Ok...I am back. I found a much better computer at yet another of Habana's finest hotels. So yesterday I wandered my way through the narrow, cobblestoned streets of Habana Vieja. This is an amazing city with so mucy history and personality. It is hot and humid, but always with that cool ocean breeze. It can be very pleasant actually while sitting in one of the city's many plazas under the huge, very old shade trees. The plazas are full of children playing, old people lounging, lovers smooching, workers resting, musicians playing their instruments for the tourists, vendors selling ice cream, fresh [View Full Entry]

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Ultra Inclusive and Infinite in Varadero Wed 21/05/08 The bus from Havana to Varadero, Cuba's most popular tourist resort, costs 10CUC and takes around two hours. I leave at 2pm, full of positive vibes. There are, as usual, a few variables that could place a potential spanner in the works and put a frown on my happy, happy face. Firstly, I'm not 100% sure in which hotel my friends are staying. I'm almost certain it's the Paradisus Varadero, a five star, ultra-inclusive hotel with two pools, eight restaurants and a sports centre, but I haven't actually gone as far as checking [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in Habana yesterday! I am now sitting in one of the nicest and oldest/restored hotels in the city...Hotel Sevilla. Behind me is the grand lobby. Next to that is the outdoor patio full of palms , mojito cocktails, and a live son band...very tranquilizing. I think I will join them on the patio once I am done with my internet session. I took a wanderer's tour through Habana Vieja today...so much to record about my observations! I am most fascinated with the Habaneros themselves (residents of Habana)...especially the children and elderly. The best words to use for Habaneros are: [View Full Entry]

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This intrepid traveller is back on the road and the latest destination was...Cuba! I have to admit I went knowing practically nothing about Cuba except that it is in the Caribbean and the USA doesn´t much like it. Well you can say that again! I wanted to go for the "culture" something of which the Lonely Planet speaks highly of. I have come to realise that when the Lonely Planet bigs up a place for the "culture" that means there´s nothing there. La Habana is, or was, a very beautiful city. The buildings are amazing, but it has the feeling of [View Full Entry]

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Our Magic Man in Havana Mon 19/05 - Wed 21/05/08 I leave the Chicago hostel in Quito at 4.45am, sharing a cab to the airport with an American woman. I pay the disgracefully high departure tax ($40 - pure financial rape. Any country that employs these taxes should be picketed and imposed with sanctions. Seriously, if everyone refused to pay, what would they do? The airports would be thrown into chaos and immigration would have a nightmare. They'd be forced to throw out this fascist practice and show some fucking humility. I mean, if you went round to a friends house, [View Full Entry]

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What do you think of when you think of Cuba? Cigars, Castro, mojitos, the Caribbean, architectural faded grandeur, old American cars, live music? That would probably have been my summing up before we arrived there, and we now have a few more impressions (both good and bad...) to add into the mix. First up, it was amazing to meet up with Chris and Caz (and we're hoping we didn´t totally kill the romance of their first week of married life!). Having seen lots of photos of the wedding bash we're now even more gutted we missed it, but a week of [View Full Entry]

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hi ihr lieben, wir haben es also nach cuba geschafft! Viñales nachdem wir unser auto voruebergehend in besitz genommen haben, sind wir ins land des gruenen goldes nach viñales aufgebrochen. wiedermal etwas spaet und die sonne nicht mehr in sicht bezogen wir unsere casa particulares in der villa silvia. bei einem eiskalten mojito konnten wir auf der verand etwas abkuehlen und entspannen. um unser abendessen besser zu beschreiben, hier ein zitat aus unserem reisefuehrer: bei einem kreolisches essen haengt das fleisch bis ueber den tellerrand hinaus und die nachspeise ist suess bis zur schmerzgrenze! es gab spanferkerl mit reis und bohnen, [View Full Entry]

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En met stipt op 1 in de top 10 'Wat wil je niet horen als je op het punt staat in te checken voor je vlucht naar Cuba': ''Uw vliegtuig is zojuist uit elkaar gevallen''. Toch was dit letterlijk de bizarre zin die voorafging aan onze dito reis van ruim drie weken door Cuba. En goed, we hadden dan wel zo'n 13 uur vertraging, maar wat zijn een paar uurtjes als je al acht jaar lang wacht om je droomland te bezoeken. We hebben eindeloos veel verhalen te vertellen, maar daar heb ik nu geen tijd/zin voor, dus die komen terzijnertijd [View Full Entry]

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Havana is a complete contradiction to what we in Canada or the rest of the world is use to. Havana has some amazing architecture which has not been touched since the day it was constructed. The culture comes oozing out of every crevice and coble stone of old Havana. Here is a breakdown of my week in the 50"s . Day 1. Our ( For further reference we refers to myself and my lady friend Amber) flight from to Varadero was at 6:20 am Sunday morning . So me being the responsible person I am I went to at 8:00pm , [View Full Entry]

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Das Beste hat Gott für mich bis zum Schluss aufbehalten. Ich wusste zwar, dass Cayo Largo eine wunderschöne kleine Insel ist. Aber der Ausdruck "wunderschön" scheint relativ zu sein. Wie soll denn ein Wort diese atemberaubende, alles andere grau erscheinende Perfektion beschreiben? Keine Chance, und auch gleich vorweg: Die Bilder koennens auch nicht. Irgendwie frustrierend, aber eigentlich auch logisch - Nichts, gar nichts kommt an Gottes Schöpferische Hand ran! Obwohl ich mittlerweile wieder zu Hause bin, versuche ich die Dinge noch der Reihe nach zu schildern, damit ihr einen auch ueber das absolute Highlight meiner Reise bestens Bescheid wisst! Freitag, den [View Full Entry]

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