While most Venezuelans struggle to buy food and make ends meet, a small group still manages to eat sushi and sip cocktails in exclusive discos and country clubs. The country may be stricken by poverty and political violence, but a rich minority acts like they are untouched by the crisis. Case in point: Caracas, one of the world's most violent cities, is the first in South America to open a branch of the trendy Buddha Bar international nightclub chain. In a country where basics such as flour and sugar are in short supply, Buddha Bar guests can order tuna steak, pork ribs or fish tacos - as long as they have dollars to pay.
"You can have as good a time here in Caracas as in New York, Dubai or Saint Petersburg," says one of its owners, Cristhian Estephan.
Eight pieces of salmon and shrimp sushi here cost 55,700 bolivars, or the equivalent of more than a quarter of the country's official monthly minimum wage. Scenes of flames, tear gas and water cannons in the streets have dominated foreign coverage of Venezuela during the recent months. While the mass protests against President Nicolas Maduro show that Venezuelans' anger at their hardship is boiling over, the well-off are still managing to have fun. Behind tightly guarded and fortified walls, posh bars and eateries are full. The Buddha Bar opened in 2015, when the economic crisis was already well underway.
One customer, Ahisquel, says she joins in the protests herself but still comes to the bar once a week with her husband, an oil executive. Like most customers interviewed, she declined to give her full name. "By day we throw stones and by night we come here," she says. "After the protests it is good to have a moment to relax - though we'll never relax until this government is gone."
Even rich Venezuelans are affected by the country's soaring inflation rate. But protected by their U.S. dollars, they are better off than most. For ordinary Venezuelans, "it's very difficult," says Ahisquel's husband. "In this country, if you are not paid in foreign currency, it is impossible to live." Many rich Venezuelans have left the country for Miami, Los Angeles or Madrid since Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez launched his socialist "revolution." New money talks in a country where Maduro is striving to continue Chavez's "revolution." Venezuela's economy logged strong growth before prices for its crucial oil exports started a downward spiral in mid-2014.
