The Dainty Traveller

Tarara is a resort town in the municipality of Habana del Este in Havana, Cuba. It is about 15 to 20 minutes outside of the Havana city centre. It is a very relaxed beautiful beach. There is a beach club located before you reach the beach where you can pay to use the pools and bar. The bathrooms are free to use, however there is usually no toilet paper or soap and one of the toilets did not flush. On the beach there is a hut style cafe that serves soft drinks, water, alcoholic beverages, and cafeteria food like burgers and french fries. Also there is a man that frequents the beach selling hot tamales. The day we went to the beach it was very windy, too windy to swim. There was a red flag posted in the sand and the life guard warned us to only dip our feet because the waves were so strong and the undercurrent was dangerous. Other than the wind and the fact we couldn't go in the water (the water was really cold that day) we had a very fun, relaxing, hot and sunny beach day! ...

This airport is alright. Just be patient because you are going to be waiting. Customer service is more or less non-existent in Cuba. The airport staff is very rude, slow and no one looks pleasant. Anyways, we got off our CUBANA flight and headed for our luggage. We waited over an hour for our luggage, the CUBANA airlines staff's luggage came out first. They would release the luggage, then stop and then 15 minutes later, more would come. Slow to say the least. After we got our luggage we headed to immigration. The immigration part didn't take too long. They ask you a series of questions, the first is if you speak or understand Spanish. If you "look Cuban" which in Cuba really means Black, Mulatto or very tanned, DO NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTION IN SPANISH. Even if you do speak and/or understand Spanish (like myself), just say "English" and proceed with the immigration process. If you answer "yes" they will then harass you with questions, because they wi...

May Day 2015 Renowned Poet and Author Nancy Morejon (middle) and award winning publisher Isaac Saney! That 1950s Cadillac Our driver! La Habana! Malecon La Habana

It is quite a fun way to see Havana. You go to parque Central (Central Park) which is located in Old Havana. The cars are all lined up beside each other. They are quite stunning, like a rainbow. The drivers will tell you it costs 35 CUC, but do not pay more than 30. Bargaining is the way of life for a tourist in Cuba. They will accept 30, because the drivers are very friendly and polite. We, like most people ended up paying more than 30 because we wanted to leave a tip. There are three different options you can choose for the tour. The first is around Old Havana. The second is a drive to the beautiful suburb of Miramar. The third is to Moro, a beautiful colonial military fortress. We choose the third option. On our way to Moro, we drove through old Havana, passed the fire station, the San Jose Craft Market, the sea port, the Malecon, the Jesus Statue and then we ended up at El Moro. 

This restaurant is just a five minute walk from Habana Libre Hotel or Hotel Nacional. It is in the neighbourhood of Vedado. We ate here almost every day. Clean, good service, and tasty food. Our favourite item on the menu were the tostones (fried green plantains) topped with shredded beef or tuna and cheese. Very yummy. 

No gun crime. Obviously crime happens everywhere, but Cuba is one of the safest places in the world and probably the safest country in all of the Americas. For sure the entire Latin America and the Caribbean. The regional violence that has plagues other islands and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean has not made it to Cuba, and hopefully it stays that way. I was walking on the Malecon, or through old Havana, Vedado, and other parts of the city and sometimes late at night. I usually had my iphone in my hand and a camera around my neck. I would never do that in other countries. There are no gangs in Cuba and the safety level of the country is just fantastic! There is such a vibrant, fun, and addictive energy about Havana. It is so alive and arts and culture are supported at an institutional level. 

It all seemed fine and normal when we checked in. We got to the airport super early and were some of the first people checked on to the flight. My mother has knee problems and I am very tall so we asked the lady to make sure we were seated in the front of the plane. She said "don't worry you are way up in row 9 and you'll be fine". We thanked her, went through security, waited by our gate and then boarded the plane. The spaces between the seats on the CUBANA airplanes are EXTREMELY SMALL. I mean smaller than average (I will never say anything bad about Air Canada or Delta again, I didn't know how good I had it). I mean your knees, even if you are short or average height, instantly hit the seat in front of you. Then because we were in row 9 and behind was row 10, which is the emergency exit, seats in row 9 are not allowed to recline back. What kind of nonsense is that? So everyone on the plane started pushing their seats back. You can't blame them, because th...

This is a smaller city airport much like London City Airport. Like LCA I was impressed with ORLY. The airport has two terminals which are not that big. There was a diverse selection of eating options, however they were before security. After security there is only one café serving coffee, tea and sandwiches. So if you want more food, buy before you go through security. If you are very hungry, don’t worry, you can check in, buy your food, sit down and eat it, and then make your way through security. The airport terminals are small so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of time getting to or finding your gate. The staff at this airport seemed happy and were very professional, I have no complaints.

