Caracas

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of your good feedback and sharing your knowledge on a place that I have heard tons of good things about for so long now, but just don’t see too many reports/discussions on the internet.

Ford, it’s all useful as far as I’m concerned, amigo. From the ‘take-it-to-the-bank’ advice from the seasoned pros, to the fresh perspective of the first-timers, it’s all good!

Thanks for the tip on Flash Dance. That's just what I'm talking about! If anyone feels like recommending any other "must try" places that weren't in my list, please let me know. I can't think of anything worse than writing a trip report and someone telling you they can't believe you didn't go to "Club Whatever"... Just one more time for the record, I am RTFF in its entirety all the way from the beginning and working my way up to now.

I might make another trip to BsAs before I try out Caracas, but expect a trip report from me once I go. Thanks again for your feedback!

Y & R

[QUOTE=Young & Restless] Also, are meters commonly used or do you have to haggle over each fair?[/QUOTE]No meters.

[QUOTE=Ricker]I can't imagine someone showing up to Caracas and negotiating with a taxi for 15-20,000 bolivares ... from the airport to the city.

Most guys ... the vast majority ... of guys visiting Caracas are tourists ... I think finding a secure taxi for 40-50,000 bolivares is about right.

Can you really imagine a gringo showing up ... first time in Caracas ... and trying to find a jalopy taxi to the city for cheap.
His espanol skills are probably weak to begin with.

Yes, of course, if you're a more seasoned traveler, know Caracas, speak espanol, by all means go negotiate a bottom price if you want.

When I show up in Caracas ... I have a friend who is a taxista ... he meets me outside customs, grabs my bags and I know I have a cool dude taking me to the city.

Sure I could probably try to negotiate with him for bottom bolivar pricing ... but why?
Am I stupid? That's your opinion.

Suerte[/QUOTE]

Dude, define "secure taxi". The most official "secure taxi" is the black SUV fleet run out of the airport, by your typical Latin monopoly, in with the govt on the scam, company. You see this BS all over Latin America.

but even THEY, as I mentioned, were charging 25K, (though they'd try to hit you for 30) last year. If they've kicked it up to 40K, that wouldn't be justified by rate of inflation. That's a 33% increase and inflation is 13% (though it's actually been a year and a half now) 50K is donwright and totally preposterous, (of course you pay a little more if going further east like Chuao, etc).

The prices I'm giving you are NORMAL REGULAR taxi prices negotiated by Venezuelans each and every day. Yes, of course this assumes decent Spanish skills and the ability to appear confident and look like you know what you're doing.

A regular 'gringo' showing up in Caracas will usually always take that official taxi service (the US Embassy recommends taking those), and if they're pricing themselves at 50K these days, what was merely a scam before has now become complete robbery.

now if you have a "friend", that's a different thing. btw. there are tons of guys who will come up to every gringo looking character and whisper. "taxi, taxi" even before you leave the gate. However, if you think about it, those are no safer than a taxi you hail outside (you have to be sneaky about this, since the official taxi service "prohibits" this) or walk across to the parking lots like the locals have to. In fact, it's these illegal taxis (because the guys aren't even regular marked taxis/taxistas) that might be the most dangerous because they can be "hunting for rich targets" at the airport, whereas catching a normal taxi is more of a normal affair. I actually used one of these guys once, for 12K, a very very nice guy who was very happy to make some dough. (I think in the end I gave him 15, but the negotiated price was 12). I'd have to agree you better know Spanish and have street savvy (and look it) if you deal with the "undercover" taxistas inside the terminal, otherwise you're taking a HUGE risk.

Sounds to me like you're simply being "generous" to your taxista because now you feel like he's your "friend", and you've established a certain level of trust.
But I would also say this is illusory and it's merely based on your generosity.

The vast majority of normal taxidrivers aren't robbers, thieves or kidnappers.They're normal people trying to make a normal living, and almost everyone will give you a card with their number on it, if you ever want to use them for driving around town, or back to the airport, etc etc. If they weren't making a normal profit on the local/Venezuelan rate, then they wouldn't bother wanting the clientele, right?

