Jamaica
We spent some time trying to find a restaurant that served Jamaicas national dish Ackee and Saltfish and eventually found a cafe in Port Antonio.
Akee and Papaya salsa
Trudy had a birthday in Jamaica.
Trudy's birthday at Soldiers camp Port Antonio
In the Bay a Rasta called Clive gave us daily visits to sell mangos, bananas, fish, and apples.
Cuba
Cienfuegos
Check in was not a bad experience, we first had Ramiero the harbour master to agree terms for
anchoring, $12 per night. He supplied an automatic health check and booked the Customs and
Immigration. Both arrived with dogs, one dog just sat in the cockpit the other had a roam around the
boat. The whole thing was spread over two days but we were free to go ashore after about an hour.
Customs arrived the following day just as we were moving out to anchor off, so postponed it for half an
hour. they picked through all our things and frequently asked if they could have them! We were asked for
spark plugs and got away with a couple of old ones, an old mobile phone and a new 8gig USB memory
stick! I had been told to have some old ones spare but forgot to empty my data from the 256 and 1 gig
sticks I had "ready".
Marina Bar
Is extremely popular with locals and sells Crystal Dispensare (draught beer) in 454cc chilled mugs 80p
and also in 3 litre Batidoras (food mixer) for £4-80,
in their centre and a tap at the bottom. They keep beer nice and cold whilst you drink it from small
glasses. The only problem is you need to get there early. Their Crystal draft beer is
both very good and very popular. They run out early and the bar closes at 8pm.
We bought Diesel on the dock at CUC 1.20 per litre.
A Pesos is equal in value to a dollar but is called a CUC by everyone to avoid confusion with a Pesos
"National". 24 Pesos National currently = to 1 CUC. Cubans are paid in Pesos National and do not have
easy access to CUC.
If you use US dollars to exchange for CUC you will only get 80% of the Value 80cents not a ful CUC.
However you can change Euros for their full value, 1.25 CUC.
On our first trip into town we used a BiciTaxi. This is a three wheel bicycle with seats for two
passengers. They rattle your bones and take ages. Prices are 30 to 50% more than for a comfortable
ride in taxi, often an old american car.
You can use your bank cards in the banks which have individual machines designated for 10, 20 or 50
CUC notes.
There are old cars everywhere, many Chevys and fords with Toyota or Nissan diesel engines and all manor
of eastern block vehicles. Moskowich, Lada, Skoda and Volga, the one the wealthy Russians (used to)
use.
There are a few small Suzukis but many old MZs, Jawas, DKW, Cossacks etc.
prepared 50cc models but I am not sure of the name.
Horses and Carts are used to transport people as taxis and for general goods. The carts have four tyres
(plus spare) and are pulled by undernourished nags.
Hotel Jagua is on the Punta Gorda and is a smart hotel of the all inclusive type. It was the nearest place
where an internet connection was possible. We later found two other places in Cienfuegos. Google Mail
required the input of a code sent to my registered phone. The trouble being that my registered phone
does not connect to a Cuban network. My second sim, Lycamobile does work as a phone but as I am
already in Cuba I cannot change the registered phone number on Google! So No access to Google mail
or our blog. Luckily Trudy's Mail.com account does work in Cuba. Many website home pages are
unavailable but if you know the exact UML address it is possible to get into some sites. Windguru is
Czech so no problem there and I used a URL address to get the NOAA weather page.
The Market is open Tuesday to Sunday and provides a good selection of meat and veg. Beef is
apparently only available to hotels although is often on restaurant menus (still unavailable though). The
local smoked ham is delicious. It is very lightly smoked and succulent. We did manage to get some
under the counter beef though, both that and the pork were very good.
By recommendation from Pink Panther we visited El Lobo restaurant. Santiago the manager is a heavy
metal fan and has videos showing constantly.
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| Hombre Lupo y lupo in El Lupo restaurant |
was excellent, too much and very reasonable.
