Hong Kong

Well we are here on our last stop for this trip... it seems weird that after so long we are so close to being home. For now however we will enjoy the vibe that is Hong Kong.
Immediately hit by the humid wet air is what quite a contrast to what life had been like for the last couple of weeks.
We stayed in Kowloon in possibly the worlds smallest room. It fitted a small double bed and had a toilet shower room all in one which could possibly have been smaller than just our toilet room at home.... Added to the cramped location was the fact there was no exterior windows. Needless to say we had no idea what time it was when we woke up or what the weather was doing. It was really clean and the people lovely.
Hong Kong truly has one of the most breathtaking skyscrapers i have ever seen and as it changes from day to night it is just magic. Every night the lights are choreographed to music and flicker on and off in time with the music.
We went for a hop on hop off bus tour as our chosen way to get around Kong Kong as there were four different routes and gave us a wonderful overall impression of the city.On the first day we headed off to the South side of Hong Kong Island to Stanley Bay and it beautiful sea front and wonderful market (be proud of me people, I didnt buy anything). The bus drove us through the townships of Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay and proved magnificent views across the South China Sea. The traditional Sampan Ride at Aberdeen was fascinating as we got a glimsp of how the people who live full time on these boat live and the fishing techniques employed. We also saw the giant floating restaurant, however trying to get there to eat some lunch proved less fruitful.
We took the night tour bus and it turned out to be a true adventure in extreme rainfall. We were on the top deck in a covered section and each time the bus braked water would rush to the front and create a large waterfall down the stairs to the bottom deck of the bus... we didnt get to see much.

On the next day we headed up Peak Tower for spectacular views across the whole on Hong Kong and then on an electronics mission for my brother. We had a lovely night cruise to watch the lights followed by some Temple Street Night Market action... this time I wasnt so strong and the market sucked me in and out came my wallet :) The food on Temple St is fabulous as you sit outside and watch the hustle and bustle of the market wash over you.
Our last full day of our holiday and we have an action packed day planned. Ocean Park is so big and has so many cool rides and shows its hard to know where to start. Lucky for me I have possibly the worlds best adventure park planner as a boyfriend and he had me darting off all over the place. I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to roller coasters etc until I get on the first one and then I love to hate them. I am just glad F didnt buy the photo of me looking like I was about to burst into tears at the end of the roller coaster ride.... On  top of the rides we had cool shows with dolphins, sturgeon and exotic tropical birds. After we left Ocean Park full of adreline we headed to the famous Hong Kong Happy Valley Racecourse for some Wednesday night betting action. I was so much fun and we were so close to the action... what a great night out and inexpensive.
Our final day in Hong Kong and of our 7 month adventure took us to the History Museum which was well worth a visit.

Cyprus

            Cyprus

I didn’t know what to expect from Cyprus apart from a lot of meet and greet of F’s family. My first impression is that the landscape was incredibly dry and very baron but the water was beautifully clear.

F had warned me about the eating culture of the Cypriots and he was right!!! We walked in the door of his Grandmothers house to be greeted by food and not just a little food but enough food to feed the whole street. This was the beginning of the loving daily fight between his grandmother and him about not cooking, not cooking too much and not trying to force feed us. It was actually quite amusing.

I had been warned that I would be bored while in Cyprus as there was going to be a lot of sitting around doing not much, well I found it quite the opposite.

The first two days we visited beaches near Larnaka (Governors and another one) and although they were nice I was yet to see the draw card as to why everyone goes on about the beaches in Cyprus.

I was treated to a crazy weekend away in Lemesos where we met up with his friend Peter and cousin Stelios. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane with F as he showed me where he use to cause trouble, where he learnt to swim and the old village he use to live in. It was great to see this side of Cyprus through the eyes of someone who grew up there. The weekend was a lot of eating and drinking (surprise surprise) and meeting a lot of people from the international community living and working out here from all over the world. This sector of society is fascinating and maybe one day I will find myself living an international lifestyle. Will store that thought in the back of my head for a while.

I was treated to a traditional Greek Meze and now im converted to a lover of Greek food. It rates as one of the best meals on the trip and was a trip through the many different aspects of Greek Cypriot cuisine.  Will have to find myself a good cookbook when I get home… I don’t think ill ever match up to being a good Greek woman but I think I can put a few dishes into my cooking repertoire J.

We headed off to the Eastern side of the island to Protaras and the iconic white sand beaches and crystal waters started to make themselves known. We drove round Cape Greco and stopped in Agia Napa (the famed party town). An evening stroll through Agia Napa and the clubs and revelers just made me feel old.  Maybe another time on a trip that wasn’t so long we would have been right in there swinging from the rooftops but not this time. The water around Cape Greco was the highlight of my time in Cyprus in terms of Scenery, we were in about 4m of water and I could see everything on the bottom – check out the photos of me doing my best starfish.

We headed back to Lefkosia and spent some more time with F Grandmother and explored the old town. I do have to say the Cyprus is fabulous shopping for shoes and bags. It works out well when you need to buy a new bag for all the shoes you have bought…. Oooppps. I was very surprise by the patience of F as we mooched through many streets and tried on many pairs of shoes.

Our last side trip was out towards the West of Cyrpus through Pafos and the small town outside of Pafos where another uncle of F lives. This time the beach was pebbled which was a wonderful massage lying on the hot stones. We stayed the night in Latsi where we treated ourselves to a seafood platter on the deck suspended right above the water. We took the scenic route back to Lefkosia through the mountains, along some dirt roads that we weren’t really sure where they went…. Oh well it all worked out in the end. I was surprised by the greenness of the mountains and the dense forestation up there.  It made for quite a cooler climate and some more interesting (read not brown flat) landscape.

