Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 78

Baracoa, one of the most heavily hurricane hit places in Cuba. We werent even sure if we would be able to travel here. Not so much if the road would be open, but if there would be services for tourists, would we just be getting in the way, or putting money into a region that needs it? We´d heard varying reports ranging from ¨yeah fine no problems¨ through to ¨its a disaster zone, stay away¨. It turns out that while we werent the first tourists to go back to Baracoa, we werent far off, its still a disaster zone, some places dont have power and water still, but the centre of town is up and running again, and welcoming us with open arms (thinking of those tourist dollars of course!!!) Colin got a ride in another ... read more

Santiago de Cuba...home of the best Cuban music...but could we find any?! We were met off the bus from Trinidad by a hospitality club contact, Lianne, who had found us a lovely casa particular a few minutes walk from the centre of the old historic district of Santiago. We had to clamber up a small spiral staircase, with our packs, to get to our room. Getting up was way easier than when we tried to come back down again a few days later! Our first ride in a classic old car was to the casa in a 1948 Dodge with suicide doors in the rear. As battered as they come, but still working just fine. We met up with Lianne every night that we were there. We didnt hit the clubs or anything - those who ... read more

Ah...Cuba at last...we´ve been wanting to come here for ages. And as soon as we do, we get stuck in the city, unable to escape, unable to anything really. Well, serves us right really, we knew it was the end of the hurricane season, and this year has been a bad one. The first afternoon and the following morning were fine. Very hot and sticky though. We found ourselves a nice casa particular and settled in. The first afternoon / evening we just wandered around the local area ¨Habana Vieja¨and ¨Centro Habana¨. Down the Prado to the Malecon and the ocean, through narrow streets back up to the Capitolio. Just trying to take in as much as we could, the old colonial buildings, some restored and some definitely not, the people, friendly and unthreatening, and of ... read more

Under the cover of dusk, 2 impending revolutionaries landed to begin their recconnaisance mission. There were rumours that here, existed a place of top carribean music, unlimited rum, free thinking, and where Ladas came to live out their remaining years in style. Habana could be described as majestic, or run-down in a post WW2 kinda way. Either way there was the charm of following your ears, and ending up in a bar with good live music, where the cubre-libres and mohjitos flowed, and where the chicken in your meal was guaranteed to be refried at least twice. Everyone in Habana was so friendly towards us. Every guy we passed offered us cigars, chicas, and was really willing to introduce us to some popular revolutionary named Charlie. At night all of the girls couldn´t keep their eyes ... read more

Those of you who know my father will know that he is a self-made professor of history. On learning that Jess and I were headed to Cuba, he produces an old letter from a haphazard filing system in the back room where all the old photos, letters, poems, songs and all sorts of other things are kept. The letter was dated 7th January 1949 with an address in Havana, and was written by Ellen McGrath De Galban, a cousin, to my grandmother. So Jess and I were to become detectives for a day in Cuba. Dirty work but someone's got to do it. We headed first to the local graveyard to see what the dead might reveal to the living. The Necropolis de Colon is no ordinary graveyard, we're talking gianormous! Tombs line every avenue across ... read more