Destination Cuba

Well, it has been a while since our last post - Cuban internet (or lack there of) is not the most efficient in the world!! So here is an update of our adventures from the past month.

With destination Cuba in our minds, we made the pilgrimage across mainland Mexico. We have fantastic memories – here goes with the good, the bad and the funny. 

Mazatlon – saw a whale on the ferry over (very exciting!); scum filled saltwater seaside pool; frolicking in beautiful beach with clean waves; witnessing crazy cliff diving antics; roller blading with near disastrous consequences... falling splat on the concrete... mum removing said rollerblades to assist my blading adventure; finding devils cave... wisely deciding not to enter devils cave; beetle spotting; sunset dinners on the beach; long bus ride (Mum sees her first ever VW beetle ute... gets very excited) – disembark Mexico city.

Mexico City adventures – gorgeous (but creepy) retro hotel (Mum said very “The Shining” - whatever that means!); a Mayan spiritual cleansing; tried baklava... did not like; double decker bus tour; very

depressing city zoo; very fun paddle boats; new tooth broke through; Mum dragged me into every second fabric shop (very beautiful fabrics and cheap too... "If only the backpack was bigger and the back stronger," Mum said); even longer bus trip – destination Cancun. 

Cancun – well, it's Cancun – enough said. Highlight of 1 day there – Mum found some tables and chairs she thought were cute and we managed to get a couple of loads of washing done.... Cancun? Enough said.

But the real reason we came to Cancun was because of it's airport.... destination? Havana, Cuba. Mum said she has always wanted to go to Cuba, dreaming of a beautiful romantic time warp of 50's cars and sweet cigar smells in the air. A land of Che Guevara and Ernest Hemingway... Well I didn't really know what she was talking about (I rarely do!), until we landed in Havana and I saw all these cool old cars driving around. I felt like I was back in the 1950's - it was fantastic!   All the beautiful buildings are old with decay and crumbling down. When you are walking around Old Havana you have to be careful because sometimes parts of the building just fall off and can hit you...

In Havana we stayed with a Cuban lady named Margot and her daughter. The day after we arrived a whole lot of Margot's family came to stay which meant endless parties and music all night long. One night, they had a pool on the roof and I had a ball dancing on the roof top and learning to salsa! We had a fantastic time, wandering the streets of Havana, visiting Museums, walking along the Malecone and we even went to La Coppelia, the famous icecream parlour.  It is a bit unfair though – as foreigners, we were able to walk straight in but the poor Cubans have to line up for ages. After getting an okay sundae for $3.50 each, we lined up with the Cubans for another shot at it... We were seated down at a table with a whole heap of people we didn't know and given a glass of water to ponder while we waited. A waitress took our order and with no idea what she (or we) were saying we ordered what we thought was an icecream each... Waiting patiently, our table watched as everyone else's icecreams were delivered – each person got two bowls each with up to 5 scoops in each... it was amazing watching these skinny people (and some not so skinny!) devour up to 10 scoops of icecream in the blink of the eye!  We waited in anticipation for ours to arrive, only to discover the the orders were in scoops, not bowls... So instead of receiving a bowl each, we received a small scoop each... but not to worry, it was delicious!!! A kind gentleman paid our share (a whole total of about 10c) before we even had a chance to work out how to say cuanto kwesta (“How much is it?”).... Note to self, next time visiting La Coppelia line up with the locals and ask for "cinco" (five)!

The delight of Havana is the city itself... there was so much to see!! People pull things up from their two storey balconies in baskets attached to rope, people throw their dirty washing water from the windows onto the streets and men with horse and carts go from door to door selling bread! There is music, music everywhere and the people of Havana are so effortlessly cool... very 'early Jackson Five'. The smells were delightful too... sweets cigar scents and fresh baked bread.  Plus, I was in puppy heaven with feral dogs everywhere for me to pat and scratch and pick up all manner of filth from... Mum gave up telling me "no" as she knows it is to no avail - now she merely demands a thorough hand wash before eating or at the very least a dollop of hand sanitizer.

From Havana we went on a day trip to Vinales, which is tobacco growing country. We went to a cigar factory in Pinar Del Rio where we saw cigars being hand-rolled. It was a bit of a sweatbox and I pitied the poor workers, especially come summertime. We visited a gorgeous little tobacco growing farm where there were lots of animals - turkeys, chicks, puppies and even a big, fat pig!  From there we went to see a giant rock mural and have a delicious Pina Colada (hold the rum of course). We visited some underground caves with lots of stalagmites and stalactites... It was a really fun day!

While in Havana we also explored a beautiful old cemetery with lots of above ground tombs and crypts... It was massive and lots of fun to get lost wandering around.

After 10 days in Havana it was time to move on. We boarded an early morning bus and headed for Trinidad – the colonial treasure town of Cuba. Arriving in Trinidad we settled into our casa and went for an exploration of the beautiful cobbled streets of the town. We took in some sights, including visiting the Museo de la Romantica – a fantastic old mansion filled with antiques and other gorgeous clutter. Dinner was at the Casa de la Musica where we took in some fantastic live music intermittently while the electricity went on and off... We also went to a travelling fair that was set up near our casa.  It was so cool - all the rides were from the 1950's... Little wire baskets that spun around and old creaky pirate ships.  Mum and I were a little suspect at how safe some of these rides were, but at 4c a ride (that's right... 4c!) we couldn't really complain.  (Oh, and I also lost another tooth while in Trinidad and the tooth fairy left me a 20 peso note.  I planned to go back to the fair the next day and spend it, but alas, the next day the fair had moved on!)

The next morning we were set for a day trip to the Sugar Mill Valley, however, an early morning up chuck on the part of Mum suggested otherwise... Mum was brave and managed to tough it out, however, the day saw Mum sit on the bus in agony while I had a ball exploring the sites, riding a horse and visiting a local plantation. However, upon arrival home I myself was not feeling so good and Mum and I landed in bed for the rest of the afternoon... With a temperature of up to 40 C, the next three days were a blur of upchuck reflexes, uncontrollable bowel movements and paracetamol. The day of our planned departure from Trinidad came and went, and I ended up at La Clinica (the doctors) with a parasitic infection (yuk!).  While I tried to poo into a cup, Mum was busy marvelling at the bathroom décor in the very cute clinic come hospital... The pink toilet, bidet, sink and matching bath is just what she had always wanted for our house (if only she had have bought the camera)! Anyway, with medication under our belt we spent an extra few days of R&R in Trinidad, even managing to squeeze in a beautiful day at Playa Anacon... a lovely white sanded beach on the Carribean. The water was crystal clear and a perfect temperature!  

The next day it was time to say goodbye to Trinidad and our beautiful casa family who had been so kind to look after us while we were sick. We got up early and boarded an all day bus bound for Santiago de Cuba. When we arrived I was delighted to find that the casa owners had two children – Herma who was six and Tito who was two. Gemma and I instantly hit it off and we spend the next three days together riding scooters, playing with barbie (much to Mum's dismay!) and playing on the computer. It didn't matter that she didn't understand English and I didn't understand Spanish – we always knew what each other was trying to say.

After Santiago we made a two night stop over in the town of Camaguey on our way back to Havana. Upon arrival in Havana we spent a further two nights exploring and organising before catching our flight back to Cancun.

We had a ball during our time in Cuba... Salsa dancing and clear Caribbean water, culture and history, Revolution museums and classic cars everywhere. Cuba - what an experience!