and looking forward to spend christmas and new years eve with my family in Curacao.
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| We took a bath below the second waterfall! |
Monday, January 6, 2014
From Caracass to Ciudad Bolivar and Canaima (16.12.2013 - 17.12.2013)
The second day in Venezuela Joel an Patrick arrived and our money problems where solved ;). The next problem was our transport to Ciudad Bolivar. After 2h of waiting and some phone calls later we where squashed in a tiny Nissan for the 8 hours journey. We where overtaken only once, as our driver was speeding like hell. Up to 170km/h on potholed streets into the dusk in a little car without working seat belts. Not that they would have much helped...
We knew that gasoline was subsidised and therefore cheap. But when our mute driver paid at the gas station we where in for a surprise. For 2 Bolivar, with the official rate around 33cents or 2cents on the black market, he got 10 litres of gasoline, ridiculous! At the same gas station we paid 30 Bolivares for 2 bottles of water, at another one they had only soft drinks... Later he told us that if your car runs on gas it is even free o_O. Venezuela has a lot of oil, but you have to keep in mind that the government has to import the gasoline as hey don't have their own refineries.
The next day we took a Cessna airplane to fly further south to Canaima. Which was a great experience, I had the seat in the front next to the pilot ^^
We were part of a lager group, with guide and everything. Not something we usually do, but the only way to see the Salto Angel without shelling out too much cash. After arriving we headed to the lagoon with its red water. The water gets its color from the red rocks in the riverbed. We saw the three waterfalls from the front and then passed through one of them behind. Quite a wet activity ;)
The little village/camp was quite in the evening so we headed to bed early to be rested for our trip up river the next day.
We knew that gasoline was subsidised and therefore cheap. But when our mute driver paid at the gas station we where in for a surprise. For 2 Bolivar, with the official rate around 33cents or 2cents on the black market, he got 10 litres of gasoline, ridiculous! At the same gas station we paid 30 Bolivares for 2 bottles of water, at another one they had only soft drinks... Later he told us that if your car runs on gas it is even free o_O. Venezuela has a lot of oil, but you have to keep in mind that the government has to import the gasoline as hey don't have their own refineries.
The next day we took a Cessna airplane to fly further south to Canaima. Which was a great experience, I had the seat in the front next to the pilot ^^
We were part of a lager group, with guide and everything. Not something we usually do, but the only way to see the Salto Angel without shelling out too much cash. After arriving we headed to the lagoon with its red water. The water gets its color from the red rocks in the riverbed. We saw the three waterfalls from the front and then passed through one of them behind. Quite a wet activity ;)
The little village/camp was quite in the evening so we headed to bed early to be rested for our trip up river the next day.
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| Co-Pilot |
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Into Venezuela and currency madness (14.12.2013 - 15.12.2013)
As the christmas holidays where nearing all the plane tickets to Venezuela where skyrocketing. A ticket would sell for around 600 USD for the 75min flight from Santa Marta to Caracas. Something we were unwilling to pay. So we took the overnight bus, which should have made the journey in 18 hours. But it left with one hour delay and it took us more than 20 hours to reach our destination.
After getting our passport stamped and some comical luggage inspection involving a dog which wasn't interested at all we boarded the bus again. Once inside the co-driver announced that one of the passenger had asked if we could bribe the coming checkpoints so we won't have to take out our luggage again and stating that this was entirely our choice and without any involvement by the bus company. Melanie and I where the only obvious tourist with no venezuelan money and no clue what was going on. But one of the passenger exchanged us some columbian Pesos after which we knew the exchange rate would be around 1 USD to 50 Bolivar. Thanks to the bribes we weren't stopped again and early in the morning we arrived in the huge bus station in Caracas.
Just like in other places before we looked around the bus station for an ATM to get some Bolivares Fuertes. Some unfriendly people later we knew there was none to be found here. So we negotiated a cab to our hotel including a stop on the way at an ATM. So we stopped and Melanie got in line to get cash, as we have seen before and since there are always people waiting. And they have opening hours, they close/shut them down at night! o_O Our old and grumpy cab driver got angrier and angrier and wanted to leave. In the end the cash machine didn't work as it asked for the last two digits of our ID card, which of course didn't work with our swiss cards.
Unavoidably we exchanged money at the hotel for a shitty exchange rate and left afterwards to find an ATM which works. Five or six tries later we still didn't had any cash and thought we earned our self a treat and entered one of the fine restaurants in the banking district where we stayed. We ordered some nice sushi, salad and white wine and payed for all by credit card, assuming it would cost us around 40 USD. Later we could finally check in and once in our rooms and online we found out that the official exchange rate was 1 USD to 6!! Bolivar. Shocked we just realised that my credit card would of course use the official rate and our little meal just cost us 240 USD! Did we mention before that we travel unprepared ;) Some googling later revealed that everybody just travels with big wads of dollars and exchanges them at rates between 45 and 60 Bolivar.
We had some dollars left, but never enough to make it till we would leave for Curacao. We then frantically tried to contact Joel and Patrick in Bogota, to bring Dollars and Pesos!
After getting our passport stamped and some comical luggage inspection involving a dog which wasn't interested at all we boarded the bus again. Once inside the co-driver announced that one of the passenger had asked if we could bribe the coming checkpoints so we won't have to take out our luggage again and stating that this was entirely our choice and without any involvement by the bus company. Melanie and I where the only obvious tourist with no venezuelan money and no clue what was going on. But one of the passenger exchanged us some columbian Pesos after which we knew the exchange rate would be around 1 USD to 50 Bolivar. Thanks to the bribes we weren't stopped again and early in the morning we arrived in the huge bus station in Caracas.
Just like in other places before we looked around the bus station for an ATM to get some Bolivares Fuertes. Some unfriendly people later we knew there was none to be found here. So we negotiated a cab to our hotel including a stop on the way at an ATM. So we stopped and Melanie got in line to get cash, as we have seen before and since there are always people waiting. And they have opening hours, they close/shut them down at night! o_O Our old and grumpy cab driver got angrier and angrier and wanted to leave. In the end the cash machine didn't work as it asked for the last two digits of our ID card, which of course didn't work with our swiss cards.
Unavoidably we exchanged money at the hotel for a shitty exchange rate and left afterwards to find an ATM which works. Five or six tries later we still didn't had any cash and thought we earned our self a treat and entered one of the fine restaurants in the banking district where we stayed. We ordered some nice sushi, salad and white wine and payed for all by credit card, assuming it would cost us around 40 USD. Later we could finally check in and once in our rooms and online we found out that the official exchange rate was 1 USD to 6!! Bolivar. Shocked we just realised that my credit card would of course use the official rate and our little meal just cost us 240 USD! Did we mention before that we travel unprepared ;) Some googling later revealed that everybody just travels with big wads of dollars and exchanges them at rates between 45 and 60 Bolivar.
We had some dollars left, but never enough to make it till we would leave for Curacao. We then frantically tried to contact Joel and Patrick in Bogota, to bring Dollars and Pesos!
 |
| Pro Tip: Bring Dollars to exchange ;) |
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