Found Westjet has a 24hr window to cancel...so bought a return tix from Cuba to Canada, and Interjet was happy and issued a boarding pass...went to cancel Westjet tix, but crappy Cancun WiFi wouldn't let us...si, headed to Cuba hoping to find internet that worked within 24 hrs...found one with 30 minutes to spare the next day!
Interjet flight spacious, clean, on time, plus they serve free booze! Can't beat that!
Landed at Havana airport without Cuban $$...line up to cambio was going to be at least that..found a cab, asked him to take us to a banco on our way to Playa del Este...outside Havana. Solved the line up and the wait! Plus, the cabbie got paid.
Playa Del Este is the Cuban beach strip, polar opposite to Varadero...slightly (OK, a lot) disheveled beach strip and town... No fancy resorts here..plenty of Cubans, few tourists, lots of casas...just the way we like it!
Our booked casa, was, well booked! So, ended up in another place! Wow! Like a Roman villa..20 M pool, tiled totally, antiques, statues, waterfalls...bit over priced at $50 cuc....spent 2 nights there! What it made up in size, it had lost a lot of heart.
Moved on to Varadero to spend time at one of our favorite casa families...Casa Lustre...just a wonderful, warm 3 generational family that runs this place 3 blocks off the beach for $30 night.
We've returned to Cuba again (after spending April/May, 2014 here - read our archived blogs from that trip?)...to see a few new places, but to visit some wonderful casas and Cuban families.
We must leave Lidia and family in Varadero after several days of talk, laughter and too much food. So much warmth, just like visiting with family and friends in Canada!
Grab an early morning Viazul to Santa Clara ..adopted home to Ché...great little town...with monuments to Ché (including his mausoleum) and the Great Train Derailment! A turning point for Fidel, Ché and even the women of the revolution! Yes, key women are honoured here!
Artifacts inside one of the train cars...
Saw a wonderful music performance in the grand old teatro.
Again, pushed on to our next stop ...Ciego de Avila...while waiting for the Viazul, we find out it is late arriving!
Several Cubans hear this and point out another bus to Ciego...take us to it. After talking with the driver, we are on!
Thinking we scored an empty ride, as it has only 2 drivers and the girlfriend, we sit back to enjoy the scenery. However, several blocks later, the bus stops for a number of locals. Ah, a Cuba bus! Soon, it' s filled!
As usual, we seem to be 2 BC salmon in the wrong ocean! Bus ride is great, clean, good music, safe and arrives on time! OK...driver did have to stop several times to whack the back end with a big metal bar and off we went!
Arrived in Ciego, hopped in a taxi to Moron! Our driver, a retired agriculture professor at the Moron University. His English was pretty good, so the 30 min ride to Moron zipped by passing fields and fields of sugarcane growing in red soil.
Arrived in Moron to our Hostel Alicia. What a find in this grand, old colonial town. Hosts Katya y Geraldo are fantastic. Warm, generous, so helpful. The casa is beautiful...2 rooms for rent....1st class dinners and superb drinks...we'd come back to Cuba, just to see them!
Soup and appies...
Moron is a worn out, sleepy town that must have been a grand old dame during the heady days of Cuba' s sugar cane industry. Few, to no tourists stop, or stay here...most roar through to the All-Incs on the Cayo to the north!
Typical phone booths used everywhere in Cuba.
We head to the local Casa de La Trova....the local drinking and dance place. We arrive, and are the only non-Cubanos! After several minutes, we are up dancing.
The locals appreciate our efforts, but soon step in to give us some lessons! (Hey, we are dance champions from Guadalajara. Ha-ha). What a great night. Next day, the bouncer/doorman waves at us on the street.
We decide to see the Cayo...easiest way is to book a night or 2 at one of the resorts... told, we can just walk in to one and check in, well, we get a driver and go out....true typical way we travel now...however, seems you DO need a reservation before heading out on the 29 kms long causway to the cayos.
Welcome to Jardines del Rey - Garden of the King.
Our driver pulls along side a little booth and we go inside. At the desk is an old man, a booking agent...who speaks little English...but, he does speak German!!!
God, I love the fact that Yvonne is fluent in German! We use it everywhere, even kms offshore in Cuba
Anyway....we buy a night or 2 at an all-inc on the Cayo Guillermo. Great beaches, some sun time, back to crappy food and a lot of boring tourists!