This is another big airport like Pearson, Hartsfield, or Atlanta. I like this airport. I am not a fan of the red-carpeted floors by the departure gates but that is just a personal thing. The staff at Charles De Gaulle were as pleasant as Parisians can be. Don’t expect huge smiles or anything, but they get the job done, answer your questions and direct you to where you need to go. The airport is big, spacious, high ceilings and modern. The walls are quite bare and there’s not any art or photo exhibitions like at Pearson. There is a PAUL, (a French chain of cafés) in every terminal so don’t worry if you are a PAUL fan. There is a Mc Donalds and some other cafés, and a bunch of sit down bistro style restaurants as well. You shouldn’t go hungry at this airport. The bathrooms are clean and big and there are many located throughout the airport and its terminals.

I was there for a two-hour stop over on my way to Toronto coming from Conakry Guinea. The airport is big, the ceilings are a bit low for my taste but I did not feel claustrophobic. There are many eating options and like typical European airports, lots of shopping. I settled with a mozzarella and tomato sandwich from a Café near my gate. The sandwich was delicious. The staff was very helpful, there are security guards floating around the airport and they too air very good at assisting you with any query.

Conakry airport is interesting. I paused when writing this to think of another word but that is all that came to mind. My first time in Conakry was in July of 2005 and the airport was pretty much one big hanger. The Air France plane landed, we walked off the plane on to the runway and were directed where to line up to go through immigration. It was just that. The airport was not well lit, the staff was nice and our luggage was waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. It wasn’t a bad experience but it wasn’t anything great either. My second time using the Conakry airport was actually during that same trip. My mother and I were traveling to Dakar, Senegal to visit a friend for a weekend. We took Air Senegal which in Africa is known as “Air peut-être” (Air maybe) because sometimes they arrive and sometimes they are seriously delayed. So never bet any money that Air Senegal will arrive on time because you will probably lose all of it. Anyways, Air peut-être was the only airline that h...

The Frankfurt airport reminded me a lot of Amsterdam in terms of the low ceilings were. There are much more eating options though, and just like the Dutch, I found the Germans very friendly, customer service was on point and nice. I enjoyed my 24-hour stop over. We spent the night at the Sheraton hotel, which is right beside the airport. The hotel was very nice, clean, and amazing staff. There is a nice and easy walkway connecting the airport to the hotel. Also the public train comes right into the airport, you don’t even have to go outside!

Very good and not stressful like many airports. The Staff are extremely professional and friendly and for a small airport I was very impressed with the variety of eating options. However, there needs to be more bathrooms and more stalls in the bathrooms. It is much smaller airport than Heathrow or Gatwick, but it is still London and has several flights to many European cities everyday… So it is not that small in terms of their operations.

Is Heathrow ever NOT under construction? Heathrow is big, boring and did I say Big? Anyways, it is a huge airport, so make sure you get there on time, because you are probably going to have to take a shuttle bus or maybe two to your gate, because it is just that big. I found all of the staff at Heathrow from the airline, restaurant, cleaners and security to be very helpful and well mannered. So that is a plus!

I went to the Van Gogh museum in December of 2014 on my weekend in Amsterdam. I loved Amsterdam, it is such a beautiful city with great architecture, diverse food and very friendly people. I hope to go back next summer. My second morning in Amsterdam, my friend and I went to the Van Gogh museum. This was after a failed attempt the morning before. The day before we went thinking we would be able to just buy tickets and see the museum quickly. Boy were we wrong! We got there and met a huge, wrap around the sidewalk line. Buy your tickets ahead of time, and even when you do that, arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of your entry time. There is always a line at that museum. The next morning, with our tickets in our hands we got to the museum a half an hour before it opened and there was a line. It wasn’t too bad because the line up for ticket holders moved quite quickly once the museum opened. Once inside the museum, you pass the gift shop, café and coat check. I kept my coat on and I went t...

I found this airport very confusing. Why? Because the first floor is also the floor for the train station entrance, a shopping mall and just a lot of other things. There are signs for gates and airport information, but with all the shopping mall signs and train signs it can be a bit overwhelming. Anyways, after getting help from the information desk, I went upstairs to the actual “airport” and found my way to check in, through security and at my gate. The eating options are not much and not that varied once you pass through security. On the first floor with the mall and the train station there were several, so buy your food there first! By my gate there was only a boring little coffee shop and nothing more. Also none of the outlets to charge were working. The staff at Schiphol airport were very nice though and the ceilings in the airport are very low. Everyone in Amsterdam is super nice and happy! I love that place and definitely want to go back.

