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Monthly Archives: July 2017
- in Adventures
Venezuela – Capital of Crime or Perfect Paradise?
Venezuela is a land of contradictions.
It is well known as a country with countless beauty queens and a diverse indigenous culture. A vibrant cosmopolitan nightlife and a rich jungle.
Angel Falls, known to the Pemon tribe as Kerepakupai Vená, cascades down 3,212 feet from the top of Auyantepui; a plateau millions of years old. Palm lined beaches with white sand dot the Caribbean coastline and aquamarine water beckons in Venezuela’s famous Morrocoy National Park.
In recent years, with the mass exodus of the wealthy and educated due to a shifting political situation, Venezuela has become better known as a capital of crime.
Is this reputation deserved, and if so, are its natural and cultural treasures beyond reach for the common tourist?
The answer is no. With a taste for adventure, an open mind and a desire to travel off the beaten path, Venezuela can become a place for all.
Angel Falls, one of Venezuela’s highlights.
Venezuela’s Brand of Crime
Crime exists in Venezuela as it exists throughout the world.
Unlike its South American neighbors however, Venezuela’s crime is not driven by the drug trade.
With jobs scarce and inflation on the rise, Venezuela’s brand of crime is poverty driven.
By following simple, time-honored rules and knowing what to expect, travelers in Venezuela can easily avoid harm and enjoy an exhilarating and unique vacation.
Transportation
Whether traveling by air or by land, in a rented car or a taxi, transportation in Venezuela is a unique venture.
Visitors should expect intense traffic in almost all urban areas and should always allow for extra time. When traffic forms, more aggressive driving may become an issue.
Traffic rules seem to be merely suggestions in Venezuela, and are oftentimes broken. This includes not stopping at intersections, stop signs or while merging.
If you find yourself behind the wheel of a car in Venezuela, use extreme caution, always be on the lookout and drive with the flow of traffic as speed limits are almost never followed.
When parking, only park in lots with an attendant. This includes street parking. They may not be official, but parking attendants will help to prevent break-ins or theft. Be sure to tip them a few bolivares; the local currency, before you leave.
Caracas, sometimes called the World’s most violent city. We tend not to agree. Caveat emptor.
Public transportation is plentiful in most urban areas. The most common forms are the bus system and taxi lines.
While taxis seem plentiful, it is highly recommended that tourists utilize the official taxi lines – usually white vehicles with black and yellow stripes.
Unofficial taxis are usually not licensed and will be easy to identify:
They can be any color, make or model vehicle and will almost always have a simple piece of paper with the word “taxi” attached to the window. While these may be less expensive and are oftentimes perfectly safe, it is best to avoid them as they are occasionally used as bait and passengers may be robbed.
It is perfectly acceptable to haggle with taxi drivers, both official and unofficial, for a better price.
The bus system consists of countless lines which are typically operated by a cooperative- a common theme in Venezuela. Bus prices are fixed and very low.
There are usually very few official stops, and most all busses will pull over with the wave of a hand. They are brightly painted and are known for very loud young men yelling the destination to bystanders. The driver will stop at any point along the road when asked.
Bus lines, however, are known to be a common venue for petty theft.
To stay safe on the bus lines:
- do not remove your cell phone or valuables in sight of others
- fare will be collected either during boarding or upon departure
- Count out the necessary fare ahead of time in order to avoid counting money on the bus
During high traffic hours, expect seating to be limited.
Busses are also available for longer trips outside of the city. For maximum comfort and safety, purchase an advanced ticket on an “executive” line.
The metro is another option when traveling within the capital city of Caracas.
Get ready to have your personal space violated when going on metro in Caracas during rush hour.
It is very efficient and very inexpensive though it may be difficult to navigate for a newcomer. It is highly recommended that first time metro riders pick up a map, available at any station, and plan a route.
The metro does pass through what some consider to be the most dangerous areas of Caracas and exiting at the wrong stop may be dangerous.