There are not many fridges around so a visit to the butchers means you will get meat killed the same
day. It is often displayed in the sun with the flies buzzing around. When it is cooked it is full of flavour. We
have had no issues with this, its just something you must get used to. Pork in general is very tasty.
Parc Jose Marti is in the north west quadrant with art galleries and the Thomas Terry Theatre; a good
place to rest and have a Cafe con Leche or Cappuccino. 2CUC. It is also possible to get an excellent
coffee for 15p in the local spots where you need to pay in Pesos National.
The Art Galleries often have a resident artist and are large rooms on the ground floor of the impressive
buildings surrounding the park.
A walk south takes you past Hotel Jagua to the Palace de Valle / Bodega de Valle.
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| Palaceo de Valle This is a restaurant |
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| Palaceo Valle |
A beautiful building with a 4th floor terrace, a view of the bay a look round the building is free if you eat or 2CUC with a free Mohito.
Near the marina is the Parc de la Esculturas, with a weird selection of sculptures from a life size Rhino to
a 3 meter high mincer, the Large hands can be used as a double seat.
There are a few Night Clubs in Cienfuegos all are open air and start at about 10pm and for 2 CUC you get a cabaret until between 2 and 3 am. I prefer to see live music up close and
have been searching for authentic Cuban bands. So we have not been to the clubs but have heard good
reports of the enthusiastic dancing and lively party spirit.
A late night walk along the Malecon was interesting. The pavement is lined with young people chatting.
Some are drinking but not many. Across the road there are several fast food places where, amongst
other things, you can buy a beer called Brucca (Witch) for 6 Pesos National (20p) for a half pint in a
plastic cup. It is not a very good beer but I guess its worth the price you pay.
Everywhere you can buy Mohitos for about 2 dollars, and in all cases if it is not strong enough you can
ask for more rum. They usually start about 50/50 rum anyway so are always a bargain drink.
On one occasion we saw a girl with a huge cake iced with a range of lurid colours and as we had guests
aboard that evening we tracked down where she had bought it. Trudy then bought 5 cakes for 9 pesos
national (30p) we were not expecting much but they were delicious.
At anchor we are frequently woken up by shouts and laughter from the rowers that pass each morning
sometimes as early as 4:30! It seems to be a popular sport. On our return from a three day trip to Havana
we were asked to re-anchor further out to allow the boat races to take place near the shore the following
day. Good job we didn't stay that extra day!
The historic naval museum had exhibits from Arrawak times up to the 5th September Revolution
including the various automatic weapons used. It included some recent artwork and examples of
navigation marks and fishing techniques. A small museum but worth the 2CUC entrance.
Havana
Havana has been filmed and shown on TV fairly often. In reality it exactly lives up to its reputation. There
are many old Buildings in the process of renovation and rebuild. Many of them are currently closed, which
was a shame. We were disappointed as we had wanted to visit the Musical instrument museum and the
Cohiba factory both of which were closed. The buildings are all brightly coloured and you frequently see
painters at work on the façades.
The Capitol National is their parliament building and is an exact copy of The White House. This is also
being restored and was covered in scaffolding.
Near the centre there is a scruffy area that is filled with what looks like scrap metal. On closer
examination several steam engines are there all in various states of repair. They were originally used on
the sugar plantations.
Breakfast can be bought on the street in the form of oevos y jamon sandwiches or Viena Schnitzel. The
egg and ham is grilled as one, folded and put in a bread bun. 5 Pesos or 15p. For 30p you get a breaded
veal slice in breadcrumbs. You cannot buy these with CUC, you must have Pesos National.
As you walk about, every 10 meters or so you hear cries of "Cigars" or "Taxi". There are always offers of
cheap cigars which may or may not be the real thing and the Bicitaxis are always touting for business.
Strangely they are about half the price compared to Cienfuegos. We checked the price of cigars from the
touts and found that duty free they are cheaper in the airport. You can also buy in a licensed shop at half
the price they are in England.
