My Beautiful Adventures
Travel Smarts
Your new excuse for a sabbatical in
When researchers presented scenarios that required out-of-the-box problem solving, a majority of those who zeroed in on the best answers had spent some years living in another country. Plus, another recent study found that former expats were more likely to be promoted. Explains Adam Galinsky, Professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, “When abroad, you are forced to adapt to a local culture and fit in--you are exercising your brain by thinking about culture norms and how to adapt to them."
What better excuse for having that after dinner fromage?
New York City Day 2: If You Only Have 1 Day in NYC This Is The Way To Spend It
During this brief trip I happened upon a quote from Jennifer Cox, whom was once the head P.R. and spokeswoman for Lonely Planet, "The experience of being in New York City is like stroking a man-eating tiger: as much as it
scares the bejesus out of you, for those moments it allows you to touch it, you
know you are blessed and immortal." While it no longer scares me (on the contrary it scares me to leave it), I could not agree with her assessment more. I feel the exact same way while I am traversing through the streets. There are definitely things about it that can overwhelm me, but in the end I always feel like the luckiest woman alive when I am there.
We started our morning with brunch in a café on the Upper East Side and then took a train to Central Park. There was a storm headed in our direction, thus what should have been a very hot day, was actually a quite pleasant one due to the breeze.
Me and my brother about to enter the park.
There was not anything in particular that we wanted to see while in the park, rather we just wanted to see where the wind would take us. And man did it take us far, we must have walked about 5 miles!
My Dad and I taking a pause from our wandering. This was taken right in front of the zoo.
After we exited the park we decided to catch an afternoon movie in Times Square. This required another long walk, but walking is the best way to truly experience the City anyway. We chose 5th Avenue as the street that would lead us to our destination.
Me and a beautiful statue on 5th Avenue.
It was really important to my brother that he treat us to a nice dinner. My Dad and I used to make father-daughter trips to the City when I was a little girl and one of the restaurant's that we would always frequent was Smith & Wollensky. I knew we would each enjoy a delicious meal there, so I suggested it and that is where we ended up agreeing upon. All I can say is y-u-m-m-y!
Then it was time to get ourselves to Yankee Stadium for the final game of the series. We were so excited at the possibility of a sweep. In baseball talk that means winning every game in the series.
My Dad, me, and my brother before the start of the last game.
I like this shot of the Yankee Stadium sign.
The game started and the 60,000 fans were going wild in anticipation. I did not think it would be possible to have better seats than the previous game, but we did (thanks yet again Dad!). Take a look at the following photos. They were taken without using my zoom!
Go Jeter!!!
My brother's favorite player, A-Rod. Yes, Kate Hudson was at the game!
The entire game the Yankee's were winning and in the 7th inning a Red Sox player scored 2 runs to take the lead. Yankee fans are optimists though and we never doubted that they would somehow pull off a win.
A pensive A-rod after the Red Sox took the lead.
In the 8th inning 2 Yankee's players hit back-to-back home runs and again thy were in the lead. They even scored a couple of more runs on top of that to win the game comfortably.
The Yankee team celebrating the sweep.
As we headed back to the hotel, I felt a sadness began to creep inside me. Tomorrow I would be returning to Charlotte and leaving my heart here again. But, I was comforted by the fact that at least I have one place in this gigantic world that really feels like "home." And apparently I am not the only person head over heels in love with the City. Check out this movie that will be coming out soon. You know I will be 1st in line at the ticket counter on opening night!
What about you, what city most feels like "home?" By the way, the rematch between the Yankee's and the Red Sox in Boston is this weekend. Do you think it would be too much to ask that the Yankee's sweep the Red Sox on their turf now??
We started our morning with brunch in a café on the Upper East Side and then took a train to Central Park. There was a storm headed in our direction, thus what should have been a very hot day, was actually a quite pleasant one due to the breeze.
Me and my brother about to enter the park.
There was not anything in particular that we wanted to see while in the park, rather we just wanted to see where the wind would take us. And man did it take us far, we must have walked about 5 miles!
My Dad and I taking a pause from our wandering. This was taken right in front of the zoo.
After we exited the park we decided to catch an afternoon movie in Times Square. This required another long walk, but walking is the best way to truly experience the City anyway. We chose 5th Avenue as the street that would lead us to our destination.
Me and a beautiful statue on 5th Avenue.
