Gale's Place of Travel: 2011

Most tourists that have the privilege of visiting Cuba do not stray far from the all inclusive resorts of Varadero which offer amazing weather, transparent seas and miles of white sandy beaches. Many hotels were built in the 1960’s and 1970’s with another building boom in the 1990’s. The accommodations are almost 100% "all inclusive". This in itself has limited the number of small hotels, restaurants and shops as visitors tend to stay put on resorts.

Venturing in to downtown Varadero is definitely worthwhile. Parque Josone is a lush and peaceful park where you can enjoy nature. There is a small selection of restaurants that offer food that is superior to the resort food. Calle 62 is an outdoor venue with live music and opportunity to dance to Cuban rhythms. You can also purchase local arts and crafts from the markets and galleries. There is some interesting architecture although much of it is in a state of disrepair. Men playing dominoes on the sidewalks, loads of laundry hung up high, taxi drivers chatting while waiting by their vintage 1950’s cars, horse drawn carriages and lots of hustle and bustle in the streets adds to the charm of downtown Varadero.

A day trip to Havana never disappoints so we went back to explore this jewel. Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish. Today it is a sprawling metropolis of 3 million inhabitants, while its old center retains an interesting mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments and a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards. Old Havana is truly a living architectural museum. The economic environment once prospered from sugar and tobacco exports. In the 1940's and 50's tourism and gambling ruled. In 1959, following the revolution, Cuba had the support of the Soviet Union, but since 1991 the country's infrastructure has gone into a state of disrepair.

In 1962, UNESCO designated 444 buildings in Havana as World heritage sites. Due to limited free enterprise and growth in the economy, older buildings have not been demolished to make room for the new and therefore many remain in their original state. Old Havana is filled with beautiful buildings with detailed facades including wrought-iron balconies, many of them either in ruins or in complete disrepair. The grand private residences and hotels, with interior court yards, fountains, stained glass windows, marble floors and staircases are now occupied by mufti-family tenants. Only a small portion of the main floors are occupied by anyone including business. Open court yards, that were once grand are now strung with clothes lines and have numerous electric meters and wires distributing power to each family.

There is some restoration taking place which has returned some of the finest colonial architecture in the Caribbean to its original splendour, while many magnificent buildings are allowed to crumble. Truly, time stands still, or even goes backwards evidenced by the 1950s Chevrolets, Buicks and Oldsmobile that fill the streets.

Strolling around Old Havana gives a sense of what a grand place it must have been 200 years ago. Who says walls can’t talk!

Water Tower

Typical Taxi

Graffiti

Calle 62 - Great Place for Live Music in Varadero

Varadero

Varadero Art

Art

Figurines

Varadero

Dominos

Varadero

Taxi Break

Rum Devil

Havana

Havana Graffiti

Living in Old Havana

Havana

Under repair

Capitol Building

Havana

To Havana

Havana

Mojitos

Inglaterra Hotel

Havana

Pharmacy - Havana

Havana

Dual Cruise - For Carnival Destiny January 2011 click here.

Two cruises, ten ports and 17 days of fun and adventure describe our most recent vacation. Planning commenced in September with looking for an escape to the sun that would provide an opportunity to explore regions that we had not previously visited. It was a difficult task as we have explored many of the warm accessible destinations. A decision was made to cruise with Royal Caribbean on the Ultimate Caribbean and Panama itinerary aboard the Jewel of the Seas. A ten day cruise was not long enough for our vacation needs so we decided to add on a second cruise and selected the five day Eastern Caribbean from Miami Florida aboard the Carnival Destiny.

Planning included exploring the options at all 10 ports, signing up with the Cruise Critic Message Boards to share information with fellow cruisers and registering for a Meet and Mingle event aboard the ship. Also, hotels needed to be booked for a pre-cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale and a post-cruise stay at Miami Beach.

After months of anticipation, as our departure date arrived, Atlanta, Georgia which was an airport hub for our flight had a once in 10 year snow storm that closed the city down for four days. Wondering if we would be able to fly and grateful that we had travel insurance, we worried that the cruise may not happen. Luckily Delta Airlines were able to re-route us through another hub and we arrived in Fort Lauderdale only one hour later than had been scheduled.

