After 27 flights and eight countries in less than three months we decided to return to Canada a little early. We arrived back to Calgary just in time for Alana to write her provincial exams for Grade 6 after being away for three months. She was up for the challenge.
We've now settled in and look forward to the summer in Canada.
Thanks to all you readers out there. We appreciated your comments on the blog and we're glad you enjoyed following us along on our trip.
We would encourage you all to visit South America in the future. Ignore the common misperceptions out there about continent and go and see it for yourselves.
Have a great summer.
Tony, Ruth and Alana
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Let’s do the time warp today….
With apologies to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tony hums the tune as we see our first 1960’s car in Havana, stepping outside the airport. The city is full of them – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – along with the tin boxes on wheels we know affectionately as the Lada, the symbol of the former Soviet empire.
It was explained to us there is a shortage of private cars in Cuba and so these cars are passed down through the generations, held together by what surely must be coat-hangers and glue. Like a family pet you’ve grown old with, deep affections develop for the family automobile, despite the obvious inconveniences like constant breakdowns, terrible fuel efficiency and belching exhaust. I understand from a friend that Canada’s very own David Suzuki has been heard touting the “greenness” of Cuba. Has the man even been there? He must have been sucking on one of these tailpipes or some ganja.
We’ve decided to visit the socialist experiment called Cuba before the hoards of Americans return to the Caribbean island. Obama is signaling some relaxations in travel, starting with allowing more visits back to their home by Cubans living in the U.S.
Our focus is on the beautiful city of Havana, where officially 2-million residents of the 11-million in Cuba live. Unofficially, a guide tells us the number is closer to 4-million, as an economic death-grip on the country prevails since the fall of the Soviet empire in the 1990s, forcing people into the city to survive.
Sadly, the country’s best and brightest often give up on their chosen careers to work in tourism or anything where they may get tips or propinas from foreigners. We heard the story of an aeronautical engineer who now drives taxi, a teacher that now is a Havana guide, a doctor that waits tables in a fashionable local hotel restaurant. By doing so, all saw their family incomes go up by as much as 10x.
We spent most of our time in Old Havana. The place oozes with charm. Most of the buildings are old Colonial, some dating back more than 300 years. Here again lies a problem. After the revolution of 1959, the communists said they would improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba after Castro's abrupt expropriation of all private property and industry under a strong communist model backed by the Soviet Union followed by the U.S. embargo, hit Havana especially hard. As a result, today much of Havana is in a dilapidated state.
There have been recent efforts at restoration and many buildings are in various stages of getting a facelift. As well, the lovely stone streets are generally in good repair.
You don’t have to walk very far to find the Caribbean Sea. Its breezes are welcome in the sweltering heat. There is a popular malecon or boardwalk along the water. And only 30 minutes out of Havana is the Playa del Estes area with white sand beaches.
Nightclubs are abundant and we took in the famous Tropicana show, which lived up to its building. A little unnerving for visitors is how dark the city is at night. Again, our friend says David Suzuki cites the conservation of electricity for the “greenness” of Cuba. I suspect the real reason is Cuba doesn’t have enough power to keep the city lit.
Readers now may be getting tired of the rant against socialism. Just a little more please. Tony’s Blackberry can’t get a data signal (he suspects no Blackberries work here out of government fear they could be used to overthrow the Castro regime). Similarly, Wi-Fi at our hotel is more than CDN $10.00 per hour, whereas hotels run by the same French chain we stayed in South America offered free Wife. Surely, a Communist plot too!!
There are some small signs of improvement for Cubans under Raul Castro. As of this year, they can now step inside and even stay in hotels. Previously, they could only get access for special events like a honeymoon night. Cubans can also now buy a cell phone. I should add both hotels and cell phones are beyond the financial reach of most citizens.
Enough on the politics.
A great attraction to visit is Ernest Hemingway’s Havana home, the hotel room he used to stay in before buying the house, and the three locals bars he frequented. We spent a morning touring all of the above with a guide.
The hotels and bars are smack in the middle of Old Havana. He drank daiquiris at The Floridita, mojitos at Del Mundo and virtually anything in a bottle at La Bodeguita del Medio. Alcohol was an important part in Hemingway’s life.
He was initially dragged by his wife kicking and screaming to the home, on four square kms of land, 20 minutes outside of the city centre, expecting he would be bored. Initially, they rented but then after a year bought the home for $18,000 from the French owners. Hemingway grew to love the extraordinary property.
