Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca

Peruvian Sellers

Our days in Peru were well planned due to many diverse activities in this beautiful country. The next trip took us to the breath-taking Colca Canyon (the world's second deepest canyon). We booked a 2 day tour through Marlon’s House. 

The first day included a spectacular drive from Arequipa to Chivay with a stopover at the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve where we got to see wild lamas, alpacas and vicunas. This route provides amazing landscapes and incredible wildlife. After 4 hours on the road, we arrived in Chivay which is the main village in the Colca Canyon. We spent the rest of the day visiting the markets and enjoying the local culture. At night, we were invited to watch a traditional folklore show in a local restaurant which was organised for the visitors. Although it was quite touristy, we still had a good laugh.  

Incredible landscapes

After an early morning breakfast at 5:30 am, we drove to the village of Yanque where another traditional dance of the native Quechua people (a tribe of the Andes Mountains) was organised for us. This is one of the ways for the locals to make some additional income.

Our next stop was the infamous Cruz del Condor, a cliff top lookout where we witnessed huge condors flying peacefully above the steep Colca Canyon. It was jam-packed with tourists trying to capture the best shot of these majestic birds. After a quick walk around the canyon, we returned back to Chivay for lunch before heading back to Arequipa in the afternoon.

Colca Canyon

Following a good night sleep at the Marlon’s House, we caught a bus to Puno which is a small town in the south-east of Peru. The town itself is not very interesting but we needed to stop there to visit the legendary Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America which is located between Peru and Bolivia.

Alex making new friends

The moment we arrived in Puno, Alex started to experience altitude sickness but she managed it well after taking some pills. Once we felt better adjusted to the altitude, we checked out some travel agents and bargained for the best price for a 2 day tour to the islands Uros, Amantani and Taquile in Lake Titicaca.     

Traditional Boats on Lake Titicaca

The next morning, we were picked up at 8 am from our hostel and driven to a nearby marina where our boat was waiting to board. We were an international group of 20 people and our first stop was the floating islands of Uros. The native people of Lake Titicaca live on 44 artificial islands made of floating reeds. We had a short stop in one these little islands and were greeted by Alice, the President of that community. She explained the process of building a floating island and their lifestyle in Uros. We were given some traditional clothes to try on. It was amusing to dress up like the natives. We left this peaceful and welcoming community and made our way towards the Amantani Island. Just to give you an idea about the size of this gigantic lake, it took us nearly three hours to reach our destination.

Connecting with locals

We had another warm welcome by the locals of this serene island who came to meet us in the marina. We were divided into small groups of 4 and our host families guided us to their houses where stayed for the night. After a traditional lunch, we had an incredible walk up to Pachatata (father Earth) to watch one of the most amazing sunsets. On the way, Alex bought an alpaca jumper from a local lady as the weather was cooling down. We reached the look out around 5 pm and took our seats to watch this wonderful spectacle. Beautiful colours of sunset provided an amazing light show. The energy was incredible on this island. I felt calm, peaceful and connected to the mother Earth.

Sunset in Amantani Island

By the time we got back to our home stay, dinner was almost ready. The food in Peru is one of the best in South America and we weren’t disappointed with the local cuisine. At night, the host families organised a fiesta (party). We put our traditional costumes that were provided by the families and danced all together with our hosts. It was a great way of connecting with these genuine people.

Party with the locals

We said goodbye to our hosts in the morning and left towards the Taquile Island. It took us another 2 hours to get there. The surroundings of Taquile reminded me of the Italian coast. We visited the main square and had fish for lunch. Once we got back to our boat, an older French tourist asked the guide if he could swim in Lake Titicaca. The idea spread like a wildfire and 5 minutes later, 8 of us jumped into the ice cold waters of this huge lake. My body went into a shock with temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius and I didn’t feel anything for about a minute. Then the cold hit me! I managed to swim back to the boat. It was very refreshing but I was very happy to be back on the boat with sun heating my ice cold body. It was a fantastic experience that I would never forget!

We got back to Puno in the afternoon, picked up our luggage and caught an overnight bus to Cuzco where we would start the incredible Inca Trail. 