It was really important to my brother that he treat us to a nice dinner. My Dad and I used to make father-daughter trips to the City when I was a little girl and one of the restaurant's that we would always frequent was Smith & Wollensky. I knew we would each enjoy a delicious meal there, so I suggested it and that is where we ended up agreeing upon. All I can say is y-u-m-m-y!
Then it was time to get ourselves to Yankee Stadium for the final game of the series. We were so excited at the possibility of a sweep. In baseball talk that means winning every game in the series.
The game started and the 60,000 fans were going wild in anticipation. I did not think it would be possible to have better seats than the previous game, but we did (thanks yet again Dad!). Take a look at the following photos. They were taken without using my zoom!
The entire game the Yankee's were winning and in the 7th inning a Red Sox player scored 2 runs to take the lead. Yankee fans are optimists though and we never doubted that they would somehow pull off a win.
In the 8th inning 2 Yankee's players hit back-to-back home runs and again thy were in the lead. They even scored a couple of more runs on top of that to win the game comfortably.
The Yankee team celebrating the sweep.
As we headed back to the hotel, I felt a sadness began to creep inside me. Tomorrow I would be returning to Charlotte and leaving my heart here again. But, I was comforted by the fact that at least I have one place in this gigantic world that really feels like "home." And apparently I am not the only person head over heels in love with the City. Check out this movie that will be coming out soon. You know I will be 1st in line at the ticket counter on opening night!
What about you, what city most feels like "home?" By the way, the rematch between the Yankee's and the Red Sox in Boston is this weekend. Do you think it would be too much to ask that the Yankee's sweep the Red Sox on their turf now??
New York City Day 1: The Perfect Homecoming
I left my heart in NYC about a year ago and since then I have promised my friends countless times that I would pay them a visit. I could tell they were starting to get frustrated with my false promises, however the problem was not a lack of money or time, it was that I was scared to return. I know that sounds silly, but I fell hard for the city so special they named it twice and it was incredibly difficult for me to leave. Thus, I was scared that if I returned I would never want to leave again.
Well, 2 weeks ago my Dad, who happens to work with the Yankee's, mentioned that he could get tickets to the Yankee-Red Sox series if we were interested. My family is made up of die-hard Yankees fans and my brother and I were elated to hear this news. Within hours the trip was being booked for a few days later.
Normally, I enjoy taking my time to plan, but there is also something exciting about traveling spontaneously too! Before I even had a chance to think about "being scared," I found myself on the plane. The flight from Charlotte to NYC is such an easy one and within an hour and a half this was the view out of my window:
A view of Central Park.
A view of the new (on the left) and old (on the right) Yankee Stadium's.
We quickly cabbed it to our hotel on the Upper East Side, dropped off our luggage, and then hopped on the train to Yankee Stadium. It felt a bit strange to be a tourist in a city that I was a resident of for 4 years.
The new Yankee Stadium is truly a work of art. I was one of those people who frowned upon the decision to build a new stadium, although after seeing the new one I quickly changed my opinion. We arrived early, as we wanted to take our time walking around it; stopping along the way to shop and eat. The weather happened to be perfect, as were our seats (thanks Dad!).
Me wearing my "Yankee blue" dress in honor of my team! You can see our seats in this photo.
My brother, Dad, and I lead very busy lives, so it was such a delight to be able to spend quality time with them, especially at their favorite place in the world and for such an important game. The rivalry between the Yankee's and the Red Sox is infamous and these games are sold out years in advance. 60,000 people were in attendance for this game.
My brother and I ready for the game to begin. Can you believe this kid
is 10 years younger than me and yet so much taller than me (and I am 5'9")!?
The noise in the stadium was intense. The Yankee's had already won the 1st 2 games of the series and the fans were soaring with energy. I, of course, made a lot of noise when I saw my favorite player, #2, was on the field!
Derek Jeter, quite possibly the sexiest man in the world.
David Ortiz, one of the star players for the Red Sox, had been questioned earlier in the day regarding having used steroids. So, you can imagine the insults that were being shouted at him every time he got up to bat.
Ortiz attempting to get a hit.
Our Yankee's ended up winning the game and were now possibly going to sweep the series. After the game we were all on a high and knew we would not be able to fall asleep just yet. We decided to get some pizza and see a late movie. What an awesome way to celebrate my 1st night back in the Big Apple!
