Having recently been to Venezuela, to windsurf at Isla Margarita, I was surprised at how such a country wealthy in oil can be so poor. It was surprising how run-down the country (well at least the island) looked.
Has anyone here been to any other parts of Venezuela? Do the other parts of the country look as run-down?
They are having an election there today, and it will be interesting to see what happens. If they go one way, it will probably stay the same. If it goes the other way...?
If worst comes to worst, anyone been sailing anywhere else (safer) around that area? I like the place, but I am not so sure its going to be that great anymore.
Actually, good point. I was expecting wall-to-wall Miss Universe contestants on the beach, but I think they were out of town those weeks
Unfortunately, the off-season in Playa El Yaque is apparently not where they hang around waiting for windsurfing gringos.
It was pretty run down when I was there in 2004... fuel prices were about 2c a litre from memory. Got a taxi from Porlamar back to El Yaque and the guy had to stop for fuel - he put about 5 litres in his v8 yank tank (enought to turn the fuel light off) I told him to fill it up, my shout. He was stoked, I was stoked paying less than $2 to fill a tank 
(Cant even do that for my lawnmower here 
)
Funny thing was telling what we paid for fuel in the UK... he said "Wow, you guys must have to work just to pay to go to work" 
Good to see how the other half lives though eh (Half being about 99%), kinda puts a bit of perspective living here.
And the women had no problem wearing bikinis and g strings on the playa - even the 50 year old massive a$$ed ones 
Did you get out to Los Roques?
I've been reading a book called Civilization by Nial Ferguson. The book has a chapter discussing the differences between the colonisation of the north and south American continents. He writes a bit about Venezuela and discusses Hugo Chavez in quite unflattering terms.
Like in any society, as long as individual rights in respect of personal liberty and the right to own property are trampelled upon, then life will be a misery for the many people. Chavez is using oil revenue to maintain his own power at the expense of those who oppose him. Chavez sees himself as a latter day Simon Bolivar. Bolivar was a bloke who thought most people were incapable of running their own lives and needed the heavy hand of government run by enlightened and intelligent rulers to push them in the right direction.
As in most cases, oil revenue ends up being a curse for the people where the oil is.
