Caracas

Saturday 18th June 1988

The alarm sounded like a fire alarm at 05:20 hrs. when I awoke from a semi-doze. Yesterday after changing money, I had bought a ticket for 439 Bs bolivianos for the flight to Caracas at 07:10 hrs. today.

I got a taxi straight away and got to the Ciudad Bolívar airport at 06:00 hrs. for 30 Bs bolivianos. The flight left late with a stopover en route so we landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport at about 10:00 hrs.

Simón Bolívar International Airport or Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar" International Airport (IATA: CCS, ICAO: SVMI, Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía "Simón Bolívar") is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Vargas, Venezuela, about 21 kilometres (13 miles) west of downtown Caracas, the capital of the country. Simply called Maiquetía by the local population, it is the main international air passenger gateway to Venezuela.

I got the address of the KLM Airline Office from the Airport Information Desk and returned to the Por Puesto minibus stand outside the National Flight Building. It cost 20 Bs bolivianos for the long bus trip through the mountains, through several tunnels, to “El Silencio” (joke!), the centre of Caracas.

The Redevelopment El Silencio or simply El Silencio is an urbanization of Caracas, Venezuela that is located within the Central Center of that city in the Cathedral Parish of the Libertador Municipality.

I investigated a number of hotels in the busy area around Calles Sur 2 and Oeste 10 but they were all either full or would only rent rooms by the hour to prostitutes and their customers.

I walked to the Bolívar Square (Spanish: Plaza Bolívar) in Caracas is one of the most important and recognized Venezuelan public spaces. It is located in the centre of the first 25 blocks of Caracas when it was founded as "Santiago de León de Caracas" in 1567. It is in the historic centre of the city in the Cathedral Parish of the Libertador Municipality.

Bolívar Square is surrounded by important buildings such as Caracas Cathedral, Sacred Museum, Archbishop's Palace, City Hall, Chapel of Santa Rosa de Lima, the Yellow House, the Main Theatre and the building of the Government of the Capital District. The Federal Legislative Palace stands to the Southwest.

After a few more hotels with no vacancies, I got a room in the Hotel Edwards which was a couple of blocks along from the Plaza Bolívar. It was a 2-star hotel and cost 253 Bs bolivianos for a luxury room with a bathroom and air-conditioning.

I got something to eat and drink in the Chicken Grill down the road, had a shave and then set out to look around the capital city. I walked down to the Plaza Bolívar where fountains played amongst the greenery around the inevitable statue of Simón Bolívar on horseback.

Children chased the pigeons and beautiful girls strolled around amongst the photographers waiting to sell you your photograph taken in the shady plaza. I walked along streets where street traders sold their wares from blankets laid out on the ground.

The Caracas Metro (Spanish: Metro de Caracas) is a mass rapid transit system serving Caracas. It was constructed and is operated by Compañía Anónima Metro de Caracas, a government-owned company that was founded in 1977 by José González-Lander who headed the project for more than thirty years since the early planning stages in the 1960s. Its motto is "Somos parte de tu vida" (translated as "We are part of your life").

In 1978 MTA - New York City Transit's R46 #816 (now 5866) was shipped from the Pullman Standard's plant as a sample of rolling stock to be used for this new Metro system that was under construction at the time. The company is run by Cesar Vega.

I took the metro to Parque del Este where the KLM Airline Office was situated in a tower overlooking the station. The metro was excellent. For a few bolívares you got a ticket from a machine which you used to get though a turnstile on entry and was collected by an automatic turnstile on leaving the system.

The trains were modern flat-fronted spaceships. A voice called out the name of the station at each stop. The KLM Airline Office was closed so I wandered around the park. Parque del Este ("East Park"), subsequently renamed as officially Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Park by President Hugo Chávez, in honour of the Venezuelan national hero. It is a public recreation park located in the Sucre Municipality of Metropolitan Caracas in Venezuela. Opened in 1961, it is one of the most important of the city, with an area of 82 hectares (200 acres).

The park combines three differently designed areas: the first is an open grass field with a gentle undulating topography, the second is a densely forested landscape with meandering pathways, while the third is a series of paved gardens with tiled murals and water works. Hare Krishnas performed under some huge palm trees, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts trooped about and couples wandered hand-in-hand by the aquatic plant gardens.

I returned to the Hotel Edwards for a shower and to catch up on some sleep. At 21:00 hrs. I went to a Chinese restaurant a couple of doors away and ate Chop Suey amongst the drunkards and aging prostitutes who kept yelling “Hey Chino” to the two elderly Chinese staff and shouting their orders.

I had a brief look around the central streets but nearly everything was closed. Music blared from shady-looking bars. I went back to bed at 22:30 hrs.