Archive for October, 2010

Song of the post:

So, I was now officially a quarter-of-a-century old AND in Cuba.  There areno word s to articulately describe what I felt then.

Thankfully, the Nacional included a free buffet breakfast, since we were short on cash.  As we were walking to breakfast a friendly Aussie asked us if we knew where breakfast was being served.  We told him to follow us and as simple as that a new friendship was formed.  I have previously mentioned in my blog how deeply important the people that I meet while traveling are to me.  And this was definitely no exception!  M., an Australian nomad, was by himself on the end of a round-the-world trip.  Looking for some fellow travel companions he decided to join us after breakfast on our excursion to the beach.

Not the actual taxi we took to the beach, but an example of one of the fabulous cars that can be found in mass in Cuba.

The beach that we went to was called Playa del Este.  It was about a 15 minute taxi ride from La Habana.  As we walked over the sand dunes and in the direction of the ocean the sight of the crystal blue waters took my breath away!  I will never become jaded with the Caribbean.

Sadly, the beaches in Cuba are divided between tourists and locals.  Tourists are discouraged from going to the local’s side.  Locals, however, are not even allowed to go over to the tourist’s side.  There are police watching to make sure that this never occurs.

In the next 2 pictures guess which side is the tourist’s side and which is the local’s side?

We decided it best to head over to the tourist’s side, aka the empty side of the beach (even though all 3 of us preferred otherwise).  There we found a man that would bring us anything we wanted for only a couple of CUC$’s. . .ahhh, que bueno!

I left M. and Kristin to their sunbathing and went to float in the ocean.  While there, I encountered 2 very drunk Cubans whom kept insisting that I marry them.  M. eventually joined me in the water and kindly pretended to be my husband to get them to leave me alone (poor Kristin became their next target).

M. then tried to take their picture, but they started to get very anxious and talk so rapidly that I could barely understand them.  The problem was that they knew they were on the tourist’s side and if the police somehow saw the pictures they could get in a lot of trouble.  It was not just the ocean; hotels, restaurants, and shops that admitted tourists were not allowed to let Cubans enter either.  That type of segregation was really unsettling and continued to bother me throughout the rest of the trip whenever we encountered it, which was more often than not.

The 2 crazy Cubans; 1 caught in the act of professing his love to me.

We laid out for several hours under the hot Cuban sun and when M. and I would need breaks we would cool down in the ocean and engage in talk of politics, current events, world affairs, our travels, etc.  I felt like I had really met my intellectual match with him!  One of the question’s he asked me was, “What is your greatest vice in life?”  My response, of course, was chocolate.  I would pleasantly discover soon why he had asked me that question.

M. and I enjoying the water. I did it backwards, but I was putting up 25 in honor of my Birthday.

Later in the day it started to rain and we took it as a sign that it was time to find some lunch.  However, finding something vegetarian for me and non-seafood for M. and Kristin was proving to be quite a challenge.  Finally, we happened upon an ice cream stand, which made all 3 of us very happy.  Unbeknownst to us, that also happened to be where our 2 Cuban friends had found refuge as well.  They insisted on buying us ice cream and asking for Kristin and I’s hand in marriage one last time (despite thinking that M. was my husband).  The sun started to come out again and we thanked them for their “generosity” and left them with broken hearts.

About an hour later, having had enough sun for one day, we returned to the hotel in order to start the real celebrations. . .

Song of the post:

Flight status update: delayed, delayed, and delayed some more.  We ended up spending the entire day at the airport.  Finally, around 7PM we decided to cancel our flight to the Pirate Island, as we did not want to spend the night in the miserable airport and waste any more of our precious time.  We were in a predicament though since we had checked our luggage earlier; we now had to somehow find away to get it off the plane.  And even though Kristin and I speak Spanish, our desires were not being communicated very well.  Thankfully, 2 kind gentlemen whom were in the same situation as us overheard our difficulties and came to our rescue.

