Breaks which are not breaks, news which are not news

Peñeros on mainland across Margarita

I was looking forward a short break in Margarita, after a particularly stressful third trimester.  But of course, such things are impossible in Venezuela.  To begin with, travel troubles make sure that you make it to your destination only if you have an abundant supply of pain relievers in your travel kit: in short order I had a travel agency mistake, a change of schedule in airline that was unknown by the agency anyway, a waiting list that did not take names, normal delays, normal stampede to the plane as if the last people would not be able to board, etc, etc...  And then arriving in Margarita we had ID checks with fingerprinting as if we were arriving to the US!!!!  That is due, I was told, to the crime wave of Margarita which has for lone solution, it seems, stopping registered criminals from landing at Porlamar.  Yeah, right, as if peñeros did not exist....

So Monday I was hoping to start my 5 days of relax but no.  I had been waiting for weeks for diverse inspection agencies that are absolutely unable to schedule anything, forcing me to postpone, cancel, pay fines for cancelled trips, etc...  I decided to leave anyway, having received an ultimatum by my operator.  Well, they came all on Monday and I spend half of my day on the phone.  Part held from the beach, of course, but still, there is a certain je ne sais quoi about cell phones spoiling your beach naps.

Today, Tuesday I decided to start reading my Sunday papers.  And El Nacional brings you very helpfully the astrological signs of the Unidad primary candidates.

Leopoldo Lopez, Taurus
Maria Corina Machado, Libra
Henrique Capriles, Cancer
Pablo Perez, Leo
Pablo Medina, Cancer
Diego Arria, Libra

Thus you can decide whether it is better to have a Cancer opposing Chavez, or maybe a Leo since it is also Chavez sign......  ruling out Libra and Taurus I suppose.

So there, you can either decide to get your political information from El Nacional or wait for me to return from break for your political news....  As for me, I stopped right there, wrote this bitter note, and I am fixing to go to the beach.