F family were wonderful and very welcoming and patience with my complete not existent understanding of Greek. We had some wonderful memories together at a strange company beer festival where I learnt a traditional Greek dance. I learnt how to make real Greek coffee thanks to F grandmother and uncle Sinai. I even mastered the art of being quiet for long period of time J

Apart from the food, people and beautiful landscape we were also treated to some history. I hadn’t realised the importance of Cyprus throughout history and just how many different groups had made there mark there. F even stopped to show me the birth place of Aphrodite followed by the baths of Aphrodite.

F and his grandmother

Spot the starfish

In the mountains

Yes, more photos of food

A little windswept

Aphrodites Rock

Agia Napa

Aphrodites Bath

London

So I guess as Jane is being slack I should do some updating…

Well England has been a nice change from the non stop hustle and bustle of the last few months. Needless to say it is a bit colder then Cuba and Spain, however the weather actually behaved itself and the sun has been shinning.

Been great catching up with my sister and Ollie (and her cat which seems to have an identity crisis going on) and relaxing and having some home cooked food. So first day in London required a trip to the local primark (cheap clothing) store as we look to get something different to wear (6 months in the same stuff just gets boring). Also a trip to the supermarket to get some decent beer, followed by a little more relaxing and catching up on emails, washing and sleep.

First weekend and a trip to visit my family in Wolverhampton, then down to a little village for more family. Was lovely catching up with everyone and seeing them all, having a nice walk with Steve and Karen and Jess and the dog of course through the country. The English country side is actually very nice and with the nice weather was even better, local English pub for a few pints made it great. Following day down to Shirley and Ray’s for lunch in there 14th century country house, such a lovely place.

Back to London and one of the highlights for us both, the Paralympics… I will say this now ‘disadvantaged my ass’, these guys (and girls) do things I can only dream about. First night was the swimming finals where we saw Sophie Pascoe win one of her medals (unfortunately was a silver) but we had flag in hand. Now I saw people with no arms or legs swim faster than I can… next day was Athletics finals, that was fantastic, the Olympic stadium was great and we saw so many finals (both wheelchair and non wheel chair) including a great 4x100 relay final. The third and last day we got a day pass where we saw wheelchair tennis (these guys would kick my butt), wheelchair rugby (the most violent sport I have seen) and blind football (which was amazing). Overall the Paralympics were amazing, fantastic, awesome and well pretty inspiring, you don’t go to watch amazing impaired people, you go watch amazing sports people do amazing things!

So after the Paralympics it was time to see some of Jane’s family and friends and a trip down to Eton was next. A lunch on river bank and bbq dinner was very nice, then the next day catching up with Jane’s old uni flatmates, and a nice Chinese dinner.

Well the next few days were spent shopping and catching up with friends and family. Eatinga bit more and spending time with Annika and Ollie (also a trip to IKEA to buy some things  -  luck my sister has a container coming home).

So England came and went. We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves. We managed to relax and see lots of people. Now Cyprus and my family…

Madrid

Toledo

Varadero

Our final stop in Cuba was Varadero,  it was a debate whether to come here or not since it is a major resort destination. However, we spoke to a few Cubans who said it was stunning regardless of the resorts and if you stayed in one the resorts a little down the beach then it was very enjoyable. We chose an all inclusive resort.  All inclusive was everything apart from top shelf liquor and massages. After arriving just behind a large tour group we took 45 minutes to check in – appalling. We dumped our bags in the room and rushed down to the 24 hour snack bar and ordered Cuba Libres while waiting for our burgers. This was my first experiences of turquoise water, it was stunning and looked like it had been airbrushed. The water was warmer than anything I had experienced and cleaner than you could possibly imagine. It was the most typically beautiful beach I have ever seen.

And that was us for three nights, eat drink and sleep. The only decision was where to do the eating and drinking. On the final night we were treated to the most spectacular thunder and lightning storm I have ever seen. It took up the whole horizon looking out towards America and had four centres of activity where the lightening would originate from. It went on for hours and lit up the whole sky.

The all inclusive experience was very enjoyable but this particular resort has a long way to come. Things like not cleaning the toilets regularly, not clearing plates, a strange booking system for some of the restaurants, little and non coherent information about the resort and what facilities are there and how it works.

We finished our resort experience with an old taxi drive to the bus station, check out this gem of a taxi.

Trinidad

Trinidad is everything you want it to be and more. Picturesque, everywhere you turn. The Casa de particular we stayed in was incredible and Jose was most welcoming. We had arrived later than expected and with no money until we got to the bank in the morning so it was lucky that Jose offered dinner at his house that could be put on our bill.  There were no afternoon storms in Trinidad so there was little relief from the intense heat apart from the air conditioning in our room. We took ourselves on a fascinating walking tour in the morning admiring the iconic Trinidadian architecture and colours. Past the old sugar plantation owners houses and up the palace tower for a spectacular view over Trinidad.

Each time we sat down we were treated to fabulous music. Our evening were particularly special as we listening to traditional music at the casa de la musician and casa troya.  There is nothing like warm summer evenings listening to live music sipping mojitos… this is Cuba.

The bus rides were an interesting insight into Cuban culture. Machete wielding men patrolled the side of the roads cutting grass. People stood under over bridges looking for a hitchhiking rides due to the lack of buses. Horse and cart buses served more populous areas. Generally people just milled about.