Whew/Woo!

Another day, another country! :)

So far, Puerto Rico seems like a beautiful if straightforward country.

I like the people so far, more than in Cuba. I felt the same way about Puerto Ricans versus Cubans in Miami. Both are Latin, Caribbean people, with warmth, comforting food, cool music, etc. Puerto Ricans seem way more relaxed. Cubans seem more insistent.

Seeing store shelves stocked with stuff, what a different sight!

The restaurants here cost considerably more, but provide more of the mains, less of the staples.

It's like being in the US, which it is!

I still haven't figured out many of the details of the country. Is it also considered its own country? What language(s) is/are official? Etc. The signs are in Spanish, people speak mostly Spanish but more English. It feels kind of like being in Texas, etc. It's like being in a Miami neighborhood.

So much to do!

Would Cubans even believe in drive-thrus?

It's much more pleasant in Puerto Rico. Relaxing, boring, etc. Less interesting, scenic.

PR is a more developed economy.

So far Puerto Ricans strike me as somewhat plain. Plain-looking women, plain food, etc.

Closing down tons of open tabs, from Nauta (Cuban wifi often failing, requiring reconnections), Airbnb (often failing, requiring refunds), etc.

PR seems developed to the point that, like other parts of the US, there are few kids. Tons of suburbs, cars, fast food chains, etc.

One benefit of Cuba (in addition to another benefit of muchos pedestrians, etc.) is the plethora of fresh people.

Toyota may be the unofficial car brand of PR. Straightforward, works.

So many products and services. When people are free to buy and sell, they find offerings and prices that suit needs, in often unpredicted ways. It just works.

Puerto Ricans seem more respectful than Cubans.

Some life/travel lessons:

It's insane in this environment to expect peace & quiet, to expect things to go according to plan, etc. Instead, take the plunge, adapt! :)

It often takes two or more tries.

Upon entry in PR:

Seems far closer to my ideal society than Cuba or mainland USA does!

No huge police presence.

No huge government presence.

Things seem to work.

Laughter! :)

Capitalism works.

So much to think, see, do, try, say, etc.

Things often go "wrong," mistakes happen, etc., but you find ways to travel.

By the way, I think I'm a solid fit for travel, or travel for me.

There's even a subway in San Juan, apparently! :)

Apparently it's hard to get decent Airbnb directions in PR, too. :)

So far Puerto Rico seems like a bigger, more modern society than I would have guessed.

Pop. 5 million? 3 million.

I want to spend a couple of weeks catching up, exploring town, working, meeting people, eating, etc.

Then, maybe a month or two expanding throughout the city.

Then maybe a month or two seeing the rest of the country.

Then maybe boat to Dominican Republic, ride to Haiti? Return to PR?

See if other ferries. Can maybe make PR a base.

Seems like a dense enough country to supply interest for some time, m a few months.

Fresh new country! :)

Part of America. I'll probably get annoyed at the American stuff again soonish. For now it's a breath of fresh air! :)

I'm going for a more tolerant attitude, towards people, places, activities, etc., in PR.

I like small towns.

Big cities can be too loud.

First settle in! :)

Out from the Cuban internet blockade! :)

A quiet night, after busing then walking.

I feel like I've just about run through my supplies here. I'm down to around 75 cents' worth of pesos. I'm almost done my deodorant, insect repellent. Getting ready to restock! :)

Probably spend at least the next six months, through hurricane season, in Puerto Rico.

Long day!

Made it back to America!

Feels like the future.

Starbucks.

Cubans seem pretentious, despite not being particularly smart, wealthy, beautiful, etc.

Each place has its pros & cons. Challenges anywhere.

I think that what you do is more important than what you study.

The cheap things are often better: laptops, food, hotels, etc.

Often not, though.

Cuba is a beautiful country. I'm ready to leave, for the financial situation (low cash). Also, I'm getting more annoyed by the culture, other than some stand-out individuals. On the downside, there are still a few more parts that I would like to see.

