good talk

The soldier then took me to a well-lit area where he could see well and had me take everything out of pockets and empty out everything that I had in the bag around my neck. He pawed through everything I had getting to my cash and travelers checks last. I always take a lot in travelers checks, why not, I might need it for something and they're replaced if they're lost or stolen. Well, actually, the only possible downside to t-checks is that if a foreign government seizes and keeps them that you're supposed to be out that money. In a pig's eye. From looking at the large amount of money that I had in t-checks I could tell that the soldier was beginning to think that I might be somebody of importance and I tried to foster that belief by saying, "Mucho dinero." The soldier then nicely told me to collect my stuff and that I could get back on the bus. The soldier seemed like an all-right guy, I just rubbed him the wrong way. But in the meantime while all this was going on the rest of the soldiers got all worked up and made everybody get off the bus until the one was finished with me, so my fellow passengers were probably happy with me. 3 more security checks for a total of 10 from the border to Caracas. Caracas is very rough as are a lot of the cities in South America so be a little mindful. Venezeuela is the only country in South America where baseball is the main sport and has produced many Major League baseball players, a lot of shortstops. I would have loved to have seen the "Caracas Lions" of the 6 team "Venezeuelan League" play a game but their season is from October through February. Very bad air in Caracas so you don't want to stay there too long. The art museum was quite good, the Tomb of Simon Bolivar was good, good subway system, nice place in general. A country of only 30 million, Venezeula (correct spelling, sorry) has won more international beauty pageants than any other country, the place is full of beautiful women. Decided to go to Margarita Island, not far away in the Caribbean, the favorite vacation place of Venezeula. I was there 3 days and enjoyed it, nice beaches, nice warm saltwater, mmmm. Venezeula is awash in oil money and has been ever since oil was discovered around the Maracaibo Basin in the early 19teens but very little has ever gotten down to the common people. Venezeula was ruled by Juan Gomez, a caudillo (strongman), from 1908 to 1935 and there was so much oil money that in the early 1920's Venezeula paid off all its foreign debt but still the people remained poor. A gallon of gas was a quarter the last I heard, a little comfort. I was talking to a reputable businessman concerning Venezeula's politics and their history of caudillos in relation to Hugo Chavez and he said, "...But they were right-wingers, this monkey's a Communist."