Cheap Motorcycles

I personally enjoy any conveyance with only two wheels. In simplistic form, Bicycles are favored. As a hobby, I restore then enjoy riding, selling previously neglected bicycles, if they are 'Of the right stuff' and were initially high quality. Efficient and highly maneuverable, they easily go where cars and trucks cannot travel. Absolutely Love Motorcycles, especially the well made models, Due to early exposure as a teenager, unique modern technology Triumphs even attract my attention. I Bought (with my own hard earned money), rode, sold, raced, various classes of motorcycles most of my life.

Adored by the proletariat masses, Hugo Chavez, using National Socialism as his personal tool to Power, ensured that All of his supporters would have the resources and many be able to buy cheap Chinese motorcycles (among other 'things'... using Sandinista 'Bolivian Communist' style... Nationalized funds).

 A nation in deep debt, with it's VEB currency suffering from massive inflation, 01 January 2008, Hugo Chavez 'adjusted' the savings of thrifty Venezuelans, those who actually had savings, in order to redistribute wealth to the masses. On that fateful day, Hugo's Venezuelan Bolivar 'Fuentes' officially exchanged at 1 VEF to 1,000 VEB. Overnight the (imagined) saved wealth of conservative minded individuals disappeared during the 'Reset' to 1.  http://coinmill.com/USD_VEB.html  Venezuelan Debt holding internationals, those that were asleep as Hugo's National Socialism came to power, lost...... fast.


'Motorizados' (those who figuratively earn their living..'Taxis, Curriers, Delivery' on a motorcycle) popped up everywhere, millions of Motorizados. All grateful Chavistas... militant Leftist Chavistas. Blocking highways to gridlock beneath overpasses during rainfall is common in urban areas such as Caracas, the capitol. Images of Motorizados

There are now millions of Chinese Motorcycles in Venezuela.... mostly unregistered. Building Motorizado rain shelters along the major highways, for use during torrential rainfall, is now another govt option to placate and benefit the urban Motorizados. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/31/us-venezuela-bikers-idUSBRE99U0EV20131031

Now that the tires and parts (rampant inflation.. officially 6.3+ VEF to the US $... unofficially at least 7 times that (Sep 2013) and exponentially inflating daily  http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/venezuelan-flights-book-months-in-advance-because-of-cash-scheme-173617945.html   )  cost more than the motorcycles did originally. Violence,.... for tires, parts...and 'acquired' motorcycles... is the daily (nightly?) norm. There are many areas that touristas are never safe. Even commuters ride in gangs for protection.

Of course along with the 'Cheapest Gasoline in the world' Venezuela also has one of the most prolific and complex (Nationally Socialized) govts money can buy. Layers of Govt, all layers of bureaucracy requiring 'time'. lots of Time to navigate for generation of  'fees', taxes and documentation. http://www.motorcyclememoir.com/blacks/venezuela-cheapest-gas-in-the-world

What to do now? Hand picked Hugo #2 is perplexed. 'Chavistas' are a massive and politically powerful force of extremely radical, highly emotional Leftists to deal with. Now they are addicted to govt dependency, he can't deny them their 'Hugo' toys. They will attack any politician that tries to take away their 'right' to ride a Chinese motorcycle (Government Controlled, dependency addicted Venezuela has difficulty in economically manufacturing much of anything of quality). http://www.motogaga.com/Bera-Socialista-BR-200-p135.html 
Let alone, manufacturing for export.

Canada warns it's Venezuela bound tourists to stay at least 80 kilometers from the Colombian border, due to kidnappings. International fact, easy to force whatever comes to mind, when in mob mentality gangs. Motorizados and many others now, form into gangs for their own protection, to keep their tires and motorcycles... and also to 'Acquire' others.

Costa Rica has McDonald's. Venezuela, as other authoritarian controlled Central American country's, offers local vender food choices (Natural, Green and Organic ;>). 100% tax on imports into C.R. whereas 20% (avg) on imports into Venezuela (care in not angering Chavistas that enjoy Chinese motorcycles). Redistributive Fees, taxes, restrictions and regulations, are major govt money sources in both countries. Tax avoiding fraudulent sales vouchers are also common to both.

Costa Rica, a long time established tourist and ex-Pat refuge, especially for 'Sandinista communist fleeing' wealthy Venezuelans, including Bolivians etc, is now exorbitantly expensive in comparison. Venezuela's economy, driven into the dirt by wealth redistributing, violent Leftists, is now extremely cheap to live in by comparison. Sought after US dollars and other top world currencies being the key. Using the US dollars to advantage on the black market is paramount to success.... and profit. Caution, lawlessness and fraud are profitable... and dangerous.

50%  inflation of the Venezuelan Bolivar 'Fuentes during this past year alone... more to come, as the Liberal Leftist economic 'system' takes full effect. A US $3,000 used motorcycle becomes a $6,000 motorcycle in Costa Rica. By the time it 'mysteriously' works it's way into Venezuela, it takes an advanced math student to figure the US dollar value at market....daily. Note: Two distinct systems of monetary exchange exist. One the 'Official' rate, the other the local or market rate on the street (Illegal but commonly used) Travel through Venezuela can be expensive or cheap, your choice  http://wikitravel.org/en/Caracas  Far easier for certain elements to 'whack' the naive, unaware solitary rider and take Possession.

