Off-Track Backpacking » Cuba

A Little Adventure In Cuba

Nara — Fri, 14 May 2010 01:03:29 +0000

I love sea-dooing in Canada, especially up north. So I assumed I was going to love going in the Atlantic Sea. Yup, I was wrong. Well it’s wasn’t so much that I hated it, it was more how scary it was. It all started with turning the motor on and it wasn’t like your typical jet-ski. It had a 1960 year old looking motor and a huge bus, steering wheel. So turning it on was out of my league and trying to make fun turns was scary as hell.
There was a group of us and or course we were the last to get started. As everyone slowly creep up to a pretty fast speed, everything seemed to go smoothly until we started to hit open water. With no shelter or islands around and the only thing you could see was sea, it was pretty amazing. But that wasn’t until these giant waves hits us like bricks. Now I love going fast and flying over the waves, but with a crazy motor on the back of our boat and a steering wheel that was loose, it was a little scary. So a friend and I were sharing the jet-ski and I tell ya, we were flying over these waves with the motor leaving the water and having absolutely no control over the turns. It was a little nerve racking. Once the hard part was over, we started to see land and go towards this little river. It felt suddenly like we were boating into the Amazon. It was pretty neat, but all I could imagine was what if our boat turned over. Now that would be creepy, only because there are some crazy animals in these waters. Once we got to our stop, we docked our boats and made our way into a little jungle. It was like 50 degrees with no breeze so it was pretty hot. Suddenly a guy came up to us with a little alligator and it was so cute. Each of us got to hold it, mind you its mouth was tide down. Soon afterwards we were back out to sea and yes never guess what happened. My boat decided to break down and it wasn’t until about 15 minutes later that our tour guide actually realized we were nowhere in sight. Finally they came back to help us out, and to get it started again, but very soon again it broke down. So my luck was running out that day. After about an hour we finally made it back to the dock. Though let me tell ya, it was adventure that I just didn’t ever see coming. It was fun, but scary!

A Day Trip To Havana

Nara — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:32:08 +0000

After the wedding day and the many parties that took place during that day/night, I planned a trip to Havana for the very next morning. I have always wanted to see Havana and now this was the perfect opportunity do so. Waking up at 7 am was not in my agenda for a holiday but that was when the bus was leaving from the hotel to the big city.
I took a local tour instead of booking it through the hotel, since it was cheaper and I thought I would see more of the “real” local parts of the city. Although the day didn’t go as I hoped for. Once we got to the city after two hours journey there was a man on our tour who needed to go to the Canadian embassy. He said his passport had just expired and in order to get back in to Canada he need to revise his passport. So spending more then three hours at the embassy was not my plan of a trip to Havana. Although, afterwards we quickly zoomed around the city to see many of the major sights of Havana. Our first stop was strolling along the Malecon. It is the famous seafront walk, which stretches almost the length of Havana. From the Melecon you can view the second largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world. From there we explored La Habana Vieja, the old Havana. We took full advantage of walking and seeing the glorious Spanish colonial architecture and the narrow streets that lead to beautiful shady squares.
After a few hours of walking in and out of the old colonial district we soon made our way to the “New” part of town and where the more wealthy people live. It is called La Rampa. La Rampa is surrounded by many fine examples of art deco and eclectic architecture, which lays one of most famous hotels in the world called the Hotel Nacional. This hotel is where many famous people around the world have stayed, only because it is $800 a night, no wonder it’s usually only famous people catching sleep here.
One of our last stops before heading back to the resort was seeing where the first mass in Cuba took place. It was held under a tree called Ceiba, which now sits beside a small chapel called El Templete. The chapel had an interesting French design only because a French artist named Jean Bapiste Vermay created it. This Chapel was built in 1828, but the first mass took part in 1519, so it was many years before they decided to build a chapel. I thought this was one of the highlights of the trip to Havana, only because I love history so much that I thought this was pretty interesting to see.

On the way home we stopped at a small local bar that is known to have the best Pina colada in the country. Oh and let me tell you, it was the best one I have every tried. It was yummy. But my the time I got back to the resort I was so exhausted that this was the first night during my trip to Cuba that I actually went to bed before 4am. So as you can tell my trip was filled with much excitement.

