Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 102

On the 14th headed out to Topes de Collantes for a 3-hour trek (about 6kms). Walked through green valleys and visited a cave with an underground river and rock pool. Water was freezing. Our destination was an isolated, century old hacienda where we camped under the veranda awning for the night. The house specialty was roasted suckling pig which was so delish. Normally I avoid the crackling but this was unlike any I've tasted before it was so crunchy. Good night sleep until the bloody cock started crowing at 5.00am. Next day we travelled a bit in a Russian army truck, and then walked another 9kms to the next hacienda, which was not as nice or friendly as the previous one and very commercial. On the way we stopped at a coffee farm house. Andres our ... read more

On the 12th headed east out of Havana to Trinidad. On the way to the Zapata Peninsula there were endless fields of citrus trees & sugar cane. Stopped for a yummy lobster-tail lunch at a roadhouse and had a swim in the Caribbean - fabulous. Visited the Museum Giron dedicated to the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion by US-supported Cuban exiles against the Communist regime. Fascinating stuff. Stopped in Cienfuegos for a coffee break. A local did a caricature of me, which you generally pay 1CUC. On the road to Trinidad there were thousands of crabs crossing the road to lay their eggs. As the vehicles travelled along and squashed the unlucky ones, flocks of turkey vultures would descend to pick at the fresh road-kill. Our hotel was overbooked so we got upgraded to an all-inclusive ... read more

So, here I am after all this time. The most important place on my trip. The place I´ve wanted to go for so long. The place I´ve been so excited about... Cuba!!! Well, the day I arrived, it rained. They´ve been starting to have water shortages there´s been so little, but the day I arrived, BAM!!!! Only place I´ve been so far that didn´t have an unusual amount of falling wet stuff was Santiago in Chile (and I guess Iguazu!). It´s almost like it´s followed me from home... Ne´er mind. Well, I had a little walk around my local area of Vedado anyway. I´ve read a lot about the hassle you can get here as a tourist, from people who want to sell you dodgy rum or cigars, blah blah blah. Well, there really wasn´t any ... read more

Since returning from Cuba I have been asked dozens of times what Cuba was like. These queries mainly come from eager Americans and Europeans who seem keen for reports of a socialist paradise where liberated socialists enjoy the benefits of free health care and enforced leisure time. Each time I’m asked, all I seem to muster is a series of ummmms and errrs before quite meekly finally describing Cuba as “different”. And I suppose that is the truth. Cuba is unlike any country I have visited before. Did I enjoy Cuba? I’m not sure. Yes, parts of it were fun but other parts were solely frustrating and confusing. Did I learn about the system of socialism that supposedly exists in Cuba? I don’t know. I returned to Central America with more questions than I arrived with. ... read more

The trade and economic embargo held against Cuba by the USA has lasted for some decades now. America has prohibited American companies and their subsidiaries trading with Cuban entities and prohibited its citizens from spending money in Cuba. (That’s right - I’ve always thought that US citizens were prohibited from visiting Cuba - however the various pieces of legislation that piece together the embargo actually only make it a crime to SPEND money in Cuba. SO for all those Americans aching for some April sun in Cuba I guess you just need to find a philanthropic friend to pay your WHOLE way.) As a result I naively thought that this may mean that American culture may be less prevalent in this tropical island nation. Disappointingly, as I jumped into the cab at the airport bound for ... read more