Colonia Tovar. All’s I can say is I’m glad I got there (to Colonia Tovar) years ago when I did. They’ve opened the floodgates and it no longer really exists. Here’s another “customer service” example. The road out to Colonia is 50 km from La Yaquara (11 to Junquito, 39 from there). The round trip should take 1-1/2 hours, it takes up to 6.
You start off well enough, but the traffic slows to a craw. You’re going to be hours late. It’s sweltering hot, and you care not use the air conditioner or you may run out of gas. Cars not in perfect condition are stalling & boiling over everywhere. Magically, customer service people appear. They are smiling, happy locals. Ice cold drinks & treats, they have anti-freeze if you boil over, they’ll even push your car to a mechanic if it stalls. They have flowers for your wife and stuffed toys for your kids who are waiting for you at home.
Fruit, vegetables, newspapers, and candy, all available at your car window. It takes a minute, they’ll signal ahead to their buddy and it will be ready for you when your car moves a block. No stereo? They’ll walk beside your car with a ghetto blaster and play your favorite tunes. Even little kids are trained to walk between the cars cleaning windshields and selling ice cream.
I know certain people who would be overwhelmed by all this customer service—they’d try to import it back home [to North America]. These same people could never figure out the traffic jam is being caused in the first place by all this smiling, happy, customer service.
