Good to be back!

After 3 days in Trinidad and two weeks travelling around I decided to head back to Habana in time for the may day parade on the 1st. That evening my host warned me that the neighbours were having a religious African festival in their house that evening. They were banging their bongos chanting goobldy gook and sacrified three animals right in their front room! I could hear the poor creatures screaming!!! Then today this crazy drunk dude tried to attack me in the back streets for money. Luckily he was too drunk to be of any effect and I managed to push him away calling him crazy and other tastey but effect words in spanish!! Its good to be back in Habana!

Bike

Descided to rent a bike for the day in order to cycle the 12 km to Playa Ancon a popular beach outside Trinidad. The owner of the bike arrived in the morning and dropped it off at the house before I was up. After breakfast I saw the bike, a fantastic old shopping bike however to seat was metal! Well needless to say before I'd even reached the beach my arse was completely dead, and on my return I thought I would surely die of pain, sunburn and thirst on the hot dry road. Well following that experience I havn't been able to sit down for a few days.

RIP flip flops!

Yes its a black day, flip died while walking around a street market in Trinidad. I tripped (again) too busy looking at all the stalls of nik nacks on sale and the strap broke. They served me well for 4 years over many continents (well two). Muji 5 pounds not bad got my monies worth. They'll be a minutes silence whenever you like for the flip flops. (If you know me you know my flip flops).

Mountains

I'm rather partial to a good climb and so I was very dissapointed I could visit the Sierra Maetra in the south of the country. Well as luck we have it Trinidad had its own set of mouintains. So accompanied with a guide I set off around the natural park/jungle and down into the valley where a smashing waterfall awaited us. I managed to slip on arse and crack my camera like a doofus all this minutes after he had specifically said to be careful its very slippery! We then ventured further down the valley to a natural swimming hole where I took a dip in the cool water and swam under the waterfall (no bounty bars around though). It was also a thoroughly educational trip as my guide pointed about special trees, plants and animals along the way. How pleasant.

Trinidad

After Santiago I descided to head off for Trinidad which is situated in the centre of the Island on the south coast. Its a popular spot for tourists as it has a very pretty collonial town, Mountains and a good beach. I spent my first day wandering around the town selecting the sights that were of interest. If you like museums you'll love cuba. Here they make anything into a museum so I found it important to be selective. The buildings are all brightly coloured situated amount cobbled streets with horse and carts trotting by instead of cars. It all makes for a very quite pretty town.

Extranherous

Tourists I've found on the whole are most unfriendly, very kleecky (if that how you spell it) But most are plonkers anyway. In seven weeks I've only met two english girls and they were awefully posh!! The rest are spaniards, germans, italians and french. I don't think the word is out in england yet', Cuba is cool you must come!!

Transportation

Its a real problem in the south of the country (the Orient) There's simply not enough cars and the public transport system...What public transport system? Anyway all in all it makes it very expense to travel in and around the provinces as you have to go by taxi. One of the regions I was especially keep to visit was the mountaineous region called Sierra Maestra. Its a mountain range that runs right across the Orient made famous as the base camp for the revolution, Fidels HQ. I gave up trying after reading the cost required to get to do the three day hike including all my transporation. That is one of the disadvantages of travelling solo you don't have anybody to split the cost.

Santiago de Cuba

Next stop was Santiago in the orient, five hours from Baracoa its the second capital city of Cuba. Stinking hot, really noisey and very polluted. So much like Habana but way hotter. It has great history much like Baracoa, so I spent some time visiting spanish castles, forts & stuff built hundreds of years ago by the spaniards to keep the english out of Cuba! Their down fall came one hundred years ago when the cubans got fed up and descided to launch thier revolution assisted by the US of course. In the end the spaniards gave up and the US took all the glory. See, the entire history of Santiago in a few lines! (with a few bits of detail missed out I admit).

Beard update!

