Saturday, June 1, 2013

Jiminez, Northern Mexico, getting late

I know that it is Saturday night and it is my Sisters' birthday and all of that, but what the heck...the restaurant in the hotel opens at 11:00 pm. !  Good God, they must be Argentinians!

 It has been a blast sitting in the lobby, watching the birthday party for a 5 or 6 year old, and observing all of the 30 something Mothers and how they deal with kids and all of the rest of it.  I know, I have a niece who calls me a lurker or some similar disparaging description for old guys leering at women...Jeez Louise...oh yeah: "A Creeper"..she says..


I found a casa particular right on the malecon, with a beautiful view of the harbour...

 These guys were skin diving and fishing...




This was quite the statue...


The Cubans have a fantastic culture of physical fitness. You can see all sorts of folks, including kids, working out and exercising all the time..



These guys pulled the tranny and fixed it on the street in a couple of hours...

















 Just try and talk to me, dude....


Cops don't do doughnuts in Cuba....however....


These guys caught a turtle and cut it up...







A visit to the musuem which promotes Fidels' invasion force  from Mexico, and other relics of the fight against the Yankee imperialists, including ground to air missles...

 Which shot down an American spy plane...
 Russian tanks used in the Bay of Pigs fiasco...








This is the famous boat which Fidel and 84 supporters first came from Mexico to begin the Revolution...





And then some more cars....

 and cannons...


 Two very cool posters...

For Doug...

Clearly the American embargo is part of the glue which holds the country together, politically...
Did I mention that I have a thing for Fords??


















 More tanks...


 In front of an Embassy...


 A beauty....








Finally, enough of Havana, and back on the road again....


 Cactus fences: how cool is that?






 Just so I can tell my nephew the pilot that I went there looking for him....

As I said, lots of physical education...

 No wonder I got lost in Havana: the directions are different...







Must be Varadaro: tourist party boat....



 Sugar cane makes the world go around in parts of Cuba...



The  roads are long and straight, with not much elevation change....


Lots of steam trains and tracks throughout Cuba...


I am off to Australia...to be continued..