A challenging swim in Lake Titicaca

Lima and Arequipa, Peru

Peruvian Literature House, Lima

In the late evening of October 12^th 2013, we arrived to Lima, a city with a population of 12 million, lots of traffic and pollution. Our hostel, Open Guest House, arranged a taxi to pick us up which is definitely a good idea for late arrivals in this metropolis. Lima is not the safest city in South America, so caution is required. Our hostel was in the Miraflores district which is one of the safest and more developed zones. The hostel was average. There are many bars and restaurants in this area, which is great if night life is your priority. 

Central Lima

The next morning visits included some Inca ruins, markets and the beach front. The weather was cloudy but we were told that it never rains in Lima. A fascinating attraction in Lima is the Magic Water circuit in the Parque de la Reserva. It is a spectacle of 13 interactive fountains that offer entertaining shows of water, music, light and laser effects. It has been named as the “world’s largest fountain complex in a public park” by Guinness Book of Word Records. 

Volcanoes around Arequipa

It was a pleasure to take a VIP night bus to Arequipa after a day in this busy and polluted city. Bus is a great option to travel in South America, especially in Peru. We travelled with a company called Cruz del Sur and had an excellent service. Comfortable, reclinable seats and tablets to watch movies were part of the luxury treatment. They also served free meals and drinks. It was just like a business class flight. The journey to Arequipa took 16 hours. It is definitely worth paying some extra money to travel with a reputable company.

San Camilo Market

Rocio from Marlon’s House greeted us at the terminal. She was a great host and it was a perfect place to stay in this beautiful town. After a cup of coca tea on the roof terrace with a view of the Misti Volcano, and a good chat with Rocio about things to do in Arequipa, we were ready to discover another fabulous city. Surrounded by three impressive volcanoes, El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu, the second biggest city of Peru has a unique baroque and mestizo architecture. In 2000, the central core of this historical city made it to Unesco World Heritage listing. Most important tourist attractions are La Basilica of Arequipa, La Plaza de Armas (the main square), the San Camilo Market and the Convent of Santa Catalina.

On our first night, we caught up with Marian whom we met at the Zoorefugio Tarqui. After a delicious and cheap dinner, we enjoyed our well deserved pisco sours, which is a traditional Peruvian cocktail made with local brandy, pisco, egg white and lemon juice. After a couple of rounds, we said goodbye to Marian who was catching a bus towards Cuzco the next day. It was wonderful to see her after a month and we were sure that our paths would cross again somewhere in South America.

The following day, we joined a free walking tour, which was a good way to find out more about the history and architecture of this striking town. During the tour, we met another traveller from Portugal, who told us about his ayahuasca experience in the Amazon jungle which got me slightly interested.

Colourful streets of Santa Catalina

On our last day in Arequipa, we visited the incredible Convent of Santa Catalina. The 16^th century convent remained a mysterious world until it opened up its doors to public in 1972. Today, it is the most visited tourist attraction from the Spaniard era. It is like a small city with amazing colours, simple but beautiful architecture and years of history. Each street is painted with a different vibrant colour. There are still some nuns living there and we got a good understanding of their simple lives. You can easily spend a couple of hours in this magical environment.

After 3 wonderful days in this intriguing city, it was time to discover the Colca Canyon.     

Convent of Santa Catalina

Quito and Cotopaxi, Ecuador

La Compania Church

Upon settling in our lovely home-stay with Olga and Marcello in Quito, it was time to master Spanish. I started intensive classes at the Christobal Colon Spanish School with Maria Gusta, aka Magus. She was an excellent teacher with full of joy and helped me a lot with my Spanish by making me talk 4 hours every day. Thank you Magus, you were amazing!

Paul and I with our wonderful teachers 

Private tutoring was a very efficient way of learning due to full attention I got from Magus who corrected my mistakes immediately. In addition, I ended up talking a lot more than I would in a class environment.  Private lessons are definitely affordable in Ecuador and the prices range between $6 - $10 per hour. If you decide to attend this school, getting a membership with the South AmericanExplorers Club can be a great idea. With this membership you get a $1 off for each hour of your Spanish class. It really paid off  for me as I attended 3 weeks of intensive classes. There are also additional discounts in tour and accommodation bookings mostly in Ecuador and Peru. We saved quite a lot of money thanks to South American Explorers Club.

