Blogs from Baracoa, Este, Cuba, Central America Caribbean
cuenta me, com te va, yo por aqui, muy bien y tu por alla, que bola?!
Published: April 4th 2011Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Este » Baracoa
January 12th 2011
The roads in Cuba are, well, interesting. They're not the worst roads in the world, but they're deceptive. From a distance the highways look very good, but up close you realise that there is a good reason no that many people in Cuba drive on them. This all made the bus trip a little longer than it should have been, but we made it. Coming down into Santiago de Cuba was very nice. The bus descended into the valley through the palm trees, past the tropical vegetation and the run down houses. Santiago de Cuba is Cuba's second city, and maybe just a bit nicer than Havana. We stayed at another homestay, this time the house of Iliya. She was very nice, although she spoke Spanish very fast and completely dropped the 's' from her words ... read more
Black Hole Sun...Won't You Come...and Wash Away the Rain
Published: December 10th 2009Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Este » Baracoa
November 7th 2009
Odd how one song can make up the soundtrack of your life? Soundgarden just happened to be playing as I peered down from the plane window to see the blackest sand beaches desperately trying to flee dense jungle. The song seemed weirdly appropriate. My seatmate asked, "There is going to be a runway some time soon, right?" We were only about two feet off the turquoise ocean when we suddenly hit pavement. Hola Baracoa. ....or should I say Holy Baracoa? Hurricane Ida came in right behind us, unleashing her torrential rain for days. Angry ocean blasted over the measly malecon seawall, and the Baracoanians went about their lives without batting an eyelash...they'd seen this all before. Me, a diehard Vancouverite*, for the first time in my life, was caught without an umbrella. *Vancouverite: proper noun (Vancouverites) ... read more
February 21st 2009
Nach einem kurz Aufenthalt in Santiago de Cuba, in ich nun schon ganz am anderen Ende der Insel angekommen. Santiago ist eigentlich eine sehr schoen Stadt mit einer interessanten Geschicht. Mir war das ganze aber doch ein bisschen zu "agressiv" und ich bin froh nun in Baracoa zu sein. Hier gefaellt es mir sehr. Kleines Staedtchen mit Charme, schoene Straende ganz in der Naehe.....einfach ein paar Tage relaxen pur. Habe heute schon alles fuer den Strand bereit gemacht. Leider regnet es nun in Stroemen. Baracoa hat sonst nicht viel zu bieten. Da kann man sich die Zeit nur mit wenigen Sachen vertrieben. Internet habe ich jetzt dann schon hinter mir...als naechstes muss wohl der Rum daran glauben. Ich gruesse euch ganz herzlich ... read more
November 12th 2008
The day we left Santiago De Cuba it had started to rain. We were all very happy to leave as none of us liked the place. I can't tell you exactly why. Nothing bad happened. It was more about the feel of the place. It was just very dodgy. The drive to Baracoa, which is on the east coast, was quite a long one. We stopped in the town of Guantanamo for a break. (the town, not the detention centre). The road outside of Guantanamo is very secure - there was no stopping to take photos. I tried to capture 1 or 2 of one of the entrances to the detention centre as we drove by, but I don't think I got much. Apparently there have been other tour busses that have stopped to take photos ... read more
November 6th 2008
Ráno jsme se probudili a posnídali na střeše úzasnou snídani, kterou jsme si poručili večer předtím. Zeptali se nás tehdy, co bychom rádi, tak jsme si navymejšleli ledasco. A všechno tam bylo! Bya to paráda. Omeleta, čokoláda, ovocný poháry a hlavně - ten nejlepší pomerančovej dzus, kterej jsme kdy pili. Na Kubě mají několik desítek odrůd pomerančů, většina jich roste v bezprostředním okolí Baracoy, a tomu, co jsme měli ve dzbánech se prostě nic nevyrovnalo. Tahle snídaně přispěla spolu s minulým večerem k tomu, ze jsme svorně prohlásili Baracoa za nejlepší město na Kubě, mj. taky nejdál od Havany a od Fidela. Ve městě je hned od rána neskutečnej hic. Plouzili jsme se ulicema az k pevnosti Fuerte de la Punta, která hájí vjezd do zátoky, kde se roku 1492 vylodil Kryštof Kolumbus. Tuto událost připomíná ... read more
Disaster Zone #1, and a lovely quiet, friendly town
Published: October 2nd 2008Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Este » Baracoa
September 20th 2008
Baracoa, one of the most heavily hurricane hit places in Cuba. We werent even sure if we would be able to travel here. Not so much if the road would be open, but if there would be services for tourists, would we just be getting in the way, or putting money into a region that needs it? We´d heard varying reports ranging from ¨yeah fine no problems¨ through to ¨its a disaster zone, stay away¨. It turns out that while we werent the first tourists to go back to Baracoa, we werent far off, its still a disaster zone, some places dont have power and water still, but the centre of town is up and running again, and welcoming us with open arms (thinking of those tourist dollars of course!!!) Colin got a ride in another ... read more
Some pictures from after the hurricanes in Baracoa
Published: October 2nd 2008Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Este » Baracoa
September 20th 2008
These pictures were taken by a host of ours in Santiago, Dr Pedro A Lobaina Delfino. Please do not reproduce them without permission. He was in Baracoa shortly after the second hurricane, Ike, hit to help his mother and her neighbours.... read more
Santiago de Cuba...not a great first impression!
Published: July 5th 2008Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Este » Baracoa
July 5th 2008
So I just spent 2 days in Santiago de Cuba...didn't like it from the moment I arrived at 6:30 in the morning after a freezing 15 hour bus ride with the craziest soundtrack ever (courtesy of the very flirtacious bus driver). At least the music he played provided some comic relief...think BeeGees, Michael Jackson, weird electronic reggae, very sad boleros, and of course plenty of salsa. The upside of Santiago was the family i stayed with. They were wonderful and their casa was just beautiful. I ended up spending most of my time with them in their home...practicing my spanish and taking turns informally interviewing each other about our respective countries/cultures. I was sick (sore throat and cough) and just didn't feel like dealing with the very aggressive jineteros (gigilos and prostitutes) who were everywhere throughout ... read more
January 22nd 2008
Aventuras en el Oriente Part 2: Baracoa We arrived to Baracoa by a combination two of my favourite modes of transport in Cuba: camión(truck) and luck. The crazy evangelist Jorge took us to the truck station and busybodied us on to the right one, waving us goodbye with a cry of “que Dios les acompañe!” (may God be with u) and a gesture of praying hands toward the sky….! Another of his classic moments. The truck to Guantanamo, (yes, where the US nanal base is, tho its apparently so hidden away that the telescope tourist trap isn’t really worth it) was 5hrs of chilly early morning-squeezedinsoyourarsewillachetomorrow-dust-strewn-bumpiness. Like the legendary chicken buses in Honduras, it’s one of those exhausting and uncomfortable but also unforgettable travel experiences, when u r suddenly in such intimate proximity and comradeship with ... read more
July 6th 2007
After a 16 hours long overnight bus ride we arrived in Santiago de Cuba today. Of course it looks a lot different than Varadero and I am very glad about it. We are staying at a 'casa particular' which is just renting a room at a private home or apartment. It is a very common and cheap way here to find a good accomodation. Often they also offer breakfast and other food if you pay a little more. So we just have a small room and a bathroom and that's about it, but we don't need more anyway. We haven't seen much of the city yet because we just got here and we don't know either how long we will be staying here. Who knows... :-) This week they have a Caribbean Festival here with ... read more