I had a lot of fun here! There is a real nice and chill vibe at this beach and it is a public beach so you don’t have to pay to enter. It was about a 1 and half drive from Port of Spain and the drive was very scenic through the mountains. There are sections on the road where you can stop and take pictures of the scenery, and some places buy snacks to eat when you’re on the beach. We rented beach chairs when we got to the beach, which cost 20TT each (a little over $3 USD). The water is very blue, more dark blue then the turquoise waters of other Caribbean islands. One thing for sure, the waves are huge and rough! You can go  deep into the ocean and your feet will still be touching the sand. It is just hard to get further out because the waves will keep hitting you and pushing you back to the shore. But that’s all part of the fun! You will definitely be tired and have a good night rest after facing those Maracas waves. After you jump the waves, or before it depends on you, you HAVE ...

Ok. I am going to start this one with my arrival in Trinidad on Feb 14 th (my birthday) 2015. I went to Trinidad for carnival and my carnival experience was amazing. I started with the positive because I don’t have much positive things to say about arrivals at Piarco Airport. My flight arrived at 11.15, so did another flight from somewhere in the United States. However, this should not have been a problem because it was carnival season, and they knew that several flights were coming in. They SHOULD have been prepared. When I got out of the plane and walked down to immigration I was shocked. There was a line to the line up. Yes you read that right. There was one long line that wrapped around twice, just to get to the real line, which was the line to immigration. That line, the real line was beyond long. The airport workers were extremely rude, no customer service, there was not even a representative to greet us and tell us what was happening or if we were even standing in the correct ...

Boston Jerk Centre: Yum Yum Yum. This is the most famous jerk centre in Jamaica. There are several jerk grill spots in the Boston jerk strip which is right beside Boston beach. How perfect. The menus of course have classic jerk chicken and there is jerk pork, beef, fish and even tofu! There are sections where you can sit and eat, my mother, aunty and I were satisfied sitting across the street in front of a beverage shop.

Boston Beach: For my surfers! If you’re into surfing this is the place for you. Non-surfers don’t be scared away, this beach is still for everyone. Boston beach is in the town of Boston, in the parish of Portland and right beside the famous Boston Jerk (read next). Turquoise blue waters, and mild tempered waves is how I would describe this beach. It’s a great spot to hang out and have a picnic and I am pretty sure It is a public beach. 

Eroll Flynn Marina and Beach: The Eroll Flynn Marina and beach was named after the famous James Bond creator Eroll Flynn. He spent a lot of his time in Portland and came up with many of the James Bond Stories there. The marina is a cool spot to hang out with friends, have a family day, or even just some alone time with a book. You look on to the sea and the surrounding mountains. The beach is not the biggest but the water is clear, sand is soft and the beach is pretty. We didn’t swim in the beach, for we were just hanging out. Me and my sister got our feet wet and then just chilled on the sand. There is an ice cream shop near by, so we finished our day with a sweet ending.

San San beach: Well I can’t say much about this beach. Our feet only touched the sand and never made it into the water. We thought it was free and when we were approached by two goony looking men that demanded we paid the entrance fee my mother was not pleased. One, the road into the beach was full of potholes, and the beach front wasn’t the cleanest. So not worth paying in my opinion. The water looked gorgeous but I didn’t spend anytime in it.

Winnifred beach: This is the most beautiful beach in Portland and one of the most beautiful beaches in Jamaica. The water is so calm and relaxing. We went in the afternoon and stayed until the sun started to set. There are little shops selling local crafts, and t-shirts and restaurants serving yummy Jamaican food and snacks a long the beach. There is also a cold springs that fresh river water runs into. It is very cold yet refreshing just to take a quick dip in and out. What makes Winifred beach even better is that is is FREE FREE FREE, no entrance fees (read attached article). However, the road to get to the beach is quite bad, no it’s very bad. You can’t even call it a road, it’s a dirt road with several pot holes. But don’t let the drive discourage you, because the beach is sooo worth it. Many argue that the government refuses to fix the road, in order to spite the locals so then the government can sell it and privatize the beach. However, locals are tax payers just like anyon...

French Man’s Cove: This is a private beach like almost all the beaches in Jamaica, which I think is sad. Anyways, you have to pay to get in. If I remember correctly, it was 600 Jamaican dollars per person, which is more or less 6 dollars USD. When you enter French Man’s cove, you feel as if you are in a national park or botanical gardens. You walk through a guided path for about 5-7 minutes and then you are at the beach and the changing stalls and showers are nearby. The day we went, the water was rough so it wasn’t as calm as it usually is. It was hot and sunny. I can’t say French Man’s Cove is my favourite beach, I felt that it was pretty small and not worth of an entry fee really. For the size of the beach I think it should be free. All beaches should be free.