We got our stuff back, but not before aging a couple of years from the stress.  Apparently, flight delays are more than a common occurrence.  ¡Es Cuba! My advice is to take buses or boats when traveling in the country.

We were delighted to be out of the airport and in a taxi, however now we were homeless.  Not expecting to still be in La Habana; we had no casa reserved for the evening.  Since we had lost a whole day to the airport disaster and the next day was my Birthday we decided to splurge a little and stay in a hotel.  The only problem was that we had not budgeted for one.  So, we turned to our holy Lonely Planet for advice and could not help but fall in love with the description of Hotel Nacional.  It really does not get more glamorous than the Nacional and that is where we were determined to stay (we just needed to figure out how to pay for it first).

Hotel Nacional from the taxi.

Kristin thought I was crazy for thinking I could negotiate a room there for 2 nights.  To be honest, I am not sure where I found the courage to walk into such an establishment and ask for a discount myself?  The woman behind the desk was astonished when I told her that we could only afford to pay almost half of what a room normally costs.  I put on a good show though, not forgetting to mention that in a couple of hours it would be my Birthday.  She eventually took pity on us and gave us the room at the requested price.  Score!!!

The history of this luxurious landmark is deeply rich and captivating.  The Nacional’s tiled lobby, over sized chairs, and aristocratic air capture the atmosphere of a bygone era and it is the perfect place to cool down with a mojito or cuba libre at the end of a hot day.  It is perched on a cliff above el Malecon and is surrounded by lush gardens and pools.  All in all the perfect place to celebrate a special Birthday.

The lobby of Hotel Nacional.

Kristin and I found a nearby restaurant and decompressed from the day.  Around midnight we laid our heads down on our soft pillows and just as I was drifting off to sleep Kristin said, “Feliz Cumpleaños mi amiga,” and with that all of the frustrations that I experienced throughout the day were gone.  And little did I know that it would end up being one of the most memorable Birthdays of my life!

Song of the post:

What a thrill it was to wake up in Cuba!

The view of Habana Vieja outside of our casa.

Kristin and I really wanted to dedicate some of our time in Cuba to snorkeling, especially since it is known for its extraordinary diving spots.  This was the main reason why we booked a side-trip to Isla de la Juventud.  ‘La Isla,’ which is the affectionate name the locals have given it, is situated about 100KM east of the mainland.  It is known for having one of the best underwater coral formations in the Caribbean, as well as drop-offs, ship wrecks, caves, and a variety of marine life.

It is also known for housing some famous people in its prison; including both President Batista and Castro and many pirates whom had sailed there to escape imprisonment elsewhere.  Nueva Gerona is the capitol and that is where we were scheduled to fly in to for 2 days, one of those days being my Birthday.

Kristin and I were told by many Cubans that we needed to arrive 3 hours before our flight.  We both thought that was a bit ridiculous, but when we walked into the domestic terminal we quickly understood why we were given that advice.  There was only 1 person servicing the entire airport.  We waited in line for at least an hour and when we finally made our way to the counter we were informed that there was a flight delay.  Not knowing what to do with ourselves for several hours, we hesitantly checked in our luggage and decided to go for a walk to try and find some propaganda signs we had spotted on the taxi ride to the airport.

The La Habana domestic airport.

As an American, it is impossible to speak about Cuba, let alone to make the choice to travel there, with all the red tape and implied illegalities and say that it is not political.  Therefore, I apologize if my political commentary throughout my posts offends in any way.  Obviously, I am against the current embargo that the U.S. has with Cuba and while I know my traveling there has no impact on it in any way, it was my one little way of rebelling.  I think Che would have been very proud of me!

It was well over 100% humidity and the mosquitoes were out in full-force, though neither of those things mattered to us after finding the signs.  Cuba is the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the few remaining in the world.  Fidel Castro is now the longest-ruling leader alive today (at the time I visited he was still in power).  I am not a Castro fan, nor any dictator’s for that matter, but I am greatly intrigued by the immense power he continues to have over his great nation.  These signs really captured some of that power and that is why I wanted to photograph them.

