The Wanderings of busman7

antigua-053.jpg40 years after leaving home in Les Cantons de L’est in Quebec I have finally found a place to call home & that is Antigua Guatemala.

Have been to Atlantic Canada & while that is a nice place to visit I wouldn’t want to live there, the prairies are too flat, BC too wet, Alberta has only two seasons, winter & Stampede week & though I spent 32 years raising a family & running a business in Ontario I could never think of it as home.

Returning to Antigua after a 3 month absence, sitting in Parque Central looking out at the 3 volcanoes seeing the odd puff of smoke coming from Fuego, watching the world famous fountains water sparkling in the sunlight as it goes through the various levels to the lower pool, saying Hola to friends made last fall, listening to the horses hooves & carriage wheels clattering on the cobble stone calles was just as I remembered it. The smiling waitress’s serving Cafe con leche at El Portal coffee shop (the best any where), the Thursday ex-pat breakfast at the Condesa Restaurant answering questions about my trip from new acquaintances & old friends was a great homecoming. Walking around town dodging the tuk-tuks while crossing the streets, seeing the mujers washing clothes at the pila in the little park & watching the chicken buses pulling away from the market square for all points in Guatemala was so natural it seemed like I had done it all my life. There were a couple changes, the paint job on La Merced church is finished & makes it look just wonderful & it’s high season for tourists so there is a lot of new people to meet. 

All I can say is it’s good to be home again even if it’s only for two short months.

Playa AnaconTwo months traveling in Cuba & staying in casa particulars has given me a new insight on Cuba. It is a unique country to visit as it has had 50 yrs (2 generations) under Fidel’s brand of socialism & changes for the better in health care &  education which make it the envy of  the Americas however it needs some change as it has also caused some problems with a 2 class society, those who work in tourism & those who don’t.

A trip to Havana is a must as it’s filled with history & I would say a minimum 3 days to a week depending on how much a city person you are. After that just choose what you want to do & see.

The downside is that I found any one who imitates a conversation in English will end it with a request for money & that was the case 100% of the time. Another thing that gets old very fast is the people who whether you are walking down the street or trying to relax in a park that DEMAND money for no reason other than that you are a yuma with ATM written all over you. Then of course the jintera/o’s  asking if you want company.

Viasul buses are a good idea & are operated professionally it’s just too bad the office staff weren’t & there was such a thing as a confirmed reservation & they followed the timetable (not leaving early or late). Also when a Viasul bus arrives at a terminal it is like feeding time at the zoo, with you as the feed, with all the jinters’s hustling CP’s & taxi’s. Out of 6500 kms travel in 8 countries Cuba was the only place where I had a single problem with bus travel!

Now my one night at Club Amigo in Guardalavaca was entirely different as the personal had their tourist happy face’s on LOL.

Will I return to Cuba? Probably but not for a while. It’s too nice here in Guatemala to leave.

BaracoaVisited the Che museum at his monument & at the train both very worth while if you are a Che fan otherwise skip Santa Clara. On to Santiago just Habana on a smaller scale. Then to Baracoa another should see small ... [Continue reading this entry]

TrinidadHave to keep posts short as internet realy slow as is my one finger typing. Vinales was a way cool destination as is Trinidad, more on Vinales if you have questions when get to cheap internet again. Trinidad is ... [Continue reading this entry]

Main St VinalesMy month in La Habana is finaly over & my first impressions stand. Also I have found that not being a dog lover that after a month in Havana there are only 2 things ... [Continue reading this entry]