Depending on the hour, the metro may be extremely full, in which case expect personal space to be violated. As such, petty theft is common. Keep all valuables close at hand, and within sight. Remove any jewelry, and keep your cell phone in your bag. Pickpockets are common on the metro.
Money: The Parallel Dollar
The exchange of currency is restricted by the government.
It is illegal to convert bolivares into dollars except when requested through a government organization known as CADIVI, which is only available to Venezuelan citizens.
So, this makes it necessary to keep in mind that any foreign currency converted into bolivares will not be able to be converted back.
Because of this, a “black market” has formed, also known as the “parallel dollar.”
This market consists of individuals who wish to purchase dollars or other foreign currency at a rate which exceeds the official exchange rate, oftentimes by over fifty percent.
Many travelers arrange to “sell” their dollars to a second party upon arrival to Venezuela. This is illegal, although prevalent.
In most major airports, a traveler may be approached by someone wishing to purchase dollars. It is best to avoid this. Not only is it illegal, but it may be dangerous.
For your safety, convert currency little by little, as it is needed, or use a major credit or debit card. Most ATM machines accept foreign cards and currency conversion can easily be done at any bank, though expect a long line.
Kidnapping
Most have heard reports of kidnappings occurring in Venezuela.
It is important to keep in mind that while these reports usually involve a celebrity or extremely wealthy citizen, another type of kidnapping exists in Venezuela known as Secuestro Express (Express Kidnapping.)
Caracas Shanty Town
This type of crime can happen to anyone, but almost always involves a case in which the victim is known to or appears to possess a large sum of money.
While it is impossible to predict when these crimes will occur, certain steps may be taken to avoid such an incident.
Survival Style – Down Dress
Travelers should avoid wearing flashy clothing or jewelry.
Valuables must be protected at all times and should be kept from view while in public. This includes jewelry that appears to be expensive, cell phones, currency and anything else of value.
The expression “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” is particularly relevant in Venezuela as someone who appears not to “know the ropes” may be targeted.
This is especially important when walking, which should always be done in a group and never at night.
What does Venezuela have to offer?
Venezuela is an extremely diverse country which possesses immense natural and cultural beauty.
For an authentic Venezuelan vacation, head to where its citizens travel.
Travel to the beach town of Tucacas and rent one of the prevalent peñeros, or water taxis, for a day trip to one of the famous islands of Morrocoy National Park.
Travel to a posada (Bed and Breakfast) in La Gran Sabana, Venezuela’s immense savannah.
Green Iguana’s are indigenous throughout Central and South America, keep your eyes peeled for the giant green Iguanas in Venezuela.
Stay in a cabin in the chilly mountaintop town of La Colonia Tovar, a German settlement in the Venezuelan Andes, or take in a gallery in the capital city of Caracas.
Enjoy the nightlife of Valencia, Venezuela’s original capital and third largest city, or visit its historic battlefield, Campo de Carabobo.
Whatever your tastes, be it hiking in the Amazon or partying with the rich and famous, Venezuela is a destination not to be missed.
Your World Can Be Full of Heroic Adventures
- in Adventures
Digital Nomad Facts – Skills That Will Increase Your Chances of Being Hired
Do you want to earn a living as a digital nomad, but don’t quite know where to start? Do you want to increase your income each year while building a list of dependable clients?
One of the best ways to enjoy a career as a digital nomad is to hone the in-demand skills clients are looking for.
When you’re a freelancer hoping for a long and prosperous career as a digital nomad, here are five essential skills that can significantly improve your hire rate.
Blogging/Blog Management
If you have your own blog or have previously managed your own blog, your chances of being hired increase significantly.
Employers look for freelancers who have a way with words and can prove they know how to reach an online audience.
When you manage your own blog, you stand out from other on-demand workers with no content marketing experience.
We do live in the digital for the last decades, it’s about time you showed some of your digital savvy via a blog–think of it as a portfolio piece to prove that you are no newbie to the digital realm.
