Mexico City...What A Surprise!

Thanks to a tip from my friend Ray, I tacked on a couple of days in Mexico City with my Cuba adventure. It would also give me a chance to see Mexico City Frank, a friend I met during my 2011 Africa travels in Tanzania. 

Arrived at MEX at 7:45am, got through immigration and baggage check. Baggage machine guy asked me how many cigars and sent me to the bag inspection lady. She couldn't figure out my backpack and I wasn't about to help her so she let me through without hardly checking it. Hopped in a taxi, came upon mad traffic and one hour later arrived at the Zocalo Central Hotel and met up with Frank shortly after at the Cathedral doors across the way!

In 2011, while in Tanzania, Frank showed me how to let unwanted bugs outside vs killing them. Now, in 2015, he's convinced me to eat bugs at Restaurante Chon! We had some type of worm, grasshoppers and some nutty tasting tiny bugs. It was definitely different and I'm not sure anyone else would have been able to convince me to some bugs for a full on meal! After our filling bug lunch, we went to the History Museum where Frank went full on historian on me- it was pretty cool! The day day ended with bacon and cheese tacos in a thunder and rain storm and I was never so ready for bed as I've been up since 1:30am!

 Day two started with a wake up from the Pride Parade crew. Yours truly did a stroll around the main square to take some photos then ventured out to a place called Castillo de Chapultepec. It was easily the most stunning castle I had ever seen and I've seen my share while traveling through Europe. The crown moldings, the architecture, stained glass windows, gardens and decor just oozed romance. After that taking that in, I walked into the Four Seasons hotel which was right outside the park to ask for information and directions. It's a travel habit of mine: any hotels is a resource for taxi and info along the way! Information and directions led me to a scrumptious meal at Contramar, a place my friend Ray had highly recommended and it did not disappoint. The hotel, which I'm not even staying at, even called in to make sure they would have a seat for me by the time I got there. Cerveche, octopus and shrimp tacos, limonada and a guava cheesecake to it off!  The pride parade brought out thousands of people out on the streets and cars were a bit bonkers! It made getting through 11+ miles of walking today a bit tricky to navigate but a success as only one car almost ran me over. Almost being two inches ... phew!

Apparently, I chose some weekend to be in Mexico City. Between various protests and the Pride Parade, never have I seen so many police officers in full armour with shields and all. We are talking hundreds and hundreds! Speaking of Pride, I will forever remember that while I was on this adventure, back home, history was made. The Surpreme Court Of The United States said yes to gay marriage in all 50 states! Obamacare is not going anywhere as well! As much critism as our President gets from the public, I have nothing but admiration for the man. Let's be honest, he had the toughest of messes to clean up from the prior eight years! I am beyond proud that we have a leader who can not only command a stage when he speaks and speaks intelligently but whose humility and passion for the people shines through each and every time.

I must admit, I was a bit nervous about making a visit to Mexico City because of the wrap they get in the eyes of the U.S. media but I figured if I can take on Medillin (Colombia), I can take on Mexico City and I'm glad I did. What a surprise this city turned out to be! Culture, food, endless history and the most romantic of castles. I'm sold! I've bottled up so much positive energy from Cuba and Mexico City that I'm hoping it'll last me awhile! Until next time friends! 

Cuba Wrap Up: Interrogation In, Interrogation Out!

I hopped on the noon bus from Varadero to Havana. The 2+ hour bus ride dropped me off at Havana Vieja vs. the Viazul (bus station) office which meant I wouldn't have to spent CUC10 getting myself back to Vieja..sweet! Karolina's Casa Nena was full for the night so she arranged for me to stay at her neighbor Alain's spot, Casa D'Rocha a few doors down. I walked in the building and walked back out because I didn't know which apartment it was and as I walked out, timing would have it that Nuides was walking to Casa Nena's. "Hola Yi! Aqui!" So I followed her to Casa Nena while she calls Alain to let him know I'm here. Karolina did not tell me that Alain's casa required a out 40 flights of steps!

My last evening in Havana and Cuba for that matter, I met Caroline, Levi and Mike at Jardin de Orient for a locals priced meal. Don't let the name fool you, there's nothing orient about the spot. Turns out Mike and Levi both grew up in San Francisco as well! After dinner, I talked them into walking the malecón with me. Hanging out with them was so nice..I wasn't getting hassled as much but as soon as I step about 10 feet away, it starts up! We all turned in pretty early driven by the heat exhaustion and early cab wake up call. The timing had nothing to do with the sorta strange guy who was chatting us up..an American from Saudi Arabia.