I'm happy to have had the chance to see so much of Cuba, on not much cash. $300 US, much lost in transaction fees and other costs, along with perhaps a few hundred more dollars from PayPal for Airbnb.

You can go far for not much money. Especially in Latin America! :)

It's been quite an adventure!

Walking across Cuba in one direction, then busing across Cuba in a different direction. Tons to see, eat, meet, do, etc.! :)

Tons of feet & face pictures. The important parts! :)

I apparently like the architecture.

It's big, it's bold, it's beautiful.

I like how each building is unique, artistic. It's opposite of US where most buildings are identical copies.

I like how the mangoes, so sweet, fall to the ground. You can pick one up almost anywhere. Here, they taste varied, some like fruta bomba, some like spaghetti squash.

I like the Cuban people more now, after having met a number of them.

On a country farm.

I tried taking a nap.

Now around 1:15 PM Tuesday. Planning to set out on foot at around midnight. 7 km to the international departures. Depart at 9 am.

Things it's common to see a Cuban carrying while walking, biking, or riding a bus: chicken, fan, etc.

Cuban people seem insistent.

They want to be heard, seen, etc.

"oye," "mira," "oiste?", etc.

Maybe explains Fidel's long speeches.

In Cuba, because of the poverty (which is because of communism), also because of the traditional society, people use bike, walk. The cities are more compact than American cities. People eat outside, talk with each other. As a result, it's much more fun, interesting, to walk around Cuban cities. (Also, other Latin cities, probably elsewhere.)

A result of the larger number of people walking, biking, is that car traffic adjusts to pedestrians, cyclists. You can walk down a major street with cars, they'll sometimes go around you.

Here, even elegant women ride bicycles, have to do regular things.

I've had numerous advantageous experiences while traveling in Cuba, many unexpected. Often as a result of mistakes, accidents, "problems."

I think that travel opens one to different environments. The interaction w/ geography & culture other than what one already knew provides different insights about oneself & one's larger (general) environment.

Travel just means going somewhere. You can even travel without physiologically leaving home. As one person mentioned, traveling by Google street view.

After around a month and a half in Cuba, I feel like I've finally started to understand the accent. I don't think I'd gotten to that point in Miami, despite the Cubans there. I may even have picked up some of the accent and vocabulary, even though I still think it's the ugliest form of Spanish. Oiste? ("You heard?") I also have a much better sense of the culture & geography.

I'm thinking Monday in Bayamo. Bus privado Tues. If by some low odds no bus privado, then bus, or hitchhike, or taxi, etc.

Looks like no town.

Things can seem slow or fast.

I'm now getting ready to leave Cuba. In my head I've already partly left.

It's a gorgeous country. Cuba has oceans, mountains, agriculture, architecture, music, communism. It's a diverse blend of a country. Again, as with other countries, I'm surprised by the variety, compared to my expectations previous to arrival.

I didn't have as precise a set of preconceptions for Cuba as I did for Mexico. I knew something from talking to Cubans in Miami. I feel like Cubans in North America are more like Cubans in Cuba, compared to Mexicans in Mexico versus Mexicans in North America.

I'm now considering staying in Bayamo another night, Monday, then taking a maquina to the airport Tuesday.

That would be instead of going closer to the airport Monday. There aren't many Airbnb's to choose from near the airport.

I'm somewhat concerned about getting to the airport without an extra just-in-case day. It's important to me not to lose the ticket!

There should be plenty of buses going Tuesday. If not, then I can probably hitchhike, get a taxi, or find some other solution.

One funny thing about travel is how sometimes there's a huge rush to do many things soon, while other times there's a lengthy period in which to do one thing. Each situation can be difficult, frustrating, but also a rewarding challenge.

Sudden thunderstorm.

I walked out of the river park. Found a nearby house w/ a roof. Ducked under for cover.

People kept walking by, carrying a chicken under an arm. I don't know whether it was for food, or a pet.

Woke up to do what I can to leave the country (Cuba) soon. Connected to wifi. See that even the house wifi requires logging in.

I now have like less than an hour of wifi. Maybe the host can log in again. Not even sure that I can log in to house wifi with my card.