The man had some idiosyncrasies. He wrote standing up. He had 50 cats and four wives and countless lovers. He loved hunting, fishing, cock fighting and bull fighting. Numerous trophy heads from many safari trips to Africa adorn the home’s walls. He had graves and tombstones on the property for his four dogs, but due to superstitions the graves for the cats were scattered randomly without any markings.
Interestingly, the home is now a museum and it sits almost as you would have found it when he killed himself with a shotgun in 1961, ending four years of suffering from liver disease. After his death, his last wife donated the property to the Cuban government.
Should you still decide to go to Cuba after reading this, do go to Havana and do stay at the NH Parquet Central. It has one of the best rooftop pools you’ll find anywhere with sweeping views of the city and of the Caribbean. A perfect place to sip mojitos and daiquiris.
With apologies to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tony hums the tune as we see our first 1960’s car in Havana, stepping outside the airport. The city is full of them – Ford, Chevy, Dodge – along with the tin boxes on wheels we know affectionately as the Lada, the symbol of the former Soviet empire.
It was explained to us there is a shortage of private cars in Cuba and so these cars are passed down through the generations, held together by what surely must be coat-hangers and glue. Like a family pet you’ve grown old with, deep affections develop for the family automobile, despite the obvious inconveniences like constant breakdowns, terrible fuel efficiency and belching exhaust. I understand from a friend that Canada’s very own David Suzuki has been heard touting the “greenness” of Cuba. Has the man even been there? He must have been sucking on one of these tailpipes or some ganja.
We’ve decided to visit the socialist experiment called Cuba before the hoards of Americans return to the Caribbean island. Obama is signaling some relaxations in travel, starting with allowing more visits back to their home by Cubans living in the U.S.
Our focus is on the beautiful city of Havana, where officially 2-million residents of the 11-million in Cuba live. Unofficially, a guide tells us the number is closer to 4-million, as an economic death-grip on the country prevails since the fall of the Soviet empire in the 1990s, forcing people into the city to survive.
Sadly, the country’s best and brightest often give up on their chosen careers to work in tourism or anything where they may get tips or propinas from foreigners. We heard the story of an aeronautical engineer who now drives taxi, a teacher that now is a Havana guide, a doctor that waits tables in a fashionable local hotel restaurant. By doing so, all saw their family incomes go up by as much as 10x.
We spent most of our time in Old Havana. The place oozes with charm. Most of the buildings are old Colonial, some dating back more than 300 years. Here again lies a problem. After the revolution of 1959, the communists said they would improve social services, public housing, and official buildings; nevertheless, shortages that affected Cuba after Castro's abrupt expropriation of all private property and industry under a strong communist model backed by the Soviet Union followed by the U.S. embargo, hit Havana especially hard. As a result, today much of Havana is in a dilapidated state.
There have been recent efforts at restoration and many buildings are in various stages of getting a facelift. As well, the lovely stone streets are generally in good repair.
You don’t have to walk very far to find the Caribbean Sea. Its breezes are welcome in the sweltering heat. There is a popular malecon or boardwalk along the water. And only 30 minutes out of Havana is the Playa del Estes area with white sand beaches.
Nightclubs are abundant and we took in the famous Tropicana show, which lived up to its building. A little unnerving for visitors is how dark the city is at night. Again, our friend says David Suzuki cites the conservation of electricity for the “greenness” of Cuba. I suspect the real reason is Cuba doesn’t have enough power to keep the city lit.
Readers now may be getting tired of the rant against socialism. Just a little more please. Tony’s Blackberry can’t get a data signal (he suspects no Blackberries work here out of government fear they could be used to overthrow the Castro regime). Similarly, Wi-Fi at our hotel is more than CDN $10.00 per hour, whereas hotels run by the same French chain we stayed in South America offered free Wife. Surely, a Communist plot too!!
There are some small signs of improvement for Cubans under Raul Castro. As of this year, they can now step inside and even stay in hotels. Previously, they could only get access for special events like a honeymoon night. Cubans can also now buy a cell phone. I should add both hotels and cell phones are beyond the financial reach of most citizens.
Enough on the politics.
A great attraction to visit is Ernest Hemingway’s Havana home, the hotel room he used to stay in before buying the house, and the three locals bars he frequented. We spent a morning touring all of the above with a guide.
The hotels and bars are smack in the middle of Old Havana. He drank daiquiris at The Floridita, mojitos at Del Mundo and virtually anything in a bottle at La Bodeguita del Medio. Alcohol was an important part in Hemingway’s life.
