HABANA

as promised, i would guest-blog from time to time - Jem.

cuba, stuck in the 1950's and associated with the revolution, rumbas, the mafia, the sex trade, ancient cars, cigars and clearly unsafe to take a loved one, or so i thought. we never intended to visit cuba until one drunken wednesday night at isla mujeres (known as the island of women) when we met charles, (a fellow traveller) who wanted to visit cuba before castro's reign came to an end and mcdonalds and starbucks took over - he didn't need to convince us very much. we were on our second bottle of rum late into thursday morning and before we knew it, we already made our minds up and were planning to leave isla mejeres for cancun for our flight to havana (or "habana" as the locals call it) on friday!


A typical street, Everyday life

not knowing what to expect, how to feel (especially since i just got my morning jab for bed-bug bites which seem to haunt me whenever i travel). the original plan was 8nights through the classic route but i kinda fell ill from the night we landed and the fever was just to much so we only stayed for 4 nights.


Classic Havana & Classic Jeremy (being picked up)

i can tell you that the experience is something unexplainable but i'll try. our worst experience had to be when we were stuck in the airport for 4 hours because the immigration officers didn't know what to do with us as singaporeans didn't need a visa to enter - my guess is they had no idea where or what singapore was. then shaan passed immigration but had to wait for me for another half hour because they thought i had a fake passport. finally, the custom officer detained us and brought us to a corner to confirm if we had enough money for our entire stay. by the time we were out, we were drained, irritated and it was late evening, and we didn't even have a room for the night.



He hasn't moved in 4 days, Saleswoman,
The Lost Tourist & Cuban Street Party

although i was really down and out thoughout the four days (suspected dengue), we did manage to finish habana, the main sights especially. it's truly something just to walk on the streets. music plays out loud throughout the day (from all households)and mostly through the night too - you get invited to their house to dance along. everyone sits along the dark and wet streets chatting while the youth play baseball on the streets with paper made balls (and this happens everyday) - all races and colours getting along to the beat of music. for the guys ...., i have to say that cuban girls have got to be the sexiest dressed i've seen and shaan will tell you that they start at about 8. there are no thin cubans but certainly shapely ones. i regret not heading to the legendary tropicana night club, salsa heaven (casa de le musica), el este beach or even trying a mojito (shaan did) but i know for sure, i'll return someday to cuba.



In case of Fire, The Real Habaneros,
Cuba's equivalent to SBS & Comfort

Isla Mujeres

Amazed at the terquise water on the ferry from Cancun to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women), Hit the beach (and bar) after dumping our bags at the hostel

San Cristobal & Pelenque

Jem lugging the load back from the laundromat, church at the zocalo


Mayan Ruins At Pelenque

Mazunte

Sun setting into the ocean & a secluded beach we discovered. We had to do some major hiking to reach them both.


Our rooftop open air "suite" by the beach for US12 a night and the view at dusk from there

ACAPULCO & PEURTO ESCONDITO

22 September 2006
ACAPULCO
After a 5 hour bus journey through windy hills and 3 stops along the way, we finally got a glimpse of the ocean and were in Acapulco. I must say that the city has dwindled into a giant mess since James Bond set foot on this once sleepy town. I was disillusioned at the touting, the pollution and the general chaos of the city. We did however meet Roas and Mika from the Netherlands and Sophia from Switzerland and got a great bargain on the hotel – a room with 4 Queen beds for 300pesos which works out to be 60 pesos (USD6) per person!

We walked through the Zocalo (city center) and grabbed a bite (they served free tequila shots as dessert which I refused! NAS-TY!) before heading to the Cliff Diving point – apparently one of the highlights. I must admit I figured we’d be doing our share of “getting loco” by having a little tequila and dancing on the beach – but we did none of that. Instead, I saw the true meaning of Going Loco in Acapulco. For a 35 peso entrance, we saw a group of local boys scaling a steep cliff – about ten stories high – and diving into a narrow gorge! Two altars lay at the peak, where they each said their prayers before making the jump, the last of which included a stunt with fire.

