December 2004 - 'Bomba', Cucuta (Colombia)
In Venezuela a full tank of gasoline costs about 1 dollar, in Colombia you pay about 25 dollars for the same tank of gas. However, Colombians that live near the border are not allowed to fill up in Venezuela. Most Colombians can't even get into Venezuela as they need a visa which is expensive and difficult to obtain.
Indian tribes in the border area do not have to respect the official border as they have a historical right to be in this territory, and this border never existed on their grounds. They are Chavez' biggest fans as he keeps gas prices extremely low on his side of the border. It enables them to buy big amounts of gasoline on one side of the border and sell them on the other side with a huge profit. Of course, official gas stations are out of the question. The selling is done on the side of the road, out of stacks of jerrycans filled with hundreds of gallons of gasoline.
Finally I understood why people here use the same word for 'gas station' as for 'bomb'.
Happy New Year!
Niels
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