Who's heading to Venezuela for the Copa America this summer? What kind of U.S. fan presence can we expect there? I'll be going, as I have been meaning to get to South America for some time, and while Venezuela certainly is an intimidating place to visit, I think the adventure element and the fact that few tourists make it to Venezuela are one of the more appealing aspects of the trip. I also think it's going to be one hell of a tournament. Who else is in?
If I hadn't blown my wad on Germany, I would love to see Venezuela. Have fun y'all. Keep us updated on your adventures.
I'm hoping to be there, I'll definetly be in SA, the question is whether I can get north fast enough.
I'm back to sitting on the fence again. Could still happen, but am not as sure as I thought I was awhile back.
Some apparently define fact differently than reality. Even with Chavez getting wackier by the moment, Venezuela still gets droves of tourists. Yup, it's getting more dangerous yet it still has incredible sites to see (many which happen to be female). Hope to make it back to VEN if work permits.
Some apparently like to nitpick rather than respond to the gist of one's post. I read recently (I think on Lonely Planet's website) that Venezuela gets 20% of the tourists of Colombia, which itself is a relatively sparsely-visited country. Do thousands of people visit Venezuela? Yes. But it is relatively few compared to countries like Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina.
My wife and I are definitely considering making the trip. I'm anxiously awaiting the draw to get a better grip on dates and venue locations. We have a couple of friends we met in Germany that are also strongly considering a flight to Venezuela. We'll see.
My friend learned that he has been accepted to the Peace Corps and he will be serving Latin America. I told him he better pray its Venezuela!
Palermo - if you can´t make it, who´s gonna be talking shit to all the opposing keepers in their native tongue?
Exactly right. We didn't meet any American tourists in 3 days in Caracas, and very few other tourists at that. This was about 6 years ago before the crime explosion. Now, tourists are fleeing from Venezuela to Colombia for safety. But Venezuela is a huge, relatively untouristed, exotic place, with so many lovely things to see, great food and cheap beer. Prices are low. I haven't decided if I am going or not. Probably not. But I am going to take the wife and kids to South America this summer. Is anyone going to bring a big flag? I know my wife would read me the riot act if I tried to do that again. She let me do it in France in 2003, even though we had a 1 year old in tow and she was 7 months pregnant. But she knew how much it meant to me.
To the extent that it makes sense - i.e. if we have enough people - i'll be happy to shepherd around a big flag. Otherwise, i'll have the same flag that has always adorned my person in some fashion or another (oh sh!t, is that GaetjensGhost coming for me!?!). Here's to hoping the draw is kind tomorrow. Anyone have any info on what time it is and if there is any web coverage?
Rishi, I have been checking a bit on the CONMEBOL website and other places. I can't find out the time of the draw. Nobody really wants to drag a 15 pound US flag around a hostile foreign country while they are supposedly on vacation. A more improtant issue is whether we will have enough fans there to justify dragging it around. Maybe not. But the old faithful 3 X 5 should do in a pinch!
730pm local time (1130 GMT)... 630 Eastern I found draw information here.... http://www.miradordeportivo.com "According to the spokesmen, the drawing will begin at 19.30 o'clock local time (23.30 GMT), that will be transmitted by all the Venezuelan television to hundreds of countries of the world."
I will be living down in Argentina at the time and of course I have to fly up for the Argentina/US match.
We're in the group of death.. All set: Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, USA B: MEX, Brazil, Chile, Ecaudor A: VEN, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru
You need a work permit? (kidding). I'm 50/50 on this vs. the U-20WC. This is a much better tournament, and you'll get 10x the atmosphere, but the odds of getting jacked for having a rental car are considerably effing lower in Toronto than in Caracas. I haven't found a match schedule anywhere. And, yes, bucks & sehga will dress correct in full effect with all their hoes in check.
So the games, per Gersman, are: argies june 28; Colombia July 1; Paraguay July 4. June 28th is a Thursday, July 1st a Sunday and July 4 a Wednesday. Depending upon where the games are held, you could leave on Wednesday and come back the following Friday. I'm thinking the US- Colombia game will be at Maracaibo or San Cristobal, both on the Colombian border. Many flights from the US arrive at night and leave in the morning, so getting an 8am flight out of CCS the day after a game would only work if that game was in CCS. At that, no sleep 'till Brooklyn. FYI, R/T airfare on Delta is about $ 660 per person from NY to Caracas. The plane stops in Atlanta, so we can pick up some Southerners on our way down. There are also non-stops on American out of JFK from about $800.
the sked is thursday, june 28 argentina (maracaibo) monday, july 2 paraguay (barinas) thursday, july 5 columbia (barquisimeto)
FYI, Caracas to Maracaibo is 317 air miles, but supposedly 440 driving miles. (for reference, Miami to Jacksonville is 330 miles). So, it's a flight or a full day's drive. It looks like Maracaibo to Barinas is 170m and Barinas to Barquisimento is 120m or so, with Barquisimento back to Caracas being about 220miles.