Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted February 14, 2019 #426 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Thank you Norris. I must admit that I have never been a distilled spirits tippler – wine is my thing. I find brown spirits too strong, and vodka too bland. But gin has been a relevation – every gin has a very different flavo(u)r, none is as heavy as bourbon or scotch, and since starting to drink gin I have never suffered from malaria! [I hadn't before either, but it is working 100%, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #427 Share Posted February 14, 2019 We continue sailing slowly towards Cienfuegos a wide bay ahead looking behind More... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #428 Share Posted February 14, 2019 10 minutes later Cienfuegos reveals itself More..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #429 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Inching closer Tour buses stand ready. Not for us. We are taking a private car tour with Fertours. Norris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #430 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Cienfuegos (3 photos stitched together) We are docked and people are already getting off for their tours. For us it's breakfast. From deck 10 Carol is checking our account on the room TV (the $75 charges are for our Cuban visas which last the whole trip) It's time to get the sunscreen on and go ashore. Captain says it is 83F. Norris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #431 Share Posted February 14, 2019 1 hour ago, singinalot said: I haven't done any research at all on this port. interested in your take! Crystal I am going driving for a couple of hours and will leave you with some background info before I get back to our tour of Cienfuegos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cienfuegos More later, including some great classic cars.... Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Captain-John Posted February 14, 2019 #432 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Hi Norris - late to the party but thank you very much for your review. I haven't seen any of your prior reviews, but I'll set aside a few weeks off work to read them all! (I am a fan of great detail and love a long, engaging review format such as yours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbihan Posted February 14, 2019 #433 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Drat it. Why did I think that you sailed on the 25th? Eighteen pages to read! Well, all done. Will go back later and read more thoroughly and watch the rest of the videos. Nice to see you both looking so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #434 Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, Captain-John said: Hi Norris - late to the party but thank you very much for your review. I haven't seen any of your prior reviews, but I'll set aside a few weeks off work to read them all! (I am a fan of great detail and love a long, engaging review format such as yours). Welcome aboard Sir!! Haven't seen any of my 13 prior reviews? Good heavens! Never too late. They have had over a million page views combined but there are so many threads to click on. I am glad you have found this one. Long reviews are my thing to write and to read, as long as they have photos. My first -Coral Princess to Alaska was only 11 pages long but those days are gone thanks to a growing interest in photography. Hope to see you comment again. Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #435 Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, morbihan said: Drat it. Why did I think that you sailed on the 25th? Eighteen pages to read! Well, all done. Will go back later and read more thoroughly and watch the rest of the videos. Nice to see you both looking so well. We are both well and thank you for joining us again! I am excited to show you Cienfuegos and will get to it soon. I consider it a pretty well-kept town. Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJ Gal Posted February 14, 2019 #436 Share Posted February 14, 2019 37 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said: We are both well and thank you for joining us again! I am excited to show you Cienfuegos and will get to it soon. I consider it a pretty well-kept town. Norris As I mentioned before, we spent a week in Cuba in 2012 on a land tour. Your experience being on a ship is so different. I really am enjoying hearing about your travels. Our first stop was Cienfuegos & then to Havana. From these two cities, we visited many other places on day trips. It was a wonderful trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Captain-John Posted February 14, 2019 #437 Share Posted February 14, 2019 44 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said: Welcome aboard Sir!! Haven't seen any of my 13 prior reviews? Good heavens! Never too late. They have had over a million page views combined but there are so many threads to click on. I am glad you have found this one. Long reviews are my thing to write and to read, as long as they have photos. My first -Coral Princess to Alaska was only 11 pages long but those days are gone thanks to a growing interest in photography. Hope to see you comment again. Norris Thanks Norris. That's an incredible page view figure. The photos truly make a well worded review so much the better. I may start from the start - or with your Celebrity reviews, since that's what we've recently booked - but can assure you I'll work my way round them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 14, 2019 Author #438 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Off the ship, via deck 3 I recall as the dock was low. Walked across the parking lot where the buses had been and through Customs and security to the streets beyond. Short walk and we see a small group clustered on a sidewalk holding up paper signs with names on. One of those is mine-I'd recognize it anywhere. Our guide is Diana, again a speaker of good English and another fine product of the Cuban school system. She walks us around a corner to where Eddie, our driver is waiting with our car. It's a Chrysler Windsor Eddie uses it as a taxi when it's not taking tours Sweet interior! I climb in the back ready for the off. See another cool taxi and take a pic through the window Diana gets a phone call. Seems a couple who didn't confirm their reservation are calling, having just got off the ship. Can they join us? I confirmed with all 3 Cuban tour companies the day after Christmas as requested via email. Hence we had a ride waiting in each port. Can they join us and make it 6 people in the car? No is our answer. We know what we want to see today and don't want to have to adapt to someone else's wishes or rub knees with them. Diana puts her head in the car to ask me my opinion which is "Hell to the No". I have time now while she relays this info to the errant couple. She tries to get another car for them. I get out to take a pic of that car beside us while waiting. It's a Ford. also used as a taxi hence the term "handsome cab" Local color the 9 o'clock bus. Made by Hino. Che Guevara stencil on the front. What was very different from Havana was the horse and cart traffic that trotted by. Sure some carried sightseeing passengers but most were toting goods-bags of sugar or rice