Pacitan revisited

I always do what I said I would do - So yes, I went back to Pacitan again in February this year! TO experience the waves in a different period!  Feb was the so-called rainy season in that part of Indonesia and the surfable waves are a little messy and unpredictable but then you get to surf right outside of Harry's.  As usual, I stayed at Harry's and it was really quiet!  There were maybe 10 of us - yes just 10 of us in the waters surfing at any given time maximum!  That was cool!  This time, my mind was on other things to do in Pacitan, besides the surfing. 

It was raining the first morning and by the time I got around to surf it was mid morning.  The waves were messy and seriously not that great for beginners.  I got some small waves but mainly trying to fight and paddle out to find the waves.  Still was fun getting into the water.  In the afternoon was what I was looking forward to - the zipline!  The longest zipline in the entire South East Asia!!  To note - it is only open on weekends and public holidays so do take note if you want to try!  It's about a 45min ride to the entrance and you have to hike a bit to get up to the zipline where you zip across the beach with the view of the ocean! Only 30,000 rupiah per try - and I went twice!!  Just don't think about how the wires are anchored to the whatever structure and you will be fine!

The next day was my last full day in Pacitan, I did surf a little but I wanted to explore the beaches more.  I had wanted to go to Tibo but that was too far.  So I hopped onto Harry's bike to Pantai Srau.  They surfed while I explored.  You can take a short hike around the island to discover the many deserted beaches.  The view was amazing and finally I found my small little private cove where I spent some time just playing around!

Random fisherman who stopped me just so I could take a picture of him with his catch with MY PHONE!!

My private cove

The 2-3 days I spent in Pacitan was fun!  Met some cool German surfer dudes and saw great beaches and places!  It was my last beach vacation before I moved my ass to Netherlands.

Amazing sunset

The next day saw me took a long journey again back to Yogyakarta where I spent the night and the next day in a really nice hotel (free stay!) and went to visit Prambanan.  People who are interested to take the bus trip to Pacitan could possibly contact Bintang Terang Tour & Travel (Jogja contact 081229711951/087751833330) - takes you right to the door step instead of the bus station.  Runs from Pacitan back to Jogja as well and costs 85,000 rupiah.  I think it has 3-4 trips per day each direction.

Met a Polish girl who lives in Singapore now - she rode a bike all the way from Yogja to Pacitan.  IT took about 4 hours but you pass through beautiful coastal routes where you could just stop and stay for a day or so before you continue the journey!

Prambanan

Prambanan was really beautiful. I went early in the morning, you pay entrance fee (foreigner and local prices are like heaven and earth difference) and then you can decide to hire a guide for 100,000 rupiah to explain the main Prambanan temple.  A guide was really useful in explaining the architecture, history and statues.  You could also hire the same guide for the entire palace for an extra 50,000 but I thought 1 was enough and then went off to just explore on my own.  Set aside 2-3 hours to leisurely tour the whole place.  You could take the public bus that stops about 2 km from the entrance.  There is also a bus from there to the airport - very convenient and very cheap (I think it was 3,600 rupiah per journey).  The timing is always the tricky part but I think it was like every 20-30 minutes.

If I were to go back again, sure I'd love to surf a bit, but I would really like to just ride along the coast to discover the different beaches... That would be nice. Provided I don't crash my bike again.... Hahaha that's a story for another time maybe....

Oh Manchester Oh Manchester!

Finally I stepped foot into UK! But instead of London, I was in Manchester and it was lovely to begin with!  Disclaimer: I was here for work in May, but had a long weekend which I totally took advantage of!  The weather was so lovely when I was there that apparently that was it for Manchurians - the summer was there and then and over!  Yes, Manchester is notorious for its bad weather (sounds just like Netherlands) but I had the glorious sun especially during the long weekend I was there and you know how much I love the sun shining on me. 

I met up with my lovely friend Sarah Ashton who so kindly hosted me for the weekend.  Can't give enough thanks to her for letting me sleep on her cozy spare bed with 3 layers of blanket, wearing her cute colourful PJs, and sharing her oh so delicious fruit flavoured cheese that I can't get enough of!  And also for introducing me to Eurovision! Watching this cheesy European song competition in a gay bar was kinda pretty darn cool!

