Liveaboard in Komodo

On By Carmen BIn Asia, Indonesia12 Comments

One of the goals of our Indonesia trip was to dive in the Komodo National Park, which apart from hosting the last dragons of the same name, contains one of the richest marine reserves on the planet. We had made a reservation with a local diving company, Wicked Diving, which lived up to the expectations of its near-perfect Tripadvisor reviews. They also ended up having Spanish dive masters 🙂 and together with four other PADI divers, we went on a 2-day sailing trip with 5 dives.The plan was pretty simple: dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, sleep, repeat. It’s definitely worth bargaining with any operator, as we realized that we had been able to get a significantly better price than the rest of the group (~$250 vs. ~$350).

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Crossing Flores

On By Carmen BIn Asia, Indonesia3 Comments

In the afternoon of our 3rd day in Indonesia, we landed in the small town of Maumere, in the northeast of Flores. Flores is one of the least developed islands and one of the least touristy (with the exception of Labuanbajo, on the opposite end). It is my favorite, for it has an authenticity that is lost in most places by now.

Our idea was to hire a local driver to cross the island over 3 days/2 nights, stopping at several points of interest, which we believe is the best way to explore it. It was harder than we had anticipated, and after rejecting one driver for high price and one for sketchy manners, we found ourselves negotiating with our last option, with the sun setting and no real alternative. Luckily, the driver ended up accepting our conditions and being a great guy. His name was Stefano, and after a quick stop at his home to pick up a bag and sharing some candy with his 3 kids, we were on our way.

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2 days soaking in Yogyakarta culture

On By Carmen BIn Asia, Indonesia2 Comments

For our 2 week trip to Indonesia, Elena and I decided to focus on 5 areas: Yogyakarta for temples, Flores for landscapes, Komodo for diving and dragons, Bali for spirituality and Gili for beach. Indonesia is one of the largest and most populated countries in the world, and being comprised of 17,000 islands, you can imagine that there are a lot of spots worth visiting, but it’s hard to get to all of them at once.

We met at Yogyakarta airport, since I had decided to do a 1 day layover in Spain to visit my friends and family 🙂 It was pretty late, so we quickly hoped on a taxi and got to the hostel we had booked online. It was rather crappy but well located near the main street Jalan Malioboro.

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Party in Cienfuegos

On By Carmen BIn America, Cuba1 Comment

On the bus back from Trinidad to Havana, I met two Argentinian guys, and we decided to make a stop in Cienfuegos. The city was founded by the French and is supposed to have very interesting urban planning, particularly in the downtown area of Pueblo Nuevo… But I don’t remember any of this, just a lot of cheap good food at a state-run restaurant, even more delicious rum and non-stop son, rumba and trova 😉

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Beach time and local experiences in Ancon

On By Carmen BIn America, Cuba1 Comment

This year I had worked really hard, so I decided to spend 5 days on the beach relaxing. I chose the Ancon peninsula because it was way less touristy than other spots like Varadero, and probably more beautiful. And for the same reason, I decided to stay in La Boca, a small seaside village, ~5km from Trinidad and ~7km from Ancon beach, instead of the hotels on the actual beach.

When I arrived at La Boca, I quickly learnt that all the official homestays, the only ones authorized to host tourists, were fully booked. So I hang out with my backpack at the small town beach and by the “paladar” (small private restaurant), chatting with all the neighbors. A middle age woman named Manuela offered me lunch and to help me figure out where to stay. She shared some rice with beans, and explained to me how much food each Cuban gets through the ration cards (Short version: not a lot). Then she walked me to meet some young neighbors, Jose and his wife, who agreed to let me stay in the “bohio” (a wooden structure with dry palm tree roof) in the back of their house, for a few dollars. The only condition was I had to be careful getting in and out and not tell anyone where I was staying. The place was as basic as it looks in the picture, but would definitely do.

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Trinidad, the Cuban jewel

On By Carmen BIn America, Cuba1 Comment

Travelling around Cuba wasn’t as easy as I expected. Most tourists are on some sort of organized tour, managed by a joint venture between the government and a foreign company, while local buses are all sold out (it’s Christmas holidays after all!). After a couple of days in Havana and a lot of asking around, I got a seat in a bus to Trinidad, ~4 hours west. On the road, we passed Bahia de Cochinos, infamous for the CIA-sponsored attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro in 1961.

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Living simple life in La Habana

On By Carmen BIn America, Cuba2 Comments

When the taxi from the airport dropped me off, I was a bit in shock. La Habana Centro, the heart of the Cuban capital, was much more ramshackle than I expected, and so was the “casa particular” (authorized private homestay) were I was planning on staying. It was also my first full solo trip, and apart from booking these few nights, I had done zero preparation. But for the next 10 days, I would discover and fall in love with Cuba and its people.

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