Digital Marketing
Speaking of marketing, nomads with digital marketing experience have a definite advantage over those with no online marketing experience.
From social media outreach to SMS marketing, today’s employer wants to work with a freelancer who isn’t new to the digital marketing space.
Training takes time; if you can hit the ground running, employers will tend to hire you over a candidate with no marketing expertise.
Areas of focus for digital marketing include:
- Facebook Advertising
- Google Adwords
- Copy Writing
- Bing Ads
- SEO (see below)
- Conversion Rate Optimization CRO
There are many more skill in the marketing space, best would be to focus your skills in a few area while being conversant in many, check out the T-shaped marketer to choose a path that fits your personality.
Customer Service
Customer service is another skill that translates well to freelancing.
Whether you have previously worked as a barista or retail sales clerk, your customer service experience shows that you know how to work with the public.
Most employers won’t want to know the specifics of your customer service jobs, but they’ll be glad you have basic customer service skills like need assessment and sales.
SEO
A digital nomad with search engine optimization skills has a much greater chance of being hired over one with no SEO experience.
When you can prove to a potential employer you have the skills necessary to improve their search engine placement, you’ll go to the top of their candidate list.
Even better, if you have your one blog (see skill #1 above), then build some white hat links and rank it for something. Once that has been accomplished, you have a perfect example to show to an employer that you actually know what you are doing.
Email Marketing
Email outreach is a crucial outreach tool in today’s increasingly noisy social media world.
Many employers are finding their social media reach is dwindling and are transferring some of their marketing budget to email outreach instead.
Once you have previously run successful email marketing campaigns, an employer knows they won’t have to start from scratch with your training.
Improving your opportunities as a digital nomad comes down to honing the skills employers are looking for.
You can’t expect your annual income to increase if you aren’t actively improving your skill sets.
Work on the five above-listed talents and you just might be able to land more clients while traveling the globe as a digital nomad.
Even better than picking up skills are your own, there has been a recent uptick apprenticeships, or learning under someone (or an organization) that has mastered the skills you desire to make a living from.
A few examples include Empire Flippers, Taylor Pearson’s GetApprentice and the TropicalMBA’s program.
More Nomad Life | Digital | Location Independent
- in Coffee
Drippy Americans in an Espresso World
Italians may have invented coffee and the French may have perfected it, but the Americans have streamlined the brewing process with the automatic drip machine.
The ingenious process of heating the water, pouring it over the coffee grounds and filtering it to create a delicious cup of coffee can be attributed to the US.
With an easy brewing process, it’s no wonder that the US leads the world in coffee importation and consumption. The US also leads the world in drip coffee maker sales.
How Drip Coffee Makers Work
There are three basic principals at work with all brewing methods – heat, time and grind.
With a drip coffee maker, the heat and grind do most of the work, saving on time.
All home drip coffee makers have a water reservoir somewhere, usually opening on the top of the maker. Using the ceramic or glass coffee pot as a measuring cup (see header image above), you fill the pot with water equal to the amount of coffee you would like. Pour the cold (and filtered, if you are a purist) water from the pot into the reservoir.
Next, you look for the filter basket and place a filter in it. There are two basic filter shapes, a cone and a bowl. Within each shape there are sizes and material variances as well.
Once the basket and filter are loaded, add fresh coffee grounds.
In a perfect world, you will use beans roasted within the last 48 hours and grind them just before placing into the filter. If you don’t live in a perfect world, buy just enough fresh roasted beans to last you until your next trip to the store and grind enough for one pot just before you begin brewing.
You can usually buy a blade grinder for $20 or so from discount and department stores. The least preferred grounds are those that are sold in gallon tubs, but even these will make a cup of coffee far superior to instant granules.
Place the filter and basket into the coffee maker and replace the carafe or pot under the drip hole.
Finally, press the ON or BREW button. This begins the internal machinery to begin heating the water by running it over hot, electric coils. The nearly boiling water is then sucked up through tubes and over the grounds held in place by the filter and basket.
