Once more we attended the jazz, soul & blues festival at Glynde Place in Sussex, as usual held across the first weekend in July. It was good but lacked the wow moments of previous years provided by the likes of Chick Corea, Snarky Puppy or Mica Millar. The Music The organisers have followed a formula […]
Cuban Trains I wanted to take a scheduled train in Cuba, but as they were said to be extremely unreliable our itinerary with G Adventures did not include one. Travelling by train from Havana to Santiago rather than flying as we did would have been my idea of fun, but at just under nine hours […]
Cuba’s got rhythm. Being a race made up of African, Spanish, Latin American, Cajun & indigenous Caribbean blood, that is hardly surprising. Think reggae meets flamenco meets jazz meets gospel meets tribal meets Latin and you start to get the picture. Modern Cuba has its roots mixed in with the Spanish colonialists and the slaves […]
Back in 2010 I took an overnight train from Bangkok in Laos. We crossed the Peace & Fruendship Bridge between Thailand and Laos before alighting in a new country. From there it was a 30-minute tuk tuk ride into Vientiane.
Cigar Production What is the first thing you think about when somebody mentions Cuba? I wager that cigars will feature top of many people’s list. When Christopher Columbus reached Cuba in 1492 , he discovered the locals “drinking smoke” from an early version of a cigar. It was very much a local production for local consumption, […]
Casablanca Having visited the three main districts of Havana, it was time to cross the water to Casablanca. Not the iconic Moroccan city but the settlement on the small island across Havana bay, home to the city’s former fortifications and Cuba’s Estatua de Cristo. We walked through the old town, past the cruise ships (a […]
Having embarked on a wonderful tour of Cuba taking in Santiago, Baracoa, Trinidad, Bayamo, Camaguey, Cienfuegos and Santa Clara, we returned where it all began in Cuba’s mesmeric capital. Cuban Casas We were staying in a Casa Particulare in Old Town Havana. Casas were the staple accommodation of our trip, a cross between a State […]
From the moment we received an unexpected mojito welcome at the ace Casavana, our time in Havana had been brilliant. Would day two keep up the enjoyment? You bet. Gangsters & Corrupt Politicians First port of call was the iconic Hotel Nacional, where we would be staying that evening as the first part of out […]
Spanish Influence All things considered, Havana is possibly the best city I have ever visited. It is for certain in my top 5. Mrs Wilbur & Our Friend Hamish Pleased To Be In Cuba It is like the best Spanish cities moulded into one – the edgy old town of Cadiz, the oceanside promenade and […]
As ever when I travel out of Europe I like to take shots of exotic flowers & trees. Cuba was no different. I do not have a clue what these flowers or the majority of the trees are (please let me know if you do), but I think they look good so here we go…… […]