So what can I say about Manchester?  We did lots in the 3 days - I did a walking tour of Manchester city myself and it was easy and quick - love the architecture - those old medieval buildings mixed with modern structures - that was pretty cool!  And of course an English tea with scones is a must to get into the English lifestyle - Richmond Tea House is a great place to check out.

English scones and tea

There isn't much to sightsee in Manchester city itself but the area around is awesome with lovely towns and parks. 

Chester

Where we had our English ale!

Chester is a lovely town with the remains of the old Roman walls.  It was easy to get to with the train - just make sure you take note of the tickets you buy - if you buy the restricted ones (cheaper) you can only board certain trains.  We made the mistake of boarding just about any train and had to travel back to Manchester to change.  Because of that, we got to know the lovely Stockport which we passed through 4 times in total....... It's about an hour ride to Chester (or slightly more), and from Chester station, it's a 10-15min walk to the town with signpost to direct you exactly where you should turn and walk.  It was really crowded on the Sat we were there but the town is lovely!  The really old buildings that are now transformed into pubs, bars, restaurants and shopping areas.  The old church.  And of course, take the time to walk the entire Roman wall!  Took us about 1-2hours to complete the whole cycle including an ice cream stop.  Yes, you have to try the Cheshire ice cream!  It was there that I had my first taste of the real English Fish & Chips, complete with mashed peas and beer battered fish.  And also a half pint of English ale!  I now know why English drink so much ale - it's so light, it's like drinking water!!!  But they are darn cheap at 1.5 pounds it's a steal!

Lyme Park

The next day, once again a glorious sunny day, we made our way to Lyme Park - a state park which was once privately owned.  These people were bloody rich!  The whole area was so darn big that you couldn't possibly finish it in one day!  The gardens were beautiful, while in comparison the house itself was small , though still grand but small... Perspective.  Highly recommend locals to get the annual pass which allows you free entry including parking to ALL state parks in England and Scotland.  I had to pay like 9 pounds for entry.  The tour of the house itself took us about an hour or so and you could really see how grand the rich were.  The outside area was the main highlight I think.  We walked to the far away tower (where they apparently kept the hounds) and the view from up there was amazing!  There are also a number of hiking trails you could take (get a map from the information counter)  We did 2 hikes that brought us up to a height where you could have an almost bird's eye view of the whole area.  Really loved it.  We drove there, but public transport is possible as there's a train station nearby.  It's also a really great place for a picnic when the weather is nice!

The Peak district

The next day, I bade farewell to my wonderful hostess and made my way to hike the Peak.  I did the Kinder Scout trail which start at Edale station.  The information center is just a 10min walk from the station and there you can get information on the trails.  Unfortunately the maps are not for free but you could get the simplest one for 2.5 pounds, which is pretty useful unless you are a seasoned hiker in that area.  I went for the route that was supposed to take 6hours to complete, but I did it in 4 - woohoo wonderwoman!  Anyway, the hike in itself is not hard.  The hardest part - depends on which direction you start, I started from the Penine Way - for me was the steps going up at Jacob's Ladder - that was the steepest but on a scale of 1-10 it was a 6 or 7.  Then after it was more smooth sailing walking.  The trails are well marked as they were pretty well trodden but there weren't really signposts to indicate which direction or route you are on, so a map or compass is a safe bet.  The view was amazing, overlooking the valleys and you also pass through some cool rock formations!  I came down via Grindsbrook - just follow the path and you get to the end and the last part going down could be a little tricky as they were a little steep but still a 5-6 only.  Do check the train timings at the visitor center before you set out as the trains do not run every hour!!  Because I had time on my hand before the next train and I finished my hike earlier than expected, I went for another hike to the other side of the valley up to Hollins Cross!  This was a little trickier to find - the hike was No 2 on my map and the starting point was through a gate that looked kinda private but once you get close, you will see a sign that points you to the correct entrance. 

From there, keep your map and guide close by as the sign posts are far apart - you'll see them still but the guide gives you pretty precise directions on how you should turn and how many gates you should pass.  Finally reaching a granite road, follow the map directions if you want to get up to the peak.  It was really windy going up there and you know how you expect a sign or board that tells you that is the peak? Nope, you get none.  You just have to assume that's the peak according to the map and the fact that it then branches out to different tracks.  From the top, you can see the view of the town from the other side and also the trains that run through.  This hike took 2 hours - could have been shorter if I had NOT made a wrong turn.

