Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 72

Viva la revolution! I don’t know quite what I expected of Cuba, an idyllic microcosm of a fair and just society, all happily working and living side by side free from jealousy and injustice? Suffice to say my idealistic perceptions were rather shattered by the attitudes of those we met... although one must remember that the people had just gone through an incredibly destructive hurricane, and had another on its way and the general attitude where politics was concerned was, to paraphrase; ‘it would be better to have Fidel ruling the country lying on his bed, than Raul on his feet.’ Our Cuban ‘adventure’ began at the airport as James’ credit card was swallowed by the ATM at the airport.. Several hours later, somewhat miraculously, it was retrieved from the back of the machine by a ... read more

Back in Havana! This time we got to visit El Moro, a fortress built to protect the city from pirates. Also, we walked around the old city (La Haban Vieja), visiting various plazas and getting a good feel of the place. Havana is definately more wealthy than the rest of Cuba. You can see it in the way people dress, the state of the buildings, etc. The rural areas have little exposure to tourism, so there is no way for those people to get their hands on the CUCs (the currency foreigners use). The city is massive and very crowded. The stereo-typical old cars cruise by slowly, reflecting the overall slow pace, also known as 'Cuban time' of the country. We only had one full day in the city, which just wasn't enough. However, we did ... read more

First German, then English. Unter dem alten Eintrag findet ihr nun ein paar genauere Berichte ueber unsere Zeit in Kuba, die wie der Titel schon sagt, wirklich nervaufreibend war. Warum? Das ist schwer zu sagen und kompliziert zu beschreiben. In der Hoffnung, eine Oase der Gerechtigkeit, Bruederlichkeit, Solidaritaet etc. zu finden, sind wir angekommen und haben Havana fuer 2 Tage angeschaut. Wir haben vorher noch keine Stadt getroffen, die so unglaublich viel Charakter hat. Die Haupttouristenstrassen sind wunderschoen restauriert (oder einfach nur angemalt), aber sobald man in eine Nebenstrasse einbiegt, findet man sehr alte Haeuser, die dringend ueberholt werden muessten. Man glaubt kaum, dass dort noch Leute leben, aber das tun sie. Ein bisschen verzaubert von Havana haben wir am Samstag unser Tour begonnen und sind durch den Westen des Landes gereist. Wir waren in Vinales, ... read more

Viva Cuba! - Un declaracion de amor a la gente y al ambiente de Cuba Drei Videos von meiner Reise durch Kuba im Jahr 2007. (Video ist mit Musik hinterlegt) Three videos from my trip through Cuba in 2007. (Video is with music) Tres videos de mi viaje a través de Cuba en 2007. (Video con la musica) Hier gibt es noch ein paar Fotos: Here more pictures: ... read more

Vi startet vårt opphold i Havana med en guidet tur. Livet for den vanlige cubaner (mannen i gata, ikke sigaren) er nok ikke alltid lett, og selv om kommunismen har sikret jobb til alle er ikke lønnen god. Så leger og annet høyt utdannet personnel tar seg gjerne jobber i turistbransjen for å tjene betydelig mer. Vår guide var opprinnelig universitetslaerer i tysk, men greide ikke å tjene til livets opphold og var nå byguide. Rundturen i gamlebyen var interessant, men det beste var da han over en drink fortalte litt om dagliglivet her på øya. En av hans venner var nå fengslet i 6 år etter han hadde funnet ut at hesten hans var så gammel at den egentlig hørte hjemme på spisebordet. Men slakting av nyttedyr kan ikke gjennomføres uten tillatelse, så da havnet ... read more