Well, 2 weeks ago my Dad, who happens to work with the Yankee's, mentioned that he could get tickets to the Yankee-Red Sox series if we were interested. My family is made up of die-hard Yankees fans and my brother and I were elated to hear this news. Within hours the trip was being booked for a few days later.
Normally, I enjoy taking my time to plan, but there is also something exciting about traveling spontaneously too! Before I even had a chance to think about "being scared," I found myself on the plane. The flight from Charlotte to NYC is such an easy one and within an hour and a half this was the view out of my window:
A view of Central Park.
We quickly cabbed it to our hotel on the Upper East Side, dropped off our luggage, and then hopped on the train to Yankee Stadium. It felt a bit strange to be a tourist in a city that I was a resident of for 4 years.
The new Yankee Stadium is truly a work of art. I was one of those people who frowned upon the decision to build a new stadium, although after seeing the new one I quickly changed my opinion. We arrived early, as we wanted to take our time walking around it; stopping along the way to shop and eat. The weather happened to be perfect, as were our seats (thanks Dad!).
Me wearing my "Yankee blue" dress in honor of my team! You can see our seats in this photo.
My brother, Dad, and I lead very busy lives, so it was such a delight to be able to spend quality time with them, especially at their favorite place in the world and for such an important game. The rivalry between the Yankee's and the Red Sox is infamous and these games are sold out years in advance. 60,000 people were in attendance for this game.
is 10 years younger than me and yet so much taller than me (and I am 5'9")!?
The noise in the stadium was intense. The Yankee's had already won the 1st 2 games of the series and the fans were soaring with energy. I, of course, made a lot of noise when I saw my favorite player, #2, was on the field!
David Ortiz, one of the star players for the Red Sox, had been questioned earlier in the day regarding having used steroids. So, you can imagine the insults that were being shouted at him every time he got up to bat.
Ortiz attempting to get a hit.
Our Yankee's ended up winning the game and were now possibly going to sweep the series. After the game we were all on a high and knew we would not be able to fall asleep just yet. We decided to get some pizza and see a late movie. What an awesome way to celebrate my 1st night back in the Big Apple!
An Andi Update
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your awesome comments on my Cuba blog! That was such a life-changing trip for me and I am delighted that 1) I was able to share it with you and 2) that you enjoyed my words and photographs. Cuba is an extraordinary country; it is difficult to not leave there and be utterly inspired. In the future I will be similarly sharing my other past trips from all over the world. Next up will be an entry on my spontaneous trip to New York City last weekend.
I have some exciting news to share! I recently booked my ticket to Brasil for December 27-January 6. In this moment, I am trying to decide what I will do with my 10 days there. I know for certain that I will spend New Year's Eve in Rio.
A photo of a New Year's Eve celebration on Copacabana Beach in Rio.
New Year's Eve in Rio is supposed to be one of the most amazing experiences. Everyone wears white, drinks champagne, and watches fireworks along the beach for hours. I have been wanting to make this trip for years and now it is finally going to happen. What an unforgettable way to start 2010! I am also going to try and make a dive trip along the coast and head into the Amazon rainforest. If any of you dear readers have been to Brasil before and have suggestions, please send me an email with them. As more details get worked out I will be leaving updates.
And a little bit of more exciting news, my photos from Morocco were featured in a magazine printed in Buenos Aires, Argentina this month. This is the 3rd time my photos have been published and each time it just gets more and more exciting!
That is all for now. I am back to trip planning...
Best wishes and beautiful adventures,
Andi XoXo
I have some exciting news to share! I recently booked my ticket to Brasil for December 27-January 6. In this moment, I am trying to decide what I will do with my 10 days there. I know for certain that I will spend New Year's Eve in Rio.
New Year's Eve in Rio is supposed to be one of the most amazing experiences. Everyone wears white, drinks champagne, and watches fireworks along the beach for hours. I have been wanting to make this trip for years and now it is finally going to happen. What an unforgettable way to start 2010! I am also going to try and make a dive trip along the coast and head into the Amazon rainforest. If any of you dear readers have been to Brasil before and have suggestions, please send me an email with them. As more details get worked out I will be leaving updates.
And a little bit of more exciting news, my photos from Morocco were featured in a magazine printed in Buenos Aires, Argentina this month. This is the 3rd time my photos have been published and each time it just gets more and more exciting!