Highly recommended to give the Peak a go especially on a great day!  It'll always be kinda windy and slight chilly there even if it's a sunny day so pack appropriately!

That night met up with another friend from Singapore and we had a nice drink at a crafts beer place Brew Dog where we tried 5 different types of beer!  Lovely strong beer - much better than those English ale.

There are loads to do outside of Manchester city so do give those a try!! 

The famous Manchester Tart! Custard with coconut and cream and glazed berries

Diary from The Netherlands

Hola Amigos y Amigas! Wait, why am I writing in Spanish when I'm now in Netherlands? Fuck Dutch, I'm going Espanol! 

Dear readers, friends, strangers, it's been A LONG WHILE since I updated this blog.  I know I've been lazy with the blog lately and it's not really due to the lack of travelling! I've been travelling for such - mainly for work.  But it's just a lot going on in my life now!  As most of you know, I've recently moved my ASS out of comfy warm tropical Singapore to cold rainy Netherlands due to job rotation.  And to be honest don't ask me why I chose Netherlands if the weather is so bad.  I got a chance to move somewhere, I took it - weather permitting or not. And Europe ain't that bad - Netherlands ain't too!  And it's been some hectic (ok not really that hectic) months settling down, meeting and finding new friends, getting myself acquainted with this  new exciting country.

It all started with the moving, the administrative chore of getting registered and settling in, making my home a home, stocking up my already furnished apartment with more stuff, finding a gym, yoga studio, joining new activities and just going out there!  And at the same time, work goes on and I still had to travel for work whilst all these were going on!  And you start wondering "where the heck has time gone?"  It's at that stage that you start realizing that your day is just so jam packed with stuff to do, activities, meetups that you miss the alone time at home, chilling, watching some TV and basically do nothing!  And there are still so much I want to do, learn that I find I don't have time to do everything!  Well that's not happened in Singapore before!  I guess that's what happens when you get out of your comfort zone and into a new environment - makes you take that extra step out of your circle and do stuff.  3 months into Netherlands life and I have NOT taken any short weekend trip to neighboring cities/countries - my weekends are so scarce!

Many people have asked me if I miss home - to be honest I don't right now.  Seriously.  And that's because I have just so much to do that I really don't have time to start missing home or anything.  And also, I'm like a caged bird set free - I'm enjoying my freedom right now and definitely do not miss the cage.  I can do anything I want at home - walk around butt naked, half naked, eat anywhere, organize my stuff the way I like it without anyone saying or nagging about it.  I live my own life now without judgement, and I do what I want and like.  I'm learning new stuff and doing things I've always wanted to but never had the time or companions to do so - pole dancing, hiking the nature, salsa workshops (soon), kite surfing (soon), acroyoga... See what I mean - where got time to think about my life back in Singapore???  Occasionally, when the weather sucks here, I miss the warmth of Singapore, the convenience of our public transport when I have to wait 20mins if I missed the train by 30seconds, the food (when I don't have time to cook).  My tennis buddies - still haven't managed to secure one here.  And when I have to start washing my own clothes, mop the floor - I think about how privileged I was not having to do those at home.  I'm not trying to insinuate anything but I'm having great time and fun with new friends here - making promises to meet up, the gatherings with these people - whilst back home it was always so hard to meet my oldies but goodies that I feel so connected here.  And probably because of my adventurous nature, I'm finding I fit in well here with the new friends I've met who are also into adventure!  Sure, I miss the fun mindless conversations with my Singaporean friends talking about all news close to heart but honestly it doesn't keep me up at night thinking about those.  It's likely just a phase - just like how the honeymoon period is always the greatest before everything slides down. 

There may come a day when I'll break down suddenly in my HUGE comfy super king size bed, missing everything that is HOME.  That day is not today.  Maybe that comes with my adaptable nature, my wondering mind that just goes haywire at times thinking of different things.  The fact that I love travelling and being out.  The fact that I'm really a bird, happy to be set free.  It's been real fun living on my own, stepping out of my comfort zone.  It grows you, makes you a lot more mature and mindful.  I'm loving it now. 

