Today is my last full day in Venezuela until I return on July 29th! I have spent the last three days in Valencia which has been great because I have been able to explore where I will be spending my next school year (and hopefully following years).

Caracas

Now I am in Caracas at the little posada that I have stayed at five or six times before, called Muevete Por Vargas.  If you ever have to spend the night in Caracas before catching a flight, this is a great little posada to stay at.  It is reasonably priced, has free airport pickup/drop off, fast internet, really hot water (unlike the hotel I stayed at in Valencia), breakfast is included (I never get to eat it because I always leave around 5AM), cable TV, and AC in every room. It isn’t the cutest place, but if you are just hanging out for the night before a flight it is great.

Sunset in Valencia

Valencia

After spending the past three days in Valencia, plus a working weekend, and another few days around NYE I have some tips for this city:

1. Unless you are staying right in the heart of downtown you will probably need a car because Valencia is pretty big and doesn’t have good public transport.

Embassy Suites lobby in Valencia, Venezuela

2. In the future I will always recommend that people stay at the Embassy Suites instead of Hotel Ucaima.  At Embassy Suites the food is great, there is hot water in the showers (unlike Ucaima), the pool is perfect, there is a free happy hour, and the rooms are lovely.  Lucky for me, my school gives us a 30% off discount for the rooms and a free pass to use the pool all year, so I will be spending more time at the Embassy Suites!

3.  Make sure you have Foursquare on your phone because people use it in this city and you can find some great places with it.

4. Ootoya Noodle and Sushi Bar would make a great date spot.

5. If you bring your own travel mug you can get the workers at Pan Factory to fill up your cup instead of giving you four of the tiny little cups of coffee.  Unlike Portland, this wont save you any money, but it will save your fingers from being burned, and save you from any potential spills.