Cuzco by Night

Cuzco is one of those places - full of foreigners who got there and thought “hey… let’s stop a while longer” and then don’t leave for years. It’s vibrant, beautiful, friendly and prosperous. See it while it’s still relatively unspoilt.

If you like this shot, you may wish to check out my photoblog, which I’m now going to make a more serious part of my website, albeit with its own style specific to displaying large images.

Each year, Liverpool Motor Club holds three sprints at the classic Aintree circuit.  It’s a relaxed, sociable and efficient event.

I always thought TVR’s finest moment was the Cerbera - a combination of classic low-rider looks, power, and noise.  Still handled badly, but that can largely be sorted out.

It was great to see everyone at the event.  Hopefully I’ll be driving again in the near future.

Gall Peters Projection

The Gall-Peters Projection (often known just as the Peters Projection) of the map of the world, also known as a cylindrical projection, is one that’s become popular with many socially aware groups. Mainly because it helps to reassert that the world’s poorer countries take up rather more of our land mass than many people realise.

Although the distortions are a little odd, especially east-west as you near the poles, the map does help to provide a truer picture of the size of many countries than most flat projections.

Mercator Real-Area Map

The better real area map, at least for taking measurements from, is the sinusoidal projection (shown below), but that’s harder to look at. In reality, no projection of a globe onto a flat surface can be perfect.

Google Earth

Now Google is a big commercial company - powerful on the internet, and sometimes not that wonderful, but generally they’ve so far been a force for good. And one of my absolute favourites of theirs is the Google Earth application. I’ve spent many a happy hour zooming into countries and cities, checking out locations, and enjoying the ability to see some of the world’s sights from my computer. It’s an incredible application and I can recommend it to anyone. You can download it from http://earth.google.com/ and it works great on most reasonable computers.

Alternatively a globe makes a great piece of interior decor and doesn’t break when the internet goes down….

Credits: Peters-Projection care of NASA/Wikipedia and is in the public domain and can be used by anyone. Sinusoidal Projection care of Wikipedia and is a creative commons licensed image. Please visit the Wikipedia site for more information.

But I was still surprised to see this shower in our first B&B:

I will say one thing, however - in a lot of the finer houses the bathrooms remain as they were in the fifties, prior to the revolution. It’s an interesting perspective on design standards of the time, and mostly things were pretty good if you could afford good tiles. The fact that a lot of these bathrooms are still serviceable fifty years on is pretty impressive.

Not unless you’re especially keen on travelling on extreme lean budgets - which if you are, you won’t be in Cuba anyway. Travelling on a tight budget in this country is surprisingly tough thanks to the split economy. If you’re staying long enough and have a good command of Spanish you can buy and use Cuban Pesos as opposed to the tourist money - the Cuban Convertible Peso (or CUC for short) - but you’ll find that unless you can prove you’re Cuban you won’t necessarily get the low prices that locals might enjoy. You’ll also not be allowed in many trucks, taxis and buses where carrying foreigners is illegal.

It makes sense - if rich tourists are going to turn up, you want them to help your economy along. If they go round spending thruppence-ha’penny a day they’re doing bugger all to help. And you don’t want poor tourists anyway - they smell bad, make the place look untidy, and bang on about getting to be one with the locals. Which usually involves trying to find out what drugs they’ll sell them, and then taking them. Fair enough, really - but Castro needs money coming into his country more than anything else. So you’re going to end up spending the equivalent of about 1USD for every ten kilometres travelled - several times what you’ll spend in Peru for example.

Buses

For tourists, the best buses are provided by Viazul. They run a range of routes:

Habana - Santiago de Cuba
Trinidad - Santiago de Cuba
Habana - Viñales
Habana - Holguín
Habana - Trinidad
Habana - Varadero
Santiago de Cuba - Baracoa
Varadero - Trinidad
Varadero - Santiago de Cuba

There are plenty of intermediate stops too - check out their website for more information, prices and times.

Viazul’s coaches tend to leave on time, are reasonably clean (but on a bad day the toilet might smell worse than Swampy) and generally comfortable. Take warm clothes though because given air conditioning Cubans will run it at maximum.

