I'm in!

But not to plan.  The bus system is much slower and less frequent than desired. I was hoping to be able to take a direct bus to Cuidad Bolivar, but had to settle on going to Caracas first, then another to Bolivar. But also had long layovers in towns.

Here is the scorecard:
Medellìn, Colombia to Bucaramonga, Colombia - 11:15 pm Monday to 7:30 am Tuesday
Bucaramonga to Cucuta, Colombia (border)  - 7:30 am Wednesday to 2pm Wednesday
bike to border - 2pm - 4pm (with 30 minute lunch)  Wednesday
San Antonio, Venezuela to San Cristobal, Venezuela - 6:30pm to 8pm Wednesday
San Cristobal to Caracas - 6:30 pm Thursday to 7am Friday
Caracas to Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela - 2:30pm Friday to 1:00 am Saturday

First impression of the country- polluted and shifty.

The air quality is quite poor, due to the many vehicles and cheap gas here. I haven´t seen so many gas guzzling big sedans since the 1980s - think Gran Fury-sized cars.

Shifty- Bolivares are the currency and it is illegal to exchange US dollars for Bolivares. Money needs to be exchanged outside the borders. I did not know this and thus got screwed early in the game. Fortunately, the bus from San Antonio was willing to change some cash at a rate of 15 Bolivares to $1. The official rate is 1B to 25 cents!  I screwed myself at the hotel trying to exchange - due to my travel grogginess, I accepted a rate of 5B to $1.  (Sidenote- ATMs here don't like my ATM card... went to more than ten machines and was not able to get any money... good thing, I guess, because I would get the official rate)

Taking my bike on the bus has always been a hassle, but worse here. The bus operators seem to have a whimsical approach as to how much to charge me. Leaving Caracas, I was charged the same amount as the ticket. Since I was getting low on Bolivares, I suggested to pay in dollars. The guy accepted a $20 US (300B equivalent) PLUS 100B, when he originally only wanted 200B, which was 75% of what I was holding. In other words, he took double what he originally asked for... but this is Venezuela and what am I gonna do? Refuse and walk away from the bus? I could, but time is of the essence and I still need to get to Brasil in time for Mardi Gras.

Also, everyone keeps telling me to be very careful when walking the streets at night. After getting off the bus in Cristobal, I can see why. The station is almost completely dark, save for the small lightbulbs at the little tiendas in the middle of the station.  But in the daytime, it is like any other town and normal precautions hold true.  Caracas is similar, just grander in scale.

Tomorrow, I will go to Angel Falls for a three day tour to give me a good impression of Venezuela.

Here are some photos...

I made it!

bus terminal in San Cristobal... maybe the most chaotic in San America that I have seen

seems like chicken is the easiest food I can find. There is Venezuelan cuisine, but  haven't found a place that isn't too dingy to eat in (though I haven't really tried hard)

street near bus station in Caracas

colorful buildings in Ciudad Bolivar...

...but not so clean