Business Hours - Most businesses open between 8am and 9am, and close between 5 and 6pm. Many businesses and stores close down for an hour or more for a lunch break between noon and 2:30 pm. On Saturday, most shops are open and most businesses are closed. On Sunday, only shops in malls and major shopping districts are open. Most banks are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, however, banks and exchange houses in some of the major malls are open during shopping hours, which often includes the early evenings and weekends.

Doctors & Dentists - Medical and dental care is generally of acceptable quality to high in Venezuela. If you need care while in the country, contact your embassy, ask at your hotel, or look in the Daily Journal.

Drug Laws - Venezuelan drug laws are strict, and punishment, especially for foreigners, is severe. Do not try to smuggle drugs out of Venezuela.

Electricity - Electric current is 110 volts AC (60 cycles). US-style flat-prong plugs are used. However, three-prong grounded outlets are not universally available. It's helpful to bring a three-to-two prong adapter.

Embassies & Consulates - In Caracas: Australia, Avenida Luis Roche between the 6th and 7th Transversal, Altamira (tel. 0212/261-0658), Canada, Avenidas Francisco de Miranda and Sur, Altamira (tel. 0212/264-0833 ; www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/caracas), New Zealand, KPMG Tower, 7th floor, Av Francisco de Miranda, Chacao (tel. 0212/277-7965), United Kingdom, Torre La Castellana, Avenida Principal La Castellana, Piso 11 (tel. 0212/263-8411; fax 0212/267-1275; www.britain.org.ve), and the United States, and Suapure calles F, Colinas de Valle Arriba (tel. 0212/975- 6411, fax 0212/975-8991; http://embajadausa.org.ve).

Emergencies - Venezuela has an integrated emergency network (police, fire, ambulance). To reach it, dial tel. 171st You can dial 171 from any pay phone, without using a calling card. Do not expect the operator to speak English.

Internet Access - There are Internet cafes all over Venezuela, particularly in tourist destinations. Rates run 2 Bs to 6Bs ($1-$3) per hour.

Language - Spanish is the official language of Venezuela. Although most hotels and tourist destinations have staff and guides with at least some command of English, it is not widely spoken amongst the general population.

Liquor Laws - The official drinking age is 18 in Venezuela, although it is rarely enforced.

Police - Venezuela has a host of overlapping police departments but no specific tourist police. Depending on the circumstances, you may encounter metropolitan police (Metropolitan Police), municipal police (policía municipal), investigative police (policía técnica judicial), the National Guard (Guardia Nacional), or transit police (policía de tránsito). Their uniforms and specific responsibilities vary. Indifference and corruption are widespread. Venezuela has an integrated emergency network (police, fire, ambulance). To reach it, just dial tel. 171st However, do not expect the operator to speak English.

Post Offices / Mail - Ipostel is the national mail service. It is considered neither swift nor secure for international correspondence. Generally, a letter or postcard takes 10 to 20 days to reach most parts of the United States and Europe. There are branch post offices in most cities and tourist destinations, and some malls even have Ipostel offices. Still, your hotel is usually your best bet for buying stamps and mailing a letter. Feel free to mail home postcards and letters, but avoid using Ipostel for anything of value or importance.

In the event that you need to mail anything of value or personal import, call any of the following international courier services: DHL (tel. 0800/225-5345 or 0212/205-6000; www.dhl.com), FedEx (tel. . 0800/463-3399 or 0212/205-3333; www.fedex.com) or UPS (tel. 0212/204-1353; www.ups.com).

Restrooms - There are few readily available public toilets in Venezuela. Your best bet is a restaurant, hotel, or service station. Some of these establishments (particularly service stations and roadside restaurants) will actually charge you a small fee for the use of the facilities. It's always a good idea to carry a small amount of toilet paper with you, especially on the road, as the facilities at many service stations - and at lower-end restaurants and hotels - might not have any.

Safety - Venezuela has developed quite a reputation for its violence and crime, much of it deserved. Caraqueños talk about muggings, car thefts, and burglaries and candidness with amazing regularity. The greatest danger to travelers is theft. If you use common sense and standard precautions, you should have no problems. Keep a tab on your belongings, use hotel safes whenever possible, and do not carry large sums of money with you or wear obviously expensive jewelry or clothing. Stick to the well-worn tourist parts of Caracas and other major cities. Ranchitos and avoid the poorer barrios. Take reputable taxis whenever possible and definitely avoid strolling around cities at night. If you have a rental car, always leave it in guarded parking and never leave anything of value inside.

Taxes - There is a 15% sales tax on all purchases, including both goods and services. There is an airport departure tax of 76000Bs ($ 35).

Telephone & Fax - There are public phones all around most major cities and tourist destinations. You'll even find public phones in places as remote as Canaima and Los Roques. Most work with magnetic-strip calling cards that are readily available in stores all over the country. Look for signs or stickers advertising CANTV calling cards. A local call costs 50Bs to 100Bs (2 ¢ -4 ¢) per minute. Calls to cell phones or between mobile phone companies can be much more expensive. Your hotel is usually your best bet for sending and receiving faxes.

Time Zone - Venezuela is 4.5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and does observe daylight savings time.

Tipping - Some restaurants automatically add a 10% service charge. If you feel the service was particularly good, you should leave an additional 5% to 10%. If they do not add the service charge, tip as you would at home. Similarly, tip the hotel staff as you would at home. Since most taxi drivers do not use meters and overcharging are almost always foreigners, it is not customary to tip them. If you feel you are getting an extremely good deal, or beyond-the-call-of-duty treatment, by all means, tip your driver.

Water - Although the water is considered safe to drink in most urban areas, I recommend that visitors stick to bottled water to be on the safe side. Ask for agua mineral sin gas (noncarbonated mineral water).