It's 2:39am and I hear a knock on the door..it's Pepe..Karolina's taxi guy.. these taxi folks are always early! He was on the phone then gives me the phone and it's Alain explaining he wasn't going to be here to check me out but make sure to lock everything and leave the keys. Apparently, everyone knows everyone in this side of town! I explained to Pepe with some key broken Spanish words that we needed to drop by 611 Calle Cuba to pick up my friends. In his ritzy old school car we rolled. 

We arrived at the airport, checked in, exchanged my leftover money back to euros (I brought $700 euros with me and exchanged $640 of it but used only $600 of it.) and made our way to immigration. The immigration guy looked like he was about to stamp me but nope..I was denied along with Levi and Carolina and was sent back to the red line to wait. Here we go again..we knew the drill. 

Mr. Immigration Interrogation guy made his way towards us and took us into the office one by one for questioning. I was second to go, Levi was up first. The office left little to desire...two desks..some fake flowers and a dozing coworker in the background. He started his questioning by asking me where I've been and the addresses of where I stayed. Good thing I kept all that with me! Taxi drivers I used and then it was during the background questioning portion that I noticed he is writing on the bottom portion of the same piece of paper the lady who interrogated me entering Havana was writing on! He was cross checking. The best might have been..what is The Gap? I took my hoodie out and showed him the label. Actually, maybe it was when he asked if I came with Levi and Caroline and I said "No, we met in Havana" and he said, "Aqui? Beautiful!" I thought.. beautiful is letting us through and on the flight! Anyway, he led us back to the immigration counter, stamped, scanned and we made it! 

I followed Levi in buying a last minute trinket, a baseball bat keychain with Cuba colors on it. The lady only wanted American dollars. How backwards was that?! In a country where the U.S. dollar isn't king and she wants dollars. 

Coming to Cuba, the only expectation I had was to see throngs of classic old school cars. There were plenty of them but not as many as I had thought. Because of their relations with the Chinese, there are actually a lot more modern cars than I thought there would be and I've even spotted two Audi's. Point being.. if you want a piece of old Cuba before it's too late and old classic cars become a tourist thing vs a local means, get here soon! You can spend thousands of dollars and go with education tour groups or you can spend $1500 ($900 total air and $600 food, casa, transport, trinkets) and do it yourself. Cuba is special in the sense that it's still somewhat time locked and a bunch of stuff is backwards. However, take the intrigue away of it being a "regulated" country to visit for those holding a U.S. Passport and it's kinda like any other country in this region, except for the cars, cigars and rum, in my opinion anyway. It doesn't take away the cool factor though of a Cuba stamp in the passport! Except, I don't think he was supposed to stamp my passport.

The most common question I've had asked, outside of pick up ones have been, how did I arrive here? Folks seem disappointed when I respond with Mexico City. They're eager for the abundance of folks from the U.S. to fund the tourism here! Maybe a Starbucks? Maybe a Hard Rock Cafe? Maybe an Ironman race? Maybe wifi and internet?!

Next up: 48 hours in Mexico City before back to SFO!

Varadero...Cuba's Beach Paradise

No early morning bus ride is ever complete without the obligatory 80's love songs! That was the genre of choice for the two bus drivers taking turns for the six hour drive from Trinidad to Varadero. Peter Cetera, Richard Marx mixed in with some James Blunt and "Imagine" by John Lennon which is always a nostalgic song for me while I'm traveling. It brings me back to 2004, I'm sitting in St Mark's Square in Venice, Italy writing in my journal as the sun was setting when the orchestra started playing "Imagine." It was my first trip solo abroad and that was the first reminder of home.

In Varadero, I'm staying at Beny's House, which is exactly what it sounds like. His daughters, Natalia and Giselle, manage all the cooking for guests. Food is pricey in this town so I've had most of my meals at the house. At CUC40/night, this is the priciest place during my Cuba circuit. This town is the beach spot to be among folks from Canada and Europe..it's nice..certainly warm waters. I'm writing this at 8pm at a still crowded beach. It's a shame how much trash folks leave here though. Cubans must  be huge fans of the Beatles because this is the second town now that houses a huge bar dedicated to the Beatles..Trinidad had one as well... equipped with life size Beatles statues, album covers and lyrics on the walls. The Beatles Bar in Varadero. The Yesterday Bar in Trinidad.

This is the only town that will accept euros as a form of payment which was handy for me because I'm starting to run low on my CUC bills. Banks here aren't equipped for American cards of any type...yet? It seems like each time you get in a cab, regardless of type or distance, the go carts, old school classic, yellow can or horse carts, it's CUC5. Cigars here cost twice as much as they did in Trinidad. Score on my Trinidad purchase for requesters back home!

The cat calling and hissing continues in Varadero. I was looking to buy an obligatory bag (it's my vice while traveling)..he wanted CUC10 and I said CUC6 and he said how about CUC6 with a kiss? What?! Then he offered a kiss and it's free. What?! Gross. Twenty blocks later, I bought one for CUC7 and didn't have to kiss anyone!