The king of all airports, the don dada of all airports, the jefe of all airports the sultan of all airports… you get the point right? Can I say big? The Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is a force to be reckoned with. I have been to Atlanta several times. I remember my first time departing from Hartsfield airport, I thought I could walk to my terminal, and I remember a Delta worker looking at me like I had lost my mind when I told him I would walk after he insisted I took the train. After 30 minutes of walking and dragging my suitcase behind me. I realized that I needed to take the train. The train connects all of the terminals and is spacious, air conditioned and very fast. I liked it. One cannot be bored at Hartsfield Airport. There are more than enough food options; fast food and fancy sit down expensive restaurants. There are spas, and in recent news they will be building a movie theatre at Hartsfield Airport. So for those of you who have long layovers and don’t...

I love Costa Rica and the city and capital of San Jose! Costa Rica is a beautiful country, with rich green mountain ranges and pristine beaches on both the pacific and Caribbean coast. I have many dear friends who I refer to as my family in San Jose and Limon, the Caribbean province of the country. The San Jose airport is VERY NICE, I was VERY IMPRESSED, and the airport is pretty. High ceilings, modern, cool temperatures and a very smart layout. That is how I would describe the San Jose airport. The staff was very helpful and polite, before leaving Costa Rica you have to pay a departure tax. You can do this during your stay at all of the banks, but it is not a big deal and you can just do it at the airport when you are leaving. They take cash or credit and the lineups move very fast. Security was like security at any other airport and they got through the line quite swiftly. The eating options at SJ airport are quite limited, but enough. Washrooms are clean, and the departu...

This airport is like a smaller version of Pearson airport to me. It is very big, bright and modern. Once you land in Addis Ababa, you have to pay for a visa to enter the country, it costs $20 USD per person. That is the only way you can enter the country. We paid cash but they of course take credit. We didn’t know this when we left Toronto so we were a bit surprised. Getting through immigration and customs did not take too long and we were soon reunited with our luggage. Leaving Addis Ababa was an easy affair. The Staff for Ethiopian Airlines, the national airline, do the check in for almost every flight even if it is a non-Ethiopian airline flight. They were well mannered and almost everyone had a smile on there face. I also found it helpful that they would tell us where bathrooms and snack shops were located before security. Once through security and by our gates there were about 3 restaurants, two coffee shops and one was an actual restaurant with a large and varied menu. There are...

This airport is the city airport for the city of Toronto. So it is actually located in the city of Toronto! Right downtown. For me I prefer this airport, because I live in the city centre and it is much closer to my house. The departure and arrival part of the airport is located on an island so you have to board a ferry to get there. The ferries come very often ( I have never waited more than 10 minutes) and they are very fast. Check in is always fast at Billy Bishop and so is security. The stress level at this airport is very low, and it makes traveling much easier. The staff at Billy Bishop are exceptional! Once through security, by the gates there is a café that serves free coffee, tea and snacks! All you can eat. And good quality tea and coffee too. The wifi is free and fast and the bathrooms are large with many stalls and they are clean. Nothing bad to say about BB.

I will not be biased because I am from Toronto. Most airports are not actually in the city which it’s name carries. Pearson is no exception. Toronto Pearson airport is actually located in a suburb of the city called Brampton. Just a fact. Anyways, there are three terminals, and terminal one which houses the national airline, Air Canada, and all of the international flights is  one of the prettiest airport terminals ever. There is artwork from local Canadian artist, super high ceilings, and overall it is a modern and attractive airport. There are SEVERAL and very diverse eating options outside of security and once you have passed security. From Tim Hortons, to paramount (a middle eastern restaurant), to Italian and Mexican restaurants. The bathrooms are big and clean. The staff at Pearson are always helpful and have a smile on their face.

I thought that this airport being in the capital of Spain would be impressive. BOY WAS I LET DOWN. There are not enough bathrooms for an international airport, and there are only a few stalls in each one. The eating selection is extremely limited, with no more than 5 eating options and two of them were coffee shops. There is an abundance of shopping, but when someone has a long lay over I think they are more interested in feeding their belly than shopping… Or is that just me? I found the workers in the restaurants to be very nice and helpful. I could not say the same for the workers at the airport or airline information desks. They acted as if they didn’t want to be there, never smiled and acted like the simplest task was the hardest.

