So we made it to Santa Clara and did the tour of Che monuments. The Cubans REALLY love Che Guevara here, even more than middle class students of British universities do, if you can believe it, going by the money and effort they´ve invested in the museums and memorials in this otherwise pretty provincial nothing-town.
Also more surprisingly, they love their instrumental versions of British and American pop hits. We were sitting at dinner last night in the place we´re staying listening to the theme to Fame, Abba´s Fernando and most brilliantly Bonnie Tyler´s TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART which made me laugh so much I almost fell over into my miserable vegetarian plate of rice, beans and potato (as an aside, I never want to eat rice again when I get home. I have eaten enough here to last me a lifetime). Today in the internet cafe they have been playing us panpipe versions of Everything I do I do it for you, I will always love you, Celine Dion´s bloody Titanic theme song, and that song from Ghost. Why, Castro, Why? On the panpipes for fuck´s sake.
We´re back up to Havana tomorrow, where we´re intending to invest some more time in rum and cigars, and maybe some more beach time to the east of the city. I am still working on the tan, my interweb friends, it´s a slow process. Mostly I just look a bit dirty. Anyway, it´s back on the bus for us tomorrow morning, and time for me to log out now. So long, chums xxxx
Friday, 1 August 2008
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Applauso Fuerte!
Out of Santiago, on to Trinidad. Before we left we managed to catch a bit of the carnival which was amazing - apparently it's the biggest in the world after Rio. Lots of photos and video footage to edit when I back (and lots of Glasgow footage, too, I haven't forgotten). Also made it out to the beach there, with a strange man who I think was called Wilfredo who kept saying "I love you, all the time". However, I think it may be my beautiful visa that makes me so alluring...
11.5 hours on the bus brought us to Trindad which is beeyootiful. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site so it's all bicycles and horse-drawn carts. The beach here is incredible, all white sand and palm trees, and on the first day we came back into town on a coco taxi which the internet cafe here won't let me link to but you should totally google. They're good fun until you try to take a corner. On Sunday we did some snorkling and saw Dory and some of her other Finding Nemo friends which was ace, but our instructor wasn't state registered or something which is apparently VERY BAD and our taxi was stopped by the police as we drove back in to town - the driver was hauled out and as we're bricking it in the back seat the instructor is whispering to us -Only beach, Never snorkling, never say snorkling- and making us hide the masks in our bags. THEN the police kicked us out of the car and made us walk part of the way back to the town... That was a pretty awesome day. Cuba = mental sometimes.
Today we go to Santa Clara where Comrade Che is buried. Whoop. I'm very excited about all the Che tat I can buy there, as if there hasn't been enough already... peas and luv yall xxx
11.5 hours on the bus brought us to Trindad which is beeyootiful. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site so it's all bicycles and horse-drawn carts. The beach here is incredible, all white sand and palm trees, and on the first day we came back into town on a coco taxi which the internet cafe here won't let me link to but you should totally google. They're good fun until you try to take a corner. On Sunday we did some snorkling and saw Dory and some of her other Finding Nemo friends which was ace, but our instructor wasn't state registered or something which is apparently VERY BAD and our taxi was stopped by the police as we drove back in to town - the driver was hauled out and as we're bricking it in the back seat the instructor is whispering to us -Only beach, Never snorkling, never say snorkling- and making us hide the masks in our bags. THEN the police kicked us out of the car and made us walk part of the way back to the town... That was a pretty awesome day. Cuba = mental sometimes.
Today we go to Santa Clara where Comrade Che is buried. Whoop. I'm very excited about all the Che tat I can buy there, as if there hasn't been enough already... peas and luv yall xxx
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Muñeca
More from Santiago. A nice lady in the Internet café told me I had the face of “una muñeca”, which we think means doll, because I´m very pale like a china doll. That´s all very nice until you think that if you told someone black in the UK they looked like a Gollywog you´d be in BIG trouble.
Santiago much hotter than Havana. Day one here reinforced Noel Coward´s maxim that yes, truly only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Subsequently we´ve been hiding out until the afternoon when it´s cooler, like today in the internet café. Discovered the Bacardi museum the other day which contains Cuba´s only mummy and other exciting things which Castro nicked off the Bacardi family when he came to power, which goes some way to explaining why they´re so mad at him. Also took a trip to the fort of del Morro, which was pretty amazing.
We´re staying in Santiago ´til Wednesday so we´ll catch a bit of the carnival, then we´re off to Trinidad which is in the middle of the island. As for the rest of today, we´re mostly planning on mojitos and cake, since it´s too hot for anything else.
Still haven´t found Irn Bru, but have found some orangeade called Naranja which is the same colour. I´ll just have to keep trying. Glaswegian lessons continue. Comrade Gregory particularly enjoys “bampot” and Comrade Davies “bolt ya rocket”. It´s a slow process… Laterz xxx
Santiago much hotter than Havana. Day one here reinforced Noel Coward´s maxim that yes, truly only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Subsequently we´ve been hiding out until the afternoon when it´s cooler, like today in the internet café. Discovered the Bacardi museum the other day which contains Cuba´s only mummy and other exciting things which Castro nicked off the Bacardi family when he came to power, which goes some way to explaining why they´re so mad at him. Also took a trip to the fort of del Morro, which was pretty amazing.
We´re staying in Santiago ´til Wednesday so we´ll catch a bit of the carnival, then we´re off to Trinidad which is in the middle of the island. As for the rest of today, we´re mostly planning on mojitos and cake, since it´s too hot for anything else.
Still haven´t found Irn Bru, but have found some orangeade called Naranja which is the same colour. I´ll just have to keep trying. Glaswegian lessons continue. Comrade Gregory particularly enjoys “bampot” and Comrade Davies “bolt ya rocket”. It´s a slow process… Laterz xxx
Friday, 18 July 2008
Santiago
Hello again. Comrade Davies joined us on Monday, and a 16 hour bus ride brought us to Santiago (we tried to get the train, but typical Cuba style, we were told "no train today".) Santiago is mega hot, even compared to Havana. We´ve checked out the Bacardi museum so far, and last night had dinner at a real live Cuban´s house. Also met a Cuban English teacher in a bar who had spent a couple of months in Edinburgh and Glasgow. SMALL WORLD.
To Corneilius - no Irn Bru as yet, not managed to catch any stand up, but we did see an amazo magician yesterday. You would have been well impressed. We have some good photos to bring back.
xxx
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Hello from Havana
Just a quick note to say me and Comrade G managed the 9 hour flight and miraculously to get through immigration. I have also succeeded in finding some vegetarian food and a fair amount of rum (mojito for a quid, anyone?) Much to Comrade G's annoyance I am working up material for the blog during the day Big Brother style: "day two on the Cuba adventure..." in an utterly terrible Geordie accent. He is picking up some Glaswegian though (yesterday he actually said "smell yer maw") Off to the chocolate factory today, and the museum of fine art for a bit of cultcha, plastered in factor 50 suncream which I don't think is doing any good in this weather.
Internet time is ticking away, so it's ta-ra for now, blog peeps. Lots of love xxx
Internet time is ticking away, so it's ta-ra for now, blog peeps. Lots of love xxx
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Leaving Glasgow
I'm heading down to Chez Gregory in Basingstoke on Saturday, and flying out of Gatwick on Sunday morning; depressingly, the train will take only marginally less time at seven and three-quarter hours compared to the flight time of nine and a half. Viva la national rail!
Before I go, I've been working on a Glasgow-Spanish translator:
Ned - Guapo
Yaldi - Barbaro
I'm pure ragin'! - Soy puro que asola!
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