That is all for now. I am back to trip planning...
Best wishes and beautiful adventures,
Andi XoXo
Cuba Day 9: Es Cuba...Had the Phrase Gone From Being Comic to Being a Cop Out?
On my last morning in Cuba I experienced the country Cancun Illegal Island
My companions during my looong wait at the airport: my book and
ipod (if you look closely enough you can see I was listening to "El Chan
Chan").
After a while I came to terms with the fact that there was nothing I could do about the situation and I did not want to let it ruin my wonderful time inCuba Cuba
As we were finally boarding our flight we discovered that the reason for the flight delay was due to the wheels of the plane catching on fire upon landing and they desperately had to search for new wheels to replace the charred ones. If you find yourself on a Cubana flight in the future all I can say is buena suerte!
Prior to our trip, Kristin and I researched how to avoid getting our passport stamped twice in Mexico. We both came to the conclusion from everything we had read and heard first-hand that the customs agents inMexico U.S. U.S.
The U.S. State Department's official policy has been that the embargo we have againstCuba
Unfortunately, the Jetblue counter was closed by the time we reachedCancun
Afterward: After the disaster we had the previous day, we needed good news and good news in abundance is what we got! We left for the airport immediately after breakfast in order to be the first in line at the Jetblue counter. For a small fine, we were able to get on the first flight out that day. Miraculously, my cell phone, which never works in a foreign country, had a signal and I was also able to call my Graduate School and let them know that I would not be sitting for my exams. I received a slap on the wrist, however they allowed me to make them up later in the week (and I passed!).
In the end not only did theU.S. Mexico
My companions during my looong wait at the airport: my book and
ipod (if you look closely enough you can see I was listening to "El Chan
Chan").
After a while I came to terms with the fact that there was nothing I could do about the situation and I did not want to let it ruin my wonderful time in
As we were finally boarding our flight we discovered that the reason for the flight delay was due to the wheels of the plane catching on fire upon landing and they desperately had to search for new wheels to replace the charred ones. If you find yourself on a Cubana flight in the future all I can say is buena suerte!
Prior to our trip, Kristin and I researched how to avoid getting our passport stamped twice in Mexico. We both came to the conclusion from everything we had read and heard first-hand that the customs agents in
The U.S. State Department's official policy has been that the embargo we have against
Unfortunately, the Jetblue counter was closed by the time we reached
Afterward: After the disaster we had the previous day, we needed good news and good news in abundance is what we got! We left for the airport immediately after breakfast in order to be the first in line at the Jetblue counter. For a small fine, we were able to get on the first flight out that day. Miraculously, my cell phone, which never works in a foreign country, had a signal and I was also able to call my Graduate School and let them know that I would not be sitting for my exams. I received a slap on the wrist, however they allowed me to make them up later in the week (and I passed!).
In the end not only did the
Cuba Day 8: El Varadero
On this day we chose to take yet another tour outside of La Habana. This time we went on a catamaran around the peninsular beach Varadero Cuba
Our catamaran for the day.
The city itself is about 22km of gorgeous beaches and islets. Our tour included: snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, lunch, and then an afternoon at Playa del Blanco.
Welcome aboard!
Kristin and I snorkeling.
Kristin and I doing our favorite thing. We were sooo tan!
One of the adorable dolphin's I got to swim with.
Me swimming for the 1st time with a dolphin.
Do you spot the dolphins kissing me?
Playa del Blanco is a deserted beach with a wide strip of fine, white sand (hence the name) that slopes gently into the sea.
Pretty Playa del Blanco. It had some of the calmest waters I have ever been in.
Another view of Playa del Blanco later in the day when the sun appeared.
While I was eating lunch one of the captains of the catamaran started
dancing with me.
In a song about tourism on thebeach Varadero Cuba
In the evening the 3 of us decided to take salsa lessons from Sergio, whom had generously offered to teach us the basics for free. Salsa is difficult to master, but when done well it is a mesmerizingly sensual dance. I struggled to follow Sergio's lead the entire time. For me it was a challenge to combine the hip movements with the simple forward-back step. However, even though I failed on the dance floor, I am really happy that we ended our trip on this note. Instead of focusing on the sadness of leaving a place I had come to love; I laughed, sweated, and learned something new and essentially so Cuban.
Sergio teaching M. how to move his feet.
