Melia Santiago de Cuba

... crossed en binnen notime zijn we weer veilig terug in Santiago. Verder een ticket gekocht voor Holguin en voor het eerst gebruik gemaakt van een werkende ATM aangezien de Convertibles op beginnen te raken. Het enige nadeel is dat er 10% ter plekke extra kosten in rekening worden gebracht maar verder reuze handig. Na Havana is dit de eerste plek op Cuba waar ik met mijn visacard geld heb kunnen opnemen in een ATM.

... of the Reggaeton music in his clapped out but cool Lada. We dumped our bags off hen went straight out for the Fiesta del Fuego. Unfortunately we didn't realise we w**en't completely central and ended up a pretty intimidating stage area surrounded by jinetaros (hustl**s) off**ing us lit**aly ev**ything and anything we wanted. We went and got a few be**s with one of them, and people stared a bit less aft** that! Then we ...

... area. Needless to say, I didn't get much closer to see if the water was running. In the last few hours of the trip, we must have stopped twenty times at different stops so our bus driver could a) drop off his girlfriend b) get more to drink c) use the washroom. It was madness!! We finally arrived in Santiago about forty minutes late, and outside there was a real scrum. As soon as we opened the door taxi drivers and casa owners were in our faces ...

... managed to find our way to the beach where we indulged in cheap street food before heading back home. Our final day included the famous Che Guevara Memorial as well as a ride in a Coco Taxi. We enjoyed posing in front of the memorial before heading to Cuba´s famous ice cream parlour ´Coppelia´. This residential ice cream parlour is renown for its delicious flavours, its huge queues and its amazing cheap prices. After waiting for ...

... is the Habana of times past and we are told later that the building was originally built as an office! Now that's what I call style. We check in, our reservation had to be paid for 4 months ago and go to an old colonial style bedroom, en-suite with air conditioning and 2 large patio windows opening onto narrow balconies overlooking the street A quick settling in and then we go out to explore in the late afternoon sun. The streets lead through deteriorating houses, which further ...

... building). Saw a sign for a street leading to the Plaza De La Revolucion and even though I knew it was 4km or so away I felt like checking it out and started walking. Got very lost so it took me longer to get there than expected and in the end it was just an open bit of land where huge political rallies took place in the 60s. However, on one side was a building with Che's face over one side so there was somehting to see. The Jose Marti across the ...

... only serve a very restricted menu. Still like with avoiding state hotels by going to a paladare we were putting money into someone's pocket which is good given the poverty of the ordinary joes. And here we got the first example of the scavenging of the locals. The guy who recommended the paladare to us got his friend to guide us there which was fine since it was a bit away and these places have no signs outside. That's fine we thought we'll give a couple of ...

... of my stay in Havana, I mostly spent time with Sona and Karen from Australia. I have to say they truly made this trip more special and without them I am not sure if I would have been able to leave Cuba with happy thoughts. So thanks guys! We explored the city together and on my way to Copa airlines in Havana we drove through what I would consider the more posher side of Havana and where all the embassies are located and the buildings were just magnificent. I managed to ...

... Later on, I went down to the Cutumba centre - an amazing discovery - to meet a man called Ramon (who had been recommended to me by a British chap that I met in Havana whom he taught how to play the drums). I told Ramon about my project and he was immediately so welcoming and friendly - we got on fabulously well and I really hope to work with him at some point. Cutumba is a company that performs afro-cuban folkloric dance and music and offers various ...

... peacocks, a bear, and, oh yeah, ducks de inglaterra!! We also spent one day by the becah, turqouise water on one side, the Sierra Maestra mountins in the other (where Fidel, Che et al waged their guerilla war campaign against the American funded Batista regime). Ate mangoes, coconuts and was offered a lobster and the biggest red snapper i've ever seen. We also went to a local hip hop night, it actually turned out to be a strange mix ...