Caracas

Our next stop was Caracas, the capital.  This was the last capital city on the tour and we didn’t want to miss it.  The drive from El Tigre was long, but the roads were good and at least in parts the scenery was beautiful.  Harold had imagined nature to be green and lush, but instead we got mainly tropical dry forest, with little vegetation and the ground being very dry as it was the peak of the dry season.

Arriving to the hotel was easy, and the road we were on took us straight there without being sidetracked into any of the dangerous parts of the city.  Caracas, as the rest of Venezuela, has a bad reputation for crime and political unrest, and the last thing one needs is to get lost and not know where to go or what to do.  So, we were lucky, and ended up in one of the most reputable hotels.

It was Sunday and arriving early afternoon we organised a city tour with the hotel.  Sundays are best for tours as the traffic is light.  Our driver took us to all of the most famous areas, and we saw the beautiful old historic center with the old buildings and museums celebrating Simón Bolívar and Venezuelan independence, El Hatillo with its restaurants and colonial houses, the park belonging to the armed forces which is open to the public to enjoy, the cable car station, and Petare (from a distance) being the biggest of the dangerous parts.  She also took us to join the locals watching the sunset over the mountains.  And we ended up buying takeaways in a famous local restaurant, having cachapa for dinner.  Cachapa is a fried corn pancake, mostly filled with local cheese.

The next day we walked around in the very local neighbourhood and visited a supermarket to buy water.  Buying of water is what we do most, and we will be happy to be back with a tap!  There is a small area around the hotel where it is safe to walk, but it is very obvious that the city is different from other world cities.  There is limited supply and choice of things to buy.  We found a local café that served coffee as good as in any other place where we have been.  It was a local coffee roaster, and they have always been excellent.  We agreed that the city is well looked after, very clean and tidy (but not everywhere the same), and that historic buildings and common areas are maintained and kept for the future.