I had taxistas I used around town somewhat regularly as well, and they were all very cool guys. That said, their coolness, their normal helpfulness, etc etc wasn't established by my being "generous", at least not ridiculously so. Venezolanos are by nature warm people, muy amable y sympatico.

Of course, if you are targeted by a group of malandros, etc then indeed that's a situation I'd hate to be in or wish for anyone to be in.

If you're a middle aged gringo, who looks like a businessman, etc then you will surely be the juiciest "target". In that scenario take all possible precautions.

but there is no "secure" taxi in your scenario outisde of the black SUV's outside.

If you want to be "generous", and throw money around, that is your prerogative. You'll be very popular I am sure but I'll apologize for calling you "stupid". Your actions might be stupid in my book but I don't fit the typical gringo tourist profile and I have a "thing" about overseas taxi and other assorted gringo scams.

I have no fucking idea why I'm getting involved in this stupid discussion here once again. Hopefully I'll learn and not get entangled these threads again.

Apologies.

p.s. for finality's sake, just what IS the "official tourist taxi" black SUV rate from the airport to Chacao these days?? btw, even their prices are negotiable, especially if there's no line and they're just standing out there. I once negotiated them down from the official 28K down to 20K, because it was late in evening and I was carrying a fair amount of valuables, as well as several thousand US$ in cash (which is the only reason I used them)

[QUOTE=Be There]Morrison's is THE high end place in Caracas, IMHO. By the way, I haven't been able to find Flash Dance, though I am friends with one of the owners, a really nice and reputable guy who says just to mention his name at the door. He said right across from Sambil, but I haven't been able to find it!

Be safe,

Be there[/QUOTE]


Maybe they took the little sign down. It is RIGHT across the street from Sambil, going back west, but before the intersection where you go up the street to the Chacao metro station.

the KEY is that the entrance is from the parking lot (which is clearly evident outside) and then you have to go down into the basement floor of the parking lot, and then take stairs back up once you're inside the building. There is no entrance readily accessible or visible from the street (think somewhat similar like walking downstairs into shopping center to go to Angelus)

there should be a little sign/ad in the parking lot that will clue you in that you're there.

It's an interesting place, much more Venezuelan than gringo/foreigner stuffed places like Morrison's and the strip joints. Most venezolanos come in there to drink some beer, watch the girls dance, kind of like in a US strip club. I've seen a couple of cuties in there. Been there several times and once a visiting friend of mine negotiated a girl for a couple of hours for 80K bolos, but I think he had to pay the house their "salida" which I think was probably around 40k.

hopefully now you can find it and check it out for yourself.

btw, I'll make every effort to swing by for at least a short visit sometime this year (probably in the fall). If I don't get mugged by my street taxi :) , we'll have to hang out one evening.

one word of warning about Flashdance (though this is unlikely to happen to you, but very likely to gringo tourist). The girls will of course demand ladydrinks to sit with you and once when I was entertaining some gringo friends and not paying attention like I usually do, their girl companions kept ordering these little fucking wines. When I got the bill, I went fucking ballistic because these little fucking things cost 12K each instead of the normal 6-7K, and the girls had managed to order 11 of these during the time we spent there!

p.s. ever been in Canagua?? it's right there by Angelus at non Angelus prices and without the massive silicone.

Did I ever tell you the story about the Morrison's girl who I had first seen working at Calle de los Hoteles? She recognized me and we struck up a conversation. She was interesting enough that I felt it was worth while to buy her a drink and chat a bit. Anyways, she was of course trying to interest me in procuring her "services" (and I think she also offered a threesome with a friend.. how typical :) )

Point of the story is that we discussed her changing of work addresses and the resulting change in "pricing" and she made the following point. Now that she was at Morrison's, she was getting her hair done daily and wearing much nicer dresses to work and she deemed this as good enough reasons for charging double for her compania. Not surprisingly, I did not :) but she was a cool chick and buying her a couple of drinks was well worth my time and money.

when I come I'll show you a little trick to maximize your Morrison "salida" and get flexibility when it comes to spending more time than the official alloted "one hour" with your girl. I've actually never been with a Morrison girl but several of them clued me in as to this "loophole".

btw. mandame un correo electronico, por favor.