Historical streets of Quito

Our days in Quito were well spent. While I was attending classes until 1pm, Alex was discovering the city and visiting some impressive museums and churches. We also made new friends at our home-stay, Paul and Alex, who were also students at the Christobal Colon. In the afternoon, we visited some churches, historical buildings, Mariscal area and Plaza Foch. Basilica del Voto National and Cathedral of Quito are very impressive buildings in the heart of the city. I also spent a lot of time doing homework and practising Spanish with locals.

Cathedral of Quito

Ecuadorians are one of the friendliest nations in South America. We met many beautiful people during our time. One of them was Jorge-Luis, who approached us in one of the main squares asking for donation to help poor children. We started to chat about our trip around the world, and he told us about his adventures in Europe. After an hour we became really good friends and caught up a couple of more times later on. I was also happy to meet up with an old friend, Katrin from Germany, who happened to be on a business trip in Quito at the time. We certainly live in a small world.    

Colourful Otavalo Markets

The weekends were excursion times. Our first trip was to Otavalo which is an indigenous town in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador. Buses depart from Quito’s main terminal and charge $2 for the 2 hour ride. Otavalo is famous for its colourful markets that features some of the finest woven products in the region such as alpaca blankets, scarves, wall hangings, paintings and jewellery. We bought alpaca beanies and gloves as a preparation for our coming excursions to volcanoes and crater lakes in Ecuador and Peru. The Otavalo Market is open every day, however Saturday is the best day to visit when it is the biggest.   

Our next excursion was to the Cotopaxi National Park. At 7am, our tour bus departed towards the second highest mountain of Ecuador. It is also the world’s third highest active volcano with a height of 5,897 metres. After a short stop, we arrived at the spectacular national park. Our lovely group had people from Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil. My Spanish classes were already paying off as I was able to communicate with them!

Alex at Cotopaxi

The bus dropped us off at 4,600 metres and we had to climb the rest till 5,000 metres where we reached snow and ice. It was quite a challenge due to high altitude. Our bodies don't really adjust quickly having less oxygen. It took us around 2 hours to climb 400 metres. We kept walking on a slow but steady speed. According to locals, chewing coca leaves helps with altitude sickness which we tried. We reached the snowy areas at 5,000 metres and were very happy with our efforts. It was an extraordinary landscape of red soil and ice which felt like another planet. Please follow the link for more information on Cotopaxi.

The walk down from the volcano was much easier. When we reached our bus, there was an option to bike down to a nearby lake. It was a rough downhill ride with incredibly scenery. We left the national park at 3pm and had lunch in a local restaurant on our way back to the capital. We were absolutely exhausted when we got back to Quito at 7pm. What an excursion!

Our next trip took us to “La Mitad del Mundo Ciudad” or the middle of the Earth. It is a small village which is Ecuador’s biggest claim of fame. It is close to Quito and can be reached by local buses. There are two different sites to visit. The first one is a little town where Charles-Marie de la Condamine made his measurements in 1736 showing that it was the equatorial line. There was some interesting information about this historical expedition to find the equatorial line. We were also lucky to watch some traditional indigenous dance shows.

Alex in the middle of the world

A couple of metres away from this little village, we visited the Intinan Solar Museum which claims to be located on the actual equatorial line calculated by GPS. It was a great museum where we got to participate in unique experiments such as turning of water in different hemispheres. If you are lucky, you can manage to balance an egg on a nail and receive a certificate. Both places were fun but I enjoyed the Intinan Solar Museum more because we did a lot of hands on experiments.

Indigenous family

Our last excursion was to the magnificent Quilotoa. Our bus departed around 7am. We had a mixed group from Sweden, England, Switzerland and of course our dear friend Paul from Australia. Our guide, Andres, was very knowledgeable about indigenous cultures of Ecuador and South America. On the way, we visited a native family living in a small hut in the mountains without electricity. This was a family of 5 and their income was through farming of quinoa. They were living in very harsh conditions, especially due to cold weather. They were happy to receive additional income from tour groups.

Incredible Quilotoa

We arrived at Quilotoa around 11am. It is a breathtaking crater lake in the Ecuadorian Andes with spectacular and extraordinary colours. While we were walking down to the lake , the colours kept changing with the sunlight. We rented some kayaks and went around the lake for a while. After a relaxing break, we started a massive hike back to the top. Alex and some others on the tour took mules to go back up. Paul and I decided to walk. Wow, what a torture. I took us about an hour to reach the top. Most of the group on mules were waiting for us when we arrived at the restaurant. It was challenging but I am glad to have done it.

