Classic Cars in Cuba ….. April 2013

Hemingway Marina, Havana, Cuba ~ 23.05N 82.30W:  01 – 09 April 2013
Mangroves and Muddy Shallows

Our first week in Cuba was spent day sailing along the north western coast, in hindsight maybe we would have been better doing a two night passage from Mexico straight to Havana.  The first part of the coast offered protected anchorages  but all were mangroves, so there was no swimming as there are crocodiles (didn’t spot any), curiously not even any birdlife to watch at sundowners.  We were inside the outer reef but there were no opportunities for snorkelling or swimming in the parts we visited, the best was out of our reach in very shallow water so we played it safe, stayed afloat and kept heading eastwards for Havana in company with Bandit.  We threw in an overnighter for the last 116 miles, the wind co-operated for a while and we were able to sail, albeit tacking back and forward, then it strengthened to 20 knots right on the nose, the current kicked in against us, the seas short and steep and when we had only made a net gain of 4 miles to the good after 2 hours tacking we surrendered to the elements and burnt some more diesel.   

Checking In ~ Quick and Easy

We tied up to the Arrivals Dock at Hemingway Marina at noon and so the check in process began.  We had been warned it was slow, drawn out process with a stream of officials boarding the boat – asking questions, filling in forms, possibly wanting “gifts”.  And yes all that was true but it was all orderly, everyone was extremely friendly, professional and polite, and as skipper says “once you have checked into the Andaman Islands of India everywhere else is a breeze”!   We were all stamped in and tied up to our marina berth by 2pm, pretty good going we thought – wow, we were actually in Cuba.

All Checked In ~ Time to Check Cuba Out

We met up with Steph and Stu off Matador in the marina, first seen in Turkey, last seen in Barbados.  It was great to catch up again and they showed us the ropes getting into Havana like the locals do by “collectivo taxi” for about $2.50 instead of tourist taxi for $30, great to have some local knowledge to get us started.  We had an excellent day in Havana, an amazing city bursting with life, colourful and vibrant, music blasting out of nearly every doorway – it was buzzing.  But Havana will deserve much more time and a whole blog posting so we will save that for later. 

We are off to discover what makes Cuba tick

Mangled and Munched in Mexico ….. March 2013

Isla Mujeres, Mexico to Cayos de la Lena, Cuba ~ 21.55N 84.49W:  16 - 31 March 2013

 

Close Encounters of the Unwanted Kind

After our week long excursion through the Yucatan Peninsula we had plans of a leisurely few days at Isla Mujeres while waiting for our good friend Tony to arrive, and then we would all leave on the next suitable weather window - destination Cuba.  But as we know things don’t always work out quite as you would like them and while onboard one windy afternoon we were horrified to see a yacht backing into the marina at full speed, heading straight for us.  The skipper who was helming, was not even looking behind him as the strong wind pushed him down onto Balvenie, his crew member and both of us unable to safely prevent the collision due to the speed of the yacht. The sound of our very sturdy stainless steel dinghy davits being wrapped around the other boats rigging was not one we wish ever to hear again, thankfully we were able to push them off far enough to not do further damage as they motored back out of the marina, the skipper yelling “don’t worry, I’ll pay for everything”. 

And so the Saga of the Dinghy Davit Repairs Began 

It is a saga that contains no funny moments and absolutely nothing entertaining so really there is little place for it on the blog except that it basically kept Mark busy for nearly two weeks (and I helped lots too)- removing the davits, preparing the area to receive the fixed (and I use the term “fixed” very loosely!!) davits, daily dialogue with the repair shop in person after the initial 3 day promised repair time kept stretching ~ and eventually when they reappeared having them sent back for more adjustments then reattaching and sealing them.  Getting them back together called for skills that only a magician might possess.  How to make this stainless bracket one inch longer, that one two inches shorter, how to get this screw through that hole over an inch away.  The repair is what one might call “an absolute botch job”, the stainless blackened and bent, the support brackets out of place, not a pretty sight but we are in Mexico, standards and the quality of available tools and products is a lot lower ~ at least we got the davits back before the Easter break.

Moving On

Tony arrived from New Zealand midstream in the repair process so he was able to have a few days enjoying Isla Mujeres and even managed a long day trip on the mainland and saw his fill of Mayan ruins.  We moved out of the marina once we were all back in one piece and awaited our weather window for crossing the Yucatan Channel and making landfall in Cuba.