The old American cars that drove past us while we walked along the highway looking for the signs were beyond fantastic!  Cuba simply exudes sexiness and the cars definitely add to it.

Having received my political-fix for the day, Kristin and I decided to return to the airport to get an update on our flight situation. . .

Editors Note: This trip was taken in July 2007.  Yes, I was a brunette for a while and yes, I had my nose pierced.  What can I say, other than I am a big believer in changing up your look from time to time!  Also, while you are reading this I am currently traveling throughout South America.  I hope you enjoy the memories of my unforgettable trip to Cuba. . .

First stop: Cancun

Second stop: Forbidden Land

I am an adrenalin junkie like no other!  This trait was developed several years ago and must now be satiated constantly.

So, if you add my fascination with Cuban history and politics + my crush on Che Guevara + my love for mojitos and salsa music WITH being told that I am not allowed to legally enter Cuba; well, I could not have designed a better place to get my adrenaline fix in, nor to celebrate my 25th Birthday.

Several months prior to the trip I asked my friend, Kristin, if she would like to travel to Cuba with me.  Although she is as equally obsessed with traveling to exotic places, I still thought she would laugh at my crazy proposition.  However, without hesitation she said, “Siiiii!”  And within days our trip was planned.

We bought our flights to Cancun through Jetblue and then our flights to La Habana through Cubana.  As the trip approached we decided to take a side trip to Isla de la Juventud.  That flight was also booked through Cubana.

The flight to Cancun was uneventful.  At the airport we had to buy a Cuban visa for $25 at the Cubana desk.  Because we are Americans, instead of pasting it into our passports they simply pasted it on to a little sheet of paper that they then tucked inside of our passports.  We did not have to ask for this courtesy, it was simply done without any mentioning.

We were starving and had a while before our flight took off, so we went to get some lunch.  For some reason the both of us had in our heads that we were to board at the actual time our flight departed.  Wow, did we panic when we checked our tickets and saw that we were in fact incorrect!  We grabbed our lunch and dashed to the gate.  Fortunately, the flight was delayed (a concept we were going to become intimately familiar with during our time in Cuba); otherwise we would have missed our flight due to our carelessness.

The flight from Cancun to La Habana via Cubana was interesting to say the least.  The plane was ex-Soviet with limited legroom and AC, the flight attendants walked around in life preservers, and instead of peanuts they passed out candy.

Since I was afraid of my luggage being lost forever in Cuba, I chose to solely bring carry-on.  I was quite proud of myself for fitting a week’s worth of stuff into a small bag (with a little room to spare for my Lonely Planet Cuba guide and the cigars I wanted to smuggle back).  Kristin and I each brought approximately $1000 cash (Euros for Kristin and Mexican Pesos for me), which we exchanged into Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC$) at the airport once we landed.  You can exchange American Dollars in Cuba, but you are then subject to a 20% extra tax for doing so.  Avoid it by bringing any other type of currency.  Credit and debit cards for Americans are not accepted anywhere in the country due to the economic embargo and I strongly suggest to bring more money than you expect to need, as Cuba is surprisingly expensive for tourists.

My 1st sighting of Cuba from the taxi!

The best accommodations are the casa particulares, or government regulated rooms that Cubans rent to foreigners.  We found ours here.  Strangely, we did not end up staying at some of the ones we booked online, because as you will eventually read our plans changed A LOT.  However, we found other casas to stay in at the last minute and they ended up being perfect.

On our 1st night in La Habana we were going to stay with someone we had met through Couchsurfing, except when we arrived at the casa the gentleman that we had been in communication with informed us that the room we had requested was no longer available.  Thankfully, he suggested that we stay at his friend’s casa instead.  From that point on the motto of our trip became the commonly used Cuban phrase:

“Es Cuba (that’s Cuba)!”

