Another of the awesome initiatives in Quito is the Ciclopaseo. Basically, the city shuts down 30km of one of its main North-South arteries (Avenida Amazonas) to traffic each Sunday between 8am and 2pm (Quito is a long, narrow city oriented North-South), to encourage everyone to get out on their bikes. And its incredible how many people take advantage…
Latin american countries have some pretty nifty ideas! In Quito, they have these mobile health stations set up in the main plaza as well as several of the large parks that can be found near the centre of the city (at least). They measure height and weight, blood pressure, glucose levels and offer nutritional…
My foodie journey through Ecuador started in Quito with the Quito Culinary Tour and Cooking Class from Quito Urban Adventures. I was again the only person on the tour (I’m starting to get a complex!) and had a great time chatting with Pablo, who not only talked about Ecuadorian food, but also how Ecuadorian history…
What is the most obvious thing to do when you’ve spent 1 day at altitude in the last 18 months, haven’t been on a pushbike at all for about 9 years and have never mountain biked? Do a 3-day mountain bike tour of the Ecuadorian altiplano with the Biking Dutchman of course! I came across…
I spent a total of almost 6 days in La Habana but didn’t really get up to very much. These were my highlights. Doing nothing: I spent a lot of time sitting on the balcony of the Casa Particular where I was staying, watching the view and listening to Maroon 5 and The Cat…
There is a lot of propaganda about Fidel, Che and the revolution in Cuba – some of it really quite artistic. Because Fidel and Raul are still alive, the propaganda featuring them tends to be on billboard along the highways (the only type of advertising along the highways in Cuba). It is Che and…
Not often you see traffic signs like these … But they are everywhere in Cuba – reflecting the more traditional modes of transport that many Cubans use.
I’ve mentioned before that I have no idea where Cubans get their food from – which is not strictly correct. At least some of the fresh food is often peddled around the streets by vendors with carts. Where the rest comes from, I still have no idea…
The Viñales valley (you guessed it – yet another UNESCO location) is about 2 hours away from La Habana, really chilled out and really beautiful. It is one of the biggest tobacco growing areas in Cuba where traditional cultivation techniques still dominate, and is renowned for its mogotes – dome-like limestone outcrops that rise abruptly…
One would think that taking a collectivo taxi (ie a taxi that follows a fixed route but takes more than one passenger) from Trinidad – Viñales would be faster than taking the bus. One could also be very, very wrong! I was the last person to be collected from my Casa Particular in Trinidad and…