It is almost due east across the channel from Mexico to Cuba and there is the Gulf Stream pushing all the water from the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico which takes you north ~ sometimes the Gulf Stream runs at over 3 knots.  We knew it was not likely to be an easy overnight passage and left with the best forecast we were likely to get with light south east winds.  We got about 40 miles out from Mexico pointing as far south as we could, before the Gulf Stream gathered us up and pushed us north, from then on it was a battle to lay the western tip of Cuba and it was a war we were never going to win as the wind backed round to the east ~ on the nose again!  Still, sea conditions were ok and the fishing was great, Mark and Tony hauled in three big Spanish Mackerel which netted us 2.5kg of fillets, excellent effort.   

As we closed on Cuba the next morning we could see another yacht in the distance rounding the southern Cape and heading towards the same pass as us.  An hour or so later we entered through the reef pass about 100 metres behind our kiwi mates on Bandit, they had cruised part of the southern Cuban Coast while we had explored inland Mexico, 27 days after farewelling them at Isla Mujeres we made our unplanned rendezvous on the South western tip of Cuba, couldn’t have planned it better.

 

Welcome to Cuba 

More Mayan Ruins & Charming Cities ….. March 2013

Touring the Yucatan Peninsular - Part Two: 10 – 15 March 2013

Uxmal to Campeche

We started the day early again, we didn’t anticipate that Uxmal would be as busy as Chichen Itza as it is off the beaten track in rather a remote location.  However it is still close enough for day trips from both Merida and Campeche so we were there at 9am to beat the crowds. 

The ruins are in a much more interesting setting than Chichen Itza, the surrounding land has the only hills on the peninsular so this added another dimension.  It was easy to see why the Mayans had deserted this settlement around AD900 due to lack of water, the ground was cracking in the heat, most of the foliage that remained was withering away, even the weeds were dying.  Just why they located here in the first place without a reliable water source seems an obvious question.    

We enjoyed the ruins, they were in much better repair than Chichen Itza and because of the lay out and the undulating land they were much more interesting to explore.  We spent a couple of hours there and left just before noon, there were no queues waiting to enter, no hawkers selling plastic statues or brightly coloured sombreros, and just a few small guided groups roamed the grounds.   

Upon leaving we rejoined the Ruta Puuc and drove to Labna, a site quoted in Lonely Planet as “the site not to miss”.  Maybe the good bits have crumbled away or we just didn’t  find them but after Chichen Itza and Uxmal it was very disappointing. 

We passed through Ticul a major centre for weaving and ceramics, dozens of outlets lined a busy street with not a parking in site, on the outskirts of town there was plenty of opportunity to stop but not a ceramic in sight, oh well. So we started our journey south, the countryside was a little more interesting and we went through a few small pockets of crops, banana plantations and orange groves, a welcome change to the dry bush.

 

Over the past few days we had been “coping” with topes. In other countries these are called judder bars, speed bumps, sleeping policemen and probably alot of other things, in Mexico they are topes and we were learning to hate topes with a passion.  It is an excellent idea to have them to slow the traffic down, but when we peaked out at 8 sets of them in about 40 metres we had just about had enough.  ALL towns, villages and shacks had them outside, bumpy ones, ridgey ones, big wide ones, small high ones that we would literally fall off the top off – must drive the locals absolutely mad but I imagine there are very few pedestrian deaths in the Yucatan.  Anyway, that is my moan about topes.

Modern Art exhibition in a pedestrian street in Campeche

It was a long drive to Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico coast (slowing down for all those topes!!)  With around 300,000 population its a reasonable sized town and the old walled town  centre was declared a World Heritage site in 1999.  Extensive restoration and renovations have ensued, several thousand litres of all imaginable pastel coloured paints have been applied to every building and although it was all very cute we felt it lacked soul, it was just a little too orderly.  Even on Monday morning with the shops open and people in the streets it still felt as if it was missing something.  Maybe I just wanted it to be more European – geraniums hanging from pots on the balconies, flowering vines and ivy clinging the the sides of buildings, washing lines strung out – something to give it more of a lived in feel. We planned to stay two nights and booked into the Hotel Lopez, the location was good and parking free.  But after having a wander around late Sunday afternoon and evening, then a stroll along the waterfront on Monday morning we had “been there, done that” and headed off.

