Entry Requirements
To enter Venezuela, a valid passport from the country of origin is required, along with a visa - obtainable from consulates-, a tourist card, and a return ticket. No special vaccinations are required, although those traveling to the jungle should consult their physician as to whether or not they need protection from yellow fever and malaria.
Currency
The local currency is the Bolivar. Many of the banks have ATMs, and the best ones are: Citibank, Banco Venezuela, Banco Provincial, Banco Union, and Banco Mercantil.
Electric Current
110 Volts, 60 cycles
Language
The official language in Venezuela is Spanish.
Tipping
Tipping is at the discretion of the client and not obligatory. A ten percent service charge is usually added to restaurant bills. Taxis require no tips, but it is customary to give baggage handlers a tip of $1USD per bag.
Cuisine
The food in Venezuela is generally easy and flavorful. Caracas claims to have a greater variety of restaurants than any other South American city, and it would certainly be a pleasure to try and prove it, even if you failed. Venezuelan cooking has European, indigenous, and African roots - a heterodox cuisine formed over the centuries by immigrants.
History & Culture
In ancient times, Venezuela was paradise for the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on the gentle grassland of the llanos. There were three main groups: the Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha. They lived in small groups and all of them practiced some degree of farming; the land, however, was bountiful enough so that this was not always a necessity. They could easily hunt, fish for, and gather their food. The most advanced of the three were the Chibcha who lived on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Though they never developed large cities, their agricultural skill were formidable: they terraced parts of the Andes and built sophisticated irrigation channels to water their crops.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Venezuela. He came in 1498 during his third voyage to the New World, and landed on the Peninsula de Paria. Following the coast, he explored the Rio Orinoco Delta and concluded that he had found much more than another Caribbean island. More explorers came a year later, and it was Alonso de Ojeda who gave the country its name. Arriving at Lake Maracaibo, he admired the stilted houses that the Indians had build above the lake and called the place Venezuela - "Little Venice." A year after that the Spanish established their first settlement, Nueva Cadiz, which was later destroyed by a tsunami. Early colonization in Venezuela was much less rampant than it was in other parts of South America, and the colony was ruled with a loose hand from Bogota. It was much less important to the Spanish than the mineral-producing colonies of Western South America, but Venezuela would later surprise the world when massive oil reserves would be discovered.
Venezuela may have been a quiet outpost on the edge of the Spanish Empire, but it gave birth to the man who would one day turn that empire on its head: Simon Bolivar. With the help of British mercenaries, Bolivar and his followers campaigned against the Spanish tirelessly, marching across the Andes and liberating Colombia in 1819, Venezuela in 1821, and Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in 1825. Much of his army was composed of native Venezuelans. Independence did not prove easy for the new nation. Civil strife, wars, and dictatorships raged in the country well into the next century. Though some dictators sought real reform, most milked their positions for personal gain. Border disputes with the British colony of Guyana erupted in the 1840s, and although they never boiled over into full-fledged warfare, Venezuela still disputes the border to this day.
In the early 1900s, the conflict-ridden nation finally began to get on its economic feet with the discovery of oil, and by the 20s Venezuela was beginning to reap the benefits. Unfortunately, most of the wealth remained with the ruling class, and the plague of dictators continued until 1947 when Romulo Betancourt led a popular revolt and rewrote the constitution. The first president-elect in Venezuela's history took office the same year, the novelist Romulo Gallegos. Unfortunately, he was ousted by another dictator and the country did not experience a non-violent presidential succession until 1963. For the next 25 years, things went comparatively well. An oil boom in the mid-1970s saw enormous wealth pour into the country, though, as always, the vast lower class benefited little. Oil prices dropped in the late 80s and once again the country was thrown into crisis. Riots swept through Caracas and were violently repressed, and two coup attempts took place in 1992. Right now, the nation's stability and future are uncertain.
Despite a rough history, Venezuelans are infamous in South America for their easy-going nature and fun-loving spirit. Their national mythology hails back to the days when independent and rugged settlers tamed the lawlessness of the llanos, a heritage not unlike that of the American West. Most Venezuelans them come from a mix of European, Indian, and African roots, while a minority are exclusively white, black, or Indian. Roman Catholicism is the overwhelmingly dominant religion.
Caracas
Venezuela's capital, founded in 1567 by Diego de Losada, has one of most dramatic settings among South American cities. It sits about 3000 feet above sea level in a long valley that stretches from east to west. On one side of the valley are the uninhabited emerald slopes of Avila National Park; on the other, the rugged and heavily settled hills of the southern suburbs. The slopes of the Park rise above the city like immense green wave, forever on the verge of breaking. The elevation and proximity the ocean (about 15km to the north) combine to give Caracas almost unbeatable weather.
In recent decades, especially during oil booms of the 1970s and 80s, Caracas has seen unprecedented growth. Many of the original colonial buildings were replaced by gleaming modern skyscrapers, although there are still historic jewels to be found within the modern shadows. A majority of the cultural and architectural attractions can be found in the area immediately surrounding Plaza Bolivar, the city center.
Those wishing to explore the areas immediately around the city will be well-rewarded. The omnipresent Avila National Park offers incredible views of both Caracas and the nearby coast, which is also worth an excursion. |
