[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DsI8d7TeO9M/Ujz6svSY5UI/AAAAAAAAXJ8/yyrASTsfD7k/s144-c-o/P9190004.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5925886856227513666″ caption=”Almost like a piece of home!” type=”image” alt=”P9190004.JPG” ]

Press work at the German embassy in Caracas
Pos: here
Loc: Caraballeda
Acc: Antonio’s and Lucy’s apartment

I was able to call my family on skype this morning, the internet worked fine. Not always…At 8 am we drove to to Caracas to the German Embassy. The way through the mountains is nice, though poor people’s houses were built simply everywhere. The traffic in Caracas is one big jam, and it is always like that, Antonio says. No wonder, when a tank of petrol for a car costs only around THREE Bolivars…!!! Unbelievable. Instead of providing almost free petrol, they rather should put the money into a better infrastructure and a clean city. But these are politics… A shit load of motorbikes created simply an own lane between the existing regular ones, plus were hopping allover the rest. As a car you have trouble to cross over from one to the next through these extremely fast driving two wheelers. They are living dangerously! But it is the only way to get around reasonable fast. But even the “motorbike lane” is getting stuck at times…what a city! Not my place to be, sorry…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FoNcbzQ8o5M/Ujz6RXvAQpI/AAAAAAAAXJc/WpjPlF2hVyM/s144-c-o/P9190001.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5925886386048615058″ caption=”With Moritz Jacobshagen, Leiter des Presse- und Kulturreferastes in the German embassy in Caracas” type=”image” alt=”P9190001.JPG” ]

In the embassy, Moritz Jacobshagen, the boss of the Presse- and Kulturreferates, with whom I was in e-mail contact all the time, greeted me. We started with a TV interview, later came another bunch of paper reporters to ask the usual questions. Moritz was a good translator, and Antonio added his kayaking knowledge in Spanish. Business as usual…thanks for organizing the press conference!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ao6v-CIxNm4/Ujz7l3zvH1I/AAAAAAAAXI0/xpABc8hUylI/s144-c-o/P9190003.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5925887837767409490″ caption=”My hosting family in the German embassy, Lucy, Antonio and daughter Stefanie who liked best the European flag…” type=”image” alt=”P9190003.JPG” ]

We had dinner in a huge shopping center, and took the chance to get the name of my new kayak printed in sticky letters, as unfortunately this did not come with my kayak from China. Only red, no black foil was available, also nice. Some other job was to shop for some healing stuff for my skin, and to take the chance in a local supermarket to shop for toilet paper – only. One of the items which is sold out within an hour of the delivery… like milk powder, sugar, coffee, oil, rice or soap. You need to watch the people coming out of such a market, they are having all the same stuff in their bags, and you know what is currently available for an hour. But you are only allowed to shop two pieces of each, and have to register your passport on buying. Well…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-E2dHLVG1k0o/Ujz-LahbWHI/AAAAAAAAXI0/kM0eMqCARGI/s144-c-o/P9190008.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5925890681764272242″ caption=”In the pool of Antonio and Lucy’s apartment house” type=”image” alt=”P9190008.JPG” ]

The nicest business of the day late afternoon was to start work on my new kayak, decoration job first with all the stickers. It already looks pretty! I will continue with all the nooks and crannies tomorrow. A swim in the crystal clear big warm pool under the stars of their fancy apartment house finalized this day. Thanks again to Antonio and Lucy to look after me so well!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-i5yXk5YxG5k/Ujz-rULl9iI/AAAAAAAAXI0/7PTUKCzlPRw/s144-c-o/P9190013.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5925891229817894434″ caption=”View from the pool up the sky…” type=”image” alt=”P9190013.JPG” ]