Obviously, people are always asking me about the crime situation. My answer is that I have yet to be affected. I know that I live in a large city and crime happens. You take the normal precautions (avoid certain areas at night, jewelry to a minimum, etc.) and you go about your daily life. Just like I didn’t hang out in Liberty City or Overtown where drive by shootings are common while I lived in South Florida, I am not a neighborhood regular in Catia and Petare here in Caracas.

This is a topic that many expats have turned into the proverbial dead horse. The last time I spoke about this was with a friend from Austria and then it dawned on me – this blonde hair, blue-eyed European can really stick out when walking the streets in Caracas. Little old brown-skinned me, not so much. Aside from the regular cat calls of “morena” or “negrita”, I have yet to even feel someone giving me a funny look.

In the beginning when I would go pick up the kids from school, other parents assumed I was a nanny until they saw me with two little carbon copies of myself. Sometimes when I’m walking back into the building from dropping them off in the morning, I get looks of kindred spirits from housekeepers arriving for a day’s work. If some poor soul asks me for directions and they pick up that I’m a foreigner, it’s assumed that I’m a student. My husband is often asked by the guys he plays soccer with the name of the restaurant at which he works.

When they see me, they don’t see dollar signs – they see a service sector worker or a student, at best. There’d be no point in kidnapping me because my family is probably too poor to pay any ransom. As advised, I don’t wear gold jewelry so even mugging me would be a waste of time. I know this rationale probably sounds ludicrous, but they’re all the types of crimes that you hear happen very frequently in Caracas.

Hence, I feel pretty safe here because I’m black. Who woulda thunk it?!

Parque Nacional Morrocoy

If mangroves were a hot commodity, this place would be filthy rich. There isn’t a view of the ocean that doesn’t display an abundance of the plant. Before coming here, the only place I ever saw them were at the Ann Kolb Nature Center in South Florida. It really is an interesting plant the way the branches grow downward and then form extensions of the original trunk. I don’t know if I’m using all the proper terms, but if you’ve ever seen mangroves you know what I mean

Of course the best parts of Morrocoy are the beaches. But, it’s not one huge beach where everybody’s trying to secure the best spot. There are a bunch of small beaches, some of which have been worked on (that’s what I call it when they create a shallow area for people to swim) and some of which are in their natural states. The largest island is called Sombrero and had several restaurants. Even though I prefer the smaller, tranquil beaches, Sombrero’s water had warm currents that felt like little jacuzzis in the ocean.

We had unlimited access to all the beaches through our stay at Ardileña, but during our trip to town we were told that there was also a public entrance accessible by car where people could pay a water taxi to take them. About “town”, it was tiny – basically one strip of small shops selling beach supplies and some government offices. The nearest larger town is Tucacas (my husband had a blast saying that over and over), which I noticed was where most of the vendors on the beach lived. Hence, if you’re looking to disconnect from the world, this is the place to do it.

Reservations have to be paid in full prior to your arrival date, so when we arrived at La Ardileña we were greeted by the manager who pretty much told us that the only thing left for us to do was enjoy ourselves. We left Caracas early so that the driver would have enough time to get back to Caracas (it’s a 4 1/2 hour drive) and our rooms weren’t ready. While we waited, we were served a light lunch of seafood and offered drinks. Each day, the staff will bring you to one of the small islands and provide you with chairs, an umbrella, lunch and drinks. They come back for you when you at whatever time you indicate – which was really nice for us because my son can’t stay in the sun too long. Both days that we visited the beach, we came back around 3:30 and at around 5 PM, snacks were served. Dinner is then served at around 8 PM. Since it’s surrounded by the ocean, lunch and dinner always have some sort of seafood. However, we explained to them that the kids have allergies to fish and they were able to create non-seafood dishes for them each day.

Included in your package are: room, 3 meals a day, drinks – including wine, and transportation to and from the islands. Cocktails can be ordered for an additional fee and they didn’t seem to run for more than 50 BsF. I am not a person easily impressed, but this place is IT. They are very well organized and the level of customer service rivals that of any 5 star hotel. I especially liked that fact with all those attributes, it still had a comfortable feeling of home. Overall, La Ardileña was a piece of paradise in the middle of paradise.

The coffee there is not the best, but there’s another place right across the street called Cafe Arabica (which I will write about soon) that supposedly has the best in all of Venezuela. This was my breakfast this morning…

Another nice thing about St. Honore is the eating area. It is surrounded by commercial buildings and traffic, but the entire outdoor area is covered with trees and plants and somehow you feel like you get away. So much so, that I can actually get a good 30 minutes of reading my Kindle while there.

Obviously one of my favorite places in Caracas, St. Honore continues to get my stamp of approval

Yes, a new American family has moved in and this guy didn’t waste any time getting comfortable. Granted, he was heading to the pool, but that is just something you never see done here. From my first trip here, I noticed how the people on my flight – mainly Venezuelans – were dressed casually, but chic. The men wore nicely fitted jeans with loafers and the women also spruced up their outfits with blouses (as opposed to t-shirts) and accessories. This was a welcomed change because I’ve traveled with Americans who wore pajamas and never understood the rationale behind that.

Which brings me to something people, especially Americans, should be prepared for when visiting Caracas – the effort Venezuelans put into their appearance. Aside from the excessive plastic surgery, Venezuelans look nice everywhere they go. At the supermarket, I never see a woman who looks like they are making a quick stop because they forgot something. Everyone looks as though they got ready to go to the store – makeup and all. It’s nice to look at, but a pain in which to have to take part.

I don’t think I was at all a slob before coming here, but somehow my regular jeans and t-shirt made me stick out like a sore thumb. I didn’t change my entire wardrobe, I just re-coordinated my outfits. For instance, if I am going to wear jeans, I pick a nice blouse and add some accessories. I will never be one to forgo comfort for style, but these changes have been relatively easy and I always feel like I’m a little dressed up.

So, even though the clothes are tighter than what I’m accustomed to, Venezuelans are always impeccably put together and there’s definitely wrong with that.

Photo credits: Selenademi920 and NeoGaboX via Flickr