Drug Smugglers

  We had no problem getting here, but this was sure a difficult country to get out of. 

We drove the highway along the island’s Atlantic Coast and got to the airport just as the ZOOM Airlines plane was landing. Flying empty from Canada, allowed the pilot to gain time and arrive an hour and fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Our GO Travel representatives, Stephanie and Juan were traveling home with us and warned everyone that the ‘line-up’ system that was employed in the Venezuelan airport could be confusing at times … little did we know. 

Pedro

 Comme la Jeep de Pedro

   
Carlos informed us that all Jeeps and Landcruisers were full and that he had made arrangements for another driver (Pedro on left)  and Jeep to meet us at the first stop. Unfortunately, we’d be ‘crammed in’ somewhere until we were able to get into a vehicle of our own …

… the ensuing brief drive with 6 other people, in the open rear, sans ‘safety equipment’, of a small Toyota Landcruiser, that bounced, ricocheted and bruised it’s way along a narrow, pot-holed highway ... 

... turned out to be the calmest and safest segment of the 200 plus kms we would drive that day!!!

Isla de Margarita, Neuva Esparata State, VENEZUELA

Wikipedia: VENEZUELA

This trip marks our first time in South America, although barely. This was a typical resort based vacation. We were quite idle, didn't move around much and to be fair we never got more than a brief tasted of the culture of Margarita Island, let alone any exposure at all to the mainland of Venezuela. Only the Dominican Republic was explored earlier than this island (Simon Bolivar landed here 2nd) and yet there is hardly any evidence of 500 year old Spanish history.