Off to Cuba in a couple of hours.

[Endrik]

I can tell you, if anyone bought cigars...the best growers left the country many years ago.
Soil and climate is still great, but the rollers are now in neighboring places.
Hope you didn't get ripped off.

how do you know? you've been involved in illegal activities?

[Cygnus X1]

Smoked a couple of Cubanos while in Canada.
Monte Christo and another generic looking hecho a mano.
That is legal.

Yes Ron.
DR, Nic, Fla, even Mexico.
Growing and rolling are high level skills and although the soil
and climate in Cuba is superior the build quality of the sticks is uneven.
While some can be great others are not so much.

[zeegler]

This time I didn't pick up a lot of cigars. I don't smoke them myself anymore, and even when I did, I wouldn't really know the difference between a good one and a mediocre one. The ones I got last time seemed pretty damn good to me. I got Cohibas and Monte Cristos last time, but this time, I just got a selection box of Guantanameras.

Anyway, here's a few pics.

A book store in Santiago.


Typical Santiago street scene.


Cathedral Ecclesia


A shanty on Santiago Bay


La Castilla San Pedro de la Roca at the entrance to the Santiago harbour.


A Santiago harbour ferry.


Viva la revolucion.


Another Santiago street scene. I thought it looked nice in sepia.


Cuban factory. I saw plenty of industrial sites like this, and all of them appear to be deserted.


Santiago again. On a single street, it is common to see completely abandoned derelict buildings nestled in between relatively well kept ones, and everything in between.


Restaurant on the Santiago harbour. I had the best Mahi Mahi here that I've ever had in my life.


Another shot of the Santiago waterfront.


Courtyard in a historic 400 year old Santiago building.


Some of the architecture really is stunning.


That's it for now. Hope you like them.

[RacerX]

The castle & the bay-side shanty are especially cool!

[Cygnus X1]

Great pix Zeeg.
On my my top ten list.

Somehow the combination of the derelict and the preservation
make it all look like a romantic scene.
The nasty capitalists would have made it look like
a bad Miami burb by now...
(Hard to explain, I think you know what I mean).

[Reverend Timmy]

I fully expected to see Tommy at in the shanty picture.Or Rsmacker on the hunt.At least one or the other.Thanks for sharing the pics,Zeegs........

[Endrik]

Zeegs, that picture in sepia is AWESOME!!

btw. those coastal shantys are very similar to South East Asia, rather than to South American favelas, interesting.

[zeegler]

Thanks for the comments guys. I will try to post more pics when I get around to going through them all.

[dg]

Nice pics! Looking forward to more!

[RacerX]

Moar Cuba pics?

[VitaminG]

missed these last time around. Nice pics, zeegler

[zeegler]

Alas, I didn't go this year, but we might make it there early next year. I'd like to go somewhere different for a change though. As much as I love Cuba, the local teenagers can get a little tiresome. The police don't look kindly on begging, but the locals have found a way around this by making little trinkets that they "give" to you, and of course you're sort of obliged to throw them a couple of bucks in return. That would be fine if it was once or twice, but it's all the bloody time, and no matter how many times you tell them no, they just keep pestering you. It's not a problem in busy areas, or anywhere there might be police, but it's still annoying.

Anyhoo, glad you guys liked the pics. I'll be sure to take more wherever we go next time.