Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 48

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. When in this ... read more

Aujourd'hui 3 Janvier... On se prépare Nous prenons l'avion samedi matin 7 heure pour Varadero alors nous devons partir de la maison vers 1 heure du matin pour être a l'aéroport 3 heures d'avance une fois la, 2 heures +- d'autobus pour la Havane. a suivre...... read more

We managed to negotiate Havana's busy streets and find our way to the autoroute to Pinar Del Rio. This was not easy as there are very few road signs! Once on the autoroute the road was very quiet. There was just the odd heavy goods vehicle belching black diesel fumes, the occasional transtour coach transporting tourists between the main cities and the odd taxi. We had to be careful with farmers crossing the road on horse back, pony and traps and cattle. There were pigs, dogs, horses and chickens and pedestrians on the road. There were also many people trying to hitch lifts at every road junction or bridge. We found the branch road to Vinales and thankfully avoided any serious damage to our hire car from the numerous large potholes. The rural scenery in Western ... read more

To travel from Colombia to Cuba we needed a Cuba visa. We went to the Cuban Embassy in Bogota hoping for a quick tourist visa application. It was just like a prison! We sat in a cage for almost 4 hours outside the cuban embassy building. There were no refreshments available and no certainty as to when the queue would reduce and it would be our turn to apply. This was not the best way to spend the day and patience was essential. We had forgotten the essential bottles of drinking water and some reading material to pass the time. At least there was a perspex roof in case it rained but in our case it was a case of trying to find some shade from the burning sun. After 3 hours I was pacing the ... read more

Hi Everybody! Walt and I have just returned from a fascinating trip to Cuba. We have wanted to go to Cuba for years but didn't want to chance a heavy fine. We recently heard that 10 U.S. travel companies had been granted special licenses by both U.S. and Cuba to conduct People to People Programs. The travel company takes care of the Visa, authorization letter, and specific license that is required. The program is rather strict and demands that participants follow a full educational exchange curriculum. The trip is not meant to be a vacation or leisure trip. It included very little free time --only a few hours in the evenings. We learned a lot about the history of Cuba, the Revolution, life in Cuba under Castro, changes that have taken place in the last few ... read more