It's a beautiful life!

Propaganda

There were so many of these that I had more than enough to keep me entertained on the road. Here are a few more!

posted by S.M. @ 10:52 pm  2 Comments

Another perspective

This was me before I returned to TO. Almost to the end of my amazing adventure in Cuba, I was assessing the damage. I had a rash on my face and legs which I assume was from the buckets of rain water that I bathed with in Vinales. I was sunburnt to a crisp and my hair was a matted mess from the exotic combination of salt water and lack of conditioner -- good times!

Did I say that I can't wait to go again?!?

posted by S.M. @ 4:28 pm  3 Comments

¡Viva Cuba!

By now everyone who has had to listen to me rave about Cuba knows that I've been fascinated by its history, culture and role in modern history. I've been wanting to go there for many years now so it was a dream come true for me to walk in the footsteps of the revolution and through the streets of what remains of the former colonial splendor. I loved every bit of it and it was surreal to socialise with locals and soak up the warmth and energy of their culture. Once again I passed on spending Xmas with my family to go off and experience that phenomenon in another place. Armed with a lonely Planet and a backpack full of protein bars and nut cakes, I embarked on my much-anticipated quest to see what all the fuss is about over there

Highlights:

The Route: 3 days of Habana Vieja and Centro Habana, followed by a trip to Santa Clara, a night of crazy celebration in Remedios and a day on the beach near Cayo Santa Maria. We then made our way to Trinidad by bus and then to Ancon by bike. We left Trinidad to spend another night in Habana en route to the gorgeous Vinales. After two nights there, we made our way back to Vedado because it was closer to the airport.

The People: Absolutely beautiful! Almost everyone was some degree of mulatto and I was fascinated by how curvy every chica was and how fit every single male was. I suppose that could be attributed to their active lifestyle and lack of excess. Ok, so maybe I'm more superficial than I claim, so to be fair, let me say that generally they were friendly and excessively charming - even the touts. Cubans have a quiet resilience and solidarity that is admirable and endearing.

The Culture: As charming and fiery as any with a Spanish heritage. Everybody can dance and they have no inhibitions when they do. It's overtly sexual and if you're not up for that you'd be better off to keep away from the dance floor. Their casual flirtiness reminds me of Trini people. I loved it!

The Food: Not as much of a shock as I was preparing for. The Creole food is nothing new as I grew up in T'dad and some of the meals in Cuba were amazing. The other days when I was roughing it (I was backpacking after all!), I managed to find palatable dinners. I found the resort food more disastrous than anything else I've had to stomach (and I recall the snails and numerous raw unidentifiable tidbits from France the Xmas before). The food at the casas was good.

The Sights: Breathtaking! I totally loved the colonial architecture. One could just imagine how spectacular the buildings and towns would have been in the days of plenty. Momuments greet you at every corner, so I was kept busy trying to see them all. The natural beauty of the hills, valleys and beaches is unrivalled. I was thrilled at every turn! The political propoganda adorned billboards as frequently as consumer advertising does in N.A. and it made for a quick history lesson and interesting conversation during the bus rides from one city to the next.

The Conclusion: I wasn't able to adhere to my carefully planned itinerary, but that's okay because I found so many great reasons not to. It also means that I didn't make it to the south of the island. I'll definitely do that on my next trip!

The Pictures: Gosh, you know me - I haven't sorted them out yet!

[C'mon, bear with me, the pictures will follow!]

posted by S.M. @ 3:21 pm  2 Comments

¡Feliz Año 2007!

I rang in the new year atop Habana and much like the inhabitants of that city (and that strikingly beautiful country), I don't know which direction I'll take from here on, but I eagerly anticipate all prospects and challenges of this new chapter in my life.

Happy New Year to you! Best wishes for health and happiness and I hope you take this formal transition as an opportunity to renew your efforts to do the best that you can do. Make this year count! Represent your cause. Do something already!

I can't be bothered with resolutions really, but I do want to make sure that all the people who are important to me know that they are. You know you are, right? Thank you for blessing my life with your presence.

posted by S.M. @ 1:16 pm  1 Comments