Trains

The information we had was not to bother.

So we didn’t. Which means I can’t really do any more than pass that information on. Apparently they’ve improved a bit, with some new rolling stock from France, but it’s still an unreliable and slow way to travel.

Planes

Again, we didn’t use any, but there are planes connecting some of the major centres, and prices don’t seem to be too bad.

Cars and Taxis

Car hire isn’t cheap, but if you want to get to some out of the way places it can be a great way to travel as the roads are largely empty. You can also pick up plenty of hitch-hikers. The smell might be bad when you discover they’re carrying an enormous fish they just caught. But otherwise it can be an interesting way to meet locals. Obviously, the usual caveats apply - if a guy is standing there foaming at the mouth, holding a large machete, and dressed in bloody rags then it might be best to drive on.

It’s not all perfect though - some roads simply disappear into dirt-tracks with no notice, there are bridges that they clearly lost enthusiasm for part-way through (blame the fall of communist Russia for that one), and pot holes that will swallow your car whole.

And if you drive at night you’ll be able to play chicken with unlit cars, horses, and, erm, chickens.

Taxis should be relatively affordable, and most are metered. If they’re not, they probably aren’t allowed to take foreigners on board and will be taking a risk carrying you - especially in more heavily policed areas and they may ask for payment in advance of any risky places, or will drop you off before checkpoints at which point you’ll have to walk past and possibly find someone else to carry you. Almost anyone will act as a taxi in Cuba, so be careful, and check prices in advance of getting in. Most drivers are chatty and interested in you, and some of the classic cars in use are beautiful - though they won’t sound it as they often run on old Japanese diesel engines rather than big tasty V8s.

Trucks

I mean… just don’t. If you could afford to fly to Cuba you can afford not to take chances with your life and health. Having said that, it’s about the only way to get to some places if you can’t afford a hire-car or taxi and don’t feel like hitching.

Queues are managed by men in yellow outfits, known as ‘Amarillos’. They will make sure you go to the right place, but may not allow foreigners on board. A tip may work wonders….

Local buses

You’ll need Pesos, not CUCs, and a strong backside.

Summary

Overall, Cuban public transport is limited and can be quite pricey for tourists, but stick to the main routes and you’ll be fine on relatively good metalled roads. Only if you visit more remote locations will you find the need to get inventive.

Useful websites:

British Foreign Office Travel Advice for Cuba
Viazul buses

But even better is, after a bumpy ten hour flight, to discover that this hotel is a five star all inclusive affair. Nothing beats the realisation when you arrive at the bar that they don’t want your money. Everything is included. A few hours later, drunk and happy, we decided to stay an extra night while we planned the rest of our trip.

And now, in a couple of hours, we have to find our bus to Havana. It may be tropical here, but we’re taking warm clothes as we’ve discovered that when a Cuban gets air conditioning there is only one setting… 16C. After all, if you have air-con you may as well make the most of it. You enter your hotel room to an icy draught. Cars are super-chilled, and basically you find that your UK clothing is just fine and dandy.

Ta-ta for now….

Why? Because first of all they worked well with easyJet - with a combination of popular holiday and business routes with low prices the combination proved irresistable. As a frequent traveller myself I was delighted to get away from the obtuse pricing of British Airways (cheap returns were OK, it was the lack of flexibility and cost of singles that grated) and the extra costs of travelling to Manchester Airport.

Anyway, I was travelling through this airport again on Thursday evening and spotted this picture which summed the airport up nicely - named after a famous Beatle, and popular with a wide range of traveller:

Why not? Good question. Perhaps because it’s a little personal. I’ve lived there, loved there, and so on. To talk about it in depth may reveal me more to the world at large. Although I present an open face on this site, I keep my personal and social life as private as possible. However, after a bit of thought I’ve realised that I can still write about the city without actually blowing the gaff, as it were.

Festival des Inrocks

For those that don’t know - this is a festival held annually in France, primarily Paris, by the rock magazine Les Inrockuptibles. I wangled my way in to the various shows this year thanks to carefully blagged passes and was treated to a wide range of music. A lot of it British, curiously enough. Seems a long way to go to listen to Brit-rock, but heck, it’s a nice environment to do it in!

