The Business of Sikarios

If one hates you enough to want to kill you, one is able to do so in Venezuela. What one will do is have a price tag attached to your name. One will then contact the professional killers, or famously known as Sikarios to take you down. In few days the job will be done and you will be no more.

And all this can be at a price of 500Bs which is equivalent to about US$150.

According to the information I have gathered, Sikarios started off as professional killers, of Colombian citizenship present in Venezuela. The job of killing was conducted by them. However today, Venezuelans are also doing the job with gusto.

Mostly, the killings will be conducted by guns which are illicitly obtained. One might be kidnapped first and then killed afterwards or might be killed at an instant.

In order to carry out their operations, Sikarios will purchase a random Identity Card to conduct their operations. These cards are mostly of deceased persons but sometimes they might be of innocent people living which will end up complicating matters.

A friend told me of his once dire situation. Once while driving he was stopped by the police who conducted a checkup of his vehicle. As part of the checkup process they asked for his ID.

The Rich and the Poor

Venezuelan colors are divided on several lines. But indeed there are two major lines that seem pervasive, covering the general population and owing to discussion.  As you have gathered from reading or visiting the country, its population is highly mixed between the sons of this land, Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese and Africans.

With this mixture you are bound to encounter people like the colors of the rainbow, diverse and rich. From the very light skin, European looking to very dark skinned as if picked from the middle of the Nigerian soil. Everyone lays somewhere on this long color line.

But within this long line, a crossroad is formed when another line crosses through it, dividing the population on two sides, placing them into two different parts.

I only realized it when I decided to walk around the Eastern part of Barquisimeto on a Saturday evening, trying to absorb more of my surrounding. As I walked I met people on the road doing the same thing as I.

Insecurity in Venezuela

Venezuela, one of the happiest country but clouded by the
prevalence of insecurity

Insecurity in Venezuela is a naughty issue, scaring not only the locals but everyone thinking of visiting the country. If one embarks on a thorough reading of the country while deciding to visit, they might be persuaded to abandon their mission.

A friend who went to Cuba narrated her experience while conversing with other lodgers in Backpack hostel. Many of the tourists who had traveled extensively in the South American continent eschewed  touching Venezuela though it has the tallest waterfall in the world.

This has led to the anti-Chavez sentiment due to the fact that the issue of insecurity is prevalent in almost all states and towns of the country.

When you arrive you will be explicitly warned over the duration you are here. That will be the topic that you will meet while conversing with people for the first time. Everyone will warn you to be careful.

This will include wisdom about evading the worst part of this cities or that where people of low income resides. It will also include not walking at night from the hours of 5 pm, though others will warn you to completely not walk at any time.

Racism in Venezuela

Is there racial discrimination in Venezuela? 

No.

This is the answer you will get from about 90 per cent or more of the population here in Venezuela. There is no racial discrimination, only there are issues with classes, you would be told.

Venezuela presents a very difficult fabric which is interwoven and mixed to the point nothing really stands on its own purity. Venezuelans are mestizos with a rich background that spans from both directions.

In fact, no matter how dark or light-skinned Venezuelans are, most of them they will tell you that they are mestizos. There is a tendency of generalizing and drawing similarities making everyone racially the same.

It is also very common for families to have some children that look very light-skinned and refer to them as Catires and have others with the darkest skin and refer to them as Negros. But all this reference is non discriminative and quite acceptable.

Black People in Venezuela

Hay negros en Venezuela

My first encounter with them was on my second day in the country. I was in a bus heading 6 hours from Caracas to a city called Barquisimeto in a journey that started at 8:00 o’clock in the morning.

Inside the bus it was so cold one had to put on a sweater or shiver to death. Initially I had trouble finding my way to the seat by looking at the cluttered, faded out ticket until one passenger assisted me by pointing at where it was written.

In the television in front, an English movie muted, with Spanish subtitle was on the loop, repeating about three times before I reached my final destination.

After we exited the city, we were welcome by a thick jungle. The bus would disappear only to climb few miles later exposing the green fields rolling to the horizons, covered with trees hugged together paving the way for the bus to pass.

Political Rollercoaster

Politics in Venezuela is a whirlwind between Chavez and the opposition. 

Chavez is one very intriguing leader who speaks his mind even when it comes to Uncle Sam. There is so much animosity between the Government of Chavez and that of the United States. He blames them for giving him cancer. In the eyes of Chavez, US is an imperialist country which seeks to exploit other nations. US has been exploiting Venezuela in form of stealing their oil, according to Chavez and his supporters. In fact when I was talking to somebody recently, he told me that they received their independence when Chavez became the President.

This year is pivotal in the direction of this country. Chavistas are ready to win and put their commandant the President of this country while the opposition can’t wait for Chavez to lose or even die. The air is stifle and people are waiting.

Double Exchange Rates

Venezuela is the first country that I have been to which has two exchange rates for the dollar: the legal and black market also called legal parallel market. When I arrived it took me some time to understand what is happening here. But it seems that it is still difficult to understand why this is so.

For people who are coming to Venezuela, make sure you come with dollars in your hand. When you come with dollars, you will exchange them in the black market price. When I say black market price, it is not something that you should fear. Even the people who work in the bank they would advise you to change your money in the black market. The black market is simply people, Venezuelans, who want to buy your dollar at double the price because there is no free access to dollar since the government has restricted it.

Unlike other countries where one can buy dollar in a Bureau de Change, in Venezuela there is nothing like that. The only institution which gives dollar is government regulated and it is called Cadivi (Comisión de Administración de Divisas). One needs to apply to get dollars at the legal exchange rate of 1 dollar for about 4.6 Bolivares Fuertes. In a year someone will only be given a maximum of US$2,500 according to recent figures. And in case one wants to buy something through internet, the government will allow US$500 in a year. This means the Government cannot give you more than that. There are exceptions in case one is studying abroad in United States for example. In this case, one might be lucky to receive more than that from the Government. But the process is lengthy and many people don’t like to go through it.

Then if you don’t want to go through it you will need to buy dollars in the black market. The exchange rate is double the price and according to recent figures, 1 dollar is exchanged at 9.2 Bolivares Fuertes. Now the problem of getting dollars arises. You might have Bolivares Fuertes but still you might not be able to get the amount of dollars you need. You need to ask friends, and if you have foreign friends you might try to inquire from them if they have some dollars with them. The process can be a difficult one.

So for many Venezuelans it is not easy to travel since getting dollars will cost them twice and even so, it is not easy to get dollars. There issues of fake dollars too, especially from Colombia. One needs to be careful.

When you come to Venezuela, you would be swum at the airport with people wanting to buy your dollars. Everyone wants to buy your dollars.

Don’t ever come with your dollar in a bank account. When you withdraw, the banks will convert them at the legal exchange rate of 4.6. So it is better to sell them in the black market for the price of 9.2.