Monday, May 25, 2009

Cuba!

We are home from a wonderful vacation in Cuba. We had a great time, loved the country and the people. We started with three days in Havana.

Havana is a beautiful city, full of history, chaos and life! I wouldn't call it a relaxing start to our holiday, but it was unforgettable and we both loved it.

The architecture is stunning. There are remarkable old buildings everywhere. This was once the Cuban capital building, but is now home to a science institute. We stayed in the heart of Old Havana, a UNESCO world heritage site, in a 100 year old hotel. So we could walk to just about all the sites. Being a pedestrian in Havana is a bit tricky though. The Cubans drive like maniacs. There are no road signs, no crosswalks, very few lights. We got pretty good at dashing across busy streets!

We did take a few cabs including these fun little things, Coco Cabs. Basically they are three wheeled motorcycles with two seats and a bubble like topper. Much more fun than a plain ol' car!

We spent a full day exploring the fortresses that protected the city for hundreds of years. I think Stuart wants a cannon in our driveway! He liked the cannons!

We heard alot of great music in Havana and came home with quite a collection of CDs. Every bar band in Cuba has cut a CD!

We also went to the Tropicana show, a spectacle worth every dime of the admission price.

After three days in Havana, we cut a deal with a taxi driver and got a ride down the road to the beach resort town of Varadero.

Now that was relaxing! Twenty-one kilometres of white sand beach, plenty of sun and swimming, lots of rum!

We went deep sea fishing. Didn't catch anything, but as Stuart says it's called fishing, not catching! The open bar on the boat made him a happy fisherman anyway!

I went scuba diving. Stuart is a certified diver, but I'd never been before. His ears were acting up and he couldn't take the pressure in the ocean so he went snorkling and I went diving with Ivan, the uber-awesome dive master. Ivan was very good at getting me past the initial panic of being underwater and trying to breath!We did two dives, on a coral reef, saw lots of fish and funky underwater plants.

The sunsets were amazing. We just don't get sunsets like that up here. We had great weather, with a lovely cooling breeze everyday, lots of sun, no bugs and only a bit of rain on the last evening we were there.

I found some kitties to feed so I was not deprived of purrs while we were away! The hotel in Varadero had a small cat colony living on the grounds. The kittens were very friendly and sucked a few people into stealing food from the buffets for them!

It was a great way to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We will definately go back to Cuba to explore the rest of the island. The dogs didn't traumatize the sitters so we might not have to wait another ten years for a holiday!

10 comments:

Teddy Westlife said...

Happy anniversary again, and it looks like a marvellous trip. Cuba has been on my list of Places To See for ages.

Trace

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Pawesome pikhs!

Mom enjoyed seeing them on FB -

Woo look so happy together fur your GotchaVersary pikh!

Tank woo fur sharing!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: Woo khould have brought ME a khytty!

Elyse K said...

Happy Anniversary, again! It looks like a wonderful trip! Cassie Cat and I are glad you weren't purr-deprived!

Welcome back,
Elyse

dogsled_stacie said...

Looks like a blast!! I've always wanted to go to Cuba!!!! If there is ever the chance I can afford to get away AND get my own special dog-sitter, I will pick your brain for vacation tips!

And a place with no bugs? You serious????!!!!

The photos are awesome! Esp. that sunset... wow!

Jack & Moo said...

Ayeeee! What a sunset!!! And what a change for both of you! Looks like great weather & a great time! Love your last pic - it's rare we see you without being bundled up to your eyeballs!

Woos & a-roos,
Star & Jack & Pat

Wandering Spirit Kennels said...

They do apparently get mosquitos and sand flies sometimes. One of the benefits of travelling in the off-season--we missed the bugs!

Joe Stains said...

It looks beautiful! I am so glad you guys had fun and that the critters behaved while you were gone!

Shannon said...

Welcome back and happy anniversary! I'm sure the furkids were thrilled to have you home.

Now, (but I'm going to. Sorry) I hate to ruin the post travel buzz but can you give us an update on Heyoka?

Kitty Purrington said...

Cool pics. Glad you had a great time and even found some friedly kitties to pet!

Phred said...

Happie Anniversary Memories and
Welcome back Home!

Looks and Sounds like it was a
*Phantastic Tyme* you two had ...
A nice reward for the First Ten!

{{{Hugs}}} from Phred