Its now getting tricky, a natural food and drink trap. Its proving to be a storage facility for your food that you don't quite finish, Store it on your beard and come back to it later. However it is now necessary to trim around the mouth so as not to lose my mouth altogether!

Baracoa

So I finally made it out of Habana after weeks of study at the school and decided to commit the rest of my time travelling around Cuba.
First destination was Baracoa, about 1,000 km south of Habana right down the other end of the country. It took over 22 hrs on the bus, my butt gave way after 4 hours, my blood clotted in my legs after 8 and my eyes dried over in the air con after 10. It is amazing the positions you can contort your body into on a single seat! However it was worth the experience as Baracoa was just amazing. Its situated on the costal tip surrounded by mountains. I stayed (illegally of course) with an amazing christian family at great risk to them. There's no running water in Baracoa as all the pumps are brocken to pump the water through the mountains from the river. So water only comes into the town every 2 days. There's constant power cuts to cries of "thats why we have to get out of here" (in spanish). Many an evening was spent chating in the dark. At least we did'nt have to sit through hours of political tv programs.
The main attractions in Baracoa are the various national parks and rivers to explore. You grab a guide put on your treking gear and disappear in the jungle eating the fruit straight off the trees, drink from coconuts and swim in waterfalls naked!!! (steady) But you will all be pleased to know that it rains alot in Baracoa.

Hardship

One of the most difficult thinks to experience as most of you who have travelled in poor countries will know, is how poor people are. Most of my christian friends in Baracoa have next to no money. The average wage is $10 a month not enough to raise a family. There is no running water and houses are just simple shacks most with tin roofs. The family I stayed with wash their clothes by hand as they don't own washing machines. Another problem is that there is a massive shortage of houses. Newly married couples have to live with their parents. So the majority of households contain aunts, uncles, grandparents, children, grandchildren some of which have to share bedrooms. Few kitchens have ovens just electric hobs on the side. So it's simply a case of survival. Its hard to know how to help without just hiding money around the house as gifts because you know they will never accept it from you otherwise. There's lots more on that that I would love to talk about but there's no time now. Many people are desperate to leave.

The Church in Baracoa

I'm reliably informed that the Baptist Church here in Baracoa is one of the oldest in Cuba, built in the turn of the century by the americans (one of the few better legacies from the americans!). It houses hundreds of worshippers every sunday. Two services one in the morning and one in the evening. There's even individual services for groups of men, women, teenagers and children on Saturday night too. So there's commitment for you folks, who out of you would sacrifice your saturday night for Church?
Through hardship and suffering there is huge passion, faithfulness and therefore growth in there christian lives. They may all be poor in material pocessions but rich in spirit. Real food for thought.

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time to explore

Now my time in habana is drawing to an end, I´m starting to play my own assult on the island rather like the revolutionaries but in reverse! I´m going to explore the north of the island first for a few days. Then return to Habana then off to the south. More of that later.

The Beard

Well its been over four weeks and already it is getting bushy. Contuary to popular opinion is not too hot but protects one´s face from flying things (mainly bugs not really drinks).
One of the main benefits of course is that it keeps the chica´s away! Jinterra´s are problem in cuba always on the look out for a european boyfriend with money. The other benefit of course that is associated heavily with revered hombre´s of cuba (che, ceinfugo, Fidel)
Further updates on the beard as it grows. (aren´t you a lucky bunch)

Comer

Food is pretty healthy here in cuba, however rice can get pretty boring after a month. I don´t think you´d have much luck here if you did descide to go on the atkins diet. Most food is carbs and more carbs. Oddly enough popcorn has been dished up along with the main meal. Feels weird not to have a film infront of you has you chomp on your pasta and popcorn, carrots and pineapple.
It´s times like this that a kebab seems like a good idea sober!! Or a juicy cheese burger from evil mcy d´s!
I´m not complaining the food is good and I´m eating well

Schools out for summer!

