Source: Pimsleur Approach

It was always a big goal of mine to visit Cuba before Castro died. I wanted to experience authentic Cuba before the embargo was lifted and it became just another island in the Caribbean. Cuba is special in that it is virtually the only place left in the world untouched by McDonalds and Wal-Mart. So, a couple years ago I booked a week’s vacation over the Christmas holidays to experience this beautiful and tranquil island.

I flew into Varadero Airport in the middle of a sunny and warm day in late December and took a bus trip to my hotel which was located halfway between Havana and Varadero. The hotel was situated in the tiny fishing village of Jibacoa and had its own private 60km long beach of white sand and coral rich waters. The hour long bus ride to the resort provided a scenic view of the countryside, combined with typical scenes of island life. We drove through some very poor sections of the island, almost reminiscent of Jamaica, as well as some small farms which did not fence in their animals and our bus had to stop frequently for bulls and cows standing in the road.

Cuba’s beaches are known for being the most beautiful in the world and I can understand why. They have pure white sand and the water is a gorgeous color of turquoise. We spent most of our time lazing by the pool and beach – snorkeling amidst the coral reefs and going sailing where we were lucky enough to spot a manatee. The hotel backed onto some lush forests and mountains which you could hike each morning with a guide. We also got the chance to go horseback riding down the long stretch of private beach.

One of the highlights of my trip was my day trip into Havana. I took a guided day tour of the city which was headed by a Cuban who spoke perfect English. As University is free, almost every native Cuban has a university education, and most appear to be graduates of travel and tourism. We got to take a walking tour through Old Havana and then a bus tour with spots through the new section of Havana. Old Havana was my favorite as it had cobbled streets and colorful buildings in the traditional Cuban style. There were also tons of small shops selling Cuban cigars and spiced rum. The city is quite clean minus the exorbitant number of stray dogs running around the streets.

In the newer section of the city, we got to see the downtown core, as well as the parliament buildings and the communist propaganda that line the city streets. It was interesting how you felt like you were back in time, seeing all the 1950’s American cars and the lack of any chain or big box stores. The Cuban people were big fans of our clothing, and asked for our hats, etc as they aren’t able to get much due to the embargo. Before we left, we gave some of the extremely friendly staff at our hotel some of the items that they coveted the most.

If you have the ability to go to Cuba, I would highly recommend visiting this beautiful and unique island. The people are incredibly friendly and the scenery is out of this world.

After spending a night at Mumbai’s domestic airport, which was not an issue at all, I was in no desire to tackle Indian railways or bus stations so I decided to head for the nearest beach I could find from Trivandrum airport: Kovalam. I suddenly discovered that I could not get any cash out from the ATM. Upon walking to the next ATM an army of auto-rickshaw men descended upon me. One rather insistant one said he would take me to another ATM in Kovalam. A few more attempts and nothing was coming out of any cash machines. Then I get an automated call from LLoyds asking if I was trying to withdraw money in India – well yes as it happened I was. Iain helped me get international numbers in case I did not have any joy. I got my cash and the rickshaw man made enough money to feed him and his family for a month! Had I not been organised and told Lloyds that I was travelling to India I wouldn’t have minded but I had spoken to them the week previous and told them that I was going traveling so I was far from impressed.

Kovalam is best avoided if you want some peace and quiet. Every two seconds someone tries to sell you something: bananas, coconuts, look my shop, sunbed, beads, drums, sarong I made myself. I felt like asking if someone had thought of selling peace and quiet because I would have certainly spent some rupees on that. My little room was basic but fairly expensive for what it was. No towels and the sounds of crashing waves outside managed to wake me up most nights.