My second full day on this beach strip, I spent at the beach taking in the Caribbean blue waters and then hopped on a double decker tour bus because I was curious to see what the east side looked like. At the beach, an older gentleman from Cologne, Germany chatted me up while on his walk. I was meditating to the sounds of the ocean. After the general casual conversations one has with other travelers, we bid each other well. As he walked away, I thought to myself, did I just miss a sugar daddy opportunity?! I joke! I must say, he was an upgrade to the teen that was trying to chat me up shortly prior and the guy that invited himself to sit next to me while I was watching the sunset last night. Speaking of which, ladies (and gents), there's a hilarious article Aziz Ansari wrote about dating in June's Glamour magazine. Hilarious!!

East side of this town is full of huge all inclusive resorts. The boring stuff. There are a bunch of developments going up with huge banners that read "construction is revolution"! During the 90 minute bus tour of the east, I couldn't help but think, once Cuba is able to really do business with the U.S., how long it'd take before Ironman offers up "Ironman Cuba"! This strip of land would almost be perfect for it and the location, Cuba, would draw entries like bonkers, except this beach strip is no representation of authentic Cuba. 

Next stop: on the 12pm bus back to Havana!

Stage Five Clinger In Trinidad!

I arrived in Trinidad greeted my a throng of aggressive locals with places to stay and taxi services for hire. I was looking for Carlos, owner of the casa I had reserved, who said he would greet me at the station with a sign but no sign and no Carlos. One of the taxi hustlers said Casa Carlos is very far..needs taxi..seven blocks. I started walking as Carlos found me. It was actually two blocks, shady taxi guy!

Trinidad is a pretty charming and well reserved colonial town. Night and day compared to Havana with its slow pace and mountain breezes. When I say slow, shop workers are often found napping with their head down during open hours. I can't tell you how many times I've walked in and out of a shop without them knowing.. it's pretty amusing! I've spent my days wondering the cobbled streets and wondering some more. There is a nice strip of beach you can get to and back for CUC2, Playa Ancon.  

One early evening, passing the Restaurante Marin Villefuerte, the owner ushered me over and offered me the locals price of CUC6 for a 3 course lobster dinner vs tourist price of CUC15. We communicated this via writing of numbers on the hand. The lobster tail was the size of my plate! 

Trinidad is also where I would run into Levi and Caroline again, along with their friend Mike. The funny thing about meeting people in my travels is that regardless of how long the first encounter lasted, the next time you randomly cross paths again, it's like old friends with hugs all around! I guess it's a comfort sort of thing to see familiar faces again while anonymously in foreign lands. Mike, "how did you guys meet?" Levi, "during interrogation! We were trying to make it out the exit door!" We laughed about our interrogation incident at the airport and coordinated to meet for dinner in Havana and hopefully for the taxi ride to the airport for our 6am flight to Mexico City. Coincidentally, our travel timing from the U.S. to Cuba was the same and on the same flight. I'll have to ask if Ernesto from Toronto helped them with the ticket.

Local life in Trinidad includes folks making from what they have. Families

go around in the late afternoons, walking down the local streets offering what they have to sell. The casa I am staying at buys bread daily from the bread lady..there's a banana guy that comes around on a donkey cart..a floral lady..etc. My favorite has got to be the half pig/dog that roams the streets of this town. It was the older Cuban man dressed daily in his suit, fedora and often found smoking a cigar but that was before he started to make kissing lips at me. Back to pup...the cute yet creepy pup that's been tracing (stalking) my footsteps the past couple of days might be a close second. True story-stalker pup! I said hello to this little mutt by the Plaza Mayor on my first afternoon here and since then, stage five clinger! I turn around and it's there. I speed walk to the other side of town and I turn around, it's there. I'm sitting at an ice cream cafe reading for about three hours and I see it across the corner four times. I'm going to miss the little guy.

One thing I'm not a fan of is the cat calling. It wasn't this bad in Havana but perhaps folks in Havana are hustling more and folks in Trinidad are just bored? I've received multiple marriage proposals on a daily basis. Cubans would put the cat callers in Spain to shame! 

 My last evening in Trinidad, I found a spot that had tacos on the menu!! Albeit, a mosquito in the restaurant seem to have had me for dinner. This serves as a testament to how well those Ben's 30% Deet Wipes works as I've always brought them with me but forgot on this trip. Talk about craving.. tacos and chips but I had yet to find chips in Cuba other than the imported Pringles for CUC6. I had three tacos and gave one to this poor dog I see everyday that looks beyond malnourished.