So this is my update for now. Everyone I'm happy and doing good in my new life here in Netherlands.  Yes, the weather still sucks pretty much more often but when it's sunny it's really really nice!  But you know those sunny days are as rare as the loch ness monster sightings.  And my dear friends who plan to come visit, you're more than welcome! I have a really small spare room without a bed but you can set up your own sleeping bag.  Or, if you prefer I have a sofa bed in the living room that's big enough for 2! And in exchange, you can do my laundry and clean up my apartment :) sounds fair? 
Travelog will come soon I promise (hopefully).  I've been to Manchester, Mexico/Acapulco and did some really great trips!  Finland coming soon.  Hopefully I get the time to write those down and share them up here.

Peace out!

Hiking Tai Long Wan in Sai Kung

Hong Kong - as busy as a financial center it is has a lot of adventure stuff to do - surfing, hiking, diving, trail biking - which makes it a great country for nature lovers!  This time, back in Hong Kong I decided to go for another hike along the East part of the country - Sai Kung.  Sai Kung is famous for its seafood and also the beautiful beaches/coastal view.  I chose to hike the Tai Long Wan as I've seen loads of pictures online depicting the awesome view while you hike along the coast.  Unfortunately, the weather was not in my favour when I went and basically I couldn't see anything! But it was still a good hike and if you are just looking for a good workout - this is it!

Getting there
It's far out - so you need about 2H if you are going from HK island.  I took the bus from Diamond Plaza MTR station that takes you all the way to Sai Kung (the last stop).  From there, I took a taxi to one of the starting point at Long Ke - was about 100 HKD for the ride.  It was a rather long ride (30mins) from Sai Kung.  There you start the Maclehose Trail all the way to Sai Wan.  It took about 2 hours to get to Sai Wan (slow hike with stops along the way).  This part is a little mountainous as you are hiking up to a peak so some hard work is required.  From Sai Wan, there you can stop and rest, have some drinks or food and enjoy the beach - if the weather is good.  You could also get a boat to go back to Sai Kung from here.  Or you could continue on to Ham Tin.  I went on. 

As I read from the many blogs, there is a waterfall in Sai Wan - not the easiest to find but it really is quite nice and secluded.  From Sai Wan, walk along the path that will take you to Ham Tin.  At the very end of the walkway just before you cross the path to the other side of the river to continue upwards to Ham Tin, you will see a signboard that points 2 direction - one is onwards to Ham Tin, the other is another route to go back to Sai Wan Road.  Follow the signs that says to Sai Wan Road - you will pass by a small farm on the left, continue on.  At the other crossroad, you will see 2 paths - to the left will take you to Sai Wan Road, to the right you will see some rocks that go up - that is the path to the waterfall.  Follow those rocks and in 10mins or so, you will arrive at the waterfall!  There was nobody when I went - weather was not that great for a swim in the cold water but the view was awesome!


The waterfall

Continue back the same way to get to Ham Tin.  That will be a 45mins hike with quite a lot of steep uphills to get to the next beach.  I read that you are able to charter a boat back from Ham Tin but as the weather was crazy bad then, there was nothing!  In order to head back, it was either continue from Ham Tin to Pak Tam or back to Sai Wan for the bus.  I wasn't too sure about the time needed to get to Pak Tam and I was running out of time - don't want to get out when sun is down and buses have schedule too.  So I went back to Sai Wan.

Back at Sai Wan beach, it was another long 1 to 1.5hr hike to get out to the bus station.  I took a different route then I came in and that was quite steep uphill.  But you get up to a viewpoint where you see quite nice view of the mountains.  And a few cows! 

Once you get out, the bus stop is there.  There is a bus schedule and I think the last bus was before 5pm on a weekend.  Make sure you queue for the bus as it is a minibus with limited seats!!

Step Back in Time to Cuba - Bonito Cuba!