The highlight in Kovalam was seeing a turtle wash up on the shore and then head out again. Getting out of the place was equally as stressful as getting there. There was a ladies festival whereby they made sweets in pots and there were thousands of them. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to get to the train station and my guest room owner in kovalam was right but after being quoted a taxi for half the price of a flight I was back on public transport. The rip off merchant auto-rickshaw left me at a bus stop and I was off to Kallambullum to get the bus to Varkala. We hurtled along the main road bullying every other moving object out the way. For 33 rupees (again ripped off because he charged me to a much further destination) I was happy to get to there.

I really felt the need for a little relaxation and had heard some really good things about a long weekend in the Bahamas. The price for round-trip airline travel from our home to the Bahamas, coupled with the hotel and tour costs once we go there, turned out to be just a little too much strain on our family budget. I thought I’d have to settle for a weekend at a beach motel, until I found out that cruises to the Bahamas were available out of Charleston, South Carolina. I had never before taken a cruise, and were a bit apprehensive. As it turned out, the cost of the cruise was cheaper than the round trip airline flight to the Bahamas and the hotel accommodations.

I got to Charleston, and the boat, sorry ship, was my home for the trip, and all the food I could eat was included in the cost of the cruise. It turned out to be one of the best vacations I had. After only one full day and night on the cruise ship, a separate but delightful story, we arrived refreshed to experience our Bahamian adventure.

Freeport, our first stop, is a paradise for golfers with one of the most truly impressive golf courses in the world. Freeport is a pit of temptation for shoppers interested in electronics and fine jewelry. Fortunately, our ship’s departure warning whistle saved us from spending too much before we resumed our cruise to Nassau.

Nassau became my home base for two days of strolling, shopping, eating, and touring. I took a horse drawn carriage tour of the city and its suburbs, visited an old Spanish fortress. A stopover on the highest hill on the island offered a spectacular view of the integration of lush beauty of the land and its white sandy beaches with the crystal blue water that embraced it. During the second day of my visit we toured the adjacent waters in a glass bottomed boat to enjoy watching the colorful and exotic sea life.

Despite the abundance of food available on the ship, I managed to spend considerable time enjoying my hobby of sampling new foods. It was only the short duration of our trip that saved me from a lifetime of obesity. The cruise back to Charleston was an enjoyable mirror of the trip to the Bahamas, but flavored with the sadness or returning instead of the anticipated joy of arrival. In memory, the cruise and visit to the Bahamas was a delight which we hope to someday repeat.

As an individual who has long enjoyed traveling, particularly traveling abroad, I have got to say that by far, Asia has become my favorite international region. Whether you call it Asia, the Orient, or just “The East”, the continent of Asia as well as the numerous islands that surround it is a vast and abundant land with a diverse culture, climate, and landscape. While visiting, I’ve found everything from mountains to deserts, to ski resorts, and sandy beaches. I’ve visited historic ruins that date back thousands of years I’ve seen the world from the view atop the planet’s tallest sky scraper in one of the most modern cities on the globe. While I was careful to see as much of the region as possible – allowing me to sample as much different Asian cuisine and culture as possible – I have to say that it was not so difficult to come up with my favorite Asian country of them all: China.

In fact, in all the world and of all the sites of interest I’ve seen – be them natural, historical, or cultural in significance – there is perhaps no more impressive sight these eyes have seen than the Great Wall of China. In Chinese, the wall is known as Chángchéng which literally translate to “long city” or “fortress”, and was built between the years 220 and 206 BC by the Chinese emperor Qui Shi Huang. However, the part we are more familiar with today (and the portion I toured while on holiday there) was built during the Ming Dynasty and stretches for more than four thousand miles. In fact, the wall is so massive that is the only manmade object which can be clearly seen from space – no small feat considering how long ago it was built! With that said, I was fully impressed with it from my humble view here on earth and I was truly awed by the fact that the full wall took centuries to complete and that millions of men are said to have died during its construction. At its peak, over one million soldiers guarded the wall and, as far as defenses go, the wall was all but insurmountable. And so, as I said, while I think Asia in general is amazing and while I think China is even more special, within China there is no place quite so as amazing – or worth seeing – as the Great Wall of China.