Campeche to Merida

So we still had 3 nights left and we hadn’t originally planned to go to Merida – big city, busy roads, too busy, but cruisers are very flexible so we headed north on a tope free 2 lane highway, what bliss!

Driving around Merida was actually quite straight-forward, once we got used to all the one way streets, round and round we went – 2 blocks this way then 2 blocks that way, we tried a couple of small hotels which were both full then we spotted Hotel Maria Jose with parking, always a bonus, so in we went.

We stayed 2 nights in Merida, this classical cultural city has a lovely old town area, some of the buildings have been returned to their former glory, and some are a tad rustic – paint fading, plaster peeling.  There a many squares with huge trees, small parks and then there is the centrepiece, Plaza Grande “El Centro”.  The Plaza is surrounded by wonderful building - side walk cafes lie amongst tourist shops, banks, museums and local shops and the ever dominant cathedral watches over proceedings from one end.  There is a great blend of customs and cultures and a vibrant feeling to this area.

 

The Governors Palace (Palacio de Gobierno) and the incredible artwork inside

We visited the art galleries and museums housed around this classical Spanish style square then walked just a couple of blocks and got back into real Mexico at the local market, vendors shouting, all manner of wares for sale, roadside stalls selling peeled mangoes, chilli spiced peanuts, fresh orange juice, all smelling and looking very good.

Merida boasts live free entertainment every night of the year so we tracked it down both nights.  The first night was in the town square - young teenagers in costume danced for over an hour, they were very good. The second night was interesting, a few blocks out from the centre a band was playing in a square and all the mature local residents were out in force to party!

Merida to Tulum

We started our trip back across the Yucatan retracing some of our previous steps, more roads with topes, a bumping we will go!  We stopped at Valladolid for lunch, another pleasant colonial town with the plaza and church dominating the centre.  Then we turned south east and headed to Tulum.  Tulum is located back on the Caribbean coast, we had hoped to stop here on our way north in Balvenie but weather conditions didn’t allow it. 

It is the only Mayan site situated on the coast so the ruins have a spectacular backdrop of the azure Caribbean sea.  We didn’t arrive till after 4pm and they close at 5pm so didn’t get to see them first hand but it was an interesting stop off point on our way back to Cancun. It was the most touristy of any of the places we had stayed over the week offering white sandy beaches with good swimming and diving, Mayan ruins on the doorstep, interesting array of eateries, accommodations, and night life – and just a couple of hours from Cancun.

Tulum home to Balvenie 

Our last morning was spent driving up the coast the final couple of hours back to Cancun.  Although the road runs parallel with the coast you get to see very little as all the coastal land is bumper to bumper resorts set in very grand grounds with locked gates and plenty of security.  I suspect this is done more to make the tourist feel secure than out of necessity, we have not felt unsafe or in any danger at all during our time in Mexico. 

We successfully returned our wee car unscathed and were delivered back to the ferry terminal in time for the 11.30am crossing to Isla Mujeres.  By 12noon we were back onboard Balvenie at Marina El Milagro.

Yucatan done! 

 

  

Colonial Charm & Mystical Mayans ….. Mar 2013

Touring the Yucatan Peninsula – Part One:  07 – 15 March 2013

Isla Mujeres to Chichen Itza

We decided on a mid morning departure from Balvenie to start our weeks adventure touring the Yucatan Peninsular.  This meant that we would have the afternoon to travel from Cancun to Chichen Itza and then also have the morning on our last day to get our hire car back, perfect. 

Without a map of Cancun we had an interesting time getting on the right road.  Driving down 3 and 4 lane roads without any lane markings certainly kept us alert, but soon enough we left the hustle and bustle behind and moved into rural Mexico.  The roads were straight and flat, the countryside covered in scrubby bush and this was to be our view over the next 7 days with little variation, not unpleasant but somewhat monotonous.     The small villages enroute were very modest, but most were clean and cared for. 

We arrived in Piste, the closest town to Chichen Itza, late afternoon.  Considering the thousands of tourists that visit this major Mayan site every year it seems Piste has done little to make itself attractive to the passing hoards.  We stayed a couple of miles out of town at the Hotel Dolores Alba and decided to wait for the cool of the early morning to explore the ruins.  We drove to get our tickets for the evening Sound and Light show, but no, it would not be on tonight, we lost in translation the reason why not!