[QUOTE=Catire]

p.s. for finality's sake, just what IS the "official tourist taxi" black SUV rate from the airport to Chacao these days?? btw, even their prices are negotiable, especially if there's no line and they're just standing out there. I once negotiated them down from the official 28K down to 20K, because it was late in evening and I was carrying a fair amount of valuables, as well as several thousand US$ in cash[/QUOTE]Anfitriones de Venezuela which has the fleet of black Explorers took down the ticket kiosk they had inside the terminal building itself so the official rate no longer exists. It's whatever they can get.

[QUOTE=Reinaldo]Anfitriones de Venezuela which has the fleet of black Explorers took down the ticket kiosk they had inside the terminal building itself so the official rate no longer exists. It's whatever they can get.[/QUOTE]

very interesting.Thanks.
it would also explain the rates. The locals don't use these fools. Since foreigners are conditioned to convert everything to dollars, 20 US doesn't sound preposterous to them even though it might be by local standards. Probably a smart business decision.

that said, I don't remember them having a "ticket kiosk" inside the terminal. They had a certain set rate of prices outside, but the one time I used them, I was able to negotiate them down anyways.

btw the reason I feel reasonably safe catching regular taxis outside of the terminal is basically the following.:

the people out looking to do no good, typically 'case' out their potential victims ahead of time. This makes sense, you want to maximize your opportunity, right?

the regular taxis I catch outside the terminal (just above/below the black Explorers) are not officially ALLOWED to pick up passengers there and they can't stick around, which allows for no "casing" or staking out opportunities.

So what I get is simply a taxista either trying his luck in catching a fare, or someone who just dropped someone off , so my odds are automatically drastically better.

btw. fares from Caracas to airport are usually even better. Rate from Chacao to airport a year and a half ago from almost any taxi you'd catch on the street was 12K, 15 tops. If you want to call a taxi service, you can get one for as little as 9K.

And no.. their gas prices haven't gone up. Gasoline prices are regulated by govt and I think they're still something like 26 us CENTS a gallon!

[QUOTE=Ford]Here's a true story that might help future Caracas travelers. (shouldn't really be in the photo section, but what the hell)

One night I punched up the website [url]www.sexycaracas.com[/url] in an internet cafe and decided on a 20 year old girl named Astrid from an agency called "Secrets of Love". I just went on the website and she is still listed there.

She arrives in the lobby of my hotel and the hotel stafff calls up to my room and tells me that there is young lady here who wants to come up but she doesn't have her i.d. only a copy of it. So I go down to the lobby to see if I can mediate the problem and I meet Astrid. Major hotty! Blonde hair, pretty face cute little strappy sandals and a nice VERY enjoyable body! Small chest but VERY hot!

She and I chat it up a while in Spanish and she tells me that her "boss" is bringing her i.d. - should be here in 15 minutes. So I wait with her and start getting totally "juiced" for this little sexy package! I pop a vita V and buy her a beer at the bar while we wait. About 20 minutes pas and her "boss" arrives with another copy of her i.d.!! She has no idea where the original is and neither does Astrid. Since the next day was Mothers Day and Astrid was planning on spending the day with family there was no way I would be able to see her again. :(

I sat in the bar drowning my sorrows in Regional Light Beer while the viagara wore off. Sad I never spent any time with her except in the lobby.

Anyone traveling to CCS should seriously consider "meeting" Astrid from "Secrets of Love". Tell me how it went and make me jealous! (but make sure she has her original i.d. with her)

Cheers,
FORD[/QUOTE]

Hi Ford,

Thought I'd reply to this here so everyone will be happy.

I’ve had something very similar to this happen to me in Rio. I don't know about Caracas, but in Rio they have many love motels that couldn't care less if the girl has an ID or not. Ultimately, that's what I pursued... I wasn't too exited about spending the extra money for a love motel, but once she and I got inside the room, I forgot all about that...

