Blogs from La Habana, Oeste, Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 33

Thurs, June 30th Arrived 4hrs early @O’Hare STILL a traffic AND people jam! I'll never reveal what I paid for this cab to the airport. Nevertheless, time to walk NOT RUN to gate for boarding @6:24pm. Even had time to gain ‘cool points’ for wearing this cap I was able to purchase in the Loop. On plane @O'Hare-Poor kid seated behind my row never did stop fidgeting & crying......actually guessed this by passengers facial expressions beside me....... ....You know....BOSE® noise canceling headsets are worth pure gold!!....never in-the-air without em’! Thinking on my research at 30,000 feet, what I may be able to accomplish, what new videography I will have privilege to shoot.....what new source/contacts I’ll meet.......MOSTLY, where I’ll stay, as these individuals (outside of being friends of certain Cuban e-mail acquaintance/friends) are total strangers who ... read more

Back in April we went on a two week tour of Cuba organised by The Adventure Company. At the end of our holiday we should of had two days in Baracoa, allowing us time to relax and go for walks. On the morning of our transfer from Santiago de Cuba to Baracoa we are informed that the hotel in Baracoa has been overbooked and we will have to go elsewhere for that night then transfer to Baracoa the next day. Why had it been left so late to inform us of this? The place we are taken to is Cayo Saetia, this used to be a wild animal park where people used to come and shoot the animals. Unfortunately there had been too much shooting and not enough animal husbandry which left it a rather sad ... read more

I thought that the mango juice I had in Peru was great, but had some pretty good freshly squeezed juice for breakfast. Again, excellent coffee. After breakfast walked from the casa along a long street from Vedado through Central Havana and China Town to the Capitolio. Only saw one Chinese looking person in and only a little bit of Chinese looking writing in China Town, but have to admit only stuck to the main road, so maybe there would be more elsewhere. Along the road the buildings were pretty run down, and the narrow footpath was pretty broken up. Heaps of people on the street just sitting around, others waiting at food shops or for buses or for who knows what. Get to the Capitolio, sweating so wipe my face with a tissue, bits of dirt ... read more

Decided to take an early morning walk around old Havana. Basically walked down one street from my hotel to old Havana. Lots of people on way to work, walking or waiting for crowded buses. People waiting outside workplaces. In old Havana people walking on the streets because the footpaths too narrow or too broken up. One armed man sold me yesterday´s copy of Granma. People pushing trolleys with their stalls to tourist art market or to the old bookstalls at the Plaza de Armas. Walked back to hotel in time to check out. 10 minute taxi ride to the Casa Particular (a bit like an English B&B) in Vedado. The casa was on the 3 floor of a 3 floor apartment building. Double bed, ensuite bathroom, mini bar! better than the hotel room, and about a ... read more

Well arrived in Cuba after uneventful flight, no problems with customs or immigration person spoke English better than I could speak Spanish, or the health check desk, I just said that I did not speak Spanish and they let me pass. First thing I noticed stepping out of the airport was the humidity. Start sweating almost immediately. Taxi from the airport to central Havana 25CUC, about half an hour. The area between the airport and hotel was mostly countryside. When we got to the city was quite surprised as there was no transition from rural to suburban to city areas, but perhaps that was just the route from the airport ot the hotel. Saw signs in support of the revolution, and some celebrating Cuba's sporting success, but not much else. Hotel Inglaterra. Think it was built ... read more