This year’s line-up included Lily Allen, Jarvis Cocker, Guillemots, The Kooks and many more - some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t. A lot of the groups headlining were British, so in effect I’d travelled all that way to watch UK acts. Ah well… there were some good French acts too. In particular Rock & Roll, a punk-rock group (watch out, my music terminology is generally off-kilter) who put in a huge amount of energy and effort. Not my kind of music, but I could enjoy the act. And one of the lead singer’s plectrums flew off, hit Romana on the head, and was promptly bagged by me as a memento!

We also accidentally stumbled into a show by Etienne Daho. We hadn’t heard of him, but reckoning that he was one of the biggest names on the list he must be good. So we were a bit shocked when he came out on stage and acted like it was still the eighties. The music, the clothes, the dancing…. I mean, I know the French music scene is a bit mixed up and not as leading edge as in the UK, but this didn’t seem right.

Eventualy we discovered it was something like Rick Astley getting a gig at Glastonbury. Those that were of a certain age when he was about would love it and enjoy it, but anyone who didn’t realise it was a one-off comeback would be left baffled.

The City of Paris Itself

What is so hard about Paris is that it’s been written about by most of the finest writers in the world. How can I expect to add something new to the mix?

And here’s the answer… I can’t.

There is little left to write about, yet so much too. I’d rather create an entire new site for Paris, than try to sum it up in one article. After all, it’s home to millions of people, with a tightly packed centre full of museums, secrets catacombs, alleys, shops, dreams, nightmares and passion. One page here does the city no justice whatsoever.

But I’m not one to give up quite so easily. So in fact I will sum up Paris in one sentence:

It’s a better city to live, love and work in than it is to visit as a tourist.

This afternoon we decided to take a break from the office as, frankly, we were becoming stressed out. James and I have worked incredibly hard of late on Interconnect IT and were starting to show signs of it.  We weren’t productive, we had nothing particular planned, so it was time to get out of the office and have some fun.  It was windy, so the kite was packed, but just as we were about to leave I spotted that this installation was going to be dismantled at the end of November.  A crying shame in our opinion, especially as they won’t be there for the Capital of Culture celebrations taking place in Liverpool during 2008.
 
I hope you enjoy the photos.  Feedback is much appreciated.

I’m struggling, actually, to give words to this country. Usually beautiful, sometimes ugly, almost always friendly…

The Statistics:

3200 miles driven; 3 new dents on the car; about 100 gallons (378 litres) of petrol used; highest speed travelled - daren’t say but speed limiters may have been touched; speed cameras triggered: 1; chats with police officers: 1

The Places - In (very) Brief

Milan

Nicer than expected. Friendly folk. Food ok. Lovely but pricey hotel in the centre appears to be something of a secret. Shall I keep it that way? Ask and I might add the name… heheh!

Parking in places could be challenging, like many Italian cities, and expensive, but at least the city itself proved easy to navigate and we found the hotel quickly.

Verona

We stayed in an astonishingly pretty campsite in the fortress overlooking the city. Food excellent where available but watch out - it would seem late eating isn’t a big thing here.

Taking a walk through the narrow streets at night is enchanting, and in the day you can visit the balcony where Juliet reputedly greeted Romeo. A lot of people rub the breast of Juliet’s statue, in particular her left breast which shines golden compared to the rest of her body. I’m still not sure why but I guess it brings luck, love, or just horniness to those who touch it.

Venice

So pretty, and (mostly) doesn’t smell as bad as some had suggested after all. Food good in one place, distinctly mediocre in another - so pays to search out a place that’s obviously popular with locals. Campsite turned out to be next to the runway at the airport - as are many of the other campsites. Watch out. Pricey too, at £20 per night including a car.

Bologona

There was something strange about this town. It was almost deserted, car hostile, and difficult to navigate. We couldn’t find a hotel in the centre that looked even vaguely approachable late at night and ended up resorting to the Holiday Inn near the airport - expensive rack rates so use Amex or a similar travel service to phone ahead and get a decent price on your room.

We discovered that it’s a student city, which may have explained the summertime desertion. Perhaps it’s vibrant in term time?