Adios for now, mi amigos! Stay tuned for part 2 as we journey east through Cuba!
Shayne y Yvonne
PS. Check our earlier post last week from Puerto Morelos.. Have updated it with photos now! Graçias!
Landed at Havana airport without Cuban $$...line up to cambio was going to be at least that..found a cab, asked him to take us to a banco on our way to Playa del Este...outside Havana. Solved the line up and the wait! Plus, the cabbie got paid.
Playa Del Este is the Cuban beach strip, polar opposite to Varadero...slightly (OK, a lot) disheveled beach strip and town... No fancy resorts here..plenty of Cubans, few tourists, lots of casas...just the way we like it!
Our booked casa, was, well booked! So, ended up in another place! Wow! Like a Roman villa..20 M pool, tiled totally, antiques, statues, waterfalls...bit over priced at $50 cuc....spent 2 nights there! What it made up in size, it had lost a lot of heart.
Moved on to Varadero to spend time at one of our favorite casa families...Casa Lustre...just a wonderful, warm 3 generational family that runs this place 3 blocks off the beach for $30 night.
We must leave Lidia and family in Varadero after several days of talk, laughter and too much food. So much warmth, just like visiting with family and friends in Canada!
Grab an early morning Viazul to Santa Clara ..adopted home to Ché...great little town...with monuments to Ché (including his mausoleum) and the Great Train Derailment! A turning point for Fidel, Ché and even the women of the revolution! Yes, key women are honoured here!
The actual bulldozer that was used to derail the train carrying Batista's troops.
Read closely
Saw a wonderful music performance in the grand old teatro.
Again, pushed on to our next stop ...Ciego de Avila...while waiting for the Viazul, we find out it is late arriving!
Several Cubans hear this and point out another bus to Ciego...take us to it. After talking with the driver, we are on!
Thinking we scored an empty ride, as it has only 2 drivers and the girlfriend, we sit back to enjoy the scenery. However, several blocks later, the bus stops for a number of locals. Ah, a Cuba bus! Soon, it' s filled!
As usual, we seem to be 2 BC salmon in the wrong ocean! Bus ride is great, clean, good music, safe and arrives on time! OK...driver did have to stop several times to whack the back end with a big metal bar and off we went!
Arrived in Ciego, hopped in a taxi to Moron! Our driver, a retired agriculture professor at the Moron University. His English was pretty good, so the 30 min ride to Moron zipped by passing fields and fields of sugarcane growing in red soil.
Arrived in Moron to our Hostel Alicia. What a find in this grand, old colonial town. Hosts Katya y Geraldo are fantastic. Warm, generous, so helpful. The casa is beautiful...2 rooms for rent....1st class dinners and superb drinks...we'd come back to Cuba, just to see them!
Moron is a worn out, sleepy town that must have been a grand old dame during the heady days of Cuba' s sugar cane industry. Few, to no tourists stop, or stay here...most roar through to the All-Incs on the Cayo to the north!
The 1923 train station still in use with all the original worn benches, windows, wickets and birds flying inside.
We head to the local Casa de La Trova....the local drinking and dance place. We arrive, and are the only non-Cubanos! After several minutes, we are up dancing.
The locals appreciate our efforts, but soon step in to give us some lessons! (Hey, we are dance champions from Guadalajara. Ha-ha). What a great night. Next day, the bouncer/doorman waves at us on the street.
We decide to see the Cayo...easiest way is to book a night or 2 at one of the resorts... told, we can just walk in to one and check in, well, we get a driver and go out....true typical way we travel now...however, seems you DO need a reservation before heading out on the 29 kms long causway to the cayos.
Our driver pulls along side a little booth and we go inside. At the desk is an old man, a booking agent...who speaks little English...but, he does speak German!!!
God, I love the fact that Yvonne is fluent in German! We use it everywhere, even kms offshore in Cuba
Anyway....we buy a night or 2 at an all-inc on the Cayo Guillermo. Great beaches, some sun time, back to crappy food and a lot of boring tourists!
Adios for now, mi amigos! Stay tuned for part 2 as we journey east through Cuba!
Shayne y Yvonne
PS. Check our earlier post last week from Puerto Morelos.. Have updated it with photos now! Graçias!
Some random shots...