Our day at the beach the next day was even more disappointing. The water was far from crystal. A couple we met said they found a syringe in the water. Can you imagine?! All in all, Acapulco was a huge disappointment and should definitely be skipped entirely.

23 September 2006
PEURTO ESCONDITO
The 9 hour journey through the night was grueling to say the least. Being tossed from side to side along with the sharp turns and dealing with at least 70 speed bumps (the bus halts to about 2 mph each time) didn’t allow me to sleep much at all (Jem knocked out like he’d been hit by a bus, instead of riding in one) except for the last hour naturally – we had to be woken up to get off the bus. Met an Irish couple – Tadhg and Emma – on the bus and we ended up getting rooms next to each other at Pepe Cabanas. It’s a simple place, but the east facing view from our balcony is breathtaking – especially at 7am when we arrived. We enjoyed sunrise for the first time in many many years.

Jem explored the town a little whilst I took a much needed nap. Off we went to the closest beach – Playa Principal and saw a fisherman and his daughter who had just caught a giant swordfish! It was so unreal and plastic looking! We headed for lunch nearby and both ordered pescada al ajo – fish fillet with garlic – a specialty in the area. When it arrived, I was sure they had messed up the order and had given me chicken instead. It sure as hell did not look anything like the soft juicy white fleshed fish we were so used to eating at Aunty Pam’s. We struggled through the first couple of bites but it was seriously unpalatable! Curious as to what the waitress had served us, we asked and she pointed to a mounted fish on the wall… a giant swordfish!!! EWWW!




We spent the afternoon at a couple of beaches in the area. Playa Carrizalillo was filled with the “hip, backpacker crowd” sunbathing, surfing, swimming. Jem loved it! I on the other hand thought it was a little too crowded and spent my time under the shade with fresh orange juice, chatting with Sophia … We headed to two nearby beaches, Playa Manzanillo and Angelito where it was a little more serene, but the ocean floor a little too rocky.



Walking back, we came across a rotisserie chicken place and could not resist buying a chicken for dinner. We brought it back up to our cabana balcony and like a couple of savages, devoured it with our hands. What a mess – thoroughly enjoyable though. We spent the night at a couple of bars around Zicatella and Principal, chatting away with other backpackers… Anna from Sweeden told me about this great beach in Nicaragua which is perfect for learning how to surf. Apparently the gradient is so gentle and the waves so perfect –which makes for an excellent learning ground for beginners. I’m actually considering it…


Sophia, Jem, Emma & Tadhg

CUERVANACA & TAXCO

19&20 September 2006

After spending 5 days in Mexico City, we were ready to leave the chaos which comes with any metropolis. We headed an hour and a half south to Cuervanaca, a mid-sized town, big enough that it has a MacDonalds, Buger King and Dominoes. We bought our bottled water from OXXO as usual – a Mexican version of 7-11, trusted to be open day and night. The highlight had to be La Comuna, a cozy little art café/bar/restaurant with brightly colored walls, live guitar and harmonica music, owned by an elderly – but very learned couple. We made fast friends with Jose the owner and Jem finally faced his fear and tried a shot of tequila. I had ¼ of his shot and felt a burning sensation in my stomach. Deadly stuff. We had such a great night that we returned the next morning for some huevos and gave Jose a Singapore magnet. Jose Martinez Crus reciprocated by giving me a book he co-wrote on the Socialist movement in Morelos entitled La izquierda: y los movimientos socials en Morelos. Will sure need a whole lotta Spanish lessons to get through it!

Taxco: a town we almost skipped but made the best decision of our trip so far not to give it a miss. It’s one of the most authentic, charming, rustic and gorgeous towns I’ve ever been to. It’s such a pity that the pictures we took do not do it justice. We fell in love with Taxco immediately, although I did have a rough beginning. You see, Taxco is a town built in the mountains, where the cobblestone streets wind through the hilly terrain on steep gradients. With my 50lb backpack strapped to by shoulders, I was in pain and almost in tears as we ascended the scenic narrow lanes searching for our hotel. Jem trooped through like a champ though while I finally gave up and rested by a little fountain amidst stalls selling pure silver charms and bracelets.

