The first time I looked at a map of Caracas, I saw that it is near the coast and thought it would be easy to get to the beach. However, Caracas is separated from the coast by 6000+ foot peaks. Complicating matters, the Caracas airport actually is in the town of La Guaira sitting on the waterside of the mountains. To get to the airport or the beach, one must drive over the one major highway that goes down there and pass through three tunnels along the route. One of the tunnels is at least a mile long and the air inside is often clogged with noxious fumes. We like to try tricking visitors into holding their breath through the longest tunnel. So far my dad has come closest but he didn't quite make it.