Full country name: República Bolivariana de Venezuela

Population of Puerto la Cruz: 220,000

Language: Spanish is the official language, but Amerindian languages still survive, predominantly belonging to the Arawak, Cariban and Chibcha ethnolinguistic categories. Spanish is the main language of Venezuela. Venezuelans call their language castellano. Average Temperatures (In Fahrenheit): High Low January - March 79 56 April - June 81 60 July - September 80 61 October - December 79 58

Climate: Venezuela is located entirely in the tropics. The temperature varies very little during the year and most parts of the country maintain an average of over 77°F. Its capital, Caracas, has an average annual temperature of 72°F and varies by only 8°F through the year. Like all tropical countries, Venezuela only has two seasons, the dry season, known as verano, and the rainy season, known as invierno, which are marked by the difference in rainfall rather than temperature. Generally, the dry season is from December to April/May, and the rainy season lasts for the rest of the year. Rainfall, however, can occur during the dry season, and the rainy season often has dry months.

Visas: US citizens do not require a visa if they fly directly to Venezuela. Otherwise a visa is required.

Health Concerns: Visitors should not drink or brush their teeth with tap water in Venezuela. Use bottled water. Do not use ice cubes.

Time: GMT/UTC minus 4 hours (minus 5 hours in summer). When it is noon in New York City , it is also noon in Puerto la Cruz.

Electricity: 110V, 60 Hz

Weights & measures: Metric

Useful measurements Equivalent Weights And Measures 1 cm 0.39 inches 1 meter 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards 1 km 0.62 miles 1 liter 0.26 gallons 1 inch 2.54 cm 1 foot 0.39 meters 1 yard 0.91 meters 1 mile 1.60 km 1 gallon 3.78 liters

Public Holidays 1st January - New Year's Day Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday - Carnival Monday, Thursday and Good Friday - Easter 19th April - Declaration of Independence 1st May - Labor Day 24th June - Battle of Carabobo 5th July - Independence Day 24th July - Bolívar's Birthday 12th October - Discovery of America 25th December - Christmas Day

Currency: The Venezuelan currency is the Bolívar (Bs), sometimes called the 'Bolo'. It can be exported and imported in unlimited quantities. You can buy Bolívares before coming to Venezuela, but it can take time for them to be ordered and you will get a better exchange rate in Venezuela. The US dollar is the most commonly accepted foreign currency in Venezuela, so it is recommended to carry cash and traveler's checks in US dollar. Banks: Most major banks are within a few blocks south of Plaza Colón. Credit cards are widely accepted, but a surcharge of up to 10% is often applied. Most commonly accepted are MasterCard/Eurocard, American Express and Visa. You can also use a credit card to withdraw money from automatic cash machines, which usually dispense up to 100,000 Bs per day. If you require more, you will have to make a transaction over the counter. Venezuelan banks can get very crowded so allow at least 2 hours for this.

Telephone The international code for Venezuela is 58. For international calls from Venezuela, dial 00+country code.

City Code: Puerto La Cruz 0281 CANTV is Venezuela´s national telephone company and it has a modern, efficient telephone network. Making international phone calls is not a problem, but is very expensive. There are many public telephones in Venezuela, even in the more remote places, all of which accept CANTV cards only (tarjeta CANTV). Credit cards are not accepted. Telephone cards are available for 2000 and 5000Bs and can be purchased from CANTV offices and most supermarkets and souvenir shops. CANTV has an information system that can be accessed by the number 103. Some of the operators speak English. The Internet There are internet cafés or agencies that offer internet services. However, prices are still quite high. Café with internet access: North American Connection (Puerto La Cruz) Transportation Air José Antonio Anzoátegui airport is between Barcelona, the capital (though a much smaller city), and Puerto la Cruz. Flights arrive and depart for Caracas to Barcelona several times a day. There are buses to all tourist attractions outside of town, as well as tours. Travel to or from the airport takes about 20 minutes. Bus Buses travel from Caracas to Puerto la Cruz via Barcelona and return. The travel time is 5 hours. Puerto La Cruz is also served by city buses. Tours There are many organized tours from Puerto La Cruz to places such as Parque Nacional Mochima, (Mochima National Park), and to various sporting activities such as snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, water sports, etc. Boat Puerto La Cruz is the major departure point for Isla de Margarita. Ferries are operated to the island four times a day. The trip takes 4 1/2 hours. The boat, Margarita Express cuts the travel time to 2 hours. The scenery is spectacular.

Cuisine: Some traditional Venezuelan dishes:

Arepa: A plain fried corn pancake. They are filled with almost anything, including eggs and tomato for breakfast, beef, chicken, ham, sausage, shrimp, cheese, salad and even baby shark.

Empanada: Deep-fried cornmeal turnover filled with chicken, ham, cheese, fish or meat.

Cachito: Hot croissant filled with chopped ham and or cheese.

Cachapa: Thick, slightly sweet pancake made with maize and served with mozzarella-type cheese (queso guayanesa).

Hallaca: Traditional Christmas dish made from chopped beef, pork and chicken with green peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, olives and various herbs and spices all mixed into maize dough. It is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

Pabellón Criollo: Venezuela's national dish, consisting of shredded beef, black beans (caraotas negras) and cheese, served with fried plantain (cooking banana) and rice.