Caracas - Post Report Question and Answers
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Someday again, many hope that Caracas will return to its heydays of 20-50 years ago, but once it starts, it will take a long time -- perhaps five years to fix. It has happened in Panama and Bogota recently, so there is hope. Right now, perhaps they should give up and move the capital city like was done in Nigeria, Belize, Pakistan, and Brazil . . . - Sep 2013
Venezuelan culture is something between South American and Caribbean with some European thrown in. The people will tell you they are Italian, Spanish, or something else even if their families have been in Venezuela for several generations. I think the lack of a strong cultural heritage and history has negative effects on the people. The problems in their country are someone else's fault, not theirs. My guess is that Venezuela will need a lot of work before it can be great again. - Aug 2012
Caracas is what you make of it. - Mar 2012
Do not go with young children. Many families here are unhappy and are counting down the days until they leave. - Jan 2011
Check this out too: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/showcase-53/ - Oct 2010
I am typically a positive person, so it pains me to write such a scathing review. Caracas and Venezuela beats the positive out of you. - Mar 2010
Do not come here unless you have to. Honestly, this place is rundown, expensive, the people are rude, the service is atrocious, and the crime is out of control. - Mar 2010
In Venezuela there is an official exchange rate and a legal parallel rate. Any products imported on the official exchange rate are very cheap. Typically these products are consumables such as food and alcohol. Most everything else is imported on the parallel rate, and extremely expensive. With the price of oil being low and the government short on money, expect fewer and fewer goods being imported on the official rate. If you choose to go to Venezuela, good luck and stay safe. - Feb 2009
Those who lived in Venezuela in the 1950's or 1960's thought this country was paradise. Since the late 1990s, corruption, political chaos, and crime have driven off much of the educated class and eliminated local investment, leaving Venezuela with all the typical Latin American problems (crime, crumbling infrastructure) without any commensurate advantages (it's not cheap, it's not charming, and there's not much to do beyond spend money at the mall).If you come, make sure you do so with the right expectations. - Nov 2008
