The Craziest Taxi Ride of my Life - Lost and Found in South America

April 20, 2005

The Craziest Taxi Ride of my Life

So this last weekend i went to visit some friends of mine (Rose, Julie, and Virgina. All of which are english teachers in Maracay whom I met during my trip to Merida) in Maracay and then go to the beach. We hanged out in Maracay on Saturday and tried to get my ATM cards to work, but the ATMs well all fucked up (tried like 7 different banks). Luckly Rose helped me score some cash via her english teaching school. Well we arrived at the beach later that day after a rough journey on a crowded bus along a windy mountain road through the jungle (Henri Peiter National Park). We checked into our Posada which was run by some very militant lesbians (rainbow flags everywhere), but the place was well decorated (of course) and was cheap. That night we hanged at the beach for a little bit then played drinnking games with Virginia and her boyfriend at the posada. Next day we woke up hungover and headed straight for the beach, called Playa Cata. The water was clear and warm and the sand was very light in color but not completely white. It was clowdy but nice, so we played in the ocean and drank some beers there. The caribean beaches are much better than that on the atlantic or pacific because the water in the sea is clear and warm, not cold and dirty. Then me, Rose, and Julie caught a taxi back to Maracay from the posada. The girls thought taking a taxi would be better and faster than a crowded bus, but little did they know we got in the worst possible taxi. We were only charged about 2 USD each for an hour and 45 min ride through the mountains (windy one lane rode), so it was cheap....but, the taxi driver and his friend who was sitting shotgun were drinking vodka and orange juice. The fat dude in shotgun kept offering me beers so I abliged, thinking that this is going to be a sweet taxi ride. But as soon as we reached some traffic the driver tried to overtake the line of cars using the empty oncomming lane. Then we were stopped by a bus who was headed right toward us. The driver tried to get back into the normal lane but the other cars wouldnt let him back in, and the bus kept inching toward the car as to block it from even attempting to jump back into the other lane (macho south american bullshit). So the fat dude in shotgun gets out to talk the busdriver into letting us back in the other lane. The bus driver fianially lets us go back into the proper lane, once that happened the fat dude dumped the glass of orange juice on the busdriver and run back to the cab, only to be chased by some dude with a metal baseball bat who hits the fat guy numerious times. They are fighting and people are getting out of their cars all over the place to break up the fight including our taxi driver. Me and the girls are still in the back of the taxi wondering what the hell is going on, and what we should do. Finally tentions cool and people get back into their cars and traffic resumes. The rest of the ride back was quite weird as the guys were bitching about the fight and getting increassingly drunk on what turns out to be a very curvy and dangerious road, so me and the girls were freaked, and my spanish wasnt that good, and the guys ignored the girls because of the macho bullshit here, so it was a bad situation all the way around. Luckly we made it to the bus station and all was well, but the girls were upset that i had to encounter that type of bullshit and that it sucks that they have to live with these types of things everyday in venezuela. After all that ive wittnessed and after all the people that ive talked to, ive concluded that venezuela is not a safe country and as a result is not a fun country as peoples fear of violence has turned the country into an unhospitable place where paranoia rules supreme. Ill leave here sometime in June.

Posted by Mr D on April 20, 2005 11:13 AM
Category: Venezuela

Comments

Dear Damien, hi. how are you doing? I'm sofia the argentinian, remember me? We met in Merida last easter. I read your comment about Venezuela, and I didn't appreciate how you made us look as the worst people ever! Eventhough I'm not Venezuelan your insensitive words hurt me deeply. I can tell the world that I'd had the chance to live in different countries, one of them was the USA (so I know what I'm talking about). Here in South America we "do" have problems, but you "do" too. Different issues, that's true, but not less serious ones, for example, discrimination, snipers, serial killers, etc... Venezuela is a beautiful, "hospitable" and worth visiting place which opened every door to me, and I feel that your comment was unnecessarily unfair. And yes, you had a bad experience, but don't make the world believe this is all we are. Because we are much more! Don't judge everybody for some bad experiences that's not what an open-minded person will do. In the USA, this happens too, you know?! I almost got killed when someone from the USA tried to rob me, so please I beg you don't make us look as inferior people, because we are NOT. I liked you when I met you, and I still do, but these tense situations happen everywhere worldwide. I hope you and everybody have the chance to get rid of this negative feeling. I think that you used awful adjectives that we don't deserve at all. You offened me! and my "family" because that's what Venezuela is to me. Unfortunately, the perfect world doesn't exist, does it? Get real!!! I want everybody reading this comment to know that not every foreign feels the same you do about this friendly country. I'd greatfully appreciate if you are open-minded enough as I think you are, not to delete this foreign point of view. I wish you the best... Sofia

Posted by: Sofia Janett on April 20, 2005 06:46 PM

Wow! Well said Sofia!! My girlfriend and I want to move to Venezuela for a year after we get married ( to work and study our spanish) and while reading this i began to get worried! Thanks for putting us back at ease. Shaun

Posted by: NYC Trinidadian Spanish on April 25, 2005 04:32 PM

OK, thanks for your comments. Of course not all venezuelans are bad, in fact ive met some pretty cool folks here. And, I understand that things are different here. My point is, that every place has a vibe. A Vibe is a particular feeling that a particular environment (which consists of people and land) gives you. Sadly, I dont dig the vibe that venezuela gives me. Many travelers Ive met have said similar things about Venezuela. One of the Swiss exchange students in my town said the people were very rude and didnt like it here very much (she has been here 2 months). A German guy i met in merida said the same thing (he was here for 2 weeks), then went on to tell me how great Colombia was and how warm the people were there. A Greek fellow shared the germans sentiments (just arrived). Once again, i know that venezuela is a different country and i respect that, but it doesnt mean i have to like it or say nice things about it if i dont feel that way. The taxi ride was only a small piece of the bigger picture, and is most certainly not the only reason i have not found venezuela to be the greatest place around...Ive had plenty of shitty taxi rides in Brazil, where the taxi driver was drunk and i was overcharged (at least the drunk taxi driver in venezuela didnt overcharge me). Hell, i was robbed in Rio...but i still like Brazil because I dig the vibe there. I was robbed in Argentina too, but I still like argentina. Fact is, Im quite board here. My boardem has manifested itself into a multiplier, where the things i dont like about venezuela are multiplied. So my boardem here is part of the problem as well as the general atmosphere of the place...but the beaches are nice and the girls are pretty so NO its not a total shithole. And i have found alot of peoples concerns about violence a little misplaced. Venezuela isnt the most dangerious place, as Brazil, Mexico, parts of the USA can be dangerous too, but if im not having fun the danger level of a place is more of a concern to me....if i was having a blast, i could give a shit less about the danger of a place or its political problems. I may stay longer if i find my spanish needs more work, but thats the only reason i am here.

Posted by: Damien on April 26, 2005 05:54 PM

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