M. and I walked to a part of El Malecon and said our goodbyes. I thanked him for enriching my trip in ways that were indescribable and as a token of my appreciation I gave him my Lonely PlanetCuba
Afterward: M. and I did see each other again a week later inLos Angeles Cuba Cuba
Our catamaran for the day.
The city itself is about 22km of gorgeous beaches and islets. Our tour included: snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, lunch, and then an afternoon at Playa del Blanco.
Welcome aboard!
Kristin and I snorkeling.
Kristin and I doing our favorite thing. We were sooo tan!
One of the adorable dolphin's I got to swim with.
Me swimming for the 1st time with a dolphin.
Playa del Blanco is a deserted beach with a wide strip of fine, white sand (hence the name) that slopes gently into the sea.
While I was eating lunch one of the captains of the catamaran started
dancing with me.
In a song about tourism on the
In the evening the 3 of us decided to take salsa lessons from Sergio, whom had generously offered to teach us the basics for free. Salsa is difficult to master, but when done well it is a mesmerizingly sensual dance. I struggled to follow Sergio's lead the entire time. For me it was a challenge to combine the hip movements with the simple forward-back step. However, even though I failed on the dance floor, I am really happy that we ended our trip on this note. Instead of focusing on the sadness of leaving a place I had come to love; I laughed, sweated, and learned something new and essentially so Cuban.
M. and I walked to a part of El Malecon and said our goodbyes. I thanked him for enriching my trip in ways that were indescribable and as a token of my appreciation I gave him my Lonely Planet
Afterward: M. and I did see each other again a week later in
Cuba Day 7: Las Terrazas
Needing a little break from the capitol, we chose to take an 8 hour tour of the city of Las Terrazas
Me and Kristin on the steps of the Nacional at 5AM awaiting our tour bus to arrive. Neither of us
are morning people. I think you can tell that from our fake smiles in the photo, si?
Las Terrazas is an eco-tourism centered community that is situated in an area where a project of sustainable rural economy is being developed, based on the rational use of its natural resources. Our tour included: a guided tour of a French coffee plantation from the 19th century, a coffee tasting, 3 zip-lines through the jungle, lunch, and then an afternoon of swimming at a river with numerous waterfalls. This tour was booked at Hotel Nacional. I am sure there are other places to book tours more inexpensively, but we booked this one out of convenience, since M. was still staying there. This was a great tour and I highly recommend it, especially if you want to get out of the city and into the country for a while.
Our first view of the very lush and green Las Terrazas.
La Mariposa, the National flower.
The coffee plantation we toured.
Another photo of the coffee plantation.
The view from the coffee plantation.
Me cooling down after our coffee tasting.
Our zip-line instructor showing us the 3 courses we would be doing.
The 3 of us ready for our adventuress on the zip-lines.
It was nice to know that Che was looking out for me!
There I go on my 1st zip-line. Going, going...
...gone!
The coffee plantation and zip-lines were of course off-limits to Cubans, however the river was not. It was such a pleasure to be amongst locals for once!
Wonder what was going on in that car?
Some friendly Cubans saying hola!
The river we went swimming in.
Kristen, me, and M. under the waterfall.
M. jumping off the rocks.
After finishing the tour, we returned to the Nacional to use their glamorous pools and facilities. We figured since M. was still staying there we should take advantage of his good fortune. Then Kristin and I switched casas back to Sergio and Miriam's for the remainder of our stay. We decided to revisit Habana Vieja for dinner. I wish that I could remember the name of the restaurant we dined at that night, but the name escapes me now. The food was less than mediocre, which is what you will find throughout most of Cuba
Kristin and I's dinner guest for the evening.
Stick to eating at your casas while inCuba
Me and Kristin on the steps of the Nacional at 5AM awaiting our tour bus to arrive. Neither of us
are morning people. I think you can tell that from our fake smiles in the photo, si?
Las Terrazas is an eco-tourism centered community that is situated in an area where a project of sustainable rural economy is being developed, based on the rational use of its natural resources. Our tour included: a guided tour of a French coffee plantation from the 19th century, a coffee tasting, 3 zip-lines through the jungle, lunch, and then an afternoon of swimming at a river with numerous waterfalls. This tour was booked at Hotel Nacional. I am sure there are other places to book tours more inexpensively, but we booked this one out of convenience, since M. was still staying there. This was a great tour and I highly recommend it, especially if you want to get out of the city and into the country for a while.