He was initially dragged by his wife kicking and screaming to the home, on four square kms of land, 20 minutes outside of the city centre, expecting he would be bored. Initially, they rented but then after a year bought the home for $18,000 from the French owners. Hemingway grew to love the extraordinary property.
The man had some idiosyncrasies. He wrote standing up. He had 50 cats and four wives and countless lovers. He loved hunting, fishing, cock fighting and bull fighting. Numerous trophy heads from many safari trips to Africa adorn the home’s walls. He had graves and tombstones on the property for his four dogs, but due to superstitions the graves for the cats were scattered randomly without any markings.
Interestingly, the home is now a museum and it sits almost as you would have found it when he killed himself with a shotgun in 1961, ending four years of suffering from liver disease. After his death, his last wife donated the property to the Cuban government.
Should you still decide to go to Cuba after reading this, do go to Havana and do stay at the NH Parquet Central. It has one of the best rooftop pools you’ll find anywhere with sweeping views of the city and of the Caribbean. A perfect place to sip mojitos and daiquiris.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Our Top 10 Lists from South America
It’s been almost two weeks now since we left South America for Mexico and we’ve had time to digest the last two months. Here are the Top 10 Lists for Tony, Ruth and Alana. Any overlap is coincidental as the lists were prepared independently.
Alana:
1. Galapagos Islands
2. The Bird Park at Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)
3. Rio de Janiero (mostly Copacabana Beach)
4. Seeing how the Natives live in Peru
5. Shopping in Valparaiso, Chile
6. Mendoza wineries
7. Soccer game in Brazil
8. Meeting people who travel too
9. Seeing the Alto City in Bolivia
10. Buenos Aries
Ruth:
1. Having so much time together as a family.…
2. Alana’s company; laughing until we cried
3. Trekking in the Andes; reaching the summit at 15,000 feet
4. Peruvian native culture in action: dress, customs
5. Galapagos zoo without cages; Tony’s sea lion encounter; Marine iguanas
6. Being taken care of after long days on the road; Romina’s kind care and optimism in Buenos Aries
7. Meal time discussions and Hot beverages with David, our guide on the trek
8. Argentinean Beef and Malbec
9. Rio’s Beaches and the View from Sugar Loaf Mountain
10. Cusco and the rooms and courtyard and atmosphere at the Novotel, our hotel there
Tony:
1. Getting up close and personal with the land and marine life in the Galapagos
2. The exhilaration of seeing Machu Picchu
3. The architecture and interior finishings of the many Catholic cathedrals throughout the continent (and I’m not Catholic!)
4. Native culture in the Peruvian Andes
5. Richness of the flora and fauna in the Amazon jungle
6. Vastness of Lake Titicaca
7. The glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
8. Traveling to the End of the World at the tip of South America
9. The energy of Buenos Aries
10. Friendliness of the people throughout South America
Alana:
1. Galapagos Islands
2. The Bird Park at Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)
3. Rio de Janiero (mostly Copacabana Beach)
4. Seeing how the Natives live in Peru
5. Shopping in Valparaiso, Chile
6. Mendoza wineries
7. Soccer game in Brazil
8. Meeting people who travel too
9. Seeing the Alto City in Bolivia
10. Buenos Aries
Ruth:
1. Having so much time together as a family.…
2. Alana’s company; laughing until we cried
3. Trekking in the Andes; reaching the summit at 15,000 feet
4. Peruvian native culture in action: dress, customs
5. Galapagos zoo without cages; Tony’s sea lion encounter; Marine iguanas
6. Being taken care of after long days on the road; Romina’s kind care and optimism in Buenos Aries
7. Meal time discussions and Hot beverages with David, our guide on the trek
8. Argentinean Beef and Malbec
9. Rio’s Beaches and the View from Sugar Loaf Mountain
10. Cusco and the rooms and courtyard and atmosphere at the Novotel, our hotel there
Tony:
1. Getting up close and personal with the land and marine life in the Galapagos
2. The exhilaration of seeing Machu Picchu
3. The architecture and interior finishings of the many Catholic cathedrals throughout the continent (and I’m not Catholic!)
4. Native culture in the Peruvian Andes
5. Richness of the flora and fauna in the Amazon jungle
6. Vastness of Lake Titicaca
7. The glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina
8. Traveling to the End of the World at the tip of South America
9. The energy of Buenos Aries
10. Friendliness of the people throughout South America
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