Islazul Hotel La Ronda Trinidad

... tired from walking around in the heat and stopped at park bench. A nearby older man was next to me and we tried to communicate a bit. He was complaining about his shoes and whatnot. It´s amazing to me how much we can understand without knowing the language. His name is Rafael and although he looks like he studied all of Clint Eastwood´s spaghetti westerns, he is a nice guy and allowed me to ...

... but also kind of amusing. We descended off the side of the mountain down into the valley, which was a relief and got to canter a bit across the fields. We stopped at a small farm with pigs, chicken and sheep, where we had some fresh sugarcane juice. It's actually hard work to produce it - Nath and I helped them twist the cane sticks and grind them through the press, those Cuban guys are strong! Another group of ...

... made LOL. It seems that wherever I go I only create challenges for myself. Thaw out my hips, learn to speak Spanish, take bongo lessons, get the maraca rhythm and improve the tonality of my voice. I figure that I sing pretty good in the shower so all I need is the maracas .... I wonder if they work well when wet. Don't let your imagination go wild on that one. I keep passing by the place where they build the bongos and they are very reasonably priced but not pack sack ...

... om hier weer terug te komen en ook is het fijn dat je de weg inmiddels een beetje kent in Trinidad. De middag doorgebracht met het eten van een (veel te vette) pizza, het sturen van wat mailtje en een beetje zonnen op het dakterras. 's-Avonds genoten van een heerlijke maaltijd in de casa; een bruine bonensoepje vooraf en daarna camarones (garnalen) met rijst, aardappels, een salade en vers fruit toe. 18-12-2008: heerlijk geslapen in een schoon bed en na ...

... scenery. Everything was SO green. We passed many mangroves and sugar cane farms. And as we neared Trinidad, the flats rose up into beautiful mountains! The drive along the coast didn't reveal any beaches but it was beautiful to see with dark clouds heavily hanging overhead and out to see.

On arrival in Trinidad we were welcomed and greeted by Rafael (thankfully we'd booked in advance because I just wasn't in the mood do deal with the flocks of people offering their ...

... he'd slow, Katuska would yell at him in Spanish and he'd give extra effort. I was thinking, if I were him, I'd jump off and say, "Screw this, you pedal, I'm outa here, I'd rather beg for a living." But he didn't and he soon pushed a cassette tape into the player and beautiful Cuban son flowed from the speakers directly mounted above and behind our heads, powered by a 12-volt battery under my seat. Unloading my bags at my casa particular, I pay the ...

... and after a quick bag search (for an internal ferry?), we joined the queue waiting on the rickety old pier, all trying to shelter behind a wall to keep out of the strong breeze. The ferry arrives and we press forward, pay our 1 cuc each to someone who is stood by the ferry entry door and after striding over the gap between ferry and the broken dock, we find something to hang on to in this standing only public transport. It is quite a smooth 20 minute trip across the inlet and we come ...

First salsa class. I got there late because I had to take care of my split toe, disinfect it, put a bandage etc... resulting in my arriving for a salsa class wearing flip flops, a big white bandage on the left big toe, and praying for nothing to happen to it. As expected, my cuban teacher would not understand at all the difficulties of a westerner, even though she's had plenty to teach to. Basically, as anywhere else, they tell you "follow the rythm, and do as if ...

... bar da fábrica, mas não sabíamos se pararíamos, até que uma mulher levanta de sua mesa e começa a cantar. Sentamos na mesma hora! Mas só tomamos uma água. Fomos almoçar logo depois em outro lugar, comida árabe, boa, barata, e o restaurante tinha ar condicionado. Outro grupo entra e começa a tocar, só com cordas, violino, celo e vilão. Agora, para a Bodeguita del Médio, famoso bar onde ...

I can't imagine a day more exactly split between pleasure and discomfort. Everything before mid-day is a joy. We luxuriate through a final Cuban breakfast of fresh fruit and coffee at our semi-outdoor dining room, followed by a farewell tour to our early-day haunts in Centro Habana. We have a nice visit with our first host Eumelia, who gives Lucy a little stuffed horse, then we swing by Julio and Elsa's, without whom Lucy's first-week ...