We took a Horse and trap tour around the town.
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| Carriage ride round Havana |
asked for another 5CUC for the driver! It was quite cheap for five of us, especially compared to horse and
trap tours in other parts of the world. When paying the extra we asked if the horse also wanted to be paid!
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| Our balcony has a pale blue wall |
at 25 CUC per night very reasonable and very close to the centre. We asked about live music and the
Floriditta bar was recommended. It has a bronze of Ernest Hemingway as apparently he drank there
quite often. We stayed for one drink, 4.50 CUC for a small beer! and the three piece band was very
average. You can get sick of Quantana mera. Caridad had asked her husband to show is where it was, it
was about a mile away and he walked us all the way there. Cubans are very helpful this way, you think
they are going to ask for money but they just smile having helped you on your way.
On the search for authentic Cuban musicians we found the street called Obispo. There are many cafés
and restaurants in this street with live music and is the best place we found for this. After much
research (beers) we found La Dichiosa.
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| Band in La Dichiosa - Obispo calle |
were the best musicians we found. This bar therefore became the meeting place whenever we out.
A little further north on Obispo was the Café de Paris this closed later than La Dichosa and also had a
good band.
At the end of Orbispo, on the Plaza de Armos, there are several open air book stores.
Whilst walking around we were surprised by the number of police about, and presumed it was normal.
However later we found out that Raoul Castro was visiting and the streets were line in his honour.
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| Los Nados |
On first arrival we were sent to Los Nados for lunch. There was a queue out on the street, which on
asking meant a wait of 20 minutes before getting a table. We decided to look elsewhere and were taken
to a restaurant about 1/2 k away. On arrival we found that they only did set meal options, which although
good were not what we had in mind for a lunch. (It would have spoiled dinner!). We left and on the next
corner were picked up by two BiciTaxis who assured us that for 1 CUC each couple they could take us to
an excellent restaurant that was also cheap. (Mugs) We are starving by now and members of our party
refused to go any further. We should have waited 20 minutes as the food was decidedly average and
came to over $100 for 4 for a one course lunch with water only. Normally this would cost half as much
including wine, starter and pudding and coffee.
Trudy and I went back to Los Nardos on a later visit. It was a candle lit place with no external light. Very
rich and comfortable surroundings. Food and wine were top quality, a wonderful experience and all for
less than $15 each. If you go, wait in the queue!
Los Nardos - Classy restaurant in Havana
Fri 7th
Trinidad
Trinidad was a $30 Taxi journey each way for five of us. On the way there (and back) for part of the
journey we saw land crabs crossing the road. This lasted for about 2 miles over an 8 mile stretch with
every river crossed meeting with another army. You get the fishy smell first as many of the poor guys
and girls have already been flattened.
The town has a Mexican style to it with low rise buildings in multi pastel shades, narrow cobbled streets
and roads. Cowboys on horses and horse drawn trailers. Many streets are not open to motor vehicles.
We stayed in Number 176 Los Cayotana. An old terraced house. Our room had shutters to a courtyard
where we had a fantastic breakfast for two for 6$. Omelettes, guava smoothie, gingerbread, Cuban coffee,
cheese, fresh bread and a massive plate of fresh fruit. There are water problems everywhere and our
house was no exception. We had water all day and night, hot showers etc, it was only when we were
about to leave that we needed a bucket of water to flush the loo!
The Casa de Musica is a large stepped area where live music is played day and night. On Friday I was
talking to a drummer and told him I was a guitarist. I played a bit in the intermission and was invited to
play Summertime at the start of their next set.
The following day our group were sitting in the Plaza and the band leader gives me a guitar and invites
me on stage to play Chan Chan with another guitarist, two percussionists and a trumpeter, it was a very
emotionan event! One of the percussionists wanted to buy my keens but I had to explain they were the
only shoes I had for the trip. He made me promise to bring him a pair when we come back next year.