Cuba - not much is known about the country yet so many people are fascinated by it.  Yes, it's in the Caribbean but no it's not as well known a Caribbean island as say Dominican Republic or Jamaica or Puerto Rico. But it is just as amazingly rich in culture!  Some fast facts and observations about Cuba:

1. They take their beer seriously. Like "drink as water" seriously.  They don't have to drink water but beer is a must! Beer is so cheap and so easily available that they are consumed morning, day and night.  Only 1 EUR a bottle!

Mojito is only 2 - 2.50CUC each!

2. Which brings me to the 2nd point - water is HARD to find and expensive.  No, the so-called Mercado does not sell water - you can always find rum, beer and soft drinks.  No, the café does not sell water.  So stock up on water wherever you can and find them cos you wouldn't know when you will see it! Best places would be the casas you stay in and hotels -- some casas only have 500ml small bottles.  A 1.5L bottle costs minimum 1.5 EUR.

3. Sense of style for the Cuban ladies are pretty amazing.  I got my first taste of Cuba at immigration waiting to be checked (my bags).  The immigration ladies were all dressed in super tight and short uniforms (somehow their uniforms are always super tight, bursting at the seams) and fishnet stockings.  And fully made up.  Walking on the streets, you see the Cuban ladies all fighting to be wearing the skimpiest, tightest, barely there clothings.  And fishnet stockings are a must when in uniforms.

4.  Cubans are born with the music and dance in them.  Once the music starts, every Cuban knows how to dance - salsa or regaetton.  It is SO amazing to watch them just move their hips so naturally to the music!

5.  Being a vegetarian is not hard but your choice is really limited. Like super limited.  For some reasons, vegetables are so hard to get in Cuba, you only get cucumber, tomato and cabbages in salads.  Yuca, which is amazing, is not sold in restaurants (I do not know why!!!) but homes do buy them and cook them.  Or you can have pizza con queso. If you are lucky, you can find aubergine (I had that ONCE!!!)

6.  Learn fucking Spanish! I know this might be hard but it really helps in soo many ways! I wish I knew Spanish but I guess you can't know every language in the world! I still enjoyed very much my time there, but English was really really hard in Cuba.  And when guidebooks say "casa owners speak English" - DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!!! Most of the time, they can't really converse in English so forget about asking for information.

7. You know that Infotour they always advertise in guidebooks or anywhere? They are a scam! Mostly.  They are only interested in selling their tours to you, and providing you with expensive options.  I went to the one in Bayamo and Santiago - Bayamo was by far the most helpful Infotour but still they give you limited information so that you will take the more expensive option - Taxi!  Santiago infotour was a scam! First they keep selling you tours and are not that helpful in providing information, then they give you expensive information - they quoted me double the price for a taxi to Castillo San Pedro.  And when you reject their tour, you can sense their disappointment or lack of interest in you after.  Best way to get info - fellow travelers and casa owners or just the locals.

8. Forget about internet connection. Sure it is getting cheaper, but it is only available at WIFI hotspots and do you really want to spend your time finding a WIFI hotspot just to update your Facebook?  I went 4 weeks without any Internet and Heck I didn't even feel any withdrawal symptoms!  It was so super easy!  Sure it makes it hard to try to arrange things with fellow travelers or find information about a place but that's not really too big of a deal anyway.  Just make sure you set a time and place to meet up, and stock up on information before you leave for Cuba!  Also, you can actually get a 5 or 10 MN calling card to call people in Cuba from the public phones! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but if you really need to call people in Cuba, that's the cheapest option, or call from your casa.

Geez they aren't really fast facts are they? But all in all, go to Cuba with an open mind and a flexible schedule and you will find it so enjoyable!  The country is so stuck in time that it is pretty amazing how old or vintage the feel is!  I had a plan - sort of, but I knew I wasn't going to follow the plan - well not all of it anyway.  And sure enough, I didn't!  And I'm ok with it, in fact I experienced a lot more in the end! Sure, I didn't get to visit as many places as I would have liked to, but I experienced deeper Cuban culture and the people.  Met some really amazing people and great friends! That's all part and parcel of travelling, especially solo travelling. 

To write up my whole experience would take days, so here I'll give a summary of my experience so that my friends and readers will now consider visiting Cuba!  Before the Americans!!!

