This entry was posted on November 4, 2009 at 9:14 am and is filed under Venezuela.
Law and order: What happens when you close the border
November 4, 2009
The Devil's Excrement
Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
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The Devil's Excrement 
November 15, 2009 at 8:25 am
Thanks island canuck!!
and good that people started asking about which side is Vzla and which Colombia, the picture itself can lead to too many and silly misunderstandings!
November 5, 2009 at 7:13 pm
As a Canadian I would have to agree that there is a certain element of Venezuelans that do no benefit to their cause and are probably directly responsible for many of the problems that resulted in the success of Chavismo.
On the other hand the majority of Venezuelans from all levels of society are wonderful people. My wife is from Caracas. My godson is from Margarita & lived with me for 14 years. His mother has worked for me for 20 years. (no, I am not the father).
When I was flat broke it was a Venezuelan that rescued me & his help enabled me to have a great success here in Margarita.
Venezuelans? I personally would live no where else.
November 5, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Autista, obnoxious Venezuelans? NOT!!!
I agree they are everywhere including Miami and they don’t help their cause. Venezuelans take the prize!
November 5, 2009 at 7:54 am
Just been looking at the photograph. Is that Chavez himself at the bottom centre of the the scene in a white T shirt and jeans looking towards his left?
Slightly reminiscent of Cubanos taking to the sea in tyre tubes.
November 4, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by moctavio: Law and order: What happens when you close the border http://bit.ly/1BJwPz #Venezuela…
November 4, 2009 at 4:23 pm
We have to agree that Venezuela is still a land of opportunities. Just think of the ROI of those ladders.
November 4, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Almost subreal… many countries in Latin America have regressed, while others seem to make some progress. A recent visitor in Caracas was truly disgusted about the typical Capitalenio: Very Self-centered with a heavy dosis of obnoxious self-infatuation. And the image of Venezuelans has not improved much overseas. Many, out of plain ignorance, see Venezuelans as arrogant individuals who must have endorsed Chavez in “seven” or eight elections and referendums. So much bravado from el Bravucon de Barrio. Impossible to assume that there is no one better in Venezuela than this “Costenio en Bruto.”
November 4, 2009 at 11:45 am
seems people there are going down literally and figuratively.
la gente esta bajando las escaleras…pero al infierno….
November 4, 2009 at 11:44 am
A few things about the pic. The left side of the pic is the way to Colombia; to the right is Venezuela of course. The people already in the ladders are going from Venezuela to Colombia. I don’t know if the news agencies mentioned it, but the ladders are set by Venezuelans who charge 1000 pesos (or 2 BsF) per person to use them.
When I was there (tuesday at 4:30 pm until they opened at almost 5:30pm Colombian time), the flow was mainly going from Venezuela to Colombia. There was literally a river of people going up those stairs, and about 10 cars and 2 buses waiting to get into Venezuela. The GNs made a big fuss about not letting anyone in or out through the aduana, but didn’t even bother to check the people going around it.
The silliest part is that, as you can see in the pic, there’s a 20-foot drop between the bridge and the ground. That’s only on the right side of the bridge (right side going from Colombia to Venezuela). On the left side, there’s just an 6-foot drop that a tall man can easily climb up or down without a ladder, but most people don’t bother to look any further so they don’t know about it.
November 4, 2009 at 11:31 am
Deanna,
Indeed. Between 9 and 10 November 1989 the Wall fell.
Unfortunately in Venezuela there is nothing like that in the horizon, specially as the wall is above all in our minds. Progress will come at a much slower pace: when most Venezuelans realise the country needs a real transformation based on real education and ethics.
November 4, 2009 at 10:33 am
I’m a Venezuelan still living and working here. It is very hard to see day to day how we lost the chance to be a better country and instead there are many other having the time of their lives stealing all our resources!
Someday there will be justice. I only wish to be alive when my country wakes up from this nightmare!
November 4, 2009 at 10:30 am
What I want to know is: are those people going over the wall from Venezuela to Colombia or vice-versa? Kepler, doesn’t it remind you of what happened in East Germany before the wall came tumbling down? Yes, this is sad and really unnecessary.
October 2, 2011 at 6:55 pm
if they close the border of Venezuela, the people who are illegally entering from where are they? they are colombian people, they going to venezuela.
October 2, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Many Colombians are working in Venezuela. It’s necessary for survival
November 4, 2009 at 9:37 am
Yeah, I was looking at the same picture. It is really priceless!
It is so sad: here the only sign you cross the border is a sign saying “Welcome to Germany” or “Welcome to Netherland” or “Welcome to France”.
We have the same language as our neighbours to the West, most the same religion, many of the same traditions…and we are still wasting so much energy in the tensions between the two countries, so many are thriving on
the underground, unproductive economy, in the weapons, in the drug trafficking.
The military of both countries, or rather, the police agents, should be cooperating to fight the drug dealers and guerrillas…instead they just “joden al pueblo”.