I left Carlo's Casa early morning as my bus to Varadero left at 730. Did I ever talk about what a zoo Casa Carlos is?! The common place is palatial with super high ceilings and antique wood furnishings with a bunch of antique radios on display. He is an art critic or something like that. A walk through the commons at 630am darkness was an adventure. There was a dog, a cat, a butterfly and two parrots..oh and not to mention the huge cockroach that greeted in the bathroom in the morning! 

Anyway..if you're ever in Trinidad..I recommend Casa de Carlos Sotalongo across Plaza Mayor. At CUC25 ($25)/ a night including breakfast, it's a steal! Just don't expect any water pressure from the showers.....at all!

Havana...Do You Need A Taxi? Can I Be Your Boyfriend?

The most common questions here in Havana...cracks me up!

First things first: congrats to the Golden State Warriors for winning the NBA Finals against LeBron and the Cavs in 6 games...glued to Sports Center at SFO watching the post game interviews!

Let's back track...Scored a round trip direct flight from SFO to MEX for $370..called Cubana Airlines which told me they didn't accept American credit cards but gave me a phone number of a guy who did. Ernesto from Toronto quoted me a price of $460 U.S. which included a $45 up charge. After having him checked out by my friend, Jacquie from Holland who works in tourism and whom I met on the night train in Vietnam, I faxed Ernesto my credit number and crossed my fingers.

Arrival at the airport in Habana was all sorts of unwelcomed fun. The immigration lady kept my passport had me step aside after checking it out. After being guided to an empty chair and waiting for about 20 minutes, I was interrogated by one of the women that worked at the airport. She started with "stay calm" ...I thought "thank goodness this will be in English!" Otherwise, it would have been a guessing game of should I answer "si" or "no"? After asking me a wide range of questions about my background multiple times, she ushered me back to the immigration lady and let me through. After having my luggage scanned, which weighed all of 7kgs including three magazines, I thought I was free to go except now this man in uniform comes over and grabs my passport and instructs me to wait. Now, I'm just annoyed as I mentally scrolled through plan B-D with my passport...I have an extra copy in my bag...a photo of it in my phone..pretty sure a scanned copy is in my email... etc. As I'm waiting for another endless eternity, I was joined by two other backpackers, I asked, "where are you two from?" "Oakland," Caroline and Levi responded. I excitedly responded with San Francisco. Levi sounding equally annoyed said this is the third time he has been interrogated since getting off the same flight. Finally, we were free to go after giving the same answers to the same questions I was asked earlier. The distance between the baggage claim and the exit door to freedom...so close yet so far!

We exit the airport and went for the money exchange (bring euro dollars--no resources for money once you're on the island) but not before we were greeted by a man named Carlos. Carlos is a jolly Cuban man trying to make a buck, common in Cuba. Carlos insisted he be our taxi driver to town so we agreed. We were denied at the airport money exchange but not to worry because Carlos knows another place so in his little blue old school car with a playboy bunny sticker on it we went. We would be denied at two more money exchange kiosks before arriving at a third one "this one is good..have police officer," said Carlos. "Carlos knows" became the theme of our adventure between the airport and town.

At last, arrival at the Casa Nena, the 3 bedroom apartment in Havana Vieja I scored last minute for $30/night! Nuides (apartment caretaker and breakfast cooker) greeted me at the door and showed me around.. beautiful with high ceilings and decorated with all sorts of oldies but goodies... Encyclopedia collection... National Geographics from the 1950s. Karolina, the owner of Polish descent, lives across the narrow street. I almost feel like a local whenever I'm communicating with her...me yelling up the balcony from the street and her yelling back down from the balcony.

I spent three days in Havana walking the streets, taking in the atmosphere and chatting it up with the locals. I didn't know this before but it's Habana in Spanish and Havana otherwise. Back to locals...Papa Noi was a standout of the bunch..he became my unofficial taxi driver to the bus station for tickets, to the National Hotel for 15 minutes of Internet service. After all, he has to find a way to feed his four kids from different baby mama's, glad I could contribute though after awhile, I had to tell him no more cash whenever I'd bump into him and he'd want to drive me somewhere. Havana is divided into three main parts: Vieja (old town), Central (not recommended as a place to stay) and Verdado (modern). It has two Chinatown gates, a Chinese cemetery and a Chinatown but when I asked Fernando (works at the hostel around the corner but offered to drive me somewhere to make an extra CUC10 ($10) during his work hours) where the Chinese folks were, he said there aren't any but they have very good relations with the Chinese government. Makes total sense to me! There is no shortage of medical clinics in this town and pharmacies are a bit of works of art..houses in beautiful buildings with hundreds of jars marked with the type of treatment it is. Internet is extremely scarce...Nuides giggled at me when I asked if there was wifi. There are a handful of luxury hotels and hostels (small hotels) in Havana but if you're going to stay here, the casa particulars (renting an apartment or room from a local) are the way to go! 

Next up: a seven hour bus ride to Trinidad.