Whenever we encountered a frustration, which was often, we would say it and in doing so we would start to smile again.

The casa we then went to was owned by a lovely couple named Sergio and Miriam.  They were incredibly hospitable and had an adorable daughter who fell in love with my iPod.  Our room had 2 double beds with AC.  I highly recommend staying with them if you are in La Habana.  The area that the casa was located in was called Habana Vieja, or Old Habana.  After getting settled into our room we went for a stroll around the neighborhood and over to Plaza Vieja, which was a beautiful aging plaza with a fountain in the center of it.

An old church illuminated by moonlight in Habana Vieja.

The main building in Plaza Vieja.

We ate at Café Taberna and before our meals arrived we toasted our 1st of many mojitos of the trip.  We made it and we could not wait to further explore this forbidden land!

Song of the post:

Our flight to Amsterdam was not until mid-afternoon, so we decided to take advantage of the morning by returning to the secret beach we had discovered the previous day.  This time, however, we took another road to get there and it took us straight onto the beach.  I seriously died and went to heaven when we arrived.  Do you not feel the same way when you look at the following pictures?

And then what felt like a blink of an eye — I was no longer in heaven — rather I was back in Amsterdam.  My brother and I searched for about an hour trying to find a restaurant without a wait.  Amsterdam had just won a World Cup match and everyone was out celebrating.  We stumbled across a cafe with some free tables and quickly sat down.  The sadness between us was palpable; we had waited a year for this trip and now it was over.

However, what kind of trip would this be, if it did not end with yet another crazy adventure???

About 5 minutes after I took the above photo my brother got a fish bone lodged in this throat while eating.  He tried absolutely everything to get it out, only to no avail.  We returned to our hotel to finish packing and I could tell he was in some serious discomfort, though he did not want to go to the hospital.  He decided he would try to sleep, thus we both apprehensively went to bed.  Around 3AM I heard him call out to me.  The pain had become too much for him and he wanted me to see if I could pull the fish bone out.  So, at 3AM in a Marriott bathroom I performed oral surgery with tweezers and was eventually able to extract the damn fish bone.  In that moment, I think my brother was ready to give me his firstborn child he was so happy!

While we waited for our flight the next day, my brother thanked me from the bottom of his heart for planning such an incredible trip (misadventures and all) and for opening his eyes to the wonderful world of traveling.  In that moment, all of my sadness from the trip ending disappeared and I was elated that 1) he was happy and 2) to have a new travel partner.

Song of the post:

As we approached the Blue Marlin, I could see that blue again and my heart fluttered with excitement!

Thankfully, we were driving a scooter, because by the time we arrived at the beach club the entire parking lot was filled with cars and there would have been nowhere for us to park.  Juan was not kidding when he said this was the place to be.

I knew it was going to be amazing after seeing its giant Buddha fountain out front.

I have been fortunate to step foot in some pretty glamorous places in my life, but this place, well it was easily the most glamorous and exclusive place I have ever been to.  Even though I was dressed to impress (I was wearing a Missoni bikini that I had bought in Italy, a silk tunic that I had bought in India, and gold Havaianas that I had bought in Brasil), I still felt out of place amongst the fashionable and wealthy crowd.

Having said that, I was totally smitten with the place!  If you are interested in learning more about it, I wrote more here.

As we were being led to our sunbeds, the DJ began setting up his equipment.  I could not wait to relax into my chair underneath a cloudless sky with a mimosa and listen to the music.  I was shocked that in less than 2 days I had fallen hard for dance music.  I hated dance music with a passion before this trip and I do not know if it was Ibiza or the fact that when I travel I am more open to new things, but after this big change of heart I am now convinced that people really do and can change.

The backdrop of the Blue Marlin is Cala Jondal, a beach so pretty you never want to leave it.

And that is exactly how we felt 6 hours later when it was sadly time to depart.  It truly was one of the best days of my life and I am delighted that I got to experience it with my brother.