Gravity pulls the water through the grounds and down into the coffee pot. Many coffee makers include a heating element under the carafe to keep the coffee warm. Be careful, though, this element can cause the coffee to get too hot and burn – a very unsavory cup indeed.
Drip Coffee Maker Options
Walk down the coffee maker aisle of any discount or department store in the United States of America and you’ll find a ton of different options to choose from with price tags to match. The most expensive isn’t necessarily the best and the cheapest isn’t necessarily the worse one for you. It all depends on how often and how much you will use your coffee maker.
You can usually find a dumbed-down coffee maker that does nothing more than brew java for about USD$20. Add a clock and heating plate, you can find a few for less than USD$30. Throw a timer, heating plate shut-off or an insulated carafe and you’ll find the price tags reach USD$50 or more.
There are some coffee makers that do far more than prepare a cup of coffee for you first thing in the morning. Some have integrated espresso makers, bean grinders and milk heating reservoirs for those of you that like that sort of thing.
Before shelling out a bunch of money on a drip coffee maker, look for product reviews online to find out the ups and downs other users have reported.
You can do this by using a search engine to look for “MANUFACTURER MODEL user reviews”, replacing the words in capitals with the appropriate maker and model.
But, even better, because we are a travel site, you may be better off getting a portable coffee maker and leaving the drip-style coffee for when you are staying in decent hotels–most rooms have them available for free.
More Coffee Adventures
- in Adventures
Buddhism and the Mysticism of Emptiness
Buddhism is historically, doctrinally, and philosophically diverse.
Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, and other forms of Buddhism all have different ideas on life, death, the cosmos, and even the nature of the Buddha.
Monks in these traditions live by different monastic codes, practices, rules, and philosophies.
So what makes all of these traditions Buddhist?
One could perhaps point to many different examples, but the strongest element tying all of Buddhism together is its deep mysticism of emptiness.
Buddhism is an intensely mystical religion. It is based on the mystical experience and revelation of one man, the Buddha.
This experience was one in which he attained nirvana, an indescribable and fundamentally empty state. Nirvana is empty because it is unconditioned and free of all distinctions.
In nirvana, the self is released of all desires and thoughts. All Buddhist mysticism, no matter how diverse, stems from this one initial mystical impulse, from the quest to emulate the Buddha and find emptiness.
Theravada
Theravada continued on this initial quest for nirvana, presenting it as the ultimate goal for Buddhist monks.
Monks strive to attain the supreme enlightenment so that they may finally bring an end to the conditioned existence of desire and suffering.
Once they have reached this stage they may be called “arhats,” meaning that they have become “perfected ones.” One can attain nirvana through meditation and “right concentration.”
In other words, a monk must cultivate the correct mystical consciousness in order to realize a perfect state of emptiness.
Mahayana
Mahayana Buddhism changed the ultimate goal from nirvana to attainment of Buddhahood itself.
Important Mahayana literature such as the Perfection of Wisdom texts focuses on the Suchness of the Buddha, and describes it as the ultimate reality, the inexhaustible essence within each and every single one of us.
Most importantly, this Suchness is also “empty.”
Emptiness is neither existent nor non-existent. It is nothing and everything at the same time. It is paradoxically only attainable by Buddhas, and yet each and every single being is at every single moment already fundamentally empty.
Japanese Zen Buddhism
Japanese Zen Buddhism takes this one step further by arguing that the desire for enlightenment, whether as nirvana or Buddhahood, must ultimately be abandoned as well.
The pursuit of emptiness means that one must be willing to let go of absolutely everything. Depending on or following the words of the Buddha will not lead one to true emptiness.
Zen does away with all logic and reason and instead attempts to provoke in the mind a sudden moment of illumination through the use of paradoxical sayings.
Different Buddhist would disagree on where and what emptiness actually is.
Is it nirvana, Buddhahood, or can it be found only by letting go of these sorts of concepts?