Yeah I graduate tomorrow from spanish school. I doubt I will get a first but needless to say I have learnt a great deal and it will prove invaluable to me on my travels.
My profesor has to be one of the most patient people they could find in cuba. Although the only thing that kept her interested was my furocious humour and ever growing beard!! (don´t be scared ladies!)
They say that spanish is the language of the heavens as it goes on and on into eternity. I myself feel that I am still standing at the gates with Peter asking to come in!!

Wow mr popular!!

Just when I was thinking everyone has forgotten me after a month I get mail mail mail!! I cannot express how thrilled I was to hear from you all I almost cried!(that was for the girls) I was afraid know one had this address an would not read how I´m doing.
The internet is proving to be a real life line for me at the moment. When your on your own its like a deliverer of peace and joy and laughter!! So there you go your comments cannot ever be under estimated you all totally make my week!
(I think I´ve made my point!)

My friend diahorra!

I´ve already had travel tommy but this was a little more serious.
Sunday I was feeling real tired and uncomfortable. I went to church with V & family and then ate a little food as I did´nt have much of an appetite. It was my friends birthday that day so I arranged for V´s wife to bake a fantastic cake for the evening meal at the resturant. I did´nt feel like going but you know when you can´nt duck out of something. I put on a brave face and turned up armed with a big fancy cake. Everyone ate and although I did´nt want food I felt abliged. Well cutting a long story short, I got home went too bed and commenced my 15 minute trips to the can! I was suffering, severe pains in my stomach then I started vomiting, I was freezing cold (tropical climate). My host came in in the morning worried sick she called the doctor (yes it gets dramatic). Cronic indegestion was the verdict. Before I knew it I had V round praying at my bedside his wife in the kitchen giving advise to my host. V came by in the evening to see how I was and then the next day.
The worst thing ironically was that as medication is so scarse in cuba I had to use my friends short & precious supply.
Well I was in bed for 3days and did´nt eat for 2 days so I´ve lost a bit of weight. I´m fine now after a striked diet of FuFu and rehydration salt water! (FuFu is green banana shmooshed up & boiled! totally grose)

Visa

As a tourista here in cuba I entered the country on a 4 wk tourist visa, this can be renewed after before the 4 weeks is up. So today was the day to renew at the immigration office.
My friend had previously gone to renew her visa and had very helpfully given me the headsup on the accomodation situation. As you know my host is a chistian but does´nt have the license to house tourists (aka me). Should she be found out it means a $1,500 fine and possibly losing her house! So for the purposes of imigration I had to move out into an official casa particular in order to get the documentation together for immigration.
It was abolute caos, I was there over 3 hours queing or if thats what you call it. Well in the end it all went without a hitch and I was mighty relieved as I skipped down the dusty, smelly, noisey streets of Habana.

Prayer requests

Well as it sounds like God is seriously answering prayers at Christchurch (typical you go away for a few months and it all happens) so I´ll put my requests in quick.

Health, its been a big problem for me so far, there does´nt seem to be obvious foods to avoid.

Spanish, pray for my small but compact brain, I´m not a natural linguist (or speller for that matter). I need to learn more.

Wisdom, I need wisdom as I travel and plan finances and itinaries

Safety, no more arrests so so far so good but I do feel vunerable on my own at times.

There the basics so thank so much. God has been blessing me in so many ways so far. Praise God

Weather

I´m an englishman I have to talk about the weather!

The first few weeks were hot hot hot and you´ll all be pleased to know that I effortlessly gained a quick basting like a turkey. However you will all be more pleased to know that a cold front (20c) has come over cuba in anticipation of the summer. (Its funny to see cubans running around in coats at 20c when in england we strip off and declare freak weather). So that means rain rain rain. Its pouring as I write this. I´m not talking about a woosy shower like we have in england, I´m talking professional rain, a real relentless down pour. Streets turn into rivers and Habana turns into a death trap. I´ve been advised to walk in the middle of the streets as its very common for bits of building to fall off kill you!
All good fun