After 40 amazing days in this beautiful country, it was time to leave. On the way to the airport, we felt sad and melancholic as we felt at home during our stay and made amazing connections with these serene people. Ecuador offers remarkable natural wonders, volcanoes, mountains, waterfalls, hot springs and most importantly welcoming and warm hearted people of the Andes Mountains.  Thank you Ecuador for being such a great host!   

       

The Animal Refuge, Zoorefugio

On our way to Tarqui, Alex and I had one of our biggest arguments and I was about to walk away, when she said she had lost hope in our relationship. When emotions are high like this, it is very difficult to reach a resolution, or even think clearly. It was wise decision for us to take time off and reflect back before jumping to a conclusion. 

The volunteer work at the Zoorefugio Tarqui gave us the opportunity to reassess our relationship and how we feel towards each other. We were also kept busy with hard work from early morning till late afternoon. We met other volunteers, Thomas, Marian Shelo and Thresa, who helped us to reduce the tension in our relationship. And of course, those beautiful animals with their unconditional love helped us to shift our focus from ongoing problems to compassion and love. This incredible week at this refuge centre was perfect for us to heal our wounds and re-evaluate our relationship.           

Marian feeding tapirs

Zoorefugio Tarqui is a centre that engages in animal welfare and environmental education. Most animals were brought in by the Ministry of Environment for rehabilitation after being rescued from animal traffickers. 

The work at the centre was hard. Days started by preparing meals for animals, cleaning cages and feeding some amazing creatures. There were a wide variety of animals such as monkeys, tapirs, jaguars, pumas, parrots, cuchuchos, turtles and wild pigs. After the feed, we helped to clean the grounds. While we were there, the owners were building a bigger cage for pumas. So, we helped in the construction by mixing cement and carrying sand. It was tough work and we were exhausted at the end of the day.

Amazing puma

The owner of the Zoorefugio wasn’t the nicest person but he provided us with opportunities to grow by setting healthy boundaries in terms of how much work we can do as paying volunteers. However, it was an invaluable experience to be with these incredible animals and meeting great people, especially other volunteers. My favourite animals were pumas, monkeys and jaguars.

One week at the centre had an amazing impact on us and on our relationship. I definitely felt a positive shift and was convinced that we could work out those relationship issues no matter how difficult they were.

Before departing to the capital, Quito, I wanted to try the shamanic medicinal brew called Ayahuasca. Amazonian shamans have been using this sacred wine as a window into the soul for centuries. An interesting article published by Kira Salak of National Geographic provides valuable insights about this Amazonian tradition. 

As stated in the earlier posts, one of my main reasons in this journey was to find out my purpose in life and I was willing to try this shamanic brew to get some insights. We found a local shaman through one of the workers at the zoo. After a strict diet (no sugar, salt, red meat and spices) and fasting for a day, another volunteer and I arrived at the shaman’s house in the evening. We drank the bitter brew half an hour later and started to wait for the effects. I didn’t feel much apart from an upset stomach. 2 hours later, the shaman offered me a second cup which I accepted. Soon after I started purging, which is a common side effect of Ayahuasca. We spent the rest of the night at the shaman’s house. The next day, I felt much lighter. My stomach problems were reduced. However, I had no visions or insights about my purpose, which was disappointing. I will elaborate more about my shamanic experiences in the episodes of Peru.

Our family at the refuge

In the afternoon, we said goodbye to our human and animal friends and made our way towards the capital. The main purpose of our visit to Quito was to learn Spanish. Alex lived in Spain for 2 years and she is fluent in Spanish but I needed more lessons to be able to communicate effectively. One of the volunteers at the zoo, Marian, recommended a good school in Quito, Christobal Colon. We also booked a home stay through them. When we arrived late afternoon, our host Olga welcomed us with open arms. She is a wonderful lady who became our Ecuadorian mother. She and her husband Marcelo have a big apartment in the middle of Quito where they rent rooms, mostly to students. You can contact her at +593 999 811 379 if you would like to experience this wonderful Ecuadorian hospitality.   

