| After my walk through the Vedado
| |
| | had prices that were higher than in some
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| neighbourhood, my friend Pedro came to
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| | of Toronto's fine restaurants and we
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| pick me up since I had suggested a little
| |
| | decided to head back to the Barrio Chino
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| excursion with a rental car to get to
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| | since they also serve pasta.There we
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| know the countryside. His wife and
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| | tried to park the rental car, but in
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| sister-in-law unfortunately coulnd't make
| |
| | doing so, we had a little encounter with
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| it since their cousin was coming to town.
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| | the local traffic police. They alleged
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| La Habana can feel a little
| |
| | that my friend was not wearing his
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| claustrophobic since the transportation
| |
| | seatbelt (although he was) and they ended
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| options are limited and even a basic taxi
| |
| | up giving him a fine of 10 local pesos
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| ride to the Eastern Beaches (Playas del
| |
| | (about 40 Cents or so). Apparently it can
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| Este) is quite costly.And it's also nice
| |
| | happen very easily that a local Cuban
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| to get away from the city, which can get
| |
| | gets stopped and the police impose a fine
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| rather congested and contaminated with
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| | and there are not too many things you can
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| car exhaust fumes from all the old
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| | do.After a very filling pasta dinner (for
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| vehicles. I can't imagine what the air
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| | less than $7 for 2 people) we headed back
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| must be like here in the summer when it
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| | to the hotel which is very close to the
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| is 35, 40 degrees Celsius with 80, 90
| |
| | University. There was a big concert on in
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| percent humidity. All the locals talk
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| | front of the university's steps and there
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| about the extreme heat in the summer and
| |
| | were thousands and thousands of young
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| it's better to visit outside of the
| |
| | people singing and chanting to the sound
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| months of June to September, even
| |
| | of a pretty famous Cuban pop group
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| October.In addition, August and September
| |
| | ("Moneda Dura") which plays very popular
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| are very prone to hurricanes which are an
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| | music for young people with sociocritical
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| additional complication, that's why many
| |
| | undertones. The atmosphere among the
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| buildings have crosses of thick adhesive
| |
| | people, singing and dancing in the
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| tape attached to the glass. The tape
| |
| | street, was amazing. I ended up heading
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| prevents the glass from shattering when
| |
| | to bed at about 12 or so and the music
|
| the hurricanes hit town.Renting a car is
| |
| | from the concert stopped at about 12:20
|
| always an interesting experience. I
| |
| | am and the huge crowd dispersed.Early
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| rented a small skoda at the Hotel Havana
| |
| | this morning I awoke to the smell of
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| Libre for about $46CUC for 24 hours. If
| |
| | exhaust fumes from some of the buses and
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| there were no damages and the gas tank
| |
| | old cars passing through. Since I had to
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| was full upon return, there would be an
| |
| | take the rental car back at 11 am today,
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| additional $30CUC for the insurance and
| |
| | my friend came to the hotel early and we
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| an additional driver. Being in the rental
| |
| | decided to visit the area of Miramar,
|
| car felt strangly liberating because all
| |
| | also called "Playas" on the western side
|
| of a sudden it was possible to overcome
| |
| | of Havana, past the Rio Almendares.
|
| all the limitations of Havana's public
| |
| | Miramar is a very upscale area with many
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| transport and you could go where you
| |
| | foreign embassies, upscale hotels and
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| wanted.My friend Pedro is an experienced
| |
| | congress centres. "Marina Hemingway", a
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| driver and loves driving, so he drove and
| |
| | nautical centre with canals, boats slips
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| off we went eastwards along the coast. We
| |
| | for yachts and private residences, is
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| passed by Cojimar, Playas de Este, Playa
| |
| | also located in Miramar.It is so strange,
|
| Guanabo and stopped at the Puente
| |
| | but Miramar actually reminded me a bit of
|
| Bacunayagua bridge which forms the border
| |
| | Fort Lauderdale. In general, Miramar, due
|
| between the provinces of La Habana and
| |
| | to its more modern architecture, some of
|
| Matanzas. The bridge is more than 100 m
| |
| | which is in very good condition, reminded
|
| high and the view extends through forests
| |
| | me quite a bit of Florida. We visited a
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| to the ocean in the north and inland
| |
| | public sandy beach in Miramar which is
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| there is a valley with lush vegetation
| |
| | surrounded by a range of public
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| (Valle de Yumuri) with a chain of
| |
| | recreational buildings, most of which
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| medium-size mountains in the background.