My feet hurt.

I want to get to PR! :)

No wifi here.

So, I'm now in Santiago de Cuba, with $8 & change in (precious) wifi cards.

"Let's just quickly…" does not work in Cuba.

Not sure yet how to get out of here.

Maybe fly to Puerto Rico.

Maybe fly to Dominican Republic. Somewhat less expensive, but less option to stay there, would have to have onward ticket, so no.

Maybe boat.

Do what I can! :)

Getting ready to leave Cuba, bittersweetly.

Some things I'll miss about Cuba:

Horses ("Caballo!")

Food! Rice, beans, etc.

Kind people

Sunshine

Music

Mangoes

Guavas

etc.

Some things I won't miss about Cuba:

Noises! Yelling

Vehicle exhaust

Bureaucracy

Bloqueo

I'd wanted to go to Baracoa & Guantanamo. After walking around Santiago some more, seeing the main parts of the city, I went to the train & bus station. Asked around, sounded like no private buses going to those destinations.

With my cash reserves running low, still concerned about getting safely out of Cuba, I decided not to go. Instead, spent the beautiful day in a grassy area under the sun, thinking.

Now planning to leave Cuba Friday if feasible.

So far Santiago de Cuba seems like one of the dirtier, noisier cities in the country.

Woke up somewhat late. Walked around town. Felt like I had seen enough of Holguin. I was curious to see where Fidel Castro was born, which I had read was in Holguin. I asked someone, who told me it was not precisely here, but rather in a nearby location. The name was hard to make out, something like Vilan. (It's actually Biran.) I tried to look it up on my map, but did not find it.

Walked to the bus station. It's usually possible to get on a private bus at these. As the private buses came, a person yelled out the destinations. I asked around, but all the buses were going to small towns nearby. My preferences were to go to 1. Baracoa, or 2. Guantanamo, or 3. Santiago. Someone told me that no buses were going to Baracoa. I figured in that case that none would be going to Guantanamo, or to Fidel's hometown.

While deciding what to do, I bought some snacks from the omnipresent vendors. Some peanut bars, some butter crackers which weren't particularly buttery. Another vendor, selling chicharones which I didn't want, told me that a bus to Santiago had just left, but another one would be coming in around an hour. I decided to wait for that one.

Later, a bus arrived, again in the cattle car style. "Santiago!" Suddenly a huge rush of people. I wasn't the only one waiting for the bus to Santiago. People crowded around the entrance, pushing hard to get onboard. There were many passengers, some of whom would presumably have to wait for the next bus. I pushed forward, as the crowd applied pressure. People rushed the entrance from every direction. I was surprised at how effectively people fought to get onboard. With my strength above average for the crowd, I managed to get on.

The bus was packed. Somewhat hard to breathe, although once underway the air circulated better through the windows. I struggled to see outside. On previous buses, I'd had at least some view, while on this bus I could hardly see the buildings on the side of the road. The distant scenery was easier to see, because of the angle at which I could look out the windows.

At the stops, while people embarked and disembarked, vendors walked up to the bus and sold their wares through the open windows. At one stop, the kind man next to me bought a bunch of pineapple slices, which he shared with neighboring passengers. They were sweet and delicious.

I feel that Cubans are kind. I think they are even warmer than other Latin people I have met.

In some sense, the unity, the solidarity, the political socialism of Cuba, seems to me like a reflection of the Cuban personality. In general, I think that societies take on political systems reflective of the people.

I think that Cubans are intrinsically sociable. It's just normal here for people to do things together.

I think I've seen men greeting each other with kisses, as women greet each other or greet men in some societies.

Santiago is a large city in eastern Cuba. It has geographic beauty, with the gorgeous hills.

<Santiago pix>

So far Santiago seems to me like more of a culinary city than other Cuban cities. Maybe I'm just seeing some of the busier streets so far, but I feel like there are more and better food places than elsewhere. (After more time there, I think that it was just because I had arrive on the main streets.)

I'm now thinking of going to Baracoa and Guantanamo from here, then returning. Not sure yet of the details.