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WOW, and now here we are: 16 months of adventurous travel later - a simply priceless experience.  

Thank you very much for following us!

[thomasandlaraaroundtheworld]

WOW, and now here we are: 16 months of adventurous travel later. What we have been able to see and experience in combination with the special acquaintances and friendships we have been able to make is deeply rooted within us and is simply unbelievable and unforgettable. This time has changed us and has given us a different perspective on many things. It may sound corny but this so special relationship we have shared over the past 7 years has become even more special. But above all, 20 countries and 26 (28 for Thomas) flights later, we are simply so lucky and deeply thankful to say that in this entire time the worst that happened to us was that in Mexico we got robbed of some money. We were healthy all the time and our family and friends stayed healthy too. We could have easily kept going and continued to travel but we are extremely happy to be back in Switzerland with our family and friends. Switzerland is an absolutely awesome place and we are so grateful to call this our home. Last but not least we are extremely excited about the next exciting chapter in our lives. Thank you very much for following us - we'll keep you posted if you care.

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On our departure day, 3 April,  we had breakfast at 8am. We said a very warm goodbye with hugs and kisses to the owners of our Casa that had organized for an oldtimer cab to drive us to the airport for 25 CUK (note, we almost halfed the price from our arrival cab fare). The cab driver was an interesting person and explained to us that from his day job as dentist we could not live and feed his family. In that occupation he earned around 40 CUK a month and needed to make extra money while driving a cab. Once again it was evident that many Cubans were frustrated with the system. The last thing we saw prior to entering the airport premises was a slogan on a board: "CUBA es noestros". 

In summary there is nothing else to say other than that we simply loved Cuba. The contradictions in this colorful culture with so friendly people are so many it is hard to list them all. Nevertheless the vibes and flair of Salsa, Bachata and Raggeaton music  in the streets, Casa Particulares, bars and restaurants, the blend of all the different flavors of tobacco, fresh fruits, gasoline combined with the retro style and collapse of the colonial style buildings make it unique and not comparable to any other place we have been to. Never would we want to live there permanently but with Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba was the most authentic and adventurous stop during our time in the Caribbean and we are very thankful to have seen it NOW. Last but not least Fabian and his family played an extremely important part in having made this experience so very special. Again, thank you Fabian & family! 

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Although the party did not last into the wee hours of the night we slept in on April 2nd. We had a very easy going day. During the course of it we did some admin work and reading on the roof terrace of our Casa Particular. We were quite surprised to find a group of french people up there that were having a Salsa workshop. We took opportunity of the Salsa music and practiced our own Salsa moves and figures. On the roof we also witnessed some traces of Santeria sacrifices like the remainder of dead animals. Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. We had already seen the house temples within our Casa Particular but still the traces of sacrifices were a bit gruesome. During the course of the afternoon we went to Fabian's home to deliver our birthday present to Anet. She was quite overwhelmed by the movie we produced for her and according to Elias it ran almost non-stop all afternoon. No need to explain where we went for dinner on our last evening in Havanna. First however we went to say good to Fabian's ladies and the remainder of Jayneylis family. Hopefully we will be able to see Fabian's three lovely girls and himself in the near future in Switzerland. For an apéro we decided to go to La Guarida. You might recall the location from the Oscar-nominated film, Fresa y Chocolate. The entrance to the city's most legendary private restaurant greets you like a scene out of a 1940s black and white movie and the view from the terrace is even more spectaculour. We were thrilled to have come here on our last evening but totally regretted that we had missed it all the previous nights in Havanna (especially that we did not get to see it with Corinne, Chriggel and Rick as one evening we had attempted to find the place!). Dinner at Van Van was as always very good. Funny enough we met the couple from the Netherlands there again and Fabian was so sweet to yet again hook the man up with a free cigar. Fabian had been so generous to us all way long but on our last evening we were not even able to pay for our dinner. The dinner found its perfect ending with a Cohiba Behike cigar. Words are not enough but - thank you Fabian for your friendship and your generosity, you are such an awesome person to be around and to have in one's life. And then we sadly had to say goodbye to the rest - Fabian, Lilo, Tö and Elias.

