Four hours. Four banks. Six cents. This was a typical day in Caracas, Venezuela, capital of the world’s most miserable economy. In most of the world, getting a little money out of the bank is an errand, something forgettable. In Venezuela, for millions of people, it is complicated, tedious and surreal, or just impossible. I moved here a year and a half ago to cover the country’s economic crisis as a freelance
journalist. I knew how bad things were, but I never imagined the constant daily struggle to achieve even the simplest of tasks. As Venezuela has sunk to new depths, prices have skyrocketed, and the currency, the bolivar, has become next to worthless. Supermarkets and banks have become scenes of confusion and chaos: Are they open? Do they have money or food? How much can I get? READ MORE