When I told my friends I'm going to Cuba, they asked "Why Cuba?", "What is there in Cuba?", "Wah so exotic".  But seriously, Cuba is packed with tourists and backpackers! By tourists, they are the ones who go with package tours (mostly Canadians) who only stick to their all-inclusive resorts and nothing else.  Loads of backpackers, especially Germans! Most people who visit Cuba stick to some pre-defined routes - Western Cuba or Eastern Cuba and obviously Havana!

A good place to start in Havana is to stay in one of the backpacking hostels - Rolando (+53 (07)8799045 at san Miguel No 567) is a good place to bunk if you want to know more fellow travelers and hit up with some to go travel together! There's another backpackers right beside it as well.  For 10CUC per night per bed, it's the cheapest you can find if you are a solo traveller. 

Make sure you change some Moneda Nacional because you will definitely need it when buying food, drinks and small stuff from the streets.  A little goes a LONG LONG way.  I changed 20EUR worth and lasted 4 weeks (1 EUR = 1 CUC = 24 MN).  You can't change EURO direct to MN, so first change to CUC (Convertible pesos).  Accommodation and transport are always paid in CUC. 

Viazul buses are good for long distances and you don't really need to pre-book.  Show up an hour earlier and most of the time they will have a couple seats available for you.  For short distances, collectivo (shared taxis) can be cheaper and more convenient.  You will find them at the Viazul bus stations.

Bayamo village

The river where we spent many hours just chilling

Friends - Sergei, me, David, Camilo, Giovarni

My journey started with an overnighter to Bayamo - purpose to hike Pico Turquino but it ended up being one of the most fun week I had in Cuba! Hooked up with the loco Spanish who have friends in Bayamo and ended up staying with them for a week (or maybe more), and experiencing the real Cuban life, walking into the homes of these amazingly warm Cubans!  Get a local to bring you to the only 18 story building in Bayamo and go up to the rooftop - you get an amazing view of Bayamo from up on top!  It was an awesome experience! We were mini celebrities in small Bayamo where not many tourists visit.  Big fish in small town!  We went partying Cuban style in Bayamo and had one really fun night out till dawn - top moments of the trip and definitely moments to remember!  I was invited to their big New Year Eve fiesta where I helped to roast the pig!!! It was so fun, one of the best memories during the trip and definitely one of the best NYE, if not THE BEST, I've ever had!

Roasting the pig

And of course, I hiked Pico Turquino! It took a while to get there but eventually I made it.  You can take the truck (early morning for direct to Maso or any time for a transfer via Yara) to Maso (in total probably costs you 30-35 MN), and from Maso find a transport up to Santo Domingo.  It's not that easy to find a car willing to take you up the steep slopes but eventually you will, and you probably have to pay like 10CUC for it.  Or if you have more people, a taxi from Bayamo costs 35CUC one way.  If you take a taxi from Bayamo, you can start early and get to Santo Domingo before 9am so as to join the hike on the same day.

The team on Christmas Eve

Pico Turquino

There are 3 casa particulares in Santo Domingo so pretty sure you will have a place to stay.  From Santo Domingo, it is easy to arrange for the hikes.  Pico is usually done in a 2D1N hike (57CUC) although it can be done in 1 day.  Guide is compulsory (it's Cuba) and usually they recommend tipping the guide.  There are 2 routes for Turquino hike - return to Santo Domingo or head to the south coast.  Another hike (4hours) is the Commandancia hike which is a more historical hike where they tell you about the revolution stories.  Meals are included but don't expect good food (it's Cuba afterall), and there are bunk beds at the camp and blankets are available to keep you warm at night.  It does get chilly in the night so bring a jacket and long pants to keep warm.

At the peak, a little disappointed but had to take a photo

Lucky for me, the 2 Austrian boys were driving the south coast to Santiago so I changed my plan again and got a ride with them! The south coast experience was amazing! The coastline is so awesome and the waves were BIG!  There are parts where there are no roads at all, just rocks and sand and we were in a normal car (no 4WD) but we managed.  And a bridge that was half broken - and that bridge is the ONLY road across.  Glad I was lucky enough to do this trip, would not have been possible to hitchhike - didn't see cars going our direction.

The South Coast Road - Look at those waves

The road that is not a road

Colourful Santiago!