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Quince Años of Anet at the restaurant Van Van was a great experience

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April 1st was - not a joke - party day. After breakfast at 9am we started our Salsa lesson at 10am. Relatives from Jayneylis' side trickled in during our dance lesson and by the end of it about 8 more people were sitting in Fabian's living room studying (and probably laughing at) our dance skills. Our Salsa teacher was also going to be at the party in the evening. Nevertheless, we settled our dues and thanked him for this excellent week and his great teaching skills. After 13 hours of dancing we were now able to perform a total of 11 figures. Had you told me that on Tuesday, the day of our first lesson, I would have not believed you. At 5pm we were styled and ready for our first "quinze años" party. We walked down Escobar and Animas and met up with Lilo, Tö and Elis to mutually take a cab to Van Van. The ladies including birthday girl and family members were still at home but the start time of the party was scheduled for 5pm. Not surprisingly did we belong to the first bunch of guest. Fabian kindly welcomed us. Slowly but surely Van Van started to fill-up. Drink wise four alcoholic beverages were being served: beer, cuba libre, piña colada, and mojito. Around 6pm the star of the evening, Anet, arrived and around 6.30pm dinner was being served to the approximately 70 attendants. For this special occasion a Conchillo had been prepared that was served with the typical moro rice. yuka and garlic. As a starter the typical Caldoza soup was served (a minestrone type soup with pork meet, vegetables, and potatoes. The food and atmosphere was very nice. Bachata and Reggaeton music was being played. The guest were dancing, talking, drinking and smoking cigars. Nevertheless, the dessert killed it all: a sweet cake served with pasta salad, YES, pasta salad with ham and pineapple, and accompanied by a single meatball (that I had misinterpreted as a sweet dumpling). It was a combination from hell but typical for and loved by the Cubans. We were surprised that the party ended around 10.30pm but the hosts did not want people drunk and it seems that if alcohol is served for free Cubans have a tendency to overdo it. One of the memorable stories of the evening was a discussion about toilet pater and pampers shortage elaborating on a recurring and ongoing problem in Cuba: sudden shortage of an elementary good. 

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What a coincidence: bumping into Marion from Austria while dancing Salsa

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Kurt’s home: probably the most beautiful Casa Particular in Havanna

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A relaxing afternoon at Playa Del Este

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On Thursday, 30 April we got up shortly before 9am and were able to enjoya tête-a-tête breakfast as all the other guests seemed to already have had breakfast. We had scheduled our Salsa lessons for 10am but had agreed to only do two hours and spend the rest of the day at the beach at Playa Del Este about 15km east of Havanna. Lilo and Tö had organized for a driver and it took us about 25 to 30 minutes to reach the beach in our oldtimer cab. We had chosen a sunny day and even got to whiteness an art work by Mother Nature that I had never seen similar anywhere else: a rainbow halo around the sun. At 4pm the cab driver picked us up again which gave us enough time to work on the video we had determined to create as a present for Anet's 15th birthday (she had provided us with videos and pictures of her photo shoot and we decided to film and take pictures during the party on 1 April and assemble all into one video). Guess where we went for dinner? Yes, to Van Van, where Fabian had reserved a table for us. It was Friday and Lilo and Tö had bought tickets for the Cuban ballet at the opera house. Elias had already accompanied Fabian to the Van Van and was awaiting us for diner. As we walked down San Juan De Dios we suddenly heard a voice in Swiss German speak down to us. When we looked up we saw Kurt (Fabian's business partner) standing on a lovely terrace. He asked us if we wanted to come up and see his home and Casa Particular. We certainly did and were able to experience one of the nicest establishments we had come across in Cuba. The standard in his entire home were of highest quality. The terrace however toped it all. At Van Van Elias was already expecting us. As usual on our way there we had to turn down the restaurant "La Familia" with numerous "jineteros". During dinner we started a conversation with our neighbors who turned out to be a couple in their mid 50ties from the Netherlands. Fabian had been sitting at our table enjoying a glace of red wine and after two hours they realized that he was the owner of the place. Fabian equipped the man with a cigar which was a first time experience for him. Around 10pm Lilo and Tö joined us at Van Van as we had planned to visit a Salsa dance place after dinner/ theater. Hotel Florida is a well known place for Salsa dancing. Every one is welcome but we realized quickly that there were many good dancers around. There we even bumped into an old acquaintance of ours (Marion) that we had met 2.5 years back in Brasil while kiteboarding. We had a fun remainder of the evening spent with a combination of dancing and watching good dancers. As if we had not already exercised enough we walked home through the empty streets of Habana Centro. 