     

We were at the ruins by 9am, just one coach and 8 other cars in the car park.  We walked into the ruins with hardly another soul insight, the main showpiece of El Castillo stood prominent and bold in front of us, this ancient stone pyramid rising proudly to the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

We spent nearly three hours wandering through the grounds, wondering what it was like when the Mayans first started to settle here and build these outstanding structures around 600AD and what mysterious circumstances then transpired to see them abandon this amazing location in the 14th century.        

By the time we left the crowds were gathering in force,  several tour groups were on the move – follow the red umbrella for one, the orange sombrero for another - tour guides rattled off history lessons in several languages, cameras snapped away, videos whirred.  We were glad of our early start.   Hundreds (yes actually hundreds) of souvenir stalls had set up within the grounds selling some seriously tacky products, the hawkers hounded us as we ran the gauntlet past them.  The variety was limited, the quality poor, the vendors desperate – too many people trying to eek a living by selling the same things.  Tourism is big business but there were no signs of anyone getting rich from it here. 

Chichen Itza to Izamal

We left Chichen Itza behind us in the dust and headed west, intended destination Izamal.  We continued on the local road in preference to the toll road, but somehow we missed the turning to Izamal and ended up of the 2 lane highway, whoops.  Eventually we did find an exit and decided to retrace our steps and visit Izamal, it was worth the extra miles. 

Just a small town , nicknamed the Yellow City (easy to see why when you look at the photos), Izamal really did display ample colonial charm.  There were large treed central plazas on two sides of the cathedral, handsome buildings were set back with overhanging colonnaded sidewalks, just a couple of cafes plied for our custom (not quite European!!) and pony and traps awaited the few tourists.

This once was a major Mayan centre of worship, then along came the Spanish who conquered all, most of the Mayans were killed or put into slavery, their buildings were dismantled and up popped the Spanish alternatives, stones already pre-cut, how convenient!  One pyramid remains, albeit in rather a sad state of repair, but it is free to enter and we were even allowed to climb it so up we went, the view was excellent, you could see flat lands for miles and miles.  We stayed the night at San Miguel Arcangel Hotel a delightful hotel set in the corner of the main square, it even had some Mayan ruins in the garden, a great choice.

  

beaten up Beetles and mellow yellow Izamal

Izamal to Uxmal

Next morning we took to the road again, this time we got adventurous and took the highway and ring road around the large city of Merida, somehow we succeeded in getting in the correct lanes amidst some somewhat dodgy Mexican driving! 

We headed south on the “Hacienda Trail” but didn’t have a good success rate in visiting a hacienda.  We never found the first, the second was closed, didn’t spot another and then we  lost interest.  The henequen plant is a huge part of the Yucatan peninsulas latter history, sisal was made from the plant and supplied a huge portion of the worlds rope requirements until synthetics came on the market late last century.  This major industry then fell into rapid decline and just a couple of haciendas still operate as tourist attractions and small hotels, the remainder are crumbling into this dry, dusty and unforgiving landscape.

Next on the sightseeing itinerary was Grutas de Loltun, the largest cave system on the Yucatan Peninsular.  We hooked into an obligatory tour which lasted an hour, nice and cool underground, certainly an attraction when its 45c outside in summer.  Habitation of these caves dates back around 2500 years so very old for these parts.

The area around the caves is called the Ruta Puuc, it is littered with Mayan sites mainly small settlements with the exception of Uxmal, the jewel in the crown.  We passed a few, some could even be seen well from the road, The Palace of Masks at Kabah looked impressive even from the car park.

We found the The Pickled Onion B&B on the outskirts of Santa Elena, an oasis in the scrubby desert.  We stayed in a beautifully appointed cabana set in well cared for grounds and had the best meal so far in Mexico, excellent choice.    

It had been a long hot day but there was still more to see.  We drove to Uxmal for the evening Sound and Light show, unlike Chichen Itza this one was still operating and it played to an almost full crowd.  

The informative narrative told of a history of peace, war and battling the elements – not much has changed over the millenniums.  Historians believe Uxmal was finally deserted after prolonged drought and the jungle reclaimed the land.

More Colonial Charm and Mystical Mayans to follow soon