Santa Marta – Maicao
I nearly missed my Santa Marta – Maicao bus. The bus was already moving when I came back from toilet and buying chips. The bus left 20 minutes before the scheduled time printed in the ticket! And the bus was still half empty.
It took four hours from Santa Marta to Maicao, 250 km. An air con bus cost 20 000 pesos (8 euros).
Maicao (Colombia) – Maracaibo (Venezuela)
I changed 50 Colombian pesos (20 euros) to Venezuelan bolivars in Maicao, received 217 bolivars. Por puesto shared taxi Maicao – Maracaibo cost 100 bolivars. An old Chevrolet Camaro had air condition.
The border formalities took less than an hour. I changed money again, now I received 167 bolivars for 50 pesos. An official exchange rate for 50 pesos is 117,65 bolivars.
Maicao – Maracao trip took about four hours. Maracaibo is the second largest city in Venezuela. I spent the night there in order to avoid sitting in buses all day.
I could not find a cheap hotel in Maracaibo historic center, so I went to one of the nameless hotels near the bus station, a night cost 80 bolivars (13,60 euros by official rate).
ATM:s in Coro did not give any money
260 km trip from Maracaibo to Coro took 4,5 hours and cost 65 pesos. After half past three I walk the two kilometers from the bus station to the center.
I found at least six working ATM:s in Coro, but none of them gave me money with my cards, Visa and Visa Electron. At one ATM I stayed in the line for 45 minutes!
No currency exchange in Coro
I estimated that I have pesos enough to return to Colombia, but not enough for a hotel in Coro. In the evening there were no money changers anywhere, I even asked taxi drivers.
I did not want to take a risk and continue to Caracas assuming I could get money there with my credit card.
I spent the night at Coro bus station. I was hungry, but I couldn’t buy anything with pesos.
At 8.30 am I went to the first bank and after 15 minutes was told there is no money exchange, I should go to Banco Venezuela instead.
I stayed in the line standing for 45 minutes in Banco Venezuelassa and then I was told, that they do not change money. I should be asking in the streets.
I asked in a third bank, after that I asked a policeman and many merchants. Coro should be touristic to some degree, it is an UNESCO World Heritage Destination, but there were no currency exchange points.
At last at 11 am I found a merchant that changed my 80 000 pesos to 210 bolivars. An official rate would have given 180 bolivars (xe.com).
Crossing border fiasco
When leaving Venezuela you have to pay a departure tax of 70 bolivars (about 12 euros), but I did not have the money. The Venezuelan shared taxi driver refused to borrow me any money and left me on the border with my backpack.
I waited maybe half an hour, then the border inspection chief (?) called me to him again and accepted my suggestion to pay the tax by giving my camera. A couple of years old point and shoot Panasonic FS-62 with charger changed ownership and I received an exit stamp in my passport.
It was about 11 pm and had to walk 12 km from the border to Maicao. The walk took over three hours with some short breaks.
Venezuela video
In this short video you can see por puesto shared taxi, a couple of churches in Maracaibo and Coro, Maracaibo bus station.