Here is a list of "crazineses" and things that did not make sense to me in Venezuela:
1. The country to my surprise is called Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela formerly known as Venezuela. In the recent years, Chavez officially had renamed the country .. Also, just learned this... Chavez announced on December 20, 2009 that he wants to rename Angel Falls, the worlds tallest waterfall too...
2. 12 ½ cents coin was introduced by Chavez in 2008.. Hmmm... It took me a while, but i got it! Two of these coins make a quarter!
3. Chavez changed the time by moving it half an hour back. This change puts Venezuela on its own time zone, shared by no other country.
4. Chavez renamed Columbus day to the Dia de la Raza in 2004. I happened to be there that day and it seemed that people of Caracas did not know what they were celebrating that day.
5. Chavez made changes to the national flag in 2006. This is from the reliable source : "The flag proposed by Chavez features a white horse galloping left instead of right, an additional star, a bow and arrow representing Venezuela’s indigenous people and a machete to represent the labor of workers, among other changes"
6. I was never able to find a free tourist information. There is no tourist infrastructure in Venezuela. Chavez is simply not interested. The hotel worker was really upset with me for asking how to get places...
7. Corrupted police, you should never approach police even if you are in trouble. I met a few backpackers who were "searched for drugs".. and instead the police would take all of their dollars, which they claimed were "illegal".
8. The price of gasoline is cheaper than water, you can fill up a tank with $5. While the bottled water costs about the same as in New York.
9. Kidnappings are very real: you must lock all the doors immediately while inside the car. All the people I met have personal stories of kidnapping scares. While in Caracas, I had never seen children playing in the park or riding a bicycle. No teenagers taking public transportation to school or to the mall . They need to be driven everywhere until they can drive.
10. Venezuela is the most expensive country in South America. No hostels and and the food is quite pricey too. However, their fast food - arepas, even though not too cheap but absolutely delicious.
11. I took a small minivan with about 8 locals, from Maracaibo to the border. I turned out to be part of some sort of "secret" operation. We were smuggling people to Columbia without passports and were smuggling some bags with some things that I chose not to ask questions about. We were stopped every 5 minutes by cops who were happily accepting bribes and letting us pass.
12. Venezuela was the only country that I ever visited where I was required to pay departure tax while crossing overland border to Columbia. On top of that, I was met by a bunch of protesters who closed the border with trucks and a rope and would not allow people to cross unless you pay more out of solidarity with them. Needles to say, I told them I will not support them, rebelled and had to ran across the border to Columbia when the moment was right.
13. Venezuela is number 4 country in the world producing oil.... and they have energy deficiency problem.
14. The tap water is not safe to drink...
15. The art is a good business these days in Venezuela... all the rich petroleum business people are investing in expensive art.
I know I already have 15, but... its the country like no other... :)
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