The coffee plantation we toured.
Me cooling down after our coffee tasting.
The 3 of us ready for our adventuress on the zip-lines.
The coffee plantation and zip-lines were of course off-limits to Cubans, however the river was not. It was such a pleasure to be amongst locals for once!
Some friendly Cubans saying hola!
Kristin and I's dinner guest for the evening.
Stick to eating at your casas while in
Cuba Day 6: Revolution Day
What a disappointment Revolution Day was! We all three had bought kick-ass Che shirts to wear in celebration, which we had imagined would be a mass of Cubans out in the streets marching and partying. Unfortunately, the celebration this year was in another city far away and due to this, La Habana was now silent, as people were celebrating their holiday by sleeping.
We decided to spend some time walking along El Malecon, but first returned to the Mission to check out the new flags the government had displayed for the holiday.
Then it was on to El Malecon. This walkway can definitely be seen as the heart of La Habana. I could have spent hours sitting on it and watching the world walk by me.
Fisherman taking a break from work to play.
Castillo de la Real Fuerza de La Habana (as seen from El Malecon)
A view of another part of La Habana from El Malecon.
Cubans enjoying their holiday in the sun.
The 3 of us were pretty exhausted from all that we had been doing and the intense Cuban heat, thus we decided to retire early for the day in order to save up some energy for the awesome adventures that laid ahead of us. It was time to leave La Habana!
We decided to spend some time walking along El Malecon, but first returned to the Mission to check out the new flags the government had displayed for the holiday.
Castro's black flags turned into Cuban flags.
Revolution Day is on July 26th. On that day in 1959, Fulgencio Batista was ousted from his dictatorship. Castro then replaced him as the new Cuban leader with the help of Ernesto “Che”Guevara.
I have been fascinated with Che even longer than with the
Unfortunately, most revolutionary leaders throughout history have resorted to killing as the way to end oppression and tyranny. And while I believe violence only breads violence, I am strongly drawn to Che’s relentless pursuit of creating an egalitarian world at the cost of even his own life. He elegantly said, “Socialism cannot exist without a change in conscience to a new fraternal attitude toward humanity, not only within the societies which are building or have built socialism, but also on a world scale toward all peoples suffering from imperialist oppression.”
Che was a healer, like me, and throughout his medical training he would travel to leper colonies and work with patients that other doctors would refuse to be in contact with. His experiences there and with the poor during his travels had a key impact on the development of his political thought. He became convinced that genuine equality could only be achieved through socialism.
Though he has been dead for many years, he remains an inspiration to those who feel ignored, underprivileged, and abandoned by their government, as well as those who desperately would like to see eventual peace throughout the world.
The 3 of us were pretty exhausted from all that we had been doing and the intense Cuban heat, thus we decided to retire early for the day in order to save up some energy for the awesome adventures that laid ahead of us. It was time to leave La Habana!
Cuba Day 5: La Habana & Playa del Este Revisited
Kristin and I still felt like we had not seen everything we wanted to see in La Habana, so we decided to continue our walk around the city. This time it was concentrated in Habana Vieja. We followed the “Habana Vieja Walking Tour” that was recommended in the Lonely Planet guide; starting around Plaza Vieja and ending around Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana. The walk took us about 2 hours in total.
My travel Bible. I bring one with me on every trip!
The following photos were all taken within the vicinity of Plaza Vieja.
The sign basically means "We hope Fidel lives another 80 more years."
He was turning 80 the month we were visiting.
Of course we took a little break in a shaded park to listen to a man croon Cuban ballads with his guitar.
And these following photos were all taken within the vicinity of Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana.
One of my other favorite photos from the trip. I have this framed on
my office desk.
The decorations for Revolution Day, which was the following day, were out in full force.
Needing to majorly cool down, the two of us met up with M. and headed to Playa del Este again. On our way there we encountered more propaganda signs. All of us had our eyes glued to the taxi windows in case we should see one, as we were all enamored by them.
In the parking lot at the beach, there were a myriad of cars that just oozed coolness.
But, there was 1 that captured my heart, simply because of its color...
