Real Mexican food!

What a change from bland peso pizza and ham sandwiches in Cuba.  True Mexican food is stealing my heart, none of this TexMex stuff!  The flavor.  The fire from the spice!   The variety (they put pineapple on the tacos, brilliant.)  Not knowing the words to the food, but ordering it anyway....Just going with the flow!  I love you Mexican food!

No time to think

We'd just got done watching a baseball tryout game in a stadium that was condemned after Hurricane Ike, but they let us in anyway, as long as we wouldn't take pictures.  Not sure if that was because they didn't want us to recruit their players to other countries or to report that tourists were inside this crumbling stadium that rested on the beach of Baracoa!

We were walking along the sidewalk, drenched in sweat deciding what to do next with the day when we were surprised by a random guy who jumped out of the back of a bicitaxi, hold a guitar and bag of instruments.

Next thing we knew we were making music with the guy, while amused locals poured out of the houses to laugh and enjoy.  Things like this were everyday occurrences on the island!

(video is from Jochem Tyhuis)

Lucha Libre!

When in Mexico............see Mexican wrestling!

Last night went to see Lucha Libre matches in Mexico City.  Mystico was the headliner.  "Best Mexican Good Guy" as our tour guide says to us, as he's wearing the scariest red mask I've ever seen.  Most the wrestlers wear some form of mask, to hide their identity.  Probably for many reasons!

My Spanish vocabulary increased as well.  But I'll hold those words for conversation only!  Ask me later.

This wrestling entertainment is a strange reality.  A mans' world of women barely wearing underwear dancing along the catwalk.  Where men beat on each other in a gymnast way inside a boxing ring.  I swear one of them could have been Shawn Johnson's brother (does she have one?).  With midgets dressed as monkeys but look like gummy candies.  Old men with died hair and butt pads.  Capes.  And I'm guessing a lot of steroids!  The drama of Lucha Libre brings families, young men and tourists!   New to me:  the good guys always win!

Check that off the list.  Been there-done that-glad to have gone-don't need to do it again!

(all photos from Google images because no cameras allowed in the stadium)

Viva Mexico protests!

Nothing like getting to Mexico City (third largest city in the world) and experiencing a good ole' protest against the government.  Then watching as the 'march' escalates and the Mexican version of a SWAT team shows up!

If I got the story right, the protest is from the people in the state of Chiapas, the poorest region of Mexico.  They're tired of the government taking their jobs.  This is also the area of the Zapitistas.  Not sure if it's affiliated.

Time warp from the 50's

The debate to post photos from my trip or not was cleared up after I read an email from my mom with an article from my hometown newspaper.  I'd sent an email to them before I left, thinking I could report on a topic, from inside a communist country, if they wanted and I laughed when seeing that the email had been  quoted in an entire article.  

Now that the news is public, I'll just try my luck on the border whenever I come home, hopefully my 17 day dissappearance won't stir up any unwanted fines or jail time from the US Customs peeps.  Land of the free but restricted to travel in certain countries!?!?

I'm back.  PERMA SMILE.  Face hurts actually, still laughing re-living the magical moments from Cuba.  By far my favorite country......EVER!

A time warp with cars, buses, and the public transportation of horse drawn carriages.  The archicture is stunning, so old the people walk in the middle of the streets in Habana Vieja because buildings fall every day.

(photo from Lukas Rada)

Ice cream for 4 cents.  Pizzas and ham sandwiches for 25 cents. Which I hope to never eat one of those again!

Tourist buses.  Evil musicals from the 80's.  Tourist currency (a 25-1 difference....discrimination?)

Beaches.
Dominos. And Chess in the park.

Castles.
Fantasy beaches in the Carribean.
Cigars.
Temperatures between 80-100 degrees.
Havanna Club.  Mojitos.
Cakes fro 40cents.  Entire cakes!

MUSIC.  Oh the music.  Coming from the cracks of every building.  It's magical.  Live music everyday.

The dancing.  Don't even get me started.  I felt like a professional.  The men......haha oh the Cuban men can dance.  It's in their blood.

Latin passion.
Casa particulars.  No hostels here, instead you stay with the people.
One day I heard:  Czech, Hebrew, Dutch, German, English, Spanish, French being spoken.

Street corner cameras.  Big brother is watching.
Safest country I've ever been in.  Maybe because the locals can get arrested for talking to tourists.

Bars open 24 hours.  A round of shots for the entire bar:  $1.50.

Coffee.

Street art.
A name change to 'Linda' (Spanish meaning: beautiful)  aka they love Americans.
Everyone has family in Miami.
The billboards are for propagada only.

Solismo si!   Viva Raul.  Viva Fidel.  Viva Cuba Libre!

A local said:  Cuba is the biggest prision in the world.  Another local told me that 'if she could leave, she wouldn't want to, best place in the world to live.'

(marched with a millon for their labor day parade)

I'm forever changed.  My heart hurts because I had to leave, but wow, what an experience.  Put this place on your list.  It's special and magical.  Bring patience!

More to come.  Takes time to recall this 17 day adventure!