A Little of Caracas





Burros covering the hillside on the way into Caracas

Along the long bumpy ride to obtaining my cédula I found myself in Caracas this past week. What is a cédula you ask? Well, it is a picture ID that all adults have and contains a number similar to that of a SS number. This ID number is used for everything from buying groceries at the store to being next to your signature on anything you sign. Anyway, I went to meet a representative from a relocation service company at the SAIME office in the capital city. The SAIME office is not unlike a local DMV.  Crowds of people wait to have their picture and finger prints to be taken.  The actually process takes a short time to complete. It is the lines that will keep you there for hours. Lucky me I had an appointment and so the whole process was about 30 minutes. I was able to snatch some pictures in a moving taxi while driving through the city. Enjoy.

The amount of houses was amazing and the colors were neat.
Pro-tip:  When going to a country that uses a different measuring system than your own figure out your height, weight and shoe size in your host countries system. I know this is a duh item, but I honestly did not think about it before I arrived at the SAIME office and so some creative guesswork was used instead.



Best picture I could find of the Maiquetia airport.

The city of Maiquetia is interesting and by far one of my favorite cities to fly into. The view is amazing as you approach the airport from above. The mountains crowed up against the ocean and in-between these two natural beauties is the city of Miquatia. This town has sprouted up along the coast and the buildings have started to crawl up the mountains. 

I stayed at the Eurobuilding hotel which is a 5 minute drive from the airport. It boasts nice accommodations, a tasty restaurant, a staff who speaks English and good company to be found. I ran into some pilots out of Miami and a yacht captain at the restaurant bar. We had a pleasant evening chatting about home, interesting things the world has to offer and our different perspectives of this lovely and unique country. 

Found waldo on a moto taxi

My trip into downtown Caracas I was surprised by the difference between Anaco and Caracas. The average car in the city was much newer and not covered in rust. The walls weren’t all topped with broken glass and there were even buildings that had windows without bars and along the highway you can see art sculptures that have the illusion of changing as you drive past.   

Downtown Caracas

I hope to visit Caracas again with more time on my hands and with a friend who knows the area that way they can give me the insider’s tour. Until then you will have to be content with my next post about my trip to Angle Falls with some new expat friends I have found hiding here in Venezuela as well. 

Most graffiti here are political ads.