Our Ecuadorian mother, Olga

Magnificient Ecuador, Cuenca & Banos

We left Cuba on the 2^nd of September 2013, and flew to Guayaquil with a stopover in Bogota. Upon arrival, we took an overnight bus to Cuenca which according to our research was a good place to learn Spanish. The closer we got to our destination, the colder it became. We, of course, thought that Ecuador would be a warm country because of its location, but we were absolutely wrong. Due to high altitude some towns along the Andes Mountains can be bitterly cold. 

We arrived in Cuenca around 4am in the morning and were welcomed with temperatures of 4 or 5 degrees Celsius. Both of us felt very disappointed coming from the sunny and warm Caribbean.

Cuenca is a quiet and peaceful town with impressive architectures. We saw many cafes and bakeries full of retired people. In fact, it was voted as "the perfect place to retire" by many magazines. BBC even called it “paradise for immigrant pensioners” in one of its articles. In fact, many older North Americans are migrating to Ecuador mainly due to financial reasons. Ecuador was amongst the cheapest countries we visited in South America. Now you know where to retire.

One of the best things in Cuenca was the markets where we tried some interesting local dishes. These markets are perfect for cheap authentic lunches, fresh fruits and vegetables.  

2 nights in Cuenca were definitely enough. Although it is a beautiful and peaceful town, it was just too cold and quiet for us.

Baños in the Andes Mountains

Our next stop was Baños de Agua Santa. It is a small city in the Andean highlands of central Ecuador. It is situated under the active Tungurahua Volcano and is blessed with steaming thermal baths and magnificent waterfalls. We checked into the Hostal Princesa Maria which was recommended by a fellow traveller. The hostel was very close to one of the local markets where we obtained fresh produce for healthy meals. It was a perfect place to relax and meet other adventurers. During our first day, we met a lovely couple from the Netherlands, Lisette and Marcel who were on their honeymoon. 

Baños is famous with its’ outdoor activities, such as mountain biking and hiking. We rented some bicycles together with Marcel and Lisette and had a great excursion in La Ruta de las Cascadas, which is a 17 km ride with a dozen of waterfalls along the way. The most impressive one was the Pailon del Diablo, which means “Caldron of the Devil”. 

Caldron of the Devil

Riding along the tranquil Andes Mountains was an amazing adventure. Some other activities in the Baños valley are zip lining, cable car, bungee jumping and rafting. 

The virgin nature of these mountains was absolutely breath taking and energizing. We did many uplifting hikes around this peaceful town. After 4 days of fun and shared friendship, Marcel and Lisette continued their journey towards the Galapagos Island. The sad thing about travelling is to say goodbye to the wonderful people you meet along the way. However, it is a perfect reminder of the constant change in life.   

In Baños, I signed up for a week intensive Spanish classes including a home stay. Ecuador is one of the cheapest countries to learn Spanish. The cost was $6 or $7 per hour for a private tutor. In addition, Ecuadorians speak slowly and articulate well which makes it easier for beginners. Home stay was also a perfect opportunity to practice what I have learned at school. For a week, we stayed with Adrianne, Carlos and their two children. It was a lovely experience and I was able to improve my broken Spanish.

Our host family

Another attraction in Baños is the thermal baths. There are 2 main baths in town and both get very busy with locals visiting from surrounding villages. It is a good idea to go there straight after the cleaning process as the water gets dirty quickly with many people. The water temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius and it is easy to spend a couple of hours in these outdoor pools.

10 days passed quickly in this little Andean paradise, and soon we were on the bus to our next adventure: volunteering in an animal refuge in Tarqui, located in a tiny village close to Puyo, a small town next to the Amazon Jungle. We decided to help out in Zoorefugio Tarqui to get an understanding of working with animals. It was actually Alex’s dream for a long time. 

Cuba Libre, Trinidad and Vinales

Beautiful Trinidad

It was finally time to discover colourful Trinidad. We took another overnight bus which left Santiago with an hour delay. Unfortunately, it also broke down early in the morning and we had to wait for 1,5 hours another bus to pick us up. It took us 14 hours to reach our destination and we were simply exhausted when we arrived in our new casa particular.

Trinidad is a UNESCO World Heritage listed town in central Cuba. It is a perfectly preserved Spanish colonial settlement which brings you back to 1850s with its cobbled streets, and horse carriages. Because of its magnificence, it became very popular among tourists. Therefore, it is definitely more expensive than Santiago. 

