Sunday in San Antonio De Los Altos

I couldn´t find my neighbors wireless so I had to walk down stairs to the cyper cafe, the first one was closed and I found a Movinet. When I went to buy milk and coffee this morning I found out that they didn´t have any. So I walked down the street further to the next grocery store and found the last carton of milk. It looks like there are shortages again. The women at the grocery told me that they are also out of harina pan (corn flour used to make arepas) The populace doesn´t seem very happy. The socialistic president seems to be making some missteps. His term finishes in 2012, but who knows he might decide to change the constitution again and give himself another term. The electricity and water seem to also have interuptions.

I won´t ever use the name of the president in this blog, just to prevent a possible knock on the door by men wearing red beres and carrying "pistolas" (pistols). I will call him el Padrino (The Godfather) When he decided not to renew the license for TV network Radio Caracas Television in 2007, it has been said that it was because the network was supporting the coup that temporarily removed him from power five years ago. Since then free speech has been a question mark in this country.

Sobre todo, (above all) this country is beautiful and friendly. I would urge anyone that has the chance to come and visit. The flora is so diverse and I see new plants that I had never seen the last 5 times I have been here. I haven´t seen much fauna but I know that the diverse animal life here is spectacular.

Well our only plans today are maybe to explore the Christmas shopping venues and go to church at 6pm tonight. My father-in-law has taken on a border, a women and her ten year old daughter. It has been great for Michael because she loves to play with him and she has kept him busy enough today so that my wife can do the laundry and I could escape to the cyper cafe to continue writing about this exciting journey in beautiful Venezuela!! Dios te bendiga (God bless you)