No I didn't leave the gas on again.

First there was the Weather Station in Antarctica and now a Refinery in Amuay. I was in Corro (about 70 kms away) when the thing went bang but I was tucked up in bed and didn't hear a thing. So you can't lay that one at my door either but if you have something you would like jinxed, just let me know.

No I didn't take this picture from my bedroom window but it is so much more exciting than my snaps.

I looked at the map and noticed that Corro is as far North as I will get on this trip so from here it is just East and South. It is beginning to feel like the last chapter or two with "only" Brazil left to do and perhaps a quick look at Paraguay and Uruguay.

It was a rather long, fairly uninteresting slog to get to La Victoria but, contrary to the forecast, it was dry. You can get fed up of seeing Chavez's picture on every lamp post and bill board. Is it only dictators that go in for such self aggrandisement? One thing I forgot to do was change the time on my watch.Chavez, in his infinite wisdom, has moved Venezuelan time by 30 mins! It is not now on the same time zone as anyone else. So if it is 4:00 in Colombia it is 4:30 in Venezuela!!! How stupid can you get?

At La Victoria I turned north to the funny old town of Colonial Tovar. It is a precipitous climb with some sharp hairpins and large pot holes thrown in for good measure. It is, however very pretty.

Mary-Ann and I had visited it 24 years ago to the month (pure coincidence). It was settled by Germans back in 1843, the Germans were keen to form colonies (not having created much of an empire over the years) and so sent boat loads around the world to see what they could do. The story we were told last time was that a boat load of sick Germans had arrived and the locals had taken them up in the hills to die. They survived and created this mini Bavaria (it is a much better story shame it isn't true).

What I don't remember is the place being so big. All I can remember is a small town centre but now there are black and white buildings with red roofs all over the hillsides.

I am not so very far from Caracas and the quick route East is through the city. I am not going to tempt fate and will take a longer route, skirting to the south but hopefully a safer one too.