Blogs from La Habana, Oeste, Cuba, Central America Caribbean

After a long few months struggling to find a real job while working possibly the worst job in London as a charity fundraiser in a call centre, I finally struck gold when I was accepted for a job as a travel consultant. When I heard the words "congratulations you got the job" I was jumping for joy. I found out on my break during what would be my last shift at the call centre. At that moment I wanted to pull a Jerry Maguire and throw papers in the air, yank out my headset announcing "I quit". Wisely, I decided to finish my shift and leave gracefully. Although I was ready to begin work immediately, I was told that I would have to wait six weeks until my training would begin. I had already decided I ... read more

I went to Museo de Bellas Artes, Cuba's premier art gallery. In terms of museum content, it could be my favourite art gallery I've ever been to. I loved 90% of the paintings and sculptures which were mostly from the art deco period. My favourite painter is an art-deco artist called Tamara De Lempika, and all of the pictures displayed contained elements of her work with a Latin twist. The paintings were a mix of Cubism, art-deco, neoclassical mixed in with African abstract forms. I had never known Cuba has such a large art culture and anyone thinking art and culture are suppressed in authoritarian states would be surprised to see such a collection. In Cuba, each town has a Casa de Cultura, art centre and most of the galleries are totally free. However, although there ... read more

Day 469 Tuesday 22nd January Today we started our journey back across this island to the town of Varadero and then eventually Havana for our onward flight to Panama. The bus wasn’t leaving Baracoa till 2 in the afternoon so this gave us time to walk the town once more and to check our email. After wasting an hour on a slow internet line in the Etecsa office we had one final look over Baracoa and felt glad we are moving on. We sat on the front porch of our casa reading till our cycle rickshaw guys turned up around 12.45 to take us down to the bus terminal. The guys were really nice blokes and I asked about how they fared with hurricane Sandy last year and he told us that ... read more

Getting up at 7am was pretty difficult again but the class went by reasonably fast. I was starving by the break and tried to find the school canteen. Something I was doubtful even existed. When it comes to food, I've learnt to have low expectations. However, there was a canteen that sold some form of corn snacks which tided me over! The canteen and common room wasn't pretty but better than nothing! And on the wall as you entered was a condom machine so everyone could see you buying condoms while having their lunch! After class, the Hungarian girl, Esther and the other girls and I went for lunch in a little place called Colina. Esther is nearly 40 but looks half her age thanks to her raw food diet. She literally only eats salad and ... read more

We have been back home for a few days, celebrating Christmas, and on December 28th we took a long and turbulent flight to Havana. Most of time Zoe was scared during the flight. We arrived in Havana airport, it took Gyanendra for some time to get in. It seems they have never seen a Nepalese tourist before. We spent one day in Havana, walking around the atmospheric streets for hours. It is the first non-european city we see which is not extremely chaotic and nice to stroll around (and easy to find your way!). There are also no "no-go" neighborhoods and we didn't feel unsafe for a second (not only in Havana but in the whole country). The next day we shared a taxi with two other tourists (because the busses were fully booked) to Trinidad, ... read more

There are so many wonderful things to share with you about Cuba. The revolutions, life in everyday Cuba and the reminders of the Soviet Union all make up what is the Cuba of today. This island nation of some 11 million people has taken a unique path to arrive where there are today, yet they still hold many traditions that make them very special and unlike any other nation. Retracing the path of Hemmingway When you come to Havana you will find many photos of Ernest Hemmingway hanging in bars, restaurants and hotels. He is famous for his love of this city and this country. He spent many years living in Havana, enjoying the good life, the music, the people, drinking and he even found a bit of time to do some writing. ... read more

What’s new in Havana? Not much actually. Imagine taking a trip back in time….where the time on a clock actually is not a major factor, but living life to its fullest takes on an importance all its own. You look at the buildings and the vehicles on the streets and come to the conclusion that time has almost stood still…and for the most part it has. Welcome to Havana, Cuba. When you get off the plane in Havana you look at the clock and it says 1960, time seems unimportant. A bit of history In the late 1950’s, Fidel Castro and his band of socialists took control of this island in the Caribbean supposedly in an effort to thwart the Batista regime, which was in the throes of major corruption. Havana was being infiltrated by the ... read more