Tuscany in general

I can see why people fall in love with this area. It can be cheap, but the combination of good weather, good food, friendly people and varied landscape make it irresistable. Throw in pretty villages and girls and you have a region that begs to be explored. Sedately.

Watch out for travelling packs of Americans and middle-class English retirees who may sniff at you getting noisily drunk in their unspoilt bit of the country.

Lucca

I’d never even heard of this town before coming to Italy, but a barman recommended it to us… so why not? And it’s great! Best bet is to park in one of the reasonably priced car parks outside the old town then take a cycle to travel around the town - either hired or, as with some car parks, take a courtesy bike. You can also cycle around the city walls. Great little place, though packed with tourists so it can end up a little expensive and tiresome - but it’s not as packed or overpriced as other cities. And anyway, if there are tourists, there are facilities….

Pisa

If you approach the famous tower from the right angle it looks perfectly straight. Which could be a disappointment if that’s all you came to see. It was British engineers who stopped it falling over, apparently, and for a moment you might think they did too good a job. The plaza the tower is in (it’s the campanile for the Duomo) is very beautiful and although the tower is the reason people come, it’s a little bit more than just that. However, it’s also true that few people explore the rest of this city. We didn’t either. I feel a little guilty.

San Gimignano

This little gem of a town has a lot going for it and must have been something of a medieval Manhattan. It’s very pretty, full of towers, and has an awful lot of tourists. Lacked the charm of Lucca, but well worth a visit.

San Miniato

We stumbled upon this very pretty and friendly little town and we asked in an osteria for a room. It was at this point we learned that an osteria is just a type of restaurant. But this is Italy so phone calls were made by the proprietors and before we knew it we were checking in at a charming little B&B in the town centre. Anna makes a wonderful host - but she doesn’t speak a word of English, so take your time with bookings.

Siena

We accidentally turned up on the day of the Palio trials. The Palio is a crazy bare back horse race in the main square of the town - quite possibly the most ancient and yet least professional horse race in the world. Shame we missed anything exciting, but the main square is beautiful and ancient.

Florence (Firenza)

Florence is beautiful but, for me at least, not something that I found as beautiful as expected. What it is good for is art galleries. You can see some incredibly famous artworks in the city’s art galleries.

Genoa (Genova)

Don’t bother! Never seen quite such an ugly mass of concrete building. There are beautiful parts, of course, like most Italian cities, but they’re not necessarily easy to find. The guides say the city has a ‘gritty realism’ which I always think is travel guide speak for “you’ll be lucky not to get mugged.”

But on the whole - what a great country!

Driving in Italy

Driving in this country is actually a great experience. The road surfaces are smooth, the drivers skilled, and the weather generally good.

But there are things to beware of.

Speed bumps appear to have been randomly placed on the autostrada. Some people claim it’s down to subsidence or lorry damage, but I think it’s just to keep you awake.

The distance and direction markers towards towns and cities were the inspiration for some of Heisenberg’s greatest work. You might see that your town is 25km away. The next sign, 1km down the road, will say 20km. Then it’ll revert to 25km and you may well conclude that you’re going round in circles. Or getting closer, because as you continue the next sign will say you’re 18km away. The actual distance may be less. Or more.

If you park in the wrong place you’ll get a ticket, but working out how to pay isn’t simple so I’m ignoring my ticket and waiting to see what happens. Anyway, parking places are colour coded - white means you can park there freely, except when the signs say you can’t, yellow means you can park there freely except when the signs say you can’t and blue means…. well you get the idea. I think blue is pay, white is free, and yellow is residents but the reality is that you need to check as different towns have different rules.

Italian Food, In Italy

I’m a vegetable, as many of you know, so obviously can’t eat meat. Italy at least has a good range of vegetarian food available so there’s no need to spend too much time scrutineering the menus.

The food itself range from great to mediocre but there was nothing so amazing that I’m going to make a special mention. I did enjoy the white truffle and artichoke tagliateli I had in Verona - something I’ve never had before and which was delicious.

Next Time

It’ll be Rome and the south. And more slowly - the furious pace we set meant we covered a lot of ground, but it was tiring sometimes. Still… we had a great time.