On our drive back to the hotel we decided that we would spend our final evening in Dalt Vila, or Ibiza Old Town.

Wandering around Ibiza Old Town is like stepping back in time.  It is a maze of narrow, winding, cobblestone streets flanked by whitewashed houses.  It is definitely Europe at its finest!

Located in the main square are many first class restaurants where you can count on having the most romantic meal of your life under the Mediterranean stars.  Juan recommended La Oliva and since he had yet to disapoint us that is where went.  Our to-die-for meal was the perfect ending to our perfect island escape.

Song of the post:

Upon awaking, Juan told us that he was able to make reservations for us at the Blue Marlin in Cala Jondal.  The fact that he was able to do this, just proves how well connected he is, because the Blue Marlin is the place to go to on Sunday’s in Ibiza and reservations need to be made at least 1-2 weeks in advance.

Along the way there, about 15 minutes into our ride, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the color blue.  But, not just any color blue, a blue unlike any blue I had seen before.  I told my brother to make a sharp left down a graveled road.  Within seconds we were greeted with the most unbelievable view.

I am convinced that the color of this water should have its own name.

We continued to drive down the road.

And at the end of it discovered a hidden cove!  This place was so hidden that we could not find it on any map, therefore I am unable to reveal its name.

Then we saw that there was another road that was branching off from the one that led us down to where we were and we decided to see where it might lead to.  All I know is that at the time the blue of the Mediterranean Sea had completely captivated me and put me under its spell.

The road ended up leading us down even closer to the sublimely beautiful water.

Of course I just had to go swimming in it (though not before a picture!).

Unfortunately, the luxury of time was not on our hands, since we had a reservation at a posh beach club to make.  Thus, we hopped back on the scooter and vowed to return to this secret treasure the following day.

As we drove towards Cala Jondal I found myself in almost a state of disbelief.  For years and years, all I had heard regarding Ibiza was that it was “the party capitol of the world.”  Because of that reputation, I had incorrectly assumed that all the island had to offer was a spectacular nightlife.  It is unfortuante that more people fail to talk about its equally spectacular scenery.  You can definitely come to Ibiza and simply party, however you would be missing out on one of the most gorgeous places that exists.  I love when I am surprised and Ibiza definitely surprised me.  I could not wait to arrive to yet another beach. . .

Song of the post:

One of the best things about the fabulous hotel we were staying at was that it provided a gourmet buffet breakfast every morning.  I awoke much earlier than my brother, since he stayed at Pacha until the sun came out, thus I quietly sneaked downstairs so that I could enjoy a long, leisurely meal to myself.  As I sipped my latte and looked out onto the Ibiza harbor, it occurred to me that this was my first time seeing the Mediterranean Sea.  I could not believe that I had been all over the place, but not yet to one of the most visited bodies of water in the world.  It truly is as beautiful as people say it is!

After breakfast, I went up to the rooftop of the Ocean Drive to sunbathe and take in the stunning view (our room shared this view as well).

Ibiza Harbor

Ibiza Old Town in the distance.

Around mid-afternoon my brother finally woke up.  Ocean Drive knows that most of its patrons will want to sleep in after visiting the clubs, so breakfast runs until 2PM.  While my brother was eating breakfast and I now lunch, we made the decision that we would rent a scooter for the next 2 days and visit as many beaches as possible.  Juan made a call and about 20 minutes later a scooter was delivered to us (if you have not figured it out already, Juan is the man).

The front of our hotel.

We were given a map and wished good luck.  I adore my brother more than life itself, however I will admit that it was a little difficult at first entrusting my life in his hands.  Nonetheless, I hopped on the back of the bike and we were off on our island adventure!

Despite Ibiza being a small island, there were copious beaches for us to chose from.  A couple of people recommended we start at Ses Salinas, which is one of the most popular beaches to visit on the weekend.  So, we decided to start there.