Fort Lauderdale

We contacted Jorge, from the Bridge at Cordova Hotel for an airport pick-up. Within minutes we were at the hotel and settled into our room. Jorge provided perfect hospitality directing us to dining establishments that were still open and even offering us fresh fruit to satisfy our hunger. After a comfortable night’s sleep the hotel provided a buffet breakfast out by the pool which gave us the opportunity to meet with fellow travelers. The Bridge at Cordova is conveniently located – close to the airport and the port and within walking distance to the water taxi.

Fort Lauderdale Canals

Windy Beach at Fort Lauderdale

With a half day to explore before embarking on our cruise, we decided the best way to see Fort Lauderdale would be to ride the water taxi through the canals. We enjoyed a leisurely cruise along Fort Lauderdale’s world famous waterways which have earned the city the nickname, “The Venice of America.” We stopped at the beach, viewed the spectacular homes that line the canals, and saw the cruise ships at Port Everglades.

Jewel of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas was built in 2004 and can accommodate 2,100 passengers.

Having already sailed on Royal Caribbean's Legend and Empress of the Seas, we knew what to expect on Jewel of the Seas.

Jewel of the Seas

The Jewel of the Seas is spacious and has ample space to accommodate its guests. Like other RCL ships there is a rock climbing wall. Other features include a gorgeous solarium pool, a sports court for basketball and volleyball and a well equipped fitness center. Among her spectacular features is the ten-story glass-constructed Centrum with glass elevators facing the sea. The Jewel is a beautiful ship, with lots of glass and light.

The Tides Dining Room had a high quality of food and the service was excellent. We enjoyed our table mates Gary & Chris, Dan & Mary, Dottie & Vicki & Kaye & Ernie.

Pool Art

Jewel Centrum and Lobby Bar

Pool Deck

On board entertainment could be found in the various lounges and in the main theatre. In the Coral Theatre we enjoyed several comedians, a magic show, large production events, and Kenny James who is best known as the Male Vocal Grand Champion of the TV show Star Search in 1985, where he won 13 times and garnered the grand champion prize. Watch Kenny James on You Tube . We enjoyed dancing in the tastefully decorated lounges to various dance bands and dance lessons at the Vortex disco. We also enjoyed listening to enrichment lectures regarding up and coming ports.

I loved the art work displayed throughout the ship – a very interesting and beautiful collection.

Labadee Haiti

Haiti Market

The first stop was at Labadee Haiti. What a privilege it was to be among the few tourists that ever get to visit Haiti! Labadee is a remote 260-acre forested peninsula along Haiti's lush mountainous and secluded north coast. We were not able to leave the walled area but did have the opportunity to interact with Haitians and to learn about the living situation in the town of Labadee. RCL has been going to Haiti for 26 years and is the only tourist industry in the country. They took over a beautiful stretch of land that had at one time been garden plots for the nearby town. It was reported that the townspeople were disgruntled by RCL at first but have developed a very positive relationship with the cruise line. The cruise company pays the Haitian government $6 per passenger and employs about 300 locals, including security guards, beach monitors, waiters, cleaners, as well as some managers. Approximately 200 more locals find work here selling their wares at the market stalls or by providing entertainment. Others make indirect income from the venture by providing supplies to the vendors and by exchanging the US dollars collected on site into Haitian currency.

RCL has built a school in town (L ‘Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean) and residents do not have to pay for primary school which is unlike other regions of Haiti. With children coming from nearby towns and villages, the 6,500-square-foot campus consists of six buildings, 12 classrooms, administrative offices, and a computer lab. Vocational training is available for adults in the evening. This has raised the standard of living in the area. It was also reported that the cruise line provides loans to employees in August to assist with tuition and room and board in nearby Cap Haitian. This allows children to continue their education beyond primary school. Previously, residents had to walk seven miles to school each day and this could only occur if they had the money to pay for the school.

Beautiful Beach

Volcanic Rock at Labadee

Labadee

Labadee is a beautiful place, one of the most beautiful I saw during this cruise. I can only hope that someday the Haitian people will have stable government and the ability to generate income from tourism like their more wealthy Dominican Republic neighbours.