It is an airport and just that. I am going to keep this one short because well it can’t be long. The Granada airport is a small airport that only has about 4 flights a day, if so much. It is just an airport with a small café and usually only two people who do check in who also scan your boarding pass again when it is time to board the plane. Because it is such a small airport, the stress factor that many airports have, this one does not. So that is a plus. The people who work at this airport are more or less friendly and can help you with all your airport needs, all though I doubt you will have much in this small airport. I lived in Granada for three months last year, so I used this airport a lot to take me to Madrid where I would connect to flights departing for other European cities.

I loveeeeeeeeeeeee Morocco. This country is so beautiful and the food is just divine and so diverse. The people are super friendly and beautiful and yea Morocco rocks. I have been to Rabat, Marrakeck, Mekenes, Volubilis, Casablanca and Fez. In this review I will write about my experience at the world famous and the world’s biggest leather tannery in Fez, Morocco. The tannery is located in the Medina. I went with my tour group in December of 2014. We were told by our tour guide that we were actually going at a good time because in spring and summer the smell of the leather and the dye can be smelled from the moment you enter the Medina miles away. We started to smell the leather and the dyes from about one mile away. It wasn’t too bad but the closer we got the stronger the smell. We entered the shop, which houses all of the crafts from leather shoes, jackets and purses. Immediately after entering the three-story house converted into a store, we were given fresh mint to smell instead of...

This airport was half a step up from the Casablanca airport. Check in was fast and the ladies at the check in desk were very friendly. Security was fast as well, most of the security personnel were on their phones and made it clear they would rather be somewhere else. There were two cafés in the departure section, they both sold a lot of French and Moroccan pastries, a couple of sandwiches, coffee and tea. There were a lot of boutiques though. The departure section is one floor and not too big.  One thing I must say, Please listen to every announcement made. The boarding times and gate numbers are not updated on time on the screens around the departure section. Also the volume level of the P.A announcements is extremely low. Also they only announce boarding and gate closing once. I was sitting in the lounge by my gate and thought I heard my name. I am so lucky I went and asked, because it was my name that was called and at that moment they were going to close off the flight. So I ...

This mosque houses 100,000 worshippers, 20,000 inside and 80,000 outside

One word comes to mind when I think about this airport. SLOW. I arrived in Casablanca, was the first off the plane and the first on the shuttle bus to take us to immigration and customs. Why there was a shuttle bus I don’t know, because we were on the bus for 10 seconds and no more. We could have walked. Anyways, that’s how they roll in Casablanca. Every desk for the immigration officers was filled, and I was happy to see that because to me that meant the process would be a swift one. That’s what I thought. My flight of 40 people was the only flight to arrive, and somehow it took over an hour to get through security. The immigration officers were rude, almost all men and just plain rude that I had to say it twice. We filled out our customs forms on the plane, when it was my turn to go up, the officer spoke to me in Arabic and then French. I told him “English”, which he spoke and he just denied me and sent me to the back of the other line where I had to wait for 30 minutes. Finally whe...

When I arrived at Malaga airport in December of 2014 to catch my flight to Casablanca, Morocco. I was very impressed… at first. The airport has high ceilings, very modern and a STARBUCKS. Lol. Anyways, I was satisfied and waited patiently with my hot chocolate for the Air Maroc desk to open and start check in. Once I checked in and got through security, I was pleased with the eating options by the departure gates. However, this airport failed me greatly and quickly. There are no announcements on the P.A system to let you know when your flight commences its boarding. So you better make sure you are sitting by a screen or else you will miss your flight! The funny and a bit annoying thing was that there was one announcement that came on the P.A system, and that announcement was to announce that there would be no announcements on flight boarding times. Ridiculous right? Anyways, all the flights going to Africa are wayyyyyyyyyyyyy at the back of the airport in some isolated part, with only...

Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, but there is nothing about the customer service or layout of this airport that is capital worthy. To find anyone who knows what they are doing or anyone who can help you with the self check-in machines that are never working, is almost impossible. The line ups to check-in are soooo long and like I said before, good luck with finding someone who wants to assist you. My most recent trip to Jamaica was in August of 2014 and we left the island from Kingston airport, when we asked a worker to help us with the check in “situation”, she shrugged and plainly said “I have no idea” and kept on walking. She didn’t even try! There was a picture of the employee who won best customer service award, and my mother and I had to chuckle and say “can you imagine how bad at customer service the people who didn’t win were?” As Jamaicans say “sometimes yuh haf fi tek bad tings and mek laugh” (sometimes you have to take bad situations and laugh about them [to ease the str...