Back from Cuba = Retorn de Cuba

Ja som a DF! We are back in Mexico! Aquest es un post curt per confirmar que hem sobreviscut Cuba i els cubans el Dean i volar en un Yak 42! This is a short post to confirm we have survived Cuba, the cubans, a Yak42 and hurricane Dean. We cannot write about Cuba in 5 minutes and today we started at 3 thirty AM, cold shower and 30 minutes wait for a taxi that never arrived, for a moment we thought we werent leaving Havana! Avui hem comencat el dia a les 3 i mitja del mati esperant un taxi per anar a l.aeroport que mai ha vingut, per un moment ens pensavem que no sortiriem mai de l.Havana!En cinc minuts no ho podem explicar tot... i ara estem destrossats... arribant a DF hem anat cap al museu de la frida Kalho i despres el de Diego Rivera, i ara a l'hostal a dutxar-nos (amb aigua calenta) i descansar, dema o mes tard ja us en farem cinc centims mes. We have already done a couple of museums and are in desperate need of a hot shower and a rest before we can go on. So more to come soon. More pictures and lots to say about Cuba now. Petons a tots i records dels Morell que encara son a l'illa!

Tempestes tropicals a la vista / Tropical storms coming

Sembla que la quarta tempesta tropical, que encara esta molt lluny, potser arribara a la costa de Mexic la setmana vinet, quan ja haurem marxat! Fins divendres no se sabra el recorregut possible,pero sembla que podria convertir-se en l'huraca Dean sobre la costa de Venezuela o sobre Puerto Rico.. massa prop de Cuba, on serem, pel nostre gust, pero millor que no pas aqui on som en cabanes de troncs mes que precaries, amb el sostre fet de fulles...

Potser haurioem de decidir no anar a Cuba i marxar cap a DF per evitar la pluja, pero hem esperat tant per anar-hi que ens hi arriscarem, i seguirem mirant els "partes" del servei de deteccio d'huracans.

as dad says, it seems the forecast has announced possible tropical storms and maybe hurricanes in the Caribbean. not good, although an experience never the less, I think. imagine: I survived hurricane Dean T-shirts... fantastic, a vintatge item...

anyway, lets hope the weather dosn't get too rough, it would spoil mum's tan and that would be a shame!

We're currently living the Bounty advert in a palm-thatched shack on the beach near Tulum, Mexico. Sand (white), sea (turquoise), sky (blue and stormy) and fantastic wildlife (both inside and outside the shack). We saw some huge lizards this morning. This truly is paradise!

However, paradise comes at a cost. It seems we're in some sort of tourist loop that we can't get off. Of course, if anywhere is worth visiting, everybody wants to visit it. This means prices here are on a par with Europe ... accommodation, restaurants, taxis .... but what you get in return is, more often than not, not worth it.

We're about to head off to the San Francisco de Asisi Shopping Mall (I thought he was the patron saint of animals .... dead, frozen ones stuffed in the freezer section, it seems) to stock up for tonight's supper and tomorrow's breakfast.



Com diu la Diana això és el paradís però amb preus de supermercat de la costa Brava... Un petit xoc després de viatjar per Guatemala, El Salvador i el sud de Mèxic, on les coses tenen uns altres preus. Aquí el servei és el mateix però es paga per estar en zona turística al sud de Cancún...
El mar és extraordinari i ja hem fet més d'un bany al Mar del Carib! Fins a les sis del matí i tot! Fora la cabana hem vist un parell de llargandaixos molt grossos, un pelicà ens sobrevola constantment i els crancs s'amaguen al nostre pas... Avui hem fet un "brunch" al poble... jo he pres sopa de gambes... boníssima!

Les runes de la cultura Maia ens han sorprès i impressionat (Tikal, Palenque i ara a Tulum) i de moment l'Ella i la BLanche ho han tolerat!
L'aigua freda de les dutxes ja ni es nota, i fins un s'oblida d'obrir l'aixeta de la calenta quan n'hi ha i tot... fa molta calor i humitat i per tant un xic d'aigua sempre va bé.

Flores - leaving Guatemala tomorrow

Gracies a en Lluis A. de BCN que va parlar be d'aquest lloc tant agradable... avui es el tercer dia que som aqui... hem visitat els monuments de Tikal, hem anat en barca pel llac i hem descansat molt i fins hem fet tota la bugada! Pujar a un dels temples de Tikal de matinada quan encara era negra nit i sentir despertar la jungla en silenci va ser impressionant. L'hostal de motxillers on som es ple de gent oberta i in teressant i l'Ella i la Blanche no paren... aixo ens ha donat a tots un xic d'espai, que sempre va be. Les dutxes fredes no semblen preocupar ningu i son forca mes refrescants que el llac, on l'aigua semblava una banyera. La gent es molt agradable i et fan sentir molt ben acollit... si ens haguessim de quedar a Guate, potser triariem Flores!
Dema marxem cap a Mexico (a les 5 del mati), cap a San Cristobal de las Casas, on esperem passar uns dies coneixent gent i zona abans d'anar cap a la platja a Tulum... i d'alla cap a l'Havana el dijous 16, on ens esperen els Morell i un cigar!
Thanks to LLuis A. from BCN who spoke so highly of this lovely place ... this is our third day here.... we've visited the Tikal Mayan ruins, been across the lake by boat (how else?) and relaxed ... we've even got laundry done! Climbing Temple V at Tikal in darkness and waiting for daylight whilst listening to the jungle wake up was extraordinary!
The backpackers hostel we're staying in is full of open, interesting people and Ella and Blanche haven't stopped ... and we've all enjoyed a bit of space. The cold showers are refreshing in this heat, much more so than the lake which was like swimming in a bath! The people are really friendly here and make you feel welcome ... if we had to stay in Guate this would be the place ...
Tomorrow we're off to Mexico(at 5am) to San Cristobal de las Casas where we'll spend a few days before heading off to Palenque, Tulum and the beach and then to Havana on the 16th where we meet the Morells to have a cigar!