CUBA, The Catamaran Excursion

Nara — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:40:40 +0000

After a busy two weeks, I finally made it back in time for my flight to Cuba. Once I was at the airport everybody was shocked that I made it on time and were all pretty happy. Not mention that I was so jet leg and exhausted from a 13 hours flight. Although my vacation was starting, I couldn’t be in better company then my close friends.

Club Night

Once we arrived in Varadero, Cuba it was already midnight, but that didn’t stop me from having fun. Yes, with only a max of 3 hours of sleep I seemed to make it out to a local nightclub just off the beach with a few Miami Vices in my hand. Also not to forget taking a quick swim in the sea when its pitch dark, is very exciting. So for a first night on my vacation it was already starting to look pretty good.
For the rest of the week we as a group of 46 people planned a lot of excursions. But a few of them we did on your own or as a small group. I did a lot of excursions, considering how much I love the beach, but I seemed to keep pretty busy with doing a few adventures. The excursions I did were the catermaran, swimming with dolphins, sightseeing the city of Havana, talking the moped out for spin around the local towns, feeding baby alligators, and seadooing.

The Catamaran

The Catamaran was the party boat. With almost the entire wedding party on board and another 30 people too, it was the perfect day to drink all day and be merry. Starting from 9am in the morning on the boat until 5pm, it was the perfect hot day to enjoy the sea breeze. Our first stop on the boat was snorkeling in the middle of sea with no one in sight. There were thousands of fish, from bright small blue ones to huge big bright yellow ones. It was amazing just to stare into another world and see so many different creatures at once. Considering this wasn’t my first time snorkeling it did have to be one of the best spots I have snorkeled before. After an hour of snorkeling, the boat took us to see dolphins. Now I have seen dolphins before, but I have never swim with them. It was so much fun, they swim along side with you and do crazy flips, kisses, and pull you around. Gotta say, it was one of my favorite moments during the trip. The third stop the boat made was a small private island with bright white sand and amazing seafood. We have a huge lunch on this island that was filled with fresh seafood. It was very yummy. After lunch a few of us went swimming. It was great because the sand was so soft and white that it felt like clay but it wasn’t. So a friend and I had a little fun with putting sand on our faces and taking a quick natural facial. Must say, by the time we were laughing so hard about it, we had half the beach copying us. Plus I think it was one of the best facials I have ever had, since the next day my skin felt like silk.

Facial

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, but my the time it was home time, the crew of the boat had as dancing to crazy Spanish music and drinking lots of rum. So over all this excursion was one of the highlights of the trip.
Keep reading more posts to hear more of my Cuba trip.

My Trip To France

Nara — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:14:49 +0000

During the month of April I have just spent the last three weeks traveling around the world. Well kind of, I went from Cannes, France to Varadero, Cuba. Although France was a work trip it did feel like a little vacation, only because I was away from the office for three weeks. But Cuba was my vacation and spending it with great friends was amazing.
First I will start with a little about my trip to France. It all started with just a work conference to France for only a week. Yet this week turned into ten days due to the volcano. I really couldn’t ask for better planning and luck. I was a little nervous about the delay in France only because I had a wedding in Cuba very shortly after my work trip.

Monte Carlo

So leaving the Wednesday from France to catch my flight out to Cuba the same day from Toronto was just a little stressful. So with just a bit of luck I made all flights and ended up in Cuba safely. So if you are wondering what I did in France for those extra days, well just guess!! Yes, traveling of course. I have already been to the French Riviera, but seeing it again brought back so many wonderful memories. The first day of finding out that our flight was delayed we headed over to Nice.

Now I was thinking it would all look the same as five years ago, well lets just say the only thing that did look the same was the train station and the beach. Nice has improved so much it surprised me. There were many streets that lend to the train station that use to be slummy and not very attractive, well now those streets have turned into beautiful shopping areas. With the buildings all painted the same bright red colour and modern trains zooming around, everything I remembered about Nice was different.
During this day a few friends and I spent lunch in Nice and wondered around freely to enjoy the warm summer air.
As for the next day, we worked a little on our laptops and for the rest of the day we headed over to Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo hasn’t change but no matter how much time you spend there, it remains beautiful. The scenery is something you just won’t ever find in Canada. I could just sit at the top of the hill where the palace is located and stare at the city for hours without getting bored. A co-worker and I walked around for hours enjoying the scene of the busy people with their flashy cars outside the casino, the grand palace, and people watched. Although during this time the Grand prix was only four days away, so there were many tourists getting ready for this big event.
As for the remaining days, and being a little stressed about my flights and all I spent the days on the Beach of Cannes, enjoying the smell of the sea and the warm sun on my face. As you can tell I love the beach, but being surrounded by beautiful scenery I really could ask for more. Over all I was one of the lucky ones who got stuck in Europe because of the Volcano.

