Venezuela - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 859

VENEZUELA ON THE NET
W caracasvirtual.com Everything you could possibly want to know about life in Venezuela's

cosmopolitan capital, affectionately known to cynical locals as “Crack-ass”.
W inatur.gob.ve O cial site of the government's tourism arm, with current, tourism-related

news and links to similar federal agencies.
W inparques.gob.ve O cial site of the national parks agency, with contact info and
descriptions of parks and reserves.
W miropopic.com Website for the publisher of Venezuelan maps and reference books, with
an online “gastronomic guide”.
W venezuelatuya.com Decent overview of travel and accommodation in Venezuela, with
a smattering of country facts.
W valentinaquintero.com.ve An extensive and detailed guide covering all parts of the
country, particularly useful for out-of-the-way towns away from the tourist trail.

COMMUNICATIONS
Venezuela is relatively technologically
savvy, and call centres and cybercafés
are found in all major towns; except in
the most remote outposts, you should
have no trouble finding a reasonable
internet connection. Rates are BsF7/hr
on average.
Movistar and CANTV are the most
visible telecommunications providers,
while Movilnet is government-owned and
therefore the cheapest. All three have call
centres and outlets in most towns and
cities. Pre-paid SIM cards cost around
BsF90 and come with a cheap phone.
These can be topped up online, by street
vendors or in your provider's store. Calls
are inexpensive: around BsF1.40 per
minute within the country, BsF2.50 per

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minute for international. Street vendors
often have mobile phones you can use,
usually for around BsF2 per minute. To
place an international call, first dial 00
and then the code of the country you
are calling.
Ipostel, the Venezuelan national postal
service , is fairly unreliable. If you have
an important letter or package to send,
do so through an international carrier
like MRW or DHL, which have offices
in most major cities. Ipostel charges
BsF1.70 for a postcard to the US, BsF2
to Europe and BsF2.20 to the rest of the
world. Ipostel branches are typically open
weekdays from 8am to 4pm.

CRIME AND SAFETY
While Venezuela is a relatively safe
place to travel, the western border with
Colombia is not a pleasant region to
spend any amount of time due to
international tensions and the over-
zealous police force, who see backpackers
as easy targets for extortion. Urban law
enforcement in Caracas has heightened in
recent years, although the capital can still
be dangerous (see box, p.872). Police
corruption is a fact of life in Venezuela: if
you are asked to pay a fine by the police,
always ask for the official paperwork and
never offer bribes.
Never accept help at an ATM - anyone
who offers is virtually guaranteed to be
a con artist - and keep a close eye on
your bank, debit and credit cards.
Illegal drugs are common in Venezuela,
most notably creepy (a potent strain of

LANGUAGE
Not many Venezuelans speak English - a
general knowledge of Spanish will serve
you well. Venezuelan Spanish is notable
for its dropped “S” and the constant use of
the diminutive, the most notable example
being “ ahorita ”, a diminuation of “ ahora ”
(meaning “now”) . European-Spanish
speakers should note that the personal
pronoun “ vosotros ” is not generally used,
“ ustedes ” being the standard for third
person plural.
Slang is a major feature of Venezuelan
Spanish; some of the most common
words are “ chévere ” (pronounced
che-ver-ey, meaning great or excellent),
“ chamo ” (meaning dude) and “ chimbo ”
(meaning bad or uncool).