Our efforts of finding a cheap restaurant paid off when we met Odiladies and her husband, Airan who run a little paladar (a Cuban term for a family run small restaurant). They were a young couple who took advantage of the new laws in Cuba and opened up their own business. They had great fish for $4 which was quite cheap for Trinidad. We instantly became friends with them and spent great time together. Odiladies also helped us to find a good babalawo (a Saint in Santaria religion) to clear the negative energy Alex was experiencing in the last couple of weeks. Santaria (Way of the Saint) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions. In order to get rid of Alex’s bad luck we were happy to try anything.

Colourful Trinidad

We visited a local babalawo, Dr. Jose Antonio, who is a medical doctor and also a medium. He delivered us some messages from the spirit world and told Alex to do a cleaning ceremony with some fruits. The next day, we did the ceremony in the Caribbean Sea. Believe it or not, Alex felt a sudden shift in her energy and her luck seemed to get better after that. It was amazing.

We spend most of our time visiting this beautiful colonial town and sharing great moments with our newly made friends. We met a friend of Airan, Juan, who was together with Mariana from Argentina. We got along very well and Mariana invited us to visit her when we will be in Argentina.

Our new friends

It was hard to say goodbye to lovely Trinidad, but we needed to make our way to the next city. Cienfuegos is a nice town on the southern coast of Cuba which was originally settled by the French Monarchist when Napoleon lost Louisiana. We were able to visit the entire city in one day. Some of the main attractions we visited include Palacio de Valle, Palacio Azul, the promenade of Cienfuegos, Pedestrian Boulevard, and the Cathedral of Cienfuegos. It was the cleanest city in Cuba and had an attractive French architecture. The only down side for me was a painful ear infection which forced me to pay a visit to an international clinic. After a thorough check up, I received a course of antibiotics and ear drops for the next 7 days.   

Palacio Azul

After one night in Cienfuegos, we made our way to Viñales which was a little, peaceful village with different coloured one storey houses. It is next to one of Cuba’s greatest natural attractions, the UNESCO Heritage listed Viñales Valley.

Bike tour with friends

On the bus to Viñales, we met Rafael from Colombia and his girlfriend, Tania from Croatia. They used to live in London before their trip around the world. Once again, we connected really well with these travellers and went out for dinner together. They introduced us to another couple, Felix from Germany and Natasha from Switzerland. Thanks to Felix’s travel book, we found a little paladar called Nora & Luis, which was quite far away from the village. It was worth the 45 minute walk. For $5 per person, we had lobster, salad, rice, fried bananas. It was fantastic.   

The next day, we rented some bicycles and visited the Viñales Valley with our new friends. The valley had a breathtaking scenery and a peaceful rural life. This part of Cuba is still very virgin and serene. The region is also famous for the production of quality tobacco and best Cuban cigars. 

We finished our tour around 3pm and had lunch in our casa particular. It is a common practice that these places offer meals to their guests to make additional income. It was a perfect way of tasting the local cuisine. After a long lunch, we said goodbye to our friends as they were going back to Havana the next day.

   

Cuban tobacco grower

The following day, we hired some horses and discovered the countryside with a local guide. We visited a cave, a tobacco farm and a spectacular lookout. We were shown how to roll cigars and were offered to try one with a delicious Cuban coffee. It was an experience to taste this freshly made cigar! After the tour, we visited Norma for a last meal before our departure the next day. While we were eating, she told us her life story which was quite emotional. This is what I loved about Cuba. Everybody is so open, welcoming and ready to connect. After dinner, we organised our transport to the Havana Airport for the following day.  

After an incredible month in Cuba, we were on our way to the airport in an old American car. What a closure! It was amazing to see that these 50+ year old cars still run quite well. The journey was a smooth and we made it on time to catch our plane to Ecuador.

We had several unusual experiences while we were in Cuba. We experienced theft, loss, shock, frustration, pain, anger, helplessness, relationship crisis, love, care, laughter, joy, rhythm, dance, friendship. I am grateful for the variety of experiences because they added richness and flavour to our journey, no matter how difficult they might have been at the time. Thank you Cuba!  We will always remember the warm hearts of your people.