First Impressions of Venezuela

On first impressions, the towns in Venezuela appeared much like those I had experienced in Ecuador (an apparently relatively poor South American country). The places are busy, full of big trucks, highly polluting old 4 x 4´s, and a bus every 30 seconds. The old English adage ¨You wait ages for a bus and then two come at once¨ doesn´t apply down here, its more like ¨You catch a bus.¨ full stop.

As I made my way through the country in my first week, it became clear Venezuela is, or was a bit more than what I had experienced before. At first glance, the people and the culture seemed very similar. The constant music, the smell of trucks, small market stalls that all sell the same pointless sweets and banana chips that no one seems to buy, crap cheese, the same two types of beer (read ´lager´) that taste the same, and every where you look, health and safety laws are being broken. But then in Caracas you have a very clean air-conditioned metro station. In the second city Valencia, the bus terminal appears to be in the middle of a cross between a theme park and an out-of-town shopping centre. And lots of people are walking around with mobile phones. I sat next to a guy on a bus the other day who had an IPod Nano; I mean, an IPod Nano for god sake! (that's an expensive mp3 player for those not in the know). I´m glad I didn´t have my player out, he would have probably dropped some money in my hat in pity.

Venezuela was a pretty rich country at one point, the richest in South America back in the 70´s, then due to the fall in oil prices, the world recession in the late 80´s and the obligatory corrupt governments, that kind of changed. But the legacy of these glory days has left Venezuela with a sizable and noticeable middle class. They shop in air conditioned shopping malls, drive new western cars, listen to mp3 players, live in pleasant ´urbinazaciónes´, and are known to take holidays in the U.S. or Europe. But they are still stuck in this developing country, and are surrounded by the poorer majority. For example, in the urbinazación that I am currently living in, there is a guy who grazes his (very thin looking) cow on the various patches of grass that are dotted around the neighbourhood.

There is very little hint of any sophistication here, I guess you could say I´ve struggled to see any middle class culture so far outside the possesion of material things. I´m still not quite sure what they do in their spare time; they don´t hang out in cafés in the evening (they all close by 5pm), they don´t take walks in the countryside, they don´t go to the theatre (there aren´t any), and they aren´t out eating in restaurants (they always seem to be empty apart from a few people who are on holiday themselves) and they definately don´t have an appreciation of good food.

Though there is one small point of refinement here that I do like; and that´s the freshly squeezed ice cold fruit juice - and it´s as standard, you can´t get anything less. Something that you would need to take out a small mortgage to buy in a café in London´s West End, costs less than a postage stamp here (more on Venezuelan food will follow shortly).

This country is intriguing so I´m enjoying my time here, and a look at the politics makes it even more so...