Islazul Hotel Plaza Camaguey

14-12-2008: omstreeks 16:00 pm aangekomen in Camaquey waar dezelfde taxi-chauffeur me stiond op te wachten als de vorige keer en tesamen met twee spaanse dames richting centrum gereden. Eert de dames afgezet en toen werd ik afgezet bij een andere casa waar ik heen wilde. Dit scheen de casa van haar broer te zijn ende kamer waar ik oorspronkleijk heen zou gaan zou al bezet zijn door twee ...

... te zijn die mij met zijn oldtimer naar de casa bracht en hiervoor 4 cuc wilde hebben. Beetje apart maar de kamer ziet er meer dan prima uit en ook het echtpaar is zeer aardig. Zij spreken alleen geen woord engels maar dat is voor mij weer een goede reden om mijn spaans te oefenen. Camaguey ligt midden een een groot ...

... the car off and headed to a paladar for an awesome feast of steak, ham & cheese, along with plantain, salad, rice, black beans... the list goes on - all for about £4. We ended up in the La Cambio bar for the standard beverages before getting a relatively early night. Friday 11th July This was a kind of lazy, kind of touristy day really. We got up when we got up, and then headed to the Plaza de Revolution and the ...

Onto Cuba. Not entirely sure what to expect. Getting through customs was tough. An hour waiting in the line to see an immigration officer. I don't know whether "Nazi" is the right word but the guy I got barked orders at me, told me to wait for 10 minutes while he made a few calls and then grilled me again about where I'd been, why I was in Cuba, how long I intended to stay etc. All this time he had this this extremely serious expression on his face and tried to stare me out. He ...

... and more. Supposedly it's to do with preventing Cuban thiefs and prostitutes hassling the tourists, and to control information flows etc. I guess I can see how having so many hustlers trying to sell things to tourists may really put them off coming here in the first place. It really is a shame that Cubans aren't allowed into some of the nicest hotels and prettiest beach resorts in their country. That day, we checked into Hotel Escuela, a hotel ...

Due to slow and very expensive internet in Cuba, these entries are under construction... I hope to fill this big gap once I get home in december. Cuba was difficult to understand, as there as many layers for every aspect: social, political, economical ...

... We talked a bit, at first she would not explain what the problem was, but as she saw that we had some extent of understanding of it, she confirmed our interpretation of the facts. It was indeed true that she was going to get a very bad reputation among casa owners, which is bad for business, as it would enter the unsaid code of conduct that nobody should send her clients... So after dropping our bags, we offered to go to the other casa to talk more and try calm things ...

... are entitled to a part of whatever income comes out of it. The result is that you spend a lot of time talking to people who in fact do not care at all about you and more importantly will not tell you anything reliable about thelmselves. The problem with that is that they act as expert salesmen, making you believe that they do in fact care about you personnaly. I usually talk about myself, as it allows me to build trust and then ask direct questions. In Cuba, this ...

... there are signs posted absolutely everywhere to show off the beliefs and true involvement of each and every citizen in the communist revolution. Every sign being signed CDR number something, I had to ask what CDR stood for: Comite de Defensa de la Revolucion. It is in fact the smallest communist organisation, consisting of a neighbourghood. People in a CDR elect representatives who will then elect "deputies" who in turn elect the revolutinary bureau, who ...

... with an infant is pretty easy. As for travelling with toddlers and children, in my experience we spend more time with our kids when we're travelling. You're with them all day, every day. You're likely in the same room -- maybe the same bed -- with them every night. Away from home, you can't shove them in front of a video while you arrange transport to the next town; you have to keep them entertained. That ...