I'm sitting here alone at the most popular bar in Trinidad, Cuba. Usually there is a good 10-person line-up waiting to get into this hopping spot. It’s Sunday at about 6:00pm and I have tucked myself into a corner while Jim takes advantage of the 'golden hour’ lighting for photography. I’m pretending I am Hemmingway (lookatpg139)as I sip on my delicious daiquiri and write. I pretend I am in a medieval pub (not that Hemmingway was from medieval ...

Another city, and one with little draw for us, we arrived via a squished-in collectivo taxi sharing with a couple from Victoria, BC, Canada. The trip was four hours in duration, driving at mad speeds with no seatbelts, dodging potholes and bumpy roads that were like a multi-media piece of art. We got to know Casey and Jim. I'm on a mission to find people from other places to house-share with us so am collecting email addresses. I mention this possibility of hou...

Feeling more grounded in our Cuba-life, we prepared to move from Havana to Vinales, a small town in the Pinar del Rio province. As we waited in anticipation for the taxi we had arranged outside the bus station the day prior, time ticked away and, with allowance for Cuban time, after two hours we assumed the guy was not going to show up. Being peak tourist season, we were fearful we would not get a bus ticket on the day of. With our luggage in tow and me with a ...

Upon returning to Parque Central the following day, Jim and I were mesmerized for over two hours by the activities and relationships around us: A group of men engaged in an dynamic and heated conversation - one man, hands held behind his back listening intently; another, arms crossed in front not quite agreeing; an ancient man leaning his ear in toward the speaker. The one monopolizing the talking is stabbing the air emphatically making definitive points, words f...

Havana is one worn down yet equally vibrant city! It has a magic that immediately soaks into your pores. And what a contrast from the paradise beach-bubble of all-inclusive resort life of Varadero to the bustling city with exhaust fumes to rival the streets of New Delhi. Although there are far fewer - and far more unique - cars on the road than in Canadian cities, they are making a lot noise and emitting lung-choking exhaust. Almost no car is newer than the 1980s...