Frijoles and tortillas

We are back in San Salvador at Lluis and Irma's (from SABES, http://www.aguasabes.org/index.html, check them out!). Today we have had a great day, visiting the mountains near Perquin and swimming in a pool in a river on the Honduras border - we even got a stamp at the immigration office at the customs house! The water was cold but worth the effort. To get there we went in two cars, the six of us plus Valentin, a French youth the girls chatted to ( or up...) at the Posada, plus two "guards" with large machetes, ex combat people from the ERP, that fought the 1980-1992 war! It helped making all of us feel safe and it seems the normal thing to do here. Yesterday we attended several town's fair functions, including a japanese display (?*!) and a charity supper. We also visited El Mozote, a town where early Dec 1981 the government army massacred 1000 civilians including at least 460 young children... One of the few that escaped it -as she was away visiting relatives- guided us and told us the story... she lost 6 brothers and sisters and 17 nephews and nieces that day! A very educative and specially emotional visit. This was not the only atrocity the army commited during the war, and now, it seems the country is being cheated of real democracy...
The last four days have been very emotional -robbery included- and reminded me of all the things we thought we knew when demonstrating in spain in support to various "revolutions" and guerrillas in south america in the late 70s and early 80s... We could not even imagine how tough it really was for all the locals and the things they had to do - and still have to a great extend- to survive and feed their families.
Tomorow we return to Guatemala and head off to Flores, for a few days rest, a visit to Tikkal and lots of clothes washing.

Tornem a ser a San Salvador, a casa d'en Lluis i la Irma(de SABES, http://www.aguasabes.org/index.html, mireu-ho!). Avui hem passat un altre gran dia, visitant les muntanyes prop de Perquin i banyant-nos en un riuet prop de la frontera amb Honduras -fins ens han segellat els passaports a la duana! L'aigua era molt freda pero ha valgut la pena. Per arribar-hi hem fet un comboi amb dos cotxes per portar-nos a nosaltres sis i a en Valenti, un noi frances que han conegut les noies a la , i dos guardes armats amb "matxets", ex combatents del ERP, que varen participar en la guerra del 80 al 92! Sembla que aqui aixo es forca normal... Ahir vbarem anar a la fira al poble i varem disfrutar de les presentacions japoneses (?*!) i un sopar en suport dels nens i nenes. Tambe varem visitar EL Mozote, un poble on la'exercit del govern va massacrar mes de 1000 persones els primers dies de desembre del 81, entre les que hi havia almenys 460 infants. Una noia del poble, que va escapar la massacre ja que era visitant uns parents a prop, - a ella li varen matar 6 germans i germanes i 17 nebots i nebodes- ens ha guiat pel poble i explicat com va anar. Ha sigut un dia molt instructiu i emotiu! Aquesta no va ser la unica atrocitat que va cometre l'exercit durant la guerra, i ara, sembla que els han mig enganyat fent veure que tenen un estat democratic...
Els darres 4 dies han estat molt emotius - robatori inclos- i m'han fet pensar en tot el que pensavem que sabiem a finals dels 70 i durant els 80 quan ens manifestaven recolzant les diverses revoltes i guerrilles a sud america... No podiem ni imaginar el que estaven passant la gent d'alguns d'aquests paisos i el que havien de fer per sobreviure i mantenir les seves families.
Dema retornem a Guatemala per anar a Flores, on a mes de visitar Tikkal, esperem reposar un xic i fer molta bugada!

several kilos lighter / ja hem perdut pes

Abans d'ahir varem arribar a el salvador, ahir varem viatjar pel pais veient parts molt interessants, pero tambe molt pobres. En LLuis, d'Agua Sabes, ens va portar a veure l feina que estan fent portant aigua apoblets i establint les minimes mesures de salubrityat... i portant salut a força gent... despres varem anar cap a Perquin, on estan de festa... passant força aventures ja que el pick up es va espatllar i ens varem quedar sense gasoil... a l'hora de mes calor. Despres de dormir en un hostal molt simpatic pero molt basic, aquest mati la Diana i en Manel hem anat a fer un passeig encantador, dues hores pel bosc, a mil metres d'alçada, veient paisatges i animalons... e al tornar uns joves que ens ensenyaven una pistola i un matchete ens han alleujerat dels dolars que portavem, el rellotge, la camera i les ulleres de sol... per sort quan ens han demanat les botes han vist que començava a fer massa estona que ens estaven assaltant i han fugit... aixo si, despres de tornar-os la tarja de la camera i la documentacio... un ensurt! ara hem fet la denuncia a la policia nacional salvadoreña i esperem disfrutar de les festes del poble, sense haver de preocupar-nos mes per la camera ni les ulleres de sol....



Two days ago we arrived in El Salvador, where Lluis, from Agua Sabes, has shown us around the country and some of the projects they are working on bringing water to small villages, thus making their lives better and much healthier. Yesterday evening we finally arrived in Perquin, after breaking down and running out of petrol first.... This is a small moutain village at 1000m where they are celebrating the local fiestas... this morning Diana and Manel went out for a walk into the forest to enjoy butterflies and other animals as well as the amazing views. On the return journey we were held up by two youths, one with a gun and the other wielding a machete. They relieved us of our dollars - about 130- and Diana's camera and watch and Manel's sunglasses. We have now recovered from the ordeal and after making a police report with a laughing policeman, who was very concerned, we hope to enjoy the town's fiestas and even dance a little in the square...