On a chilly Friday night in mid-June, Samuel boarded a chartered bus for a 14-hour journey along Venezuela's winding, decrepit highways. The bus had no air conditioning, no reclining seats, no space for bags or coolers, and no curtains to block the morning sun. At night, armed gangs and corrupt cops (there isn't much difference) patrolled the roads.
But the risk and discomfort seemed worth it for Samuel, his wife Julia, and their 8-year-old daughter, who shared his seat. The bus was part of a 20-vehicle caravan, packed with rowdy soccer fans dressed head to toe in team colors. They were headed to Caracas to cheer on Deportivo Táchira in the national soccer league final against Universidad Central de Venezuela.
Samuel, 33, is a bank clerk earning about $150 a month—barely enough to survive. He lives in Lobatera, a town in the state of Táchira, nestled in the Venezuelan Andes. About a quarter of Venezuela's population has left the country over the last decade, but in Táchira, it's even worse: more than 40 percent of the local population has fled. San Cristóbal, the capital and largest city, now feels like a ghost town.
