I traveled to Maracaibo, Venezuela in October of 2003. The civil unrest that was characteristic of Caracas is not evident in Maracaibo. In the large lake that surrounds Maracaibo sits the vast petroleum wealth of Venezuela. The city itself is modern. The colonial part which I've included in the pictures is very pretty. Outside of Maracaibo, I traveled to a place where you can take a trip on the lake. There is an entire people that live on the lake. They are the people of the water. It was very interesting to see these people. In one of the photos, you can see some small boys fishing with a net. The currency in Venezuela is the Bolivar. Now the official exchange rate is about 1700 bolivares to the dollar. However, on the street you can get 3000 bolivares to the dollar. Things are very cheap there. My hotel was only 20 US dollars per night and was very nice. Also, the price of gasonline is astonishing. It is only about 25 cents a gallon.......yes.....25 cents a gallon. The people drive around in old gas guzzlers. They ride cheap.