Greetings from the world´s most affordable Internet cafe. It´s so affordable, I´m surrounded by rows of small children and the one overweight guy in Caracas playing first-person-shooter games online, some against one other in the same room.

That´s to say, I´m right at home.

This seven/eight-year-old kid just yelled out "por que me mataste!" to his buddy across the way.

Meanwhile, I just moved into a studio apartment today. (Gulp) I´m still holding my breath, but I think this´ll work out just fine, knock on wood.

I´ll be living in pretty much the safest spot you can find - the "Beverly Hills" of Caracas, and I put those quotes in bold for a reason. It´s a serious hike up into the foothills of the steep avila mountain that city presses against.

The lonely existence of these months is starting to sink in. It´s strange - I feel so disconnected, and yet plugged in at the same time. I just ran a "Dickie Cronkite"/"Venezuela" Google search and a couple of my bylines got great play around the country, the catch being that I´m not there.

...But honestly, what would I be doing if I were home? Not much, probably. Let´s be honest: I´m gonna return home and start reminiscing about Venezuela, like it was some sort of romantic adventure - I just know it. I always do that crap. Why do I always do that crap? ...Seriously - why?

Alright, I know, you want more juicy details on Venezuela coming apart at the fucking seams - enough of this Dickie navel-gazing crap.

OK, fine. Yesterday I covered a big afternoon opposition rally, by no coincidence at the base of the same relatively affluent Palos Grandes foothills where I´m staying. I´d put the number at 2000 people, and boy do they not like Chavez. You think the U.S. is polarized, divided? Come down here, seriously. This place is ready to pop. I mean boy, were those folks pissed!

I partially understand their concern - with the whole Chavez/Castro connection. That can´t be fun or encouraging, as a citizen of Venezuela. Chavez assures that he´s not gonna take the country that far, but you get the sense if given a little slack he´d be making a lot more changes...but the 2002 attempted coup has kept him relatively in check.

There´s an interesting TV/radio "social responsibility" law that can be very broadly interpreted, and a lot of the privately owned stations complain they have to censor their political contect to stay within the boundaries. Thus far, no one´s been fined, and honestly there´s like five major private stations that are all blatantly anti-chavista. So while I hear the protesters cry libertad! at this rally...I can´t exactly say that I see their opinions being stifled.

The first woman I interviewed claimed to be there "just wanting to hear what they say; if they have any new ideas." She believes that in Chavez´s eight years in power, for all his rhetoric he's gotten jack shit done.

To see her point, buy a plane ticket to Caracas. It´s really hard to argue. I mean, I know change is slow and all, but still. Jesus.

But Chavez is still the champion of Venezuela´s shamefully huge underclass, ostensibly at least. All the veteran non-Venezolano reporters I talk to say things have actually gotten worse for the poor in the last five years. But try telling that to someone who lives in the barrios. Chavez goes out on a limb and says things no president had the balls to say before - it´s sort of like if Howard Dean were to have been elected...except put Howard Dean in fatigues and a red beret, plus give him a fake bake and give him his own six-hour TV show. Chavez still gives these people hope - he keeps them interested and involved in the political process.

...Alright, this Internet cafe is affordable, but it´s not all-night-long affordable. Folks, it´s been a pleasure speaking in English again. Hasta la proxima.