Stabbed in Caracas

I was sitting with the group of people to the right sometime during November 2000..... most of them cruisers complaining that it really wasn't very safe in Porlamar (Margarita Island Venezuela).  I really hated carrying pepper spray and a knife to get around town, and hoisting the dingy our of the water every night to keep it from getting stolen.

Well the fellow with the arrow pointed at him was a "local" and he said we cruisers didn't know shit about violence. He proceeded to tell us his story.

"I was walking down a street in Caracas where I was living when I spotted two men beating a woman very badly. I recognized the woman as a prostitute but they were hurting her badly so I punched them and pulled them off her. The two guys took off.... She told me they were gay and to get out of there pronto because they would kill me. I wasn't  afraid  and offered to help her up. When I turned around they had come back with eleven more guys.... They stabbed me four times with knives!!!" He then showed me the stab wounds. " Then after they were done the shot me twice with a gun. Here look where the bullets went in here and out there". He showed me the wounds and the scars. " They thought I was dead and left me... I was in the hospital for two months". He gave me a big smile. "So you guys should stop whining .... nobody is allowed to hurt the tourists"

Well the 30 cent ice cold beers were good and the shade from the palm trees provided  excellent  protection from the tropical sun. Tall tales had never been better.....