En Venezuela

Just got to Caracas. No problems getting into the country and everything has gone pretty smoothly so far.

For people that are not familiar with Caracas, or Venezuela in general, some ground rules may apply:

1. Drive wherever, however, and whenever you want. Red lights do not apply, just don't hit the car next to you. (Gas, by the way, is hovering slightly over 28 cents a litre. Most cars and SUVs fill up for two dollars.)

2. Align yourself politcally - more on this soon.

3. Foster an instant love for all things baseball.

4. Expect gridlock at any hour of the day, any day of the week.

5. Get ready to party.

I have to say that there's certainly less culture shock this time for me. I still have to check myself though to believe that I'm actually here. The Spanish, fortunately, is coming back in waves and I'm finding it pretty easy to get around and do things.

Although there's no real order to the chaos here in the city, it's not hard to get used to if you try. The only other thing is the heat - 30 degrees at least through most of the days. But like they say here, "Asi son las cosas amigo."