25.12.16 Feliz navidad y “Tu estas mi novia”

So we left Marta's house in the morning of the 23^rd, to make a quick stop in Pinar del Rio and Vinales and arrive in time at the beach. As it is Cuba we left semi early and arrived finally around 4 pm in Pinar del Rio. So we decided to stay the night and really leave early the next morning. We asked the two nice old lady's at our 'casa particular' for a place to dance Salsa.

                                                                                                                                 31.12.16

So we went to the club which was located closer to the center. Already at the entrance there were some colorful gay's flirting. I was positively surprised as I wasn't sure to see homosexual people that open in the streets of Cuba. As we entered it fast become clear to us, that this was a gay club. Eduardo looked a bit scared at me and said: “If someone ask: You are my girlfriend!” I was laughing and exited for a night of dancing without guy's trying to flirt with me. Well, I did not thought about crazy, Cuban lesbians. So after the really good shows of the event and some good rum, I ended up saying to Eduardo: “Please, say you are my boyfriend!” But none seemed to care. So after a fight over me in a girls bathroom with 3 toilets I just wanted to end this crazy but as well funny night.

The next morning we enjoyed a good breakfast and left Pinar del Rio a bit hungover to Vinales. There we walked around in the beautiful colonial city center before trying to take a 'Wau-Wau' to Puerto Esperanza, a small village without tourists – as we have been told. Well, as it was Christmas eve there was nearly no public transportation. So after a while of waiting we made our way out of town and had luck with our first hitch hike. So we ended up in front of our 'casa particular' for the night. We got asked what we wanted to have for the Christmas dinner and decided to listen to the locals to have fish and lobster. First we wanted to go to our goal – The beach! But well, there is a reason why there are nearly no tourist: there is no sand at the beach. Anyway we spend a nice Christmas close to the ocean and had a delicious dinner! And for the 25^th we left hitch hiking by horses, trucks, in the back of trucks and vans to arrive at the beautiful beach of Cayo Jutias. It was more local tourists, sand, nature, rum and mojito – so everything we wanted to have for Christmas. In the night we had some troubles and fights about where to go and where to sleep. It was exhausting and after local rice and rum at a small salsa place I woke up with a bad stomach in the night. So as Eduardo believed, we don't have enough time and was short on money and I just felt more exhausted after all the throwing up, we changed the plan and went all the way back to La Habana instead of Maria de la gorda.
As we arrived things got more complicated and I felt just more exhausted. I knew I have to leave Cuba way earlier as planned and as I could not even talk to my family on the 24^th I went to change my flight to the 28^th back to Cancun. So the 27^th we spend in La Habana, which had nice and not so nice parts for me, but an amazing atmosphere. I enjoyed two days with friends at the beach and arrived two hours ago in Germany.
Sometimes we have to follow our inner feelings. But I know I will come back to Cuba.
Overall the people have been very nice and helpful. A lot out of the reason to make some money with us, but as a traveler I´m used to that.

Cuba is a very chilled island who missed around a century, with even more chilled people who want to be just as cool as the 'gringos'. It has a lot to offer and is unique for a lot of things. Nos vemos pronto!

