Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 63

Before disaster struck So it was mid to late afternoon, we had checked into our overpriced hotel that was intended as a one-night splurge (it had a pool, that we never actually swam in, and was supposedly in a good area) and were eager to go out and see Havana, or La Habana as it is called here. (You can see some photos of the hotel taken by other people by following these links - The outside of the hotel url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g147271-d595425-w2-Hotel_Vedado-Havana_Cuba.html#23247954 Another shot of the glamorous facade of Hotel Vedado url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g147271-d595425-w2-Hotel_Vedado-Havana_Cuba.html#22872492 The Pool We walked down to the Malecon, Havana's 8km long sea-front promenade, road an... read more

Question: Where in the world can you visit a beautiful early 19th Century Italian styled theatre, recently restored by UNECSO, where you expect to buy paraphernalia about the building in its lobby and find only books on revolution, posters about revolution, pictures about revolution, postcards showing revolutionary figures and revolutionary music. Not a theatre program in sight ! Answer: Only in Cuba ! Flying to Cuba from The USA was a long convoluted process, not being able to fly direct of course. Amy and I parted for the first time since we met up in Borneo and it felt odd to say bye bye, if only for a short while. We both flew into Mexico City airport, 2 hours apart. I flew in first and waited for her at her arrival gate. Having met up, we ... read more

Photos by Berm; Text by Alison After spending a few days back in Havana, our plan was to head eastward along the island. The weather in Havana was much cooler than we had expected and we had heard from other travellers that it was warmer farther east along the island. That was all the encouragement that we needed to make our plans. We decided to head east in greater style than by the tourist buses (which are actually quite luxurious by Cuban standards) and so we splurged on one week of car rental. Our budget didn't allow for too much luxury though, so we selected the most economical car - one that was about the size of a tin can with wheels. I had a good laugh everytime Berm climbed into the driver's seat. He ... read more

Videos se trouvent sur un lien au milieu de photos. For videos use the link below with the next photos. Ah! Sacree Cuba!! Autant dire que les debuts n’etaient pas faciles pour s’acclimater au systeme cubain et puis a la fin on a trouve ca genial. On a commence par 4 jours a la Havane dans l’idee de faire une semaine de cours de salsa… Avec Couch surfing (site internet ou les voyageurs se rencontrent pour s’heberger) on a rencontre Lisa qui vit a la Havane. Elle nous a clairement explique qu’elle n’etait pas qutorisee a heberger des etrangers chez elle mais qu’elle pouvait nous donner des adresses ou dormir chez les cubains. C’est le systeme de “casa particular” tres courant qui sont en quelque sorte des chqmbres d’hotes. Ces cubains qui sont autorises de recevoir ... read more

Last week, Berm and I arrived in Havana, Cuba, for the start of three and a half weeks of travelling around the largest island in the Caribbean. During our first few days, we stayed with the family of a Cuban doctor who rents out rooms in their grand colonial house, right in the heart of Old Havana. Being in Havana is like experiencing a time warp into the past - the streets are filled with a strange mix of classic 1950s cars and beat-up, little Russian ladas, Minsk motorcyles and Soviet-era trucks. The architecture of Old Havana includes an incredible mixture of sixteenth century fortresses and plazas, nineteenth century colonial mansions and grand storefronts, and postcard-perfect Art Deco edifices. We began our immersion into Cuban culture with a few days of wandering the city, making visits ... read more