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3 hours of Salsa lesssons a day over 5 days paid off: we were now able to perform a total of 11 figures

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On 30 April as the breakfast table was set for five we had breakfast wih three Norwegan girls that were staying at the same place as we. We took advantage of an open morning and went to our favorite internet hot spot: the Hotel Deauville on the Malecon - about a 7 minute walk from our Casa Particular. At 1pm we had scheduled our Salsa lesson. By 4pm we were so exhausted as our teacher was making us dance like mad. One must say that since our return back to Havanna the weather had been splendid and very warm. We had not eaten any lunch and were about to fall appart. By the end of our lesson Thomas blood glucose level had fallen and could only be saved by some Swiss chocolate Fabian offered (I will not mention at this point that it was served with a Cuba Libre). With Lilo and Tö we had decided to go for an apéro to one of the oldest hotels in Cuba: the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Not only is the view from up there across the ocean and over the Malecon spectacular but the hotel itself is an impressive establishment as well. We were able to sit outside in the garden that was elevated on a cliff with the Malecon to its feet. For dinner Fabian had reserved a table for us at Van Van where we met up with Elias and yet again enjoyed a fun evening with good food, great company, many drinks and a shared cigar. It has become a custom that Fabian spent the majority of the evenings with us which we enjoyed a lot.

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An extremely interesting visit to the Partagás cigar factory

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On Wednesday the breakfast table was covered with four place settings and we were able to have breakfast with Sandra and Matthias. It was their last day on Cuba and a couple of hours prior their departure they were going to have their last Salsa lesson. As our 3-hour lesson was only scheduled for we decided to go visit the Partagás cigar factory. Partagás is among the oldest extant brands of cigars, established in Havana in 1845. As the original location of the factory behind the Capital was no longer in use it took us a while to figure out where the factory had moved to and to organize tickets. We were sent from one hotel to the next in Habana Vieja but finally managed to find the hotel that newly is in charge for selling the tickets (it used to be Hotel Saragota but now is a small office within the Hotel Telegrafo). Although we had heard and red different opinions of the factory visit we found it extremely informative and worthwhile seeing. After a short wait we joined the English tour and were able to visit the factory operation across the three stories. We were able to witness the preparation of the wrapper (the outer part of the cigar) where apparently the daily target is 15'000 in order to produce the same amount of cigars daily. We also witnessed the fascinating step of rolling the different cigar brands and how the ingredients for each cigar come about. For everything within the factory there are daily production targets to be met. It was also eye opening to learn that after an average of 10 years a cigar roller will have to retire due to physical problems with the hands. For such people there will then be positions in alternative departments such as packing or wrapping the cigars. During the tour we also spoke to an American family where the family father was half Cuban. For them the entry into the country was not an issue but they reported of cases where Americans had faked the reason for visiting Cuba (currently Americans must disclose why they are visiting and only visits under certain circumstances such as voluntary work etc are granted entry) and had to pay fines in the amount of $ 10'000! WOW. At 3pm we went for a three hour Salsa work out at Fabian's place. For dinner Lilo, Tö, Thomas and I tried a new restaurant that seemed to specialize on seafood and fish called Los Nardos. The ambient was nice but quite dark and very cool due to the air-conditioning. The paella we order was ok but not nearly as good as the original from Valencia in Spain. We decided that in Havanna the only restaurant to spend money in was Van Van. 