21.12.16 Arriving in an old world

As I decided to go to Cuba, to fulfill myself this big dream, I had no idea what will happen and what a big adventure it would be.
After running to the airport in Cancun yesterday I needed to wait 5 more hours for my plane to leave. Cubana gave us a 200 Pesos voucher for food for the delay. Sandwich, water and a banana is what you get for this an an airport. So we would not arrive before 23 o'clock in La Habana, as I thought. I had no time to book any accommodation, just searched for some directions and planned to just walk around. I knew that will be complicated now. So I asked this girl about a public bus to leave the airport and if she knew a place to stay. “Yeah let's talk as we arrive.” Well, something. But there where these four people: loud, colorful and with a lot of luggage (like a lot of people. I mean some brought packages of toilet paper. I got a bit scared.) Rolling eyes. Waiting longer in the line. So now, these people enter the plane and sit next to me! Of course. Of course they start drinking their own Vodka. “No thanks.” But then it turns out my luck in traveling comes back. “Sure, I can call someone for a place.” “35 Dollar.” “No.” “OK.” And then he called his mom to ask if I can stay there for the night. Turns out Marta, the black colorful woman with the too long nails to handle a phone, is the mother of one of the men. 72. Respect. She can handle Facebook better then I. And green hair and a leggings with a fitting colorful top, well who can, can.
No question, a German girl traveling alone to Cuba without a plan will come home with her. Two offers of a bed for the night in 25 minutes, in a country, where it is illegal to have foreigners in your house without registration. Suerte.
                                                                                                                    22.12.16
As we where standing in the airport waiting for our luggage, I got an idea how Cube is: the airport never saw any renovation and the luggage got searched by hand which took them more then four hours (then our stuff was there and we left. A lot of people where still standing there at 3 in the night.)
Then we where standing a long while in front of the airport, talking to family members. Same thing in front of the house. Hey, Kata wanted to see Cuba, let's go and drive una vuelta when it is dark and I was already falling a sleep 10 times.
But I learned a lot as always:

1. The car in which we where driving around is from 1983. I think top speed was 45 km/h. Sometimes we had to stop to close a door or plug the speaker back in. I was impressed by the spirit that people in Cuba have to keep their rolling museums alive.
2. People here have time. It seems like the bus is waiting and no one has anything to do the next day.
3. Children don't have to sleep at any time in the night. Children running in and in front of the airport. We arrived around 3 in Mantilla, at Martas house and the kids where still there and no one was caring about making them sleep.
4. Everyone seems to know everyone.
   Highlight before I could finally fall in a bed in my own room (!) at 5 am in the morning, was the idea to play trompeta on the street at 4 am. (Fyi: just one woman was screaming something after some minutes.)

As I woke up I asked for the famous hotspots in the parks to check some things for my new freelance job. Well.... turned out some clever people came and blocked the free wifi signal and sell access. 1 Dollar and one hour of really slow internet. Which is expensive here. What is expensive too is beer: 1,50 Dollar a bottle of Heineken. What is cheap is Rum! 3,50-5 Dollar the bottle (Bacardi/Havana/and a lot of nice local brands). So I decided to get holiday and drink rum. We had a nice Cuban meal and went to the ¨internet house¨ in this neighborhood. 1 Dollar as long as you want. There I could work this and the next day. Slow but at least I could finish some things. In the night we heated some water for a hot wash, played domino with 72 year old Marta and had some 1 Dollar local beer and rum.
 

What luck I had to one more meet the right people. With Eduardo, a family friend from Mexico City, I warmed lemons for the first and probably last time in my life. That's what you do when you love rum and the only lemons in the house are frozen in the freezer. One who loves rum, warmes the lemons for it by hand and gently blowing warm air.

“Vamos a calentar lemones”.

And some more things:

5. Just in case you forgot what no American products means: This is the first place in the world where I can't find Coca Cola or Pepsi.
6. There are still people who think this weird gangster style from 1990/2000 is cool.
   
   

   

   Feliz navidad

   

   Different religious cults

   

   Cuban tradition: Domino

09.12.16 ...and suddenly Mexico oO

I guess I owe you guys some explanations :)

So, since 4 weeks I live in Tulum, Mexico. The first days I spend washing cloth (of course by hand), cooking healthy again, buying stuff in the supermarket, going to the beach...

Life works different in Mexico and way different in Tulum.
It was nice to stay at a place again after rushing so much. And then so many of my friends asked me: Why? Why are you rushing so much? Why are you going to Mexico. So here comes the answer: I wanted Tacos. So here I am, in a country who wasn't on the list for this travel. Not traveling, but doing other things.

I started to work in a hotel. They needed a receptionist. Turned out by that the guy meant: right hand, organizer, manager, someone for marketing and a lot more. And again as life goes, now I have a second job, working as a freelancer for a company in Austria as a marketing manager.
So, here is what I do right now. Further plans? Yes! A lot! But nothing decided yet. So thanks for following till here, I will keep you up to date.

Me at the beach in Tulum at the super moon 2016