We arrive in Caracas tomorrow afternoon. The bridge that connects the airport to the city is crumbling and closed, but we've been reassured that there are WSF shuttle busses. A friend tells me Caracas is so short of beds for the tourists, that the government placed ads in the opposition newspapers saying people should offer their spare rooms for $15 a night. But response has been low, and my friend says the majority of what is available is with the government's own people.

I hope our own housing plans work out, because this correspondent has never felt very comfortable about tents. A friendly Venezuelan from the solidarity housing webpage of the WSF has agreed to collect us at the bus stop of the youth camp. We won't be staying at his house, but he's helped us broker a hotel. Some people were wise enough to book ten hotel rooms in advance of an event that is expected to attract 100,000 foreigners.