Hotel Puerto Principe Camaguey

... toeristen. Aangezien ik zo mijn twijfels had bij dit verhaal alsnog naar mijn vorige verblijfplaats (casa Eliz) gelopen maar die bleek ook vol te zitten. Na wat telefoontjes te hebben gepleegd kon ik bij haar vriendin terecht die een straat verder woont. Aardige mensen met een zeer nette kamer voor 20 cuc. Aangezien het al tegen vijven loopt hier mijn intrek genomen voor een nacht.

... en dankt zijn naam " de legendarische" evenzeer aan een traditie van heldendom en patriottisme als aan zijn architectuur. Camaguey heeft een groot historisch centrum in koloniale stijl en het onregelmatige stratenplan had een defensieve functie. Hier tref je o.a. het Plaza de Juan de Dios en de Iglesia de Carmen aan.

... late night bar in Holguin". It was ****, and I ended up getting a bit stroppy until we left and hit the 24hr bar by the pool in the hotel. That was a bit better, before having a drunken swim until 4.30am in my boxers! After about 5 hours sleep we were up and on our way to Camaguey to drop the girls off for a coach to Cayo Coco for a few days (via Cielo de Avila). We stopped of at a random restaurant en route and I had ...

... figures and events. These were very pleasant too. One of the highlights for me was watching an impromptu baseball game take place around one of the biggest statues. The outfield included garden plots the kids had to be careful to avoid when chasing fly balls. For NZers we would start an impromptu game of touch on a piece of lawn but here were these guys playing baseball. Fantastic. Around the corner there was a 3 on 3 footie game where the park benches on the opposite sides ...

... is how we spent our day there...just wondering around. By night, we went to the Casa de la Trova (a venue where live bands play traditional music) to dance and sip mojitos. Scattered about the place, we could see some graying foreign men with young pretty Cuban girls eagerly drinking their rum. Tourist Resorts in Cuba We decided to venture to the coast for a day, and ended up going to Playa Santa Lucia, a stereotypical Cuban tourist resort. We flagged a ...

... behavioral, etc... I hope I will still have everything in mind when I start writing, but it was really a strong experience, as I realized when I came back to the "normal" world in Colombia. Will try to post some typical Cuba pics at least! ...

... streets, designed to help resist pirates attacks. The city was moved and rebuilt several times after many a successful looting. So there we were, not too sure about where to go, and we were going to ask for directions. Not to anyone, of course, as that could have incurred the 5usd invisible fee. So, very naturally, we asked at another casa, where our recommended casa was. Actually that was the start of it: instead of asking where casa something was, I just asked for a casa ...

... their "debt". Of course, this situation applied to nice and generous people as well as to bloodsuckers makes an unpleasant mix, where everybody is forced into hypocrisis. If I decide where to go, nevertheless my driver will make a point to the casa that he took me there and that they owe him. All of that while trying not to be too obvious to the tourist. Because yes, the reason for that is: the tourist has dollars, and the Cuban needs the dollars. So I am not ...

... Leave, I ask "When are we leaving and where to?" Cuba seems a perfect destination for travel with kids: no rampant tropical diseases, a great health system, a reputation for being family-oriented. And we've got the time. Canada, like other progressive countries, pays part of parents' wages so they can be off work in the first year of a child's life to bond, nurture and get intimate with diaper changing. I ...

We left for Camaguey city at 8am in a small bus with about 10 other 'gringos' and our guide, George (pronounced "*****-Hey" in spanish!) Camaguey city had been planned to foil pirates attempts to find their way about. The streets weren't at right ...