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Then there I was in Santiago.  Checked into Casa Nenita - amazing house with a big courtyard and the rooms are super big! The bathroom is as big as the room itself and the owners are these 2 super nice and cute couple!  They only speak Spanish - though their daughter (only saw her once) speaks English.  Met 2 really nice French old ladies who later gave me a free ride back to Bayamo.  After days in Bayamo, being in Santiago was SO DIFFERENT!  The big city, the noise, human traffic, the touts - they can get a bit too much after a while.  So different.  It's easy to walk all the sights in half a day, and just chill the rest of the day.  I went to Castillo San Pedro and it is definitely worth a visit! Only 10km away and a taxi there costs 13-15CUC return (find people to share the cost).  Do it for a sunset tour and it would be awesome. I didn't know and went in the morning, the view was fantastic but would have been even more awesome for sunset.  Heredia street is a street I recommend walking through - lots of music and dancing happening there.  Get your bottle of 7 year rum from the Museo del Ron for 7CUC! Dirt Cheap quality rum! 

Old rundown houses in Santiago

House of Rum!

At Castillo San Pedro, Santiago overlooking the awesome Ocean!

Fresh coconut for free!!!

Riding to Punta Perdiz in Playa Larga

Next stop I head to Playa Larga.  The drive from Playa Giron to there was amaing! The water is so crystal clear and inviting that I wanted to jump straight in!  There are 2 buses from Trinidad to Playa Larga (730am and 4pm).  It was a long long ride from Bayamo but we finally made it to Playa Larga.  The ocean sight woke us up immediately!  David, being David, found a fisherman and we went spearfishing!  Didn't manage to catch our dinner (fish were too small) but we had fun!  Went over to Punta Perdiz for snorkeling and saw the resident giant grouper! And an amazing sunset.  There is a local bus that plies between Playa Larga and Playa Giron (3CUC for the 2 of us).  Scuba diving is also cheap there - 25CUC all inclusive per dive.  And they don't check your experience level! So anything goes.  Their equipments are ok and the groups are BIG!  They have limited dive masters but the group we had that day was almost 30 pax! Luckily there aren't any currents there so the dive is relatively easy.  Make sure you visit Cueva de los Peces and the cave for a swim.  That cave is so cool and a must visit! The swimhole is 70m deep and the cave is beneath that, links to the ocean.  Diving there is not amazing - corals are dead and you don't really see huge schools of fish that amazes you, but it's a good enough decent dive spot.

I don't know how to describe this but it tastes like baby food with cheese - It's Mango with cheese. It's kinda weird

Coast of Playa Larga

Cueva de Los Peces

Cueva de los Peces

Blue blue waters of Playa Larga

Between Playa Larga and Playa Giron, if you want a shopping place or market, go to Playa Giron. Larga is a small fishing village with not much of activities going on, and there are only minimal food places - one deep in the forest (it is very cheap but not that great food), and apparently there are some eateries near the beach area.  But I like Larga for its quietness and tranquility.  Can't say about Giron since I was not there.

Our Green casa with Roger!

We stayed with Roger in Playa larga - he caught us when we got off the bus and we stayed at his place.  His family was wonderful and he is a really nice, friendly guy.  English is barely spoken, though they tried hard and I appreciated it. Casa Mevy y Roger (+53 045 987253 or mobile +53 52478784) or email them at onelbi.lafita@nauta.cu.  20CUC per night and he actually helped us arrange the diving!

Taxi party!

And I must highlight another one of the best moments during my trip - the awesome taxi ride from Playa Larga to Havana! We shared a taxi with Kyle, this really cool DJ from Detroit and we were just partying in the taxi with a bottle of rum shared amongst us 3!  By the time we got into Havana, me and David were quite half drunk.  And the night only just begun! First we got a fantastic "pent-house" accommodation - Pedro y Yuya in Centro Habana Calle Perseverancia between San Lazaro and Lagunas (+53 78611334) where we have the whole floor to ourselves, with a great terrace and a private tour up to the very top where we stood by the edge of the building overlooking Havana (only 30CUC per night definitely affordable if you have 2-3 pax)! They have a bathtub too!

Best Pizza!!!!!