 Venezuela, as is fact in other South American countries, is disorganized in bureaucratic govt enforcement, therefor slightly easier to circumvent and 'beat the system' than modern westernized Costa Rica. Government Police officer in Leftist Venezuela earns equiv of US $5 a day. Bribes, offered as 'Police Assistance Fund', are sometimes effective.... 'After' diplomacy and attentively listening to the officer's long lecture.... but only when officer is alone. A $5 bribe, kept separate from your far more attractive 'wad', is a welcome day's pay.

Radio communication between Venezuelan officers is very rare. Taking advantage of that govt weakness, is often one recourse to avoid a ticket. Your Driver's License is confiscated when you finally 'accept' a ticket. A trip to the local police station, paying whatever the fine, is the only way to get it back (unless you are politically 'connected' of course). Best is to drive on the temporary yellow Multa for 30 days, letting that Multa get confiscated on next offense, replaced by the next temporary Multa, followed by a third, then get a cheap replacement DL... after your return to the 'States'.

Nicaragua has it's own problems, as described by this very attractive 'solo' female rider. http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/wander-tales/not-so-easy-riding-through-central-america/

Oh yes, almost forgot, in a country that strictly 'Controls' guns in the hands of the lowly seething masses of the Proletariat, the gangs have guns, lots of guns. Police and Military 'guns' (Hmmm... they are illegal, now where did they get those?) Learned from dependency addicted, urban core Chicago USA perchance?

Did I tell you I personally love motorcycles? Especially those that are paid for.... with other people's money. ...I can hardly wait...

Of course being an avowed Capitalist Pig motorcycle rider, including with time to burn, I would rather ride a used bike I bought sweet, off Craig's List in the USA. Ride to the coast, sign into the pool, hire on and load the 'ride' aboard a 'tramper' http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/archive/index.php?t-22392.html into Venezuela for excitement. After Pay out, and clandestine offload, I would quietly roll 'up the road'..... well after 24:00.

 If caught by the authorities at those wee hours, paying the taxes, fees, registrations, bribes... etc (note: being willingly led into Leftist poverty, they seldom actually ..'Buy'.. an outrageously expensive motorcycle in Venezuela). If it did not sell for a fantastic profit at the inflated street exchange rate, making me temporarily feel wealthy, I would roll on the throttle north, eventually into Costa Rica (if I still had a bike when I got there:>), adding on more fees, where it would Theoretically sell at twice the price. Helping to cover expenses :>) Ahh..  South America, so beautiful, so exciting, Fairness and Equality driven, Green 'sustainable'... Utopia.

Cheap Watches

Cheap watches:

 If you were in the market for a watch in 1880, would you know where to get one?

You would go to a store, right? Well, of course you could do that, but if you wanted one that was cheaper and a bit better than most of the store watches, you went to the train station!

Sound a bit funny? Well, for about 500 towns across the northern United States, that's where the best watches were found.

 Why were the best watches found at the train station? The railroad company wasn't selling the watches, not at all. The telegraph operator was.

Most of the time the telegraph operator was located in the railroad station, because the telegraph lines followed the railroad tracks from town to town. It was usually the shortest distance and the right-of-ways had already been secured for the rail line.

Most of the station agents were also skilled telegraph operators and that was the primary way that they communicated with the railroad. They would know when trains left the previous station and when they were due at their next station. 

It was the telegraph operator who had the watches. As a matter of fact they sold more watches than almost all the stores combined... for a period of about 9 years.

This was all arranged by "Richard", who was a telegraph operator himself. He was on duty in the North Redwood, Minnesota train station one day, when a load of watches arrived from the East. It was a huge crate of pocket watches. No one ever came to claim them.

So Richard sent a telegram to the manufacturer and asked them what they wanted to do with the watches. The manufacturer didn't want to pay the freight back, so they wired Richard to see if he could sell them. So Richard did.

 He sent a wire to every agent in the system, asking them if they wanted a cheap, but good, pocket watch. He sold the entire case in less than two days and at a handsome profit.

That started it all. He ordered more watches from the watch company and encouraged the telegraph operators to set up a display case in their stations, offering high quality watches for a cheap price to all the travelers. 

It worked! It didn't take long for the word to spread and, before long, people other than travelers came to the train station to buy watches.

Richard became so busy that he had to hire a professional watch maker to help him with the orders. That was Alvah. And the rest is history as they say.

The business took off and soon expanded to many other lines of dry goods.

Richard and Alvah left the train station and moved their company to Chicago -- and it's still there.

YES, IT'S A LITTLE KNOWN FACT that for a while in the 1880's, the biggest watch retailer in the country, was at the train station. It all started with a telegraph operator: Richard Sears and his partner Alvah Roebuck!

Bet You Didn't Know Dat!!!