or suchlike. Stepping back in time to a mode of transportation thousands of years old. Cienfuegos is a town (city?) of only 150,000 people and lord knows how many horses. Eddie climbed back into the car and off we went on a drive way out of town (15 Km), our destination -at Carol's request-the Botanic Gardens. Cuban music on the radio? Yes please! "I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, You got your hair combed back, Wayfarers* on baby!" Norris *sunglasses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordoncruickshank Posted February 15, 2019 #439 Share Posted February 15, 2019 On 2/13/2019 at 2:23 PM, Bimmer09 said: I have had to think about your question as it is a tough one. I would say lunch in the Paladar in Havana as I was apprehensive and it was the first time we interacted with Cubans without the guide being present-just two or three people but they were welcoming and fun. I don't often go to restaurants where they leave you the bottle of rum on the table, LOL. They wanted to impress us and they did. I also very much enjoyed just walking the streets in old Havana with the camera. The streets were swept clean and were quiet and the architecture was pure eye-candy. There would be men playing guitar and singing "became Mucho" on a corner. It was not the norm, that's for sure. Thanks for asking, Crystal. Norris The first time we visited Cuba was probably close to 20 years ago. We did a 2 day trip from Varadero to Havana. On the first evening we visited the Tropicana Nightclub which was wonderful. As part of the tour each couple was provided with a bottle of 7year old Havana Club Rum, a bucket of ice and two cans of full fat Coke. We had taken a number of Diet Coke cans with us from a shop next to the hotel, just in case. You took the remains of the bottle back to the hotel with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kk99 Posted February 15, 2019 #440 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Wonderful photos and narrative Norris. The Boys of Summer by Don Henley I believe. Perfect cruising around town music. Thanks for taking all of us vicariously on your and Carol’s adventures in Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #441 Share Posted February 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Gordoncruickshank said: The first time we visited Cuba was probably close to 20 years ago. We did a 2 day trip from Varadero to Havana. On the first evening we visited the Tropicana Nightclub which was wonderful. As part of the tour each couple was provided with a bottle of 7year old Havana Club Rum, a bucket of ice and two cans of full fat Coke. We had taken a number of Diet Coke cans with us from a shop next to the hotel, just in case. You took the remains of the bottle back to the hotel with you. Nice story Gordon! Thank you. Norris, glad to have you reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #442 Share Posted February 15, 2019 11 minutes ago, kk99 said: Wonderful photos and narrative Norris. The Boys of Summer by Don Henley I believe. Perfect cruising around town music. Thanks for taking all of us vicariously on your and Carol’s adventures in Cuba. Indeed. I haven't seen Don Henley in over 20 years but saw him 3 times in New Jersey. A very special voice. I'm glad to have you along! Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #443 Share Posted February 15, 2019 We set off to make our way out of town and out towards the mountains. People were waving at Eddie as he drove. He even got a cell phone call along the way. A short video to add flavor Norris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #444 Share Posted February 15, 2019 The roads were smooth and hilly, taking us up and up, around sweeping bends with views back to the sea at times. We passed a lot of horses and carts. man without cart man with V8 horsepower a fort that was in one of my early sail-in photos after 25 minutes or so we came to the Botanic Gardens. Our passports had to be shown. I think we paid 2 CUC each while guides entered free. Let's go in. Norris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #445 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Popular spot Carol found out in the restroom line that the blue buses were a Roads Scholars charter. There was only one toilet, no lights, no seat. A man stood outside with toilet tissue and paper towels. a bar with a guitarist playing "Besame mucho" attached to a restaurant and there was Eddie, Diana and Carol and some cars More... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #446 Share Posted February 15, 2019 cool flower Over 200 species of palms More... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deck Chair Queen Posted February 15, 2019 #447 Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) The gardens were vast and varied but nothing was labeled and there were no paths. The most charming part of our visit was our guide Diana walking beside me telling me personal remembrances about the plants and flowers; how she made dolls out of them as a child, which ones grew at her grandmother’s house, which were used for medicinal purposes. None of our guides ever had a rehearsed “spiel.” It was all spontaneous, proud, and heartfelt. Edited February 15, 2019 by Deck Chair Queen 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #448 Share Posted February 15, 2019 just chillin' color lush prickly dirt paths a river runs through it Diana, like Lauren in Havana, spoke great English and even in the botanical gardens knew her stuff. Thank you Fertours. Each of the tour companies I chose were easy to deal with and the owner/face of the company were very prompt in responding to email. No money up front asked for-just a trust in the client. I met a nice man on the cruise whom I hope is reading and he spent a day with a Cuban in Havana. He told me he lined up for an hour with him in a bakery for a loaf. Later while enjoying a drink at a cafe he asked the Cuban man if he could get him some cigars and gave the man 200 CUC to go buy them. The man returned with the cigars and his change. I told him he might not want to try that in Chicago... I wasn't totally surprised. Each of the few Cubans I interacted with (more in Santiago) seemed very open and genuine. They deserve more than they have. Norris, getting back in the car for the drive back to Cienfuegos and some photo opportunities in a beautiful little city. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Bimmer09 Posted February 15, 2019 Author #449 Share Posted February 15, 2019 I promised you a copy of The Insider from our Sea Day and by gum I am a man of my word. You can read it while we drive back to Cienfuegos. Thanks for reading along again today! Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upwarduk Posted February 15, 2019 #450 Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Bimmer09 said: after 25 minutes or so we came to the Botanic Gardens. Our passports had to be shown Wondering why you had to show your passports to enter the Botanic gardens as you had already gone through Customs and Security when you disembarked. Did this include showing your Cuban Visa? Still loving all your pictures, but especially the Botanic gardens. Edited February 15, 2019 by upwarduk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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