Btw, too bad they removed the Tijuana section from the [url]www.sexycaracas.com;[/url] your girl was really cute. Oh well, at least you had some fun with her!

Take it easy,

Y & R

y & r i think what happened to me is that i became very jaded. there are so many beautiful women in ccs that i got lazy. i mean i was all "set up" in my room at the hotel paseo las mercedes that i didn't want to move.

i should probably explain what i mean by "all set up"

i'm a little different kind of "player" - on my trips i bring a pair of expandable high frequency speakers, an ipod and sony discman with a full assortment of merengue, bachata, and salsa loaded - three different speed vibrators/clit buzzers, digital cameras, digital camcorders, candles etc. even some "hard-core" players are shocked by me!!

for example i have traveled to the island of curacao 3x. here, most guys
meet girls in campo alegre and spend 20 minutes with them in their little room at the complex for about $20. not me!! :)

i take 2 or 3 girls out of the complex for the day, bring them back to my hotel where i have disposable string bikinis (3 or 4 wears - you can buy them on the internet because very few girls bring there own and buying them on the island can get expensive) and then take them to jan thiel beach and lay in a beach chair with two girls draped over me topless for several hours and then back to my room for a threesome!! ;)

i am not a "quickie-motel" kind of guy.

cheers,
ford

Ford, I could not agree with you more. Most guys simply are not using Campo on CUR to its full advantage. I am all in favor of your approach. In fact,Campo I would say is the easiest place I have been to to obtain GFE - if you are willing to provide BFE to the girls.

[QUOTE=Tbird]Ford, I could not agree with you more. Most guys simply are not using Campo on CUR to its full advantage. I am all in favor of your approach. In fact,Campo I would say is the easiest place I have been to to obtain GFE - if you are willing to provide BFE to the girls.[/QUOTE]

Yes, Tbird I do love Campo very much but my point of mentioning it here was just an illustration of the kind of traveler I am and the reason why I didn't run the little "Secrets of Love" chica Astrid to a "quickie" motel.

Nothing wrong with this arangement (some guys in the Dominican Republic for example love taking girls to the short term cabanas - they're beautifully decorated) but its just not my personality. I like setting up in a good comfortable hotel like the Paseo Las Mercedes - and doing my business there. :)

cheers all,
FORD

I'll be arriving on Saturday for a two month tour of the country largely based out of the Andean state of Merida.

I'm interested in the overall state of the cellular phone system. Any idea on how well a Caracas based cell phone will get coverage in areas like Merida, Puerto Cabello, Valencia, San Cristobal, etc.

I'll probably spent most of my time outside of Caracas but want a reliable means to communicate. Any information would be appreciated.

[QUOTE=Perry Mason #1]I'll be arriving on Saturday for a two month tour of the country largely based out of the Andean state of Merida.

I'm interested in the overall state of the cellular phone system. Any idea on how well a Caracas based cell phone will get coverage in areas like Merida, Puerto Cabello, Valencia, San Cristobal, etc.

I'll probably spent most of my time outside of Caracas but want a reliable means to communicate. Any information would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]


Telcel? Digitel? there are several others.

my memory fails me now and plans and coverages tend to shift, so what was the case last year might not be the case this year.

When I was there, for e.g. Digitel was the cheapest and limited to the Caracas area only, whereas Telcel for e.g. was country wide.

I know since then Digitel has upgraded system and raised prices, I don't know what their current coverage areas are.

There are like three or four main cell carriers that everyone uses. I've named two.

Figure out who your carrier is and simply ask them or a local what the coverage of that carrier is.

"Caracas based" means nothing. It depends on who your carrier/company is.

A number of good experiences at the massage parlors. Does anyone have the addresses to these places. The sexycaracas site has the names, but not the locations. The individual websites also without addresses, to my search. Thanks.

I am stuck at Caracas airport next week Sunday night the Friday night in transit to work. Any action there?

Can anybody give me somebody to call to come to visit me from the city?

Agency? Indepedent?

I really want to try Venezuelan pu$$y

Thanks in advance.

There is a report in the photo gallery section.

Prosbocito