Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 64

Early this morning we got up and packed our bags. We were going to leave the capital and drive into the south where we would spend the next couple of days driving around the area. Our first stop was Guama, a marshland in the center of the country. We visited a crocodile farm and visited an island which showed how the native people lived in Cuba. In the afternoon we drove to the beautiful city of Cienfuegos, where we visited the innercity and the Palacio de Valle. When the sun set, we drove out of the city into the wilderness where our hotel was situated.... read more

It was always our big dream to go and visit Cuba. Since I study History and have a big interest in any kind of history, we decided that when we go, it should not be a short stay with lots of beach and hotel pool, we wanted to see the whole island, to learn about the history and culture and really see something. So after looking around and searching a lot, we settled for a 2 week trip all around the island. In Feb. 2010 we were off and after a long flight we finally arrived in Varadero. Our guide picked us up from the airport and with a bus we went all the way back to the capital Havana. The next day started very early. We had a huge walking tour around the innercity in ... read more

After the hecticness of Habana I needed a few days to chill out. My couchsurfing friend David took me and another couchsurfing friend called David (a little confusing so I will refer to him as "German David") to visit his uncle in Pinar Del Rio. It is a region of Cuba to the West of Habana which is famous for growing tobacco, and also has beautiful countryside. David´s uncle has a farm just outside Pinar Del Rio town where he grows tobacco for sale to the government and subsistence crops. The land is owned by the government so in return for being allowed to farm rent free he has to grow for and then sell tobacco to the governement for rediculously low prices (despite being extremely valuable). The farm was fascinating: water was drawn from the ... read more

Blog vrienden,blog familie en aanhangbloggers, Zoals het er naar uit ziet wordt dit de laatste blog vanuit Montreal, Canada aangezien we voor 15 feb. 2010 het sneeuwwitte canada moeten verlaten omdat ons werkvisum dan ophoudt geldig te zijn. Maar ik denk dat ik voor ons beide kan spreken dat het 2 fantastische jaren zijn geweest waar we nog lang op terug kunnen kijken! Als ik dit zo schrijf realiseer ik me pas hoe definitief het eigelijk is en bedenk me dat er toch wel veel dingen zijn die ik van hier ga missen. Om dat het nu of nooit gevoel ons niet met rust wilde laten hebben we de stoute schoenen aangetrokken en hebben we ons getrakteerd op 2 super uitstapjes als eerste Dogsledding dit vond plaats op ongeveer 2 uur rijden van Montreal in de ... read more

There have been a few changes since the last time we visited Havana in 2005. The biggest is the amount of building restorations. There is still much work to be done of course, as many beautiful pieces of architecture appear to be on the verge of collapse - but the restorations that have taken place are magnificent, and the city looks so much better for it. To me, this is very pleasing, because the architecture is the biggest charm of Havana, and it's very important for it to be preserved. Other changes: a lot more people walking around in what appear to be designer clothing, but what are more likely knock-offs from China. Also, Chinese tourists and brand new Chinese made tour buses. Back in 2005, all the tour buses were old Europeans. The Chinese buses ... read more