Everything ended up fine and having dumped our backpacks in our tiny room at Casa Grande. How ironic. Lunch was awesome – we had freshly grilled chicken while being thoroughly entertained by the owner’s son who was meticulously polishing every inch of his black VW Beetle. He used a different product for each part – right down to the tires! About 90% of the vehicles here are old VWs. The “combis” are VW vans, the taxis are white beetles and the commercial cars run from golfs to beetles from the 1960s through 80s. I kept a lookout for my old ‘87 GTI, feeling that it might’ve been shipped out here to live a third life, after I gave it a second.

Among the places of interests we visited, from Ex-Convento de San Bernadino de Siena to the Church of Guadalupe, to the main Cathedral de Santa Prisca at the Zocola, the highlight had to be the exhilarating yet most physically extreme hike to the summit of the mountain to reach the Cristo Monumental del Cerro del Atache. It is almost identical to the statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro. On our ambitious journey to the top, we were amazed at the friendliness of the locals. An old lady hanging clothes on the balcony smiled and offered directions without even us asking, and children were only too eager to join us for part of the hike up – taking us through back alleys and staircases, running up dirt trails while we tried our best to keep up. After having hiked through trails, alleys and charming roads, we finally decided to cut our losses and turn back. The actual streets had come to an end and what lay before us was jungle. An old man called out to us as we were turning back and convinced us to persevere. Apparently, according to him, a short cut up the jungle would take us to Cristo in three minutes! Hesitant but figuring that it was just too good a chance to pass up, we walked gingerly up the little trail and tried not to slip, fall, or anger the passive wild dog licking himself under a tree. We passed through cut barbed wire with a sign that warned against trespassers. After the last stretch of 60 degree inclination, we jumped over a wall and we were finally at Cristo. Imagine our astonishment when we saw an old couple – the man on crutches – admiring the view! How the hell did he get up here?? We later found out that for 50 pesos, a taxi takes you right there… by the main road up the mountain. We consoled ourselves by reassuring each other that it is the journey, not the destination that puts a cherry on the experience. And yes, we walked all the way down. Not because we were being cheap bastards (we kinda were as well…) but just to prove our point.

Mexico City

Teotihuacan Ruins


WHERE´S WALDO???
At the Anthropolical Museum


Mexico City Zocalo (city center)

The End is the Beginning

8 September 2006

Sorry for the long lapses...

We finally made it out of the US… One thing led to another and we ended up staying for over a month, instead of just 2 weeks! First Hawaii happened, then a longer than expected Californian road trip, then the Dave Matthew’s concert, then my sister kept bribing us with plans – trips up to Napa Valley, Sausalito etc. Finally saying goodbye (again) was heart wrenching… I would’ve stuffed her in my backpack if only she had weighed less than 50lbs – they’re awfully strict about that at the airport.

So here we are on UA 977 even though we didn’t think we would make it in time, not like that hasn’t happened before… Ended up leaving the house late, then long lines at check in (charming conversation with this old couple though!), made a dash for a quick espresso, changed currency to pesos, and as luck would have it, we were “randomly selected” for extra screening for explosives and crap. Haha. Finally made it to the gate (which was right at the end, of course) and onto the aircraft.

As I sit here on a plane bound for Central America listening to Cat Stevens on iTunes, I realize how I really am my father’s daughter - bitten by the travel and adventure bug. I love listening to his stories from the time he spent the summer of 1973 hitch hiking across the entire US whilst doing his degree at MIT. I glance over to Jem while he reads his Mexico guidebook, and I can’t wait for us to have our own adventures and create our own stories… the kind of tales that make your heart skip a beat and your eyes twinkle every time you tell it – be it 30 years down the road. Sometimes I still can’t believe we found each other – both crazy enough to leave everything familiar behind for an experience of a lifetime. Shouldn’t we be boring and married by now?