Chavez

What a guy! One of the first country folk I talked to coming into the border from Columbia shouted ¨chavez numero uno¨! More strange since he just yelled it out to me randomly. Another thought he was completely loco another thought he had a good plan for the country. Me? It´s a complicated situation here. He´s definitely behind a socialist stance, and wants to help the poor, wants to create better education but there´s always the threat of corruption in latin america and its no different here. I like that he is one of the few countries that stands up to the states. Who´s to say the united states policies are the best, and should be used around the world?

Do we really want the whole world to be filled with mcdonalds, and best westerns, and burger kings and malls? Do we really want every single place to look exactly like new york or fresno or Phoenix?

Fine. granted. you can´t give a people a taste of wealth (i.e. here in the 70s with maracaibo oil finds) and then take it away. that´s going to leave some resentment. but a country must find it´s own way, it´s own determination separate from others, and yet connected. their own identity, culture, and way of life. we need some differences, some connections to our past.

What i do know is the highways in this country are bipolar and split personality. a long carreterra of great pavement then, suddenly, BOOM! a big friggen hole in the middle that takes out your spleen. The toll booths are eerily empty, and many signs in the country are faded and warped, peeling off and weathered. Just a lonely, deserted feeling. Not much love and attention.

Of note met a guy who used to work for Precision Drilling before they were kicked out of the country and their assets taken over by Chavez.