Beltran De Santa Cruz Boutique Havana

... out the guy hadn't called a taxi and when he did they told him 1 hour at least! We must have looked pretty unhappy about that so he ran down to one of the fancy hotels and grabbed one for us.

So it was goodbye to Rach! I am going to miss her heaps, we've head some pretty crazy adventures together. It certinly made things a lot more interesting and bearable to have someone along for the ride. Thinking about ya back at work lovely!! xxx

... straight into the pages of one of those glossy picture books of Cuba which I have seen in bookstores, as my first sighting of Havana was exactly how I had imagined the city to look like. Grand colonial buildings rich in detail; horse drawn carriages clomping and rattling on the asphalt; 1950's Buicks, Cadillacs and Dodges exhuming grey smoke whilst cruising the streets; old Cuban men smoking their beloved cigars whilst conversing about daily events. Old Havana ...

... lloc 51. Si tenim en compte que al món hi ha 177 països que han estat analitzats(els que no ho han estat, ja podeu imaginar que estan pitjor) i que 45 són primer món, això significa que segons aquest índex, elaborat per un órgan controlat pels poders del primer món, el PNUD(Programa de les Nacions Unides per al Desenvolupament), Cuba és el 6è país en millors condicions de la resta de països, i està ficat dins la consideració de país amb un índex de desenvolupament alt. I ...

... something I was not really expecting (everyone had told us: the people are nice, but the food is soooo drab....rice and beans but, you know, socialist and grey....bleagh). About fifteen years ago the government set up a licensing scheme for people to host people for dinner in their houses for money, a sort of petty ...

... rarely visited by tourists, so most little shops and corner stands accept the Cuban peso and have signage reflecting the same. A small bunch of flowers was advertised at $12.00 pesos (about fifty cents). The young lady tied together my choice of flowers. "Cuanto cuesta por favor?" I ask. "Doce pesos" she answered. I pulled my CUC's from my pocket and separated a $1 CUC note, knowing I would receive about 12 Cuban pesos in change. But she now ...

... with our hotel tour rep we explored further in town, stopping off to draw some money, which involved a 1 hour queue outside the 'cambio' in the hot sun and then an 11.5% commission charge!! It's fun being a tourist. We visited another hotel and had a drink whilst we waited for their rep. We paid hurriedly as soon as she was free, so we could catch her. The next 2 day tour was Monday/Tuesday, which meant we would be away on New Year's Eve and we had decided to be in Havana for ...

... in itself, landscapes and historical paintings (as opposed to other countries, where the first local artists made "colonial" painting, called "mestizo" but still in very formal format, adding pieces of local culture in paintings that were made on order from colons or clergy). The Cuban art then develops into something as varied and interesting as in western countries, obviously connected to American and European art, for the best I would ...

... would purchase on their behalf, again no cash was forthcoming. George and his 'lady'as he called her were very grateful! Notwithstanding the fact we have resolved to ourselves not to speak to many more well-meaning and very friendly Cubans (we just can't afford it), it is indeed a sad state of affairs where you cannot buy milk in your own country and it can only be sold to tourists (and yes, I do believe the story, as the cashier was would not hand over the milk to George ...

... for a film, TV show or commercial that was being shot on location with a male model giving his best smoulderingly moody Latin looks to the camera, to the assorted guys sitting on the sea-wall playing trumpets and trombones with exaggerated technique to attract our attention. There is a definite glamour or showiness to Havana that completely sets it apart from the rest of the country.

As the fiery orange the sun sank steadily into the sea, we had made it to yet another ...

... behind the wheel is a perfect Cuban smile propped by the perfect scaffold of brilliant white teeth that probably began their journey in Africa some hundred years ago. "Psst", is heard from the trees that flank the north and south of Havana 's favourite park - another beautiful Cuban offering a night of unconditional love for only twenty American dollars. "Hello Amigo, how are you my ...