CP, S&M - Of Cell Phones, Smoke and Mirrors

We spent the next day preparing for the trip. Nino took us to the main Jumbok headquarters where A/Ts were being swapped for M/Ts on the two vehicles we were taking. Originally two Land Cruisers were selected; an FJ70 series station wagon and Enzo’s daily driver, a somewhat cushier FJ80. That morning however, while repairing a pinion seal leak, we discovered the FJ70 had lost its rear axle pinion bearings. It was too late to fix it, so Felipe’s Jeep YJ was pressed into service. This vehicle variety made things more interesting, not only for photos, but also for automotive rivalry as Chris is a Toyota guy and I lean more toward Jeeps. Ever the host, Felipe was worried about the storage and comfort of the Jeep. We assured him this was not a problem for us — we were just happy to be there.

 

At one point during the day we visiteda shopping mall brimming with fancy shops with the same wares you’d find in Anymall, in Anytown, USA. Trendy dressed shoppers upheld Venezuela’s reputation for producing beautiful women, and we enjoyed watching them scurry from store to store with their purchases. However, on the drive back to Jumbok we passed mountainsides of shantytowns, as impoverished as I’ve seen in any third world country. Venezuela is a country of Haves and Have-Nots and the contrast is striking. The Haves in the city’s suburbs are in a defensive position, living in stylish villas protected by high brick walls, strung with barbwire and broken glass or gated high-rise apartments with guards and passwords to gain access. On the other side are the Have-Nots, squatting beneath cardboard, begging a hand out against a wall with elaborate graffiti denouncing imperialism, or covered with propaganda posters extolling Hugo Chavez’s latest, great deeds.