| |
| | have been abandoned and are in dire
|
| At the bridge there is a little basic
| |
| | condition due to the lack of public funds
|
| restaurant and a shop for tourists and we
| |
| | for upkeep. It is a real shame to see so
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| stopped for an hour or so. We also saw a
| |
| | much of the beautiful architecture around
|
| really oversized iguana, apparently it
| |
| | here collapsing and my professor said
|
| was the offspring of the mother iguana
| |
| | that in the future it may be cheaper to
|
| which apparently is twice the size. The
| |
| | tear down a lot of the old architecture
|
| animal must have been almost 10, 15
| |
| | and rebuild from scratch than to try to
|
| inches long, including tail.We then
| |
| | preserve the old architecture,
|
| proceeded eastwards, past Santa Cruz del
| |
| | particularly in Habana Vieja.As I had to
|
| Mar, where there is a big rum factory, to
| |
| | return the rental car at 11 am today, we
|
| Matanzas, the capital of the province of
| |
| | filled up the tank and although we had
|
| the same name. We just took a little
| |
| | only gone about 250 km, the cost of the
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| drive around town and didn't stop, but
| |
| | gasoline was $36 CUC (which is equivalent
|
| the town has a couple of nice squares
| |
| | to about Can$45 or so), which was quite a
|
| with monuments and statues. The
| |
| | bit more than I had expected. We took a
|
| architecture is definitely much less
| |
| | brief tour through Nuevo Vedado, then
|
| stunning than in La Habana. After
| |
| | past the Centro de Deporte Nacional, past
|
| Matanzas we drove inland to a small
| |
| | the Comite Central (the Cuban government)
|
| mountaineous area called "Escaleras de
| |
| | and punctually returned the car at 11 am
|
| Jaruco", from where we had a beautiful
| |
| | without any problems.This afternoon I
|
| view inland and towards the sea.On the
| |
| | have been invited by my friend to come
|
| way back we briefly stopped at Playas del
| |
| | and meet his family at a private dinner.
|
| Este to capture the sunset and then we
| |
| | I am really looking forward to the
|
| headed off towards Cojimar, a town famous
| |
| | experience of spending time with a Cuban
|
| for its connection to Ernest Hemingway.
| |
| | family and from what I have experienced
|
| The town apparently still houses a very
| |
| | so far, Cuban hospitality is truly
|
| old man who was the inspiration for the
| |
| | amazing. I'll try to pick up a few
|
| novel "The Old Man and the Sea".
| |
| | flowers from the market and bring along
|
| Apparently the old man is still alive,
| |
| | some of the Canadian souvenirs that I
|
| probably around 100 years old or so and
| |
| | brought from Toronto to reciprocate the
|
| he used to receive visitors (for a small
| |
| | favour. It'll be interesting to see Cuban
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| fee), but his health has deteriorated
| |
| | life from inside a Cuban home...Susanne
|
| over the last few years and he no longer
| |
| | Pacher is the publisher of a website
|
| receives visitors. We wanted to have a
| |
| | called Travel and Transitions( Travel and
|
| nice dinner in a Paladar in Cojimar, but
| |
| | Transitions deals with unconventional
|
| one was completely full, and the other
| |
| | travel and is chock full of advice, tips,
|
| one so expensive that we decided to
| |
| | real life travel experiences, interviews
|
| continue on.After our arrival back in La
| |
| | with travellers and travel experts,
|
| Havana we decided to go to a pizzeria
| |
| | insights and reflections, cross-cultural
|
| near the Parque Central since I had a
| |
| | issues, contests and many other features.
|
| real craving for pasta. The food here can
| |
| | You will also find stories about life and
|
| get a bit monotonous and I love Italian
| |
| | the transitions that we face as we go
|
| food, so we headed into a freezing,
| |
| | through our own personal life-long
|
| over-air-conditioned pizza parlour, where
| |
| | journeys.Submit your own travel stories
|
| they had just run out of spagetthi. We
| |
| | in our first travel story contest( and
|
| tried another upscale Italian restaurant
| |
| | have a chance to win an amazing adventure
|
| on the other side of the square, but it
| |
| | cruise on the Amazon River.
|
