Fort Lauderdale Everglades at Sawgrass

 During our visit to Fort Lauderdale in Florida we took a trip to the Everglades where we did a high speed Air Boat ride through the wetlands. It was a thrilling but very noisy ride and fortunately the company running the trips provided ear plugs. The boat travelled at high speeds and at times negotiated tight turns.

 The sawgrass is found in the wetlands and is well known in the Florida Everglades area. Although it is called a grass its actually a a member of the Sedge family because of its sharp "teeth" along the edges of each blade. At times and in the right conditions it grows up to over 2.7 metres in height in the rich dark peat soils. When we visited they had had very high rainfall and the water level was 1.5-2 metres higher than normal.

 We had company at times as the water is inhabited with good numbers of alligators.  Fortunately we were seated at a good height in the boat as this one circled us a few times before we moved on.

Cuba 3

 A night out in Santiago using a Classic American Chevy as transportation. Bought back a few memories.

 On our last day in Santiago we took a trip high up into the Sierra Maestra Mountains to visit an early coffee plantation which is now a world heritage site. The mountain range is where some of the best Arabica coffee beans can be found. We were travelling in jeeps fortunately as a suitable four wheel drive vehicle was necessary to negotiate the bad road conditions higher up the mountain.

 This bright orange type lichen was quite spectacular around the ruins of some of the buildings.

 The Proprietors house at the oldest coffee plantation ( now a museum )

 The outdoor circular platform used for crushing the coffee beans. ( the long wooden rod was pulled in a circle by horse with a stone wheel in the track crushing the beans )

 A local Guide.

 A traditional concrete drying platform for drying coffee beans in front of the Proprietors house. The view from up there was spectacular and the air lovely and cool. It made a pleasant change from the heat and very high humidity at sea level.

 An eye catching large fruit growing on a tree which I was informed is not edible.

 Only one slave quarter building remains at the old plantation. Some very terrible stories of how the slaves were treated in those days was really sickening to hear.

 A very large mortar and pestle.

 On the way down the mountain we stopped at a roadside stand where a local family grew their own  coffee beans. They had been roasted and ground and then made into coffee for anyone who was game enough to stop. We did try but it was so so strong and bitter there was no way I could have enjoyed a cupful.

 They were also selling bags of coffee beans and cigars and a few pieces of handmade jewellery and trinkets.

 A typical farmhouse of the many we passed.

 A sculpture on the out skirts of Santiago was very impressive but not sure what it was actually depicting but could have had something to do with the end of the revolution.

 Not sure whether theses lounge chairs were actually for sale or whether the family had extended their lounge to outdoors.

 A lizard that came down a tree as we walked past while we were visiting botanical gardens.

And so its goodbye to Cuba. Its been very interesting what we did see but hopefully we may get a chance to revisit sometime so that we can do it in more depth.

Cuban Life

 A large percentage of the cars in Havana were American classic cars from the 1950s. Most had been lovingly restored by enthusiasts and any parts had been replaced were with Japanese parts due to them being unable to buy parts from the USA.

 Stray dogs of which there were many, are collared by the authorities and fed daily. Amazing in such a poor country where people are still issued with a coupon book to buy a limited amount of staple foods at a discounted price.

 Cuban life is very slow and laid back. Havana seemed to be a city that had been frozen in time. It had remained a prosperous city until the mid 20th century. It has now become a destination city since it reopened to tourism in the 1990s.

 A hairdressing salon in Santiago,

 A small "parts" shop in Santiago.

 There were many street dance groups in Santiago. People have a natural passion and ability to dance with style and rhythm as dance plays a big part in the Cuban culture.