The beach was beyond packed and the only way we could find space was by renting 2 chairs from the chic Jockey Club, which is a beachside club/restaurant.  While they were getting our chairs ready, we decided it was time for our daily sangria drinking ritual.  My brother and I were pretty excited when the restaurant turned on their TV in order for everyone to watch the World Cup and it just so happened that our favorite team, Argentina, was playing.

sangria + futbol + la playa = una Andi muy feliz!

After about 3 hours and a win by Argentina we were ready to move on to our next beach and we chose Playa den Bossa.

Playa den Bossa is where you will find the younger crowd, because the most affordable accommodation is located there.

We walked up and down the beach a couple of times and then decided to visit one more beach before calling it a day.  This time we chose Talamanca, which was right around the corner from our hotel.

Talamanca beach

We stayed there until the sun set and then retreated to our hotel to watch the final World Cup match of the day and get ready for our Saturday night out on the town.

An Ibizian sunset.

The view of Ibiza from our hotel at night.

A new restaurant that specializes in pizza had just opened up across the street and it was calling our names.  It was the 2nd night in a row that we had a waiter we loved.  We got into a really interesting conversation with her, as she had immigrated from Belgium to Ibiza.  I remarked that I bet she moved because of a boy and she smiled.  She said that I had guessed correctly and that her boyfriend was the manager at Ocean Drive.  My brother and I almost spit our drinks out at her.  Juan was her boyfriend!  As we walked over to Space, the club to be at on Saturday’s, we talked about just how small of a world it truly is.

One of my favorite travel website’s, The Explorateur, has recently announced a new contest that I believe my readers would be incredibly interested in.  I know I am excited!  If you have not heard about the contest, it is because you have yet to subscribe to their daily email where you can be amongst the first to know about their insider news and exclusive deals.  Trust me, you want to subscribe.

So, the contest that is currently going on (to subscribers only) is the search for the best Bucket List.  I know that almost all traveler’s have one already written or at least have one in their head.  Mine can be found here.  All you have to do is email your list to: info@theexplorateur.net.  The grand prize, which is a fabulous trip (destination unknown), will be announced mid-November.

Who knows maybe the trip will be to a place on your Bucket List and then you can cross it off???  Good luck (though I’m selfishly hoping I win)!

*You can also find The Explorateur on Facebook and Twitter.

If I had a penny for every time someone asked me what my favorite travel search engine is, I would be one rich lady!  I am a pretty loyal person, once I find a company that I love, it is quite a challenge to get me to switch or use other competing companies.  And the surprising thing is, being the passionate traveler that I am, I do not have a favorite travel search engine.  I have a couple that I like, but none that I love.  Nothing has captivated me thus far.   So, when I was contacted by Dohop.com for a review, I jumped at the chance to learn about a new travel search engine.
 

I am in the midst of trying to decide where I should spend New Year’s Eve this year and thought I would use some of the places I had in mind during my foray into the website.  One of the places I am considering is Lisbon, Portugal.  Before I even began my search for flights from Charlotte to Lisbon, the first thing that I noticed and really enjoyed was the simplicity of the website.  There is no need for websites to be overcrowded with information on the homepage.  After I typed in the cities and dates and pressed “search,” the search engine checked 600 different airlines.  In less than 10 seconds I had a multitude of different flights I could chose from and the prices quoted included the taxes, so that I would not be surprised if and when I eventually booked my flight.  I hate being excited about an unbelievable deal only to discover as I am booking it that there are an extra $200 in taxes.  Next to the prices is a list of filters, some of which I have never seen before.  Once one of the filters has been selected the flights are instantly changed to fit the new search.  2 other great things about the website is that if you find a flight that piques your interest you can monitor it to see if the prices drop and there is a newsletter that you can subscribe to in order to stay abreast of travel news.  You can also search for hotels and car rentals along with the flights.
 

After playing around on the website for an hour, I am still no closer to choosing the destination where I will be ringing in the new year (although there were some excellent deals to Lisbon on the website), but I did find a travel search engine that I could definitely become loyal to!