First night in Caracas

I arrived in Caracas, Venezuela around 4 pm Venezuelan time today after flying out from Salt Lake City last night at 9 pm. I caught a cab outside the Caracas airport. My cabbie, Carlos, drove hastily through a nearby barrio en route to the highway. We passed through a tunnel with red spray paint spelling "Socialismo" several times. The already narrow streets were made more narrow by the volume of people crossing the streets, standing on corners, riding bikes and motorcycles between lanes to get around traffic. There were little stands where people were selling fresh guavas and bananas.
Next to the highway ramp there was a huge billboard with an image of Hugo Chavez with a message on it that I didn't decipher in time. Another billboard I saw out of the corner of my eye was a painting of Uncle Sam running from something that I couldn't quite see in time.
Several barrios were visible from the highway. The road wound through lush green hills, most capped with jenga-like, stacked, makeshift houses - the seemed endless in some areas. Other barrios were high-rises that looked like a giant cinder block with thousands of bar-covered windows for 30 floors. They were like really really really old-school - circa 1940-style projects.
It was about an hour of highway driving from the airport to my hotel (Hotel La Floresta) in Altamira - a nicer district of Caracas. It's really safe - the front door has a security guard and a door man. The front door has a gate that locks every time someone comes in or out. Beyond that there is a bank-style vault door so I feel pretty secure.
My room in close to the street so there's a lot of honking. Looking forward to it being morning so I can meet up with some of my contacts and start shooting photos. About the photos - I promise to have some tomorrow.