Puerto la Cruz

We caught the bus form Caracas to Puerto la Cruz on Thursday morning from a depot just around the corner. A company called "Aeroexpresos Ejecutivos" operates from here and they run luxury, air conditioned coaches. The journey would take about 6 hours in total (including a half hour stop over at a service station - not the type of service station we're used to in Blighty though!). The bus journey was pretty good and comfortable and a fraction of the price you would pay for a journey on a filthy bus back home.

We arrived at Puerto la Cruz and stepped off the coach into the baking heat. We then left the terminal going in the wrong direction before turning round after about half an hour. A friendly local asked us if we needed a cab and we decided we did. We didn't have a reservation at any hotels so we decided to head for the area where most of the hotels in the Lonely Planet guidebook were. The first hotel on the list didn't seem to exist so we opted for the second one on the list. This is where we decided the Lonely Planet books live up to their nickname of the "Lonely Liar". We got a room at the Hotel Montecarlo (posh name huh?) which turned out to be the biggest s**t hole we've ever stayed in. "Basic and cheap" was the description in the guidebook - I wouldn't let a dog stay there........

Anyway we stayed the night there and found a better hotel the next morning. At least now we have a balcony with a view out over the Carribean and it's a pretty nice hotel for not much more than we paid for the previous one.

We've wandered around Puerto la Cruz for a few hours and checked out all the streets a few blocks from the seafront and more or less seen all there is to see. It's a very lively place and there are loads of street stalls selling food, clothes crafts and all sorts. The sun is amazingly strong here so it really takes it out of you if you stay out in it too long.

We've also discovered that the ATMs here are a bit of a lottery and they're more likely to accept a Maestro card than a Visa - strange.........

It's Saturday tomorrow and we're gonna catch another bus south towards Ciudad Guyana where we hope to take in an excursion to Angel falls. After that we'll be heading towards Manaus and the Amazon.