NEW PICTURES are posted!!

Nara — Sun, 02 May 2010 15:06:29 +0000

Hey Everyone!

I have uploaded a few new photos of Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo- FRANCE. This trip was my work trip, plus keep posted for Photos of my vacation in Cuba! Lots of Havana pictures to come!!!

Marrying Abroad

Nara — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:35:42 +0000

Within the last five years getting married abroad has become the latest trend. Many destination weddings are becoming the perfect spot for couples to celebrate their love with loved ones in a more cheaper and easier way. This idea of all weddings heading to vacations spots has now risen from about 16 percent to now over 25 percent. Why? Well there are many benefits in getting married abroad, one being able to save a lot of money. According to Canada an average wedding these days is about $26,000 or more, while a destination wedding usually runs the couples only about $6,000. This huge savings is due to guests paying their own way to the vacations spot and having the option to not only consider this a wedding vacation but also a trip too. Plus now a days most resorts consider large group discounts and much of the expenses are cut in half. Also, consider how little vacations Canadians get in a year and on average a Canadian will only take one vacation/trip once a year due to work. So this combination of seeing a family/friend get married and spending time with them on vacation is a huge bonus. Plus with a wedding abroad the bride and groom will always consider giving their guests a least one year of notice, due to booking fees, saving money, and booking time off work. However, since destination weddings are filled with lovely options, many brides and grooms get overwhelmed with options and sometimes the budget can exceed to unnecessary reasons. So the number one thing to consider is to plan and discuss abroad weddings with a travel agency. It is much easier for an agent to plan the accommodation/airfare for all guests due to budget and arranging payments. Also, there is little planning and stress for the wedding party, which usually take a lot of press off the families. So overall there are many benefits to marrying abroad, but would you consider it?
So in about three weeks time, this will be my first vacation to see and experience a friend getting married abroad. I have been to a few wedding lately, due to many of my friends getting hitched, but experiencing one while on a vacation will not only be fun, but also great experience to spend time with a bunch of great people. Plus, since I am a backpacker taking advantage of a little site seeing will be the number one thing on my list too!!!

Cuba, very soon!!

Nara — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:21:35 +0000

Less than 30 days to go I will be in the hot tropical sun enjoying the beach and many other wonders!! Yes I am going away again, yay! I am off to Cuba for a friend’s wedding, lots of beach, sun and alcohol. But never the less, the adventure tickle is going to still be with me. Since I have been to Cuba almost a dozen times, I think its time for me to see the city of Havana. I know, its crazy I have been to Cuba many of times and have traveled the entire country but still have never seen the capital. So this time I am going to see Havana. I am very much excited. So I have decided to pick a few places that are a must in Havana. My first stop will be the Monument of Jose Marti. This is a memorial as well as museum of the work and life of the renowned revolutionary writer. The museum consists of many personal belongings, documents, and history of Marti. Another historic site is the Cathedral of Havana. It’s 18th century architecture of full columns, baroque embellishments, and paintings of Rubens and Murillo on the altar is one Cathedral I don’t want to miss. It is said that some of Columbus remains were kept here between 1796 and 1898. Other site I will be visiting is the Castle of the three kings of Morro. This Castle was built between 1589 and 1630 and the main objective was to ward off pirates and enemy fleets. Over all what I am really excited to see is the Central Park. Surrounding this park are majestic looking 19th century buildings and a few of Havana’s oldest ad finest restaurants and hotels. Perfect to grab lunch or a drink and relax. The park in known to have exotic trees, royal palms with the gardens and a few amazing fountains. Plus around this park is the square of Arms. This square is located in the city centre and very close to the sea. It is filled with marble benches, plant life, and tones of second-hand booksellers. Well these are only a few of the places I want to see in Havana, but over all I just want to get lost in time and surround myself with tones of culture.