San Cristobal

Day 111, Oct 21, 2013, 304km

I was out like a light bulb and slept like a log if that is possible. When I woke it was almost 9 and that never happens to me. I now also realize that I have no more cash, so it will have to be some left over cola with 1 granola bar for breakfast, a travelers culinary delight (or so I keep on telling myself).

There is a toilet in the closet with no seat and a pipe with a valve on it sticking out the wall with no shower head and no sink. Trying to stay positive  I’m thinking this is great you can shower and take a dump all at the same time, just my kind of place super efficient.

It's already 10 as I head out but will need some cash soon because my fill up from yesterday is already flashing empty. After an hour I'm getting nervous and that's when I see a sign with airport 1km written on it, thinking there has to be a ATM or some kind of money exchange going on, so with relieve I head to the airport but only to find this small building with one ATM that won't give me any money and the other ATM showing on the screen “choose your boot device”.

Are you kidding me this is it, I ask around and everyone is saying the same no money exchange, I'm now becoming desperate so I head to the restaurant and ask the guy at the cash if he would be willing to change some US cash to Bolivars if I have something to eat, thank god he agrees, so now I get some food and cash all at the same time (theme of the day).

Venezuela is great when it comes to having to fill your gas tank, yesterday's 18ltr. did cost a whopping 1.25Bs or about 20cents US and today it did cost nothing because when I was at the pump the attendant points up at the ceiling that have these scanning panels hanging on it and says to me that I need a something or other to make the pump work. That's when a military truck pulls up behind me and the guy in the truck signals that I put my bike behind his truck so that it can be filled. Okay I understand and thinking that they will restart the pump but no the attendant after filling the truck comes to me and fills it up without stopping, I ask how much and the guys waves back nada, now isn’t that great.

Made it to San Cristobal and will head back to Colombia.

Donkeys on the road with goods to some remote village.

 

Arapuey

Day 110, Oct 20, 2013, 291km

The further you go from the border the less garbage you see, and the other thing you now notice is the huge line-up's of cars at the gas stations, I guess filling those huge tanks takes a lot of time.

Finally into the mountains towards Valera where I started looking for lodging, most places wanted 400Bs if you paid cash or 600Bs to use credit card, what a rip off I thought. I had tried several ATM's but no money, so I figure there will be more small towns down the road with better prices and hopefully no extra charges.

After a while I find myself now riding into the night, until it is pitch black the small towns have no lodging so I keep moving on further into the mountains coming through passes with no real roads left from the washouts. 

After a couple of hours of this my body is starting to hurt from the strain and I need to stop often to gather more strength, navigating through the gravel inclines is starting to take it's toll on me and I can't help but think how stupid all this is for a few lousy bucks. By now it's 11:30 with no end in site, I have been riding since 8 this morning and I know I need to stop or I will crash on these roads so I start looking for a possible camp site, but with a rock wall on one side and a  steep drop on the other, there is not much choice but to move on. I have also been riding blind because my GPS has no detail maps of this area and all I know was that I was heading South West most of the time towards Saint Cristobal so I decide to take the next road that is heading North East that should be towards Hwy 1. After another hour, I finally come to a town with a hotel and he is asking 150BS but luckily he was okay with the 145Bs because that's all the cash I had. This place has no Internet no nothing but a place to sleep and I will happily take it.

More to come.

Venezuela Border, Maracaibo

Day 109, Oct 19, 2013, 435km

Made it to Maracaibo,Venezuela and staying at Hotel Caribe for 290Bs, it was late and I had not eaten since breakfast so the first one that did show up was good enough for me.

The border crossing near Maicao, Colombia into Venezuela is very simple and did take 1.5hrs to complete. Both Colombian Aduana and Micracion are at the same place but in two building across from each other, there is space to park at Aduana on the left and then walk across to the other side. Then drive to the front of this huge line up of Venezuela plated Chevy Impala's and every other old (60s 70s) piece of gas guzzling US metal. Most of them are being held together with some make shift welding and parts from anything and everything attached (Mad Max style), sorry no pictures of the cars at the border decided not to because these guys are smuggling gas and goods to Columbia and back. I don't think they would like it if I took there picture. In front of this row of cars you will find the Venezuela Micracion for an easy hand over your passport and get
a stamp. Next drive about 2km down the road for Aduana and have a copy of your passport, vehicle registration and drivers license with you, also show him your Colombian SOAT and he won't ask for you to get Insurance while in Venezuela, he will ask how long you plan to stay and I said 1 week and he gave me 30 days on the papers, okay that was good.

One of the first thing you notice in Venezuela other then the bad ass cars is the amount of plastic bags along the streets. Most bags are shredded by the wind and stuck in everything, trees, shrubs, fences, it looks post apocalyptic and strange.

 
 

Some pictures of cars that were at the gas station.