The funniest moment of the tripoccurred later on at the beach. I was engrossed in my sunbathing when M. announcedthat he would be back in an hour with a kayak and food. I thought hewas joking and was just going for a walk. But, to my delighted surprise,he returned an hour later with exactly what he promised. Where he found a kayak in Cuba, one will never know? The foodthough consisted of: chips, baby food, and melted chocolate. And the next 2photos are proof just in case you did not believe me.
vAfter we devoured the food, Kristin and M. then kayaked in the ocean leaving me some time to digest the trip thus far.
Could you not float in that water endlessly?
Cuba Day 4: Exploring La Habana by Foot (Part 2)
We decided the plan for the evening would include strawberry daiquiris at Hotel Inglattera, dinner at La Floridita, and then salsa dancing at La Casa de la Musica Centro Habana. Because we had walked all day and planned to dance way into the night, we splurged on a pedi-cab . Here are some photos from our entertaining ride through the streets of downtown La Habana:
Our pedi-cab driver.
Los hombres playing dominoes, the most popular game in Cuba.
First, we met M. at the Inglattera, which was another one of finest hotel's in Cuba. It was located near the pretty Parque Central. The Inglattera proudly holds the honor of being the oldest hotel in Cuba with an incredible history you could spend days learning about. However, the Nacional is still my preferred hotel.
While we sipped our strawberry daiquiris a salsa band played and when the first intoxicating trumpet notes of “El Chan Chan” began it really hit me that I was actually inCuba
M., Kristin, and I in anticipation for the fun night ahead.
Me enjoying the cohiba that I had purchased earlier in the day.
A fabulous photo courtesy of Kristin.
Our 3 strawberry daiquiri's illuminated by the setting sun.
Then we dined at La Floridita, or commonly known as “Hemingway's hang-out.” I love the simplistic way that Ernest writes. He is able to vividly capture one’s imagination with only a few words. Apparently, while he was creating “The Old Man and the Sea,” a novel about a Cuban fisherman who refuses to be defeated by nature, he would eat at the restaurant often. And even though it was a tourist trap, I still wanted to visit the places that he frequented during his time inCuba
Señor Hemingway
Maybe Ernest sat in the same seat I was in?
Ummm, the best drink in the world! Though Ernest's favorite drink
was rumored to be a strawberry daiquiri.
Once satiated, we headed over to dance at La Casa de la Musica Centro Habana. Along the way we encountered a Cuban man whom begged us to bring him in the club with us. According to him it had been his life long dream to dance inside there and the only way a Cuban could enter was with the permission of a tourist. M. told him that he would pay for his entrance fee under one condition: he had to discuss Cuban affairs with us over a couple of drinks. Haha, the poor guy agreed not knowing what he was getting himself into! M. and I can talk about that kind of stuff for hours and hours.
A photo taken on our walk to the club.
La Casa has a fantastic reputation for being the best salsa club in La Habana, as they bring in the top-name bands, but I was not really impressed. It was not the realCuba
The salsa band that played.
Me and my new Cuban friend on the dancefloor.
Thankfully, he was not too embarrassed with my moves. I vowed after that evening to take salsa classes some time during our last days in Cuba
The street scene from inside our taxi.
While we sipped our strawberry daiquiris a salsa band played and when the first intoxicating trumpet notes of “El Chan Chan” began it really hit me that I was actually in
Me enjoying the cohiba that I had purchased earlier in the day.
Then we dined at La Floridita, or commonly known as “Hemingway's hang-out.” I love the simplistic way that Ernest writes. He is able to vividly capture one’s imagination with only a few words. Apparently, while he was creating “The Old Man and the Sea,” a novel about a Cuban fisherman who refuses to be defeated by nature, he would eat at the restaurant often. And even though it was a tourist trap, I still wanted to visit the places that he frequented during his time in
Señor Hemingway
Maybe Ernest sat in the same seat I was in?
was rumored to be a strawberry daiquiri.
Once satiated, we headed over to dance at La Casa de la Musica Centro Habana. Along the way we encountered a Cuban man whom begged us to bring him in the club with us. According to him it had been his life long dream to dance inside there and the only way a Cuban could enter was with the permission of a tourist. M. told him that he would pay for his entrance fee under one condition: he had to discuss Cuban affairs with us over a couple of drinks. Haha, the poor guy agreed not knowing what he was getting himself into! M. and I can talk about that kind of stuff for hours and hours.
La Casa has a fantastic reputation for being the best salsa club in La Habana, as they bring in the top-name bands, but I was not really impressed. It was not the real
The salsa band that played.
The street scene from inside our taxi.