Then we had the most awesome pizza in Cuba - smoldered with gouda cheese and onions - it was heavenly! After weeks of eating cheap 10 MN lousy pizzas, I felt like in heaven when I bite into this pizza. Can't remember the name of the place but it is near the malecon and near Lagunas street and near to Perseverancia street.  Then with our tummies filled and still a bit high from rum, we went to Malecon where the waves were crushing and we had a really fun time getting wet by the Malecon before we went back for a good night sleep.

Attack of the Malecon!!!

Vinales

On our horses!

I then took an impromptu trip to Vinales just because Kyle said she's going horse back riding there! I've always wanted to ride a horse and never rode one so I was sold immediately.  Vinales was never in my plan but for horse back riding, I was in!  We met Christine while taking a taxi and ended up heading there in a group of 3!  Vinales is beautiful - mountainous area with valleys and lots of green, but it was also very touristy.  There are no local shops where you can buy 5 peso pan con queso but they have 1 peso ice cream which was delicious!  The place was so crowded with tourists that it took us forever to find a place to stay the night!  The whole town is literally filled with casa particulares for rent instead of only local housing!  It was a rainy day as well which made any kind of activities difficult. But we had a great next day for horse back riding.  Our horses were small comparatively, mine was called Chewba Chewba and he's a little lazy.  They didn't really gallop much.  It was a nice 3H ride across the valleys and caves with fantastic scenery all round.  Vinales is nice but I thought our 1 day trip was enough to see Vinales as most of the places of interests are far out of Vinales itself and will take at least 1H car ride to reach.  Doesn't make much sense.  So Vinales is more of a base for people to venture out to do activities, or if you have a bike, it would be a nice bike tour out to the other areas.

Ordered Spaghetti with vegetables and ended up getting this plate! Was shocked at first.. Should have known by vegetables they meant these tiny bits not cooked with the pasta

Viewpoint in Vinales

Then we were ready to head back to Havana! This time we stayed at Casa Amanecer with Fidel (the building beside Pedro +53 78665529) 

Quirky Callejon de Hamel

Street of Habana

I love Havana - it is crazy, crowded, noisy, quirky and whimsical.  It's a city with lots of history, culture and artsy artsy places.  A kaleidoscope of culture.  The weather was weird - rainy and gloomy which was unexpected of Cuba, but we managed.  A must visit is Callejon de Hamel - where you get to experience the art culture of Cuba.  The murals, exhibits there are really interesting and done by Salvador who was there when we visited.  Come Sunday, the place is filled with music and dancing - a pity we didn't make Sunday there.  Fusterlandia is another place, probably out of scope of many tourists, but thanks to Kyle we went.  Some guy decided to mosaic his neighbours' houses and turned it into fun wonderland!  Our night ended randomly as well - a random chance meet up with David and friend right at the corner where we stopped a moment to figure out our next destination at 1am in the morning! Who would have thought!  Then we went to Fabrica only to find out it's closed for renovation (for 1 month). How unlucky! But we chanced upon a house party of the higher class Cubans which kinda ended my last night in Cuba pretty great. 

Fusterlandia

Can't be in Habana without visiting Calle Habana

A great restaurant with reasonable price to visit is Mimosa at Salud 317 between Gervasio and Escobar.  It's Italian with great pizzas and pasta and at prices between 3-6 CUC for each HUGE plate, it is definitely a cheaper place if you are tired of street pizzas.  This place is very popular and gets really crowded during peak hours.

No Fabrica, we have Espacios!

Havana tour in style!

Chinese Food in Havana

Next morning was a half day tour of Old Havana - I liked the vibe.  Obispo is a touristy walking street but I'd say it is still very much worth a visit.  Walk right to the end where you get the coastline view of the opposite.  There is a ferry that goes across but I didn't have the time.  And of course, when in Havana, do what everyone does - take a ride in one of those old luxury convertible down the Malecon! We took the short 30min version for 10CUC each and the experience was surreal!  You could take a longer tour and they take you out to Havana forest - supposedly a really amazing nice place, like the Avatar of Cuba.  But 30mins was good enough for us.  It's the experience that counts. 





Havana has also some nice beaches far out which I didn't have time to explore - would have loved to visit one of them, but I guess maybe next time? If I do go back.  So many undiscovered gems in Cuba that I would love to go back to!