The answers to these questions vary, but in whatever way it is conceived it is emptiness that drives Buddhist mysticism.
More Mystical Travel
- in Adventures , Trekking Poles
Explore History and Nature at Mesa Verde National Park
Home to 4,500 archaeological sites–including the 600 cliff dwellings that have made it world-famous–Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors an unparalleled opportunity to step into the past.
Located in southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde is easily reached via U.S. Highway 160 either from Cortez to the west or Durango to the east.
Because Mesa Verde mixes both a treasure trove of archaeological wonders with natural splendor, it is unique in the National Park System and does require a fair bit of planning in order to be enjoyed fully.
Visiting the Famed Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings
The highlight of any trip to Mesa Verde National Park is a visit to the cliff dwellings, built by the Ancestral Pueblo People during the 13th century.
The most famous cliff dwelling, the Cliff Palace, is a sprawling complex of sandstone walls, rooms, and towers nestled precariously underneath a massive overhanging cliff.
During the summer months, visits to the Cliff Palace–as well as to the Long House and the nearby Balcony House–are by ranger-guided tours only, which require a ticket that can be purchased at the Visitor Center at the park entrance.
Since the drive from the park entrance to the cliff dwellings can easily take an hour depending on traffic, be sure to purchase these tickets beforehand.
Not all cliff dwellings require a ticket, however, and some are open to self-guided tours.
Spruce Tree House, for example, is the best preserved cliff dwelling in the park and is free to visit as is the Step House, which includes a restored pit house.
Other archaeological sites are strewn throughout the park, including the Square Tower House and the Sun Temple.
The latter site, in addition to being an impressive archaeological site in its own right, also gives visitors exceptional views of the Cliff Palace.
Timing your Visit
Also remember that although the park is open 24 hours, the cliff dwellings and many archaeological sites are not, with most closing before dusk. Also, the Wetherill Mesa area, which includes the Long House and Step House, are closed October through April.
The rest of the park is open all year.
What else?
While the cliff dwellings are the main draw of Mesa Verde, it quickly becomes apparent to most visitors that history isn’t the only thing this park has to offer.
The road from the park entrance to the cliff dwellings, for example, snakes its way over mountains and through canyons, affording visitors spectacular views of the Mancos Valley and Montezuma Valley to the north.
Bicycling is also permitted on the main park road between the park entrance and Chapin Mesa, although it can be grueling even for experienced bikers and the narrow and twisting road make distracted drivers a problem.
While Wetherill Mesa Road is closed to bicycles, the Long House Loop, located at Wetherill Mesa itself, is open to bikes and, thankfully, closed to motorized vehicles.
Hiking is also a popular activity in the park, with many trails taking hikers through scenic landscapes and past historic sites.
Although many trails are relatively short, most of them include steep elevation changes that can make them difficult in hot weather or after rainfall.
Because of the sensitive archaeological nature of the park, hikers are required to stay on marked trails at all times.
Two trails, the Spruce Canyon Trail and the Petroglyph Point Trail, require hikers to register beforehand either at the trailhead or at the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum.
Accommodation in Mesa Verde
While the main sights can be done in one day, those looking to visit at a more relaxed pace will probably want to stay a night or two.
Far View Lodge is the park’s only hotel and has restaurants, gift shops, groceries, and other amenities. Located at the junction of the main park road and Wetherill Mesa Road, it is also a prime spot for exploring the various attractions in the park.
The park also has a large campground, Morefield Campground, located near the park entrance, which has hookups, a gas station, grocery store, RV dump station, amphitheater, and laundromat.
Many of the park’s best trails are also located here. While the campground is first-come, first-served all year round, space is almost always available. Both Morefield Campground and Far View Lodge are open only from spring to fall.
Backcountry camping is not permitted.
Mesa Verde National Park is one of the few places where history and nature combine to provoke awe and wonder in visitors.
One of America’s first World Heritage Sites, Mesa Verde continues to be an inspirational place entirely unlike any other in the world.