In the square nearby is the Museo de Romantica. This is an old colonial house from Tobacco, Sugar and
rum days. It is full of exquisite furniture and ornaments from the 1700s onwards. The original owners
had twelve children and twenty slaves to run the household, many more to work the plantations.
One of the local specialities is Viechio Roba de Cerdo which was translated on a menu as "Pork old
Clothes" I presume they meant ragged pork.
We have lunch in a restaurant in an old house, watching the cowboys ride by. There is much old glass
and china you could hardly move.
In Trinidad there is music everywhere and the place is full of restaurants. There are many tourists but
somehow the place seems to keep its character and is calm and far removed from the bustle of Havana.
We visit the Casa de Cervesa where we watch an impromptu salsa class in progress.
There is an internet Café that has ten terminals and also serves cakes and ice cream. This is a shop
owned by the government like all others. As a result the service is a bit haphazard. The standard of
service is very different when the staff can get access to the CUC. E.g. a bartender or waiter can sell
drink from his own bottle and get CUC in return for the small amount of Nacional that he used to by it in
the first place. In large restaurants with high levels of supervision, where service is included it all goes
back to the state. There is no incentive to staff and as a result service suffers.
For some bizarre reason when we paid our hotel bill we found that we had completely run out of cash.
The map showed where the four banks were so we set off into the less touristy part of town. Not wanting
to get the map out we asked a passing local. He took is for a walk around the back streets about a half
mile out of his way. Cubans seem very accommodating in this way and differing from other places we have
visited don't then ask for cash. During the walk we discover he is a percussionist and plays with his
grandfather. We are invited to join them for a jam over lunch. This would have been great but our taxi
was booked and we did not have the time. When we get to the first bank it is shut and does not have a
cash point. He takes us to the next but their system is down. At this point we bump into our fluent
spanish speaking friends and a crowd gathers to help us out. We get further directions to a third bank
which fortunately has a working cash dispenser. Phew.
Lunch is a ragged pork sandwich great at 60p!
Back in Cienfuegos
Trudy goes for a walk with Pon from Schwabe (partner Charlie) to buy some crab and prawns. Buying
these from the local fishermen worked out out at £2-50p a pound for large fresh king prawns and £1-60 a
pound for crab meat, already prepared.
Check out requires us to go onto the dock. We get a slot at midday and by 13:00 we are cleared to go.
Unfortunately we are told we cannot re-anchor, which was our plan, and we have to leave immediately
for Jamaica. We say brief goodbyes to Stan and Cora on the dock and set off.
Cuba to Jamaica
No wind motoring for hours. We decide to go towards Montego bay instead of Port Antonio, about 70
miles nearer so we would have just enough diesel to motor all the way. We motor for 11 hours, 55
miles, until we get some wind 12 knots to start then up to 18 so we can streak along at over 7 knots.
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| Breakfast ham and eggs |
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| Clive the fruit seller |
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| Ackee |
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| Skool on a boat |
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| Seed shop Port Antonio |
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| Ceramic sheep Trident Bay hotel Jamaica |
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| Infinity pool Trident Bay hotel |
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| Trudy's first gig |
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| Washing in Havana |
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| Open air book stalls |
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| Not twin towers |
Palaceo de Valle
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| Dragonnes calle |
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| Chemists |
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| Havana convent |
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| Lunch in Obispo |
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| Old guy singing in Obispo |
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| Dancers go round with the hat - after the band |
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| Starter for one |
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| open air bookstores Havana |
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| Obispo |
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| Local Taxi |
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| another local taxi |
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| another posh hotel |
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| More Obispo |
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| Posh Hotel |
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| Band in La Dichiosa |
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| La Dichiosa |
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| Side salad for one |
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| Obispo |
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| Obispo |
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| Bun shop |
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| Pink Chevy |
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| Dancers on stilts |
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| More dancers on stilts aka mako jumbys |
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| Caffe leche at Thomas Terry theatre |
Palaceo Valle
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| Old Havana |
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| Havana street scene |