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Some more impressions of Havanna that on our second visit was even more fascinating

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Tuesday was the day of Anet's actual 15th birthday. We however only got to see her in the evening and by coincidence bumped into her on the Malecon during her photo shoot. For Cuban girls this is the highlight of their 15th birthday - a professional photo session - where at several places around and along the Malecon pictures in different outfits and with different hairstyles are taken. As one can imagine it is also a question of finances and not everyone can afford it. Knowing Jayneylis upbringing she never got to enjoy something like that. The more proud and happy she was that her daughter had this opportunity and hence the two ladies had been up and going as of 6am (the photo shoot lasted from 7am to 7pm!!!). After we got up we received a fabulous breakfast prepared by Tony with the usual tropical fruits (papaya aka fruta bomba, pineapple, guajava), tortilla, bred and coffee. To our disappointment this casa did not serve any batido (fruit milk shake). At 11am we were expected to show up at Fabian's place where we were awaited by our Salsa teacher that had been organized for us by Jayneylis. He was the boyfriend of Sandra who in turn is the daughter of Ilda, the ant of Jayneylis (hence, normal Cuban style that a friend or someone known provides the service in need). Shamefully Thomas and I could not remember his name as it was so complicated to pronounce. Hence, over the remainder of the week, we never called him by his name. As he had a consecutive appointment he could only give us a 2.5 hours lesson instead of 3. The lesson was built up extremely professional and we learned a lot in short time. The family members at home had fun watching us and to our surprise did not even laugh at us. It turned out later during the week, to our surprise, that no one of the family really knew how to dance salsa. Evidently they all had a fantastic rhythm flowing in their blood. After our lesson we got rewarded with a Cuba Libre that Elias kindly prepared for us. After the drink and a longer chat with him we organized for our trip back on 3 April. The remainder of the afternoon we enjoyed the sun on our balcony of the Casa Particular and watched the Cuban liveliness along the Escobar road. The owner of our Casa also introduced us to a Swiss couple that had traveled South America/ Cuba for the past 3 months. Sandra and Matthias currently live in Mannheim (D), where they are building up their own translation company (her specialty is Russian and his Japanese), and were also taking some Salsa lessons on the roof top terrace of our Casa. At 7pm we got picked-up by Lilo, Tö and Elias and strolled along the Malecon to the Castropol restaurant. Around 9pm Fabian and his three ladies showed up as well and we were finally able to congratulate Anet on her birthday and celebrate together. After strolling down the Malecon again we ended the splendid evening at Fabian's place with a Cuba Libre and a cigar. At 1am when we reached the door of our Casa we had to ring the doorbell as an additional lock had been placed on the door for security reasons to which we did not have a key to. The owners took it relaxed and hopefully the other guests of the Casa as well. 

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On Monday, 27 March we took a modern taxi that drove us back to Havanna. There Thomas and I were dropped off at the Hostal Reyna Diana on Escobar 114 (between Animas and Laguna), where we had stayed the one night between Viñales and Cienfuegos. We said goodbye to our dear friends with one laughing and one crying eye and even almost forgot our camera in the car. We then met up at Fabian's place and met Jayneylis, Anet, Lilo Fuchs (Fabian's ex-wife), Elias Fuchs (Fabian's 21-year old (the younger one) son), Thomas Koch (the ex-husband of Esthi's business partner Connie Koch) and an old neighbor of Thomas' and Esthi's). The latter three had all come to celebrate Anet's "Quinze años" on 28 March (the actual date of her 15th birthday) and 1 April (the date of the birthday party at Van Van). Previously, Lilo and Tö (the nick-name the two Thomas call each other) had showed us their apartment they were staying at that belongs to Fabian and Jayneylis and that they rent out as a Casa Particular. From that place one had a fantastic view across the roof tops along the Animas road and surroundings. For dinner, the two Tös, Lilo, Elias and I went for dinner at Van Van where after a long time of abstinence we smoked a cigar (Thomas and I shared one and I did not end up falling over a gain :-)). On our way home Elias pointed out the hotel Manzana Gomez to us. We had noticed this amazing, new looking hotel during our first stay in Havanna. What we did not know was that it has been an old building that has been restored (we has thought newly built) over the past 12 months. Elias had seen it 12 months ago as a ruin and now again as a brand new looking building.