Havana, Cuba

Havana  Viñale  Trinidad


I decided to fly to Cuba when I was in Costa Rica, I was curious and I wanted to understand the contradiction between the melancholic Cuban music and the European rumours saying that Cubans are cheerful, happy and they are smiling all the time.

I wanted to see Cuba before it wood have changed, Fidel Castro was seriously ill and Raul Castro, the brother, was already replacing him in some way.

It was 2007 when I flew from San Jose, Costa Rica, to Havana de Cuba without even booking a hotel or any kind of accommodation. I was prepared to sleep in the airport as the plain was landing at 1 a.m. As soon as I landed I asked a taxi driver if he knew any "casa particular" available which is a sort of Cuban B&B which usually have 1 spare room to rent out. He was very keen to looking for an accommodation for me as they get a part of the rent from the landlord of the "Casa particular".

The Casa particular is the best way to know Cuba and Cubans, just make sure you go to a legal one, which usually have a sign on the door (2 small triangles on a white background) which means that the owner is paying an annual fee and is a registered guest house, he also has the obligation to register all the guests in his house to the police office.

If you go to un illegal casa particular, you might end up in troubles as nobody would know you were there. In several circumstances tourist got mugged and in some case even killed. I'm not trying to scare who's reading this blog, this happens everywhere in the world anyway, I'm just trying to make people aware about an unpleasant situation which could spoil your trip.
I travelled all the way down from Canada to Argentina overland, crossing several countries and the only place where I got mugged was in Havana, why? Not because Cuba is more dangerous, actually is very safe, it happened because everybody told me that Cuba was the safest place in the world and nobody wold dare to touch a tourist hence I didn't pay attention as I didi in other countries and I was walking in the most dangerous part of Havana during the night, el barrio de Colon, just behind the Malecon. Locals told me they wouldn't even walk in that street during the night. In spite so, I still think that Cuba is safe, compared to other countries in latin america.

Havana

Havana is a very interesting place, it's unique, original, vintage, decadent and fascinating, there is not such a place in the world but you don't want to stay there more than 3 days.

Havana is tiring, you are a just a dollar/euro walking in the street, if you've been there you know what I mean.

Cuba has an incredible light for photography, everything is photogenic, Cuba is so colourful bright that even a beginner would take amazing pictures.

I found the streets of havana very charming with a lot of character. You can tell how reach Cuba use to be during the Spanish colonisation or in the 19th century when Havana was called the Paris of Antilles.

Thanks to the intensive trading between Cuba and North America, Cuban middle class started flourishing and Havana became very fashionable and the most important actors of the time use to work in Havana's theaters. In fact the Tacon Theater is one of the most luxurious in the world. 

 This is Havana today, the buildings are literally falling down but this is what makes Havana unique.

Walking in the street of Havana you find neo-classical, neo-baroque and Liberty architectural treasures.

2 balconies fell down during the week that I spent in Havana, an old man died while he was walking past.

The vintage car in Cuba are definitely another charming characteristic of Cuba, a Cuban friend was telling me that they actually hate those old smoky wrecks. People in the rest of the world, would pay a fortune for one of them!

Those in good conditions are used for tourists.

It is very common that I Cuban person gets married 3/4 time in his/her life

The sea is amazing even in the city, I was impressed how crystal clear  the water was.

There are a lot of musicians in Cuba, I found this place in Havana were the musicians could rehearsing for free.

Bolivia, Salar De Uyuni

El Salar De Uyuny, Bolivia

The biggest Salt flat in the world the most surreal place I have ever visited in my life. El Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

This salty desert used to be a lake, it's located in southwest Bolivia at 3,656 meters above the sea level.

Bolivia is still rough and disorganised that's why it's worth it to go, Bolivia is still un unspoilt country to visit, is not a relaxing holiday if that's what you'r looking for. Transport are very uncomfortable Bolivia is quite an adventurous place with a lot of charm.

Bolivia offers unique landscapes, salty and sandy deserts looking like another planet and tropical forests as well.

The picture above shows "Isla Pescado" it's just a small hill in the middle of the salty desert, apparently these are the tallest cactus in the world they can rich up to 3 m high.

This was a 4 day trip with 8 people on a jeep, this was extremely cheap 7 years  ago and I think still now, I guess I paid 50 american dollars including food and accommodation for 4 days, obviously nobody complaint for the lack of caviar and champagne.

Make sure you go there with a good sleeping bag as the there is no heating in the shelter and the temperature can drop to -10C during the night.

El Hotel de Sal
As a travel photographer I managed to stay in this luxury hotel, made by salt, for free; I was travelling with other 2 Spanish guys, Iosu and Ivan, who I'd met in La Paz few days before by coincidence we recognised each others as we were in the same hostel in Bogota, I actually left the hostel the same day they arrived. Iosu was filming a documentary from Alaska following the Panamericana route all the way down to Ushuaia in Argentina, he got in contact with the hotel and managed to arrange this interchange with the hotel's owner: 3 accommodations for the pics below.

Big windows to enjoy the view the tables are made by salt, as well as the bricks and the floor. Breakfast was amazing by the way

The hotel was designed by an Architect as you can see is very stylish and comfortable. 

There is plenty of space in the hotel

Game room 

Outside the hotel

This is the amazing view of the sunset from the dinning room

The room was very cosy and comfortable in spite everything was made by salt

Everything is made with local material even this lamp was made by using the wood inside the local cactus.

This hotel is not cheap considering that is in Bolivia but it's worth it to stay 1 night as a starting point for the 4 days trip in the salty desert.

owl

Hotel de sal by night

Furnitures made by using the local salt

Double room 

Relaxing corner

The 4 days trip in the Salar de Uyuni by Jeep

The trip included food and accommodation as well, we slept in a sort of salty shelter we heating but we were fine with the sleeping bag and a lot of clothes looking like the Micheline man, temperature can drop down to -20C

You can easily find an organised trip for the salar the Uyuni in Uyuni, we were a group of 6 people plus the driver and the guide in 1 Jeep

in order, in the picture above, from the left: myself, Ivan and Iosu in Isla pescado

This is a rock shaped by the wind "El arbol de piedra" (The stone tree)

This is a hot spring, driver stopped and we could enjoy a natural SPA for free - 5 outside and +20C in the water, you better take advantage of this as won't find any shower during the 4 days trip so be prepared and take a swimming trunk with you.

The motto of Chile "Por la razon o la fuerza" (By reason or Force) originated from history of civil unrest and frequent wars with neighbouring countries, and Chile's ability to use force when other reasonable options have failed.

The tallest cactus in the world

Isala pescado

The landscapes are amazing, once you cross the salty desert you find another sandy desert it actually looks like another planet I guess Mars might look pretty similar.

San Juan's precolombian necropolis

There is a 3000 years old archeological site In the middle of no were with no fences just an open air cemetery with mummies, there were 2 kids selling the tickets for the entrance but I think it was just a trick to make some money there was not a box office no guide nothing just tombs made of blocks of fossil coral with mummies and urns inside.

We decided to get off at the border with Chile as Iosu, Ivan and myself were heading south, it was much more convenient skipping the last day trip in the desert. We had seen the most beautiful part of the trip and the last day back to Uyuni wasn't exiting according to the local people hence we saved 2 days trip and we were in Chile already, ready to jump on a bus to San Pedro de Atacama.

Bolivia lost access to the see during the "Atacama border dispute" remaining in a Landlocked situation since. Bolivia and Chile have had complicated relations ever since. This might be he reason of the dent on the sign in the picture above.





Yes believe it or not this is the border between Bolivia and Chile!