Cartagena, Columbia

Ah to return to Cartagena - what a treat it was! It has been more than twenty years since I last visited this 16^th century Spanish colonial walled city. There is an entire region of high rise buildings that the ship passed on the way into town that did not exist when I visited previously. The old town is as charming as ever with the addition of some whimsical public art and an enhanced building to house the Palacio de la Inquisition. The Palacio displays materials that were used to torture those thought to be involved in witchcraft. Definitely an historical account of a very bizarre time in history! The lovely Simon Bolivar Park which pays tribute to the South American liberator is directly in front of the museum and provides a relaxing place to sit and people watch. Strolling through the narrow streets and alleys of old town is a pleasure in itself. We also paid a visit to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress in which construction started in 1639 and was not finished until 150 years later. Here we were serenaded by a bugle player dressed as a 16^th century soldier with his rendition of “Oh Canada”. We walked through the fortress and enjoyed the views of old town and the modern new skyline off in the distance.

Working Cartegena

Interesting Public Art

Cartegena Street Scene

Cartegena Cathedral

Cartegena City Wall

Cartegena Wall

City Wall

Cartegena Old Town

Cartegena Balcony

Old Town

Cathedral

Street Scene

Old Town

Cartegena Fortress

Fortress

Fruit Lady

Horse Stables - Made from Scraps including old doors - Cartegena city center

Drying Meat for Sale

Horse Carriages in Cartegena

View From Fort

Cartegena View of Modern Buildings

Colon, Panama

Colon is the gateway to the Panama Canal from the Caribbean.

Having traversed the canal by ship a few years ago, it was now time to see it from land. We booked a tour with My Friend Mario Tours which proved to be an excellent choice. We were accompanied by two other cruise ship passengers – Terry and Mark from Jacksonville, Florida. They were a nice easy going couple which made for one of the most fun days on the cruise. With Elvis as our guide, we watched the Coral Princess followed by a freighter go through the locks.

Next we visited the charming town of Portobello to see the old fort and cathedral as well as the market place where the vendors were Kuna (indigenous people) women dressed in their traditional apparel. Time was spent strolling the town’s streets and visiting the church is the sanctuary for the statue of the Black Christ. Thousands of the faithful make an annual pilgrimage to Portobelo in extreme heat, most crawling on their knees to recount the sufferings of Christ, in search of a miracle.

There are several forts in the town and one was devastated by a recent mudslide as were several homes. This mudslide affected a Winnipeg Family in December 2010.

The next stop was to a beach for some relaxation and Margaritas. Elvis brought a blender to the beach added some tequila, lime juice and ice and we were set for the day.

Colon, Panama

Gatun Locks, Colon Panama

Kuna Woman

Kuna Women in Colon

Portobello

Portobelo Church

Portobelo Fort - Damaged in Mudslide

Portobelo Fort

Bus

Black Christ of Portobelo

Pet Monkey

Devastation Caused by Portobelo Mudslide

Portobelo Mudslide

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

After careful research, we decided the most interesting excursion in Puerto Limon would be the Tortuguero National Park so we booked a tour with JJ Tours. JJ has a degree in ecotourism and was well equipped to familiarize the group with information on the flora and fauna of the region.

This tour started with a visit to the Tortuguero National Park which is one of the most biologically diverse places in Costa Rica: in essence, a zoo in the wild. We enjoyed a one hour flat-form boat cruise as we made our way through the middle of the jungle observing sloths, monkeys, birds, iguanas, crocodiles, orchids and much more... all in their lush natural habitat.

We stopped at a fruit stand to sample delicious fresh fruits including pineapple, coconuts and Caribbean apples. Then we visited a banana plantation where we learned about the growing process and exportation of bananas. The processing facilities reminded us of the plant operated by the orange growers of Sonaguera, Honduras. Our next stop was the beautiful sandy beach of Playa Bonita where we had lunch and drinks.

Banana Plant

Boy with Sloth

Bird at Canal

Fruit Ladies

Danger Nerdy Tourist Crossing!

Cute Lizard

Hairy Sloth at Canals

Iguana

Lizzard

Puerto Limon Street

Sloth Sleeping in Tree in Puerto Limon

Birds at Canal

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman is a modern and safe resort area with beautiful white sandy beaches and glimmering turquoise water. We walked around George Town and then proceeded to Seven Mile Beach (which is actually about 5 1/2 miles long) where we spent most of our day. We walked back all the way along the beach into town enjoying dips in the ocean along the way. It was a nice relaxing beach day for our final port on the Jewel of the Seas.