Day 121 - Caracas

(Ursula) The local currency in Venezuela is Bolívar.

We picked up the mail at the Swiss Consulate in the morning. Among it was a letter from my Mom and Heinz's sister Hedi. Wally's friend Pedro sent him a Motorcycle Magazine. The consulate informed us we would not need Visas for other South American countries, except a tourist card for Bolivia that can be obtained at the border.

(Heinz) Then we visited the Brazilian Embassy. Wow, the Portuguese language sounded exciting and had a slight melody; however, we couldn't understand a single word and had to communicate in broken Spanish.

I asked about the road situation through the Amazon. They couldn't tell us much, but there is a road from El Tigre to Boa Vista in Northern Brazil. Beyond that, they were unsure. Chances are we would have to travel on rivers if roads were unavailable. Rumors also had it some roads become impassable during the rainy season. That was good to know, and we could sense that challenges would be waiting for us down the road!

Afterward, we drove to Plaza Chacaito and visited the jewelry store Joyería Retzignac. Retzignac was the representative for Piaget watches in Venezuela. I had previously communicated with them while working for the brand in New York.

The Retziniac family was super friendly. The father, Georges, showed us their workshops, which were more significant than I had imagined. Besides selling Swiss watches, they also handcraft high-end custom jewelry. His son Marcos (who was educated in Switzerland and spoke French fluently) later accompanied us to the Patrizzi family, whom we had briefly met back at the border in Cucuta.

We were impressed by their beautiful house and estate. Their daughter knows some boys with information about the roads through the Amazon, but unfortunately, she wasn't home. We talked at length with Mrs. Patrizzi and had interesting conversations about her upbringing in Colombia and her new life here in Venezuela.

We left late in the afternoon and told Mrs. Patrizzi we would return the next day to talk to her daughter. Marcos Retzignac then guided us back to the city, where we thanked him and said our goodbyes. We are spending another night at Los Caobos Park.

Stats: Miles 54, Expenses $20.55Okumaya devam et