Hey, don't listen to secondhand reports about Venezuela--particularly those which come from disenchanted business owners. They're all pissed because the easy times (which they'll describe with great gusto) are gone, but this doesn't mean it's a bad country to ride in or that you'll have a difficult time there. I rode through a couple of weeks ago and found it fine--no more dangerous than anyplace else in particular; no more police hassles or corruption than, say, Brazil; the usual confusion about routes; the usual language difficulties. There are some spectacular places to see, and friendly folks throughout.

My only two specific pieces of advice: get a good grasp of the way the currency black market works, or you'll end up paying double for everything. And when the men in uniform stop and ask for money at roadblocks, they don't actually seem to expect to get any....unlike some places, where fortitude is required if, like me, you don't intend to pay.

Caveats: I did not go to Caracas, but some folks do. And by way of context, I've just been all over Central and South America on a bike, including quite a few places considered dangerous, disgraceful and/or difficult, and not a single place has been as bad as the terrifying stories told by people who, by and large, have never been there.

Of course, YMMV.

enjoy,

Mark

(from Disneyland, a.k.a. Antigua Guatemala, still limping steadily homeward)