8/12/2011 - A dip in the Orinoco then back to Ciudad Bolivar

In the morning I spent a few hours in a large park on the outskirts of Puerto Ordaz, which had waterfalls, forest paths and a beach on the Orinoco. Of course I forgot to take my shiny new camera but I'll probably remember my dip in the Orinoco for some time to come. It felt even more worthwhile as the path to the beach didn't even seem to be signposted and took some finding.
Both the taxi drivers to and from the park were in a talkative mood and the topic of everyone's favourite President quickly reared its familiar head. I asked the question I'm particularly fond of at the moment: “If everyone hates Chavez (or everyone I've spoken to at least) then who and where are his supporters?” to which the reply has mostly been “The people he gives money and free stuff to”. I've yet to meet any. The taxi driver's arguments didn't seem a million miles away from the debate about the welfare state in the UK - if you give people benefits and free stuff they will take advantage, become lazy and expect something for nothing. I decided I have to meet at least one person who supports Chavez before I leave Venezuela.
In the afternoon I took a car to Ciudad Bolivar wedged in between 2 very fat men on the back seat. Ciudad Bolivar is a city I stopped off at and did a tour of Angel Falls from on my way from Caracas to Santa Elena all those weeks ago. It was nice to return to some familiar streets and the same Posada, which was extremely quiet at the moment. There was no prospect of organising a trip to the Orinoco Delta for tomorrow so it looked like I'd be spending another day in the city, no bad thing.