From Caracas to the height of a ski resort, a celebration of the skyscrapers, statues, neon American cars and extends through the mountains.
Since the discovery of oil in late 1920, almost three million Venezuelans, or one in 10 of the population, have migrated here. For years, they went wild, played baseball and shopping in Miami. Then in 1994 the economy crashed, and all that remains are the luxury home and nearly three million color televisions.
Now there's a new face from peeling paint. Has features gaucho meat and is often depicted in his paratrooper's beret. For those who live in cardboard houses to and new concrete, President Hugo Chávez is El Salvador and Venezuela with the high price of oil is another turn in the road before.
Their banners everywhere proclaiming the revolution. On our first night we saw his weekly television. He was still spouting slogans when we returned from dinner three hours later. Venezuela, which states, Cuba will be the new rich.
Caracas seems to have all in their path. Your city is too amazing to stop a war of words that bother them. So the party continues. People are more striking than before, due to the oil boom. Although our hotel was so elegant as what happened before (in black uniforms and Perspex chairs), was smaller and - even in its name (the hotel) seemed to be courting the dark. Others only in part, in his little world.
Vendors and out of traffic and the sale of alcoholic Chupi Chupi. While the middle classes have simply shifted their activities in a market of U.S. $ parallel black. But most independent of all were the cult of Maria Lionza, the. Rushed through a six-lane highway to reach its central reservation and worship their idol, a voluptuous naked goddess astride a rampant tapir.
We were fascinated by this revolution fought in posters. It alone probably justifies a visit to Venezuela - although Americans do not think so. For them, the word "socialism" sounds like Anthrax or a storm. They fled, taking with them a strong piece of the tourism industry. In 1912, thanks to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Venezuela achieved stardom as The Lost World. It was now about to disappear for real?
I soon realized that, beyond Caracas, such disputes were overshadowed by human nature. Columbus called Venezuela "the land of grace," and had not even seen an airplane. Few explorers went beyond the stilted huts on the shore, and so became "Venezuela", or "Little Venice."
From the air, however, could not be more or less great Venetian. Caracas was reduced to a pinhead, and a green planet dome shone up through the cloud. The pure green everything was disconcerting - savannah, jungle, hot and cold gases of mountain forests. No wonder that the little creatures that many have chosen to miss there. In terms of biodiversity, Venezuela is ranked number 11 in the world. Welcome to the great people of Caracas, parties, and good economic situation now!
