Havana

An interesting combination of very warm and welcoming people, beautiful old buildings and cars, Soviet-style monuments and oversized avenues without any traffic. While all the stylish old cars are American, all the modern buses and police cars are Chinese...
The Chinese cars are a good link back to upcoming HK / Beijing visits. What a great trip it was!

Havana, Cuba

Water

As in many countries, tab water is non-potable in Cuba. While this typically leads to a daily routine of water sourcing, this turns out to be a challenge in Cuba. Of all the supermarkets we visited, only one had water, all others had no water but at least 10 different types of rum…

The highlight was when we were once carrying a small water bottle with us and entered a supermarket trying to buy a big bottle. After learning that they do not sell water we left the shop when the cashier asked us very curiously, where did you buy that water?

Water seems to be something very special here.

Vinales

Vinales is a small village in the rural western part of Cuba where tobacco for the well-known cigars is grown. The impressive countryside made it famous and it is wonderful to get lost on the little tracks and talk to the locals riding their horses and smoking their home-grown tobacco. The “shock” comes when you return to the little village of Vinales. The main road is full of restaurants catering for the hords of tourists – somehow unreal.
A good alternative is to get supplies of tobacco and Havana club 7 and enjoy the evening on the rocking chairs in front of the casa particular.

Vinales, Cuba

Cuba

Famous for many things and a very popular tourist destination, Cuba has it all. Interesting to see how the people adopted to the regulations and limitations by establishing sophisticated parallel markets. Even more interesting to see how Cuba will open up in the coming years.
11'000'000 people
GDP / capita (nom/PPP) 7'000 / 19'000 USD

Cayman

A small strip of land south of Cuba, officially part of the UK but it feels more like the US. While it was undeveloped without electricity until 50 years ago, it is now banking hub, beach destination and stop over for Canadians and Americans heading to Cuba.

Impressions from Jamaica

Sure there is a hype around Bob Marley and there is the omnipresent Marihuana but there is much more. Did you know that they have a province called Portland where you have Boston bay, a wonderful area far away from crowded Montego bay and Ocho Rios?
Then there are the famous Blue Mountains, which can be crossed in Rally style… And there is obviously spicy jerk meat and Red Stripe beer.

Jamaica

Credit card

Traveling with a credit card simplifies a lot and most countries nowadays accept credit cards in one form or the other, also Jamaica. The other night we had this dinner at the hotel and wanted to use our credit card to pay. We were first told to return to our room as the boss is currently out and only he can operate the credit card terminal. A bit later the boss himself indeed knocked on our door with the credit card terminal in his hands. My first thought was, wow, in room payment, that’s great. But he only came to explain that the signal is poor up here and we should go down. Down I went with him where he was still not satisfied. Let’s try the parking lot. Also there apparently no signal. He proposed to drive to the next town as the connection there is apparently better. It was about 22.00 when we left the hotel in his car driving to Port Antonio. On a parking lot he opened the window in the roof of the car and held the terminal out of it – finally it worked…