#guava and cheese are also good together by themselves

[grilledcheeseandguavajelly]

Hello! Everytime I see your name on my dash I get curious... Soooooo, if you don't mind me asking what is guava jelly? Hope you're having a nice day! - C ☺️

Alsjakdjlskflg oh Cowboy you’re so adorable 🙈 of course I don’t mind you asking!! I grew up eating guava, and it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I realized a lot of people don’t know what it is!!

So guava is a fruit that looks like this

And the jelly is made from the fruit and looks like this

It’s really hard to describe how it tastes, but it’s flowery and kind of like a mango?? Sweeter than a mango, though. I’ve never met anyone who dislikes it!!

You can also get the jelly in something more like fruit leather, and that’s the best stuff to put on grilled cheese because it gets all melty 😉

#I’m sorry if this description was too in depth #or mansplain-y #but yep that’s what it is!! #it’s soooo good #guava and cheese are also good together by themselves #but I would recommend a mild cheese #I hope your day is going well too!! #cowboy anon #anon ask #ask me anything #those are stock images from google

[maddiesmt-morphina]

7 minutes to heaven - FINAL CHAPTER!

Note: I hope you guys like our last trip together into this wonderful culinary world of Shokugeki no Soma. Please read the final notes.

#

6 months later

Erina felt drops of sweat fall down her chin. The ragged breath doesn't take the smile off her lips. She might say that adrenaline had become costumary, but it would be too pretentious to associate her outbursts and desires to him. But really...Who she is kidding? Erina Nakiri, queen of the whole gastronomic world, became a total vassal of her own heart. And it beat faster every time certain golden eyes gawked her body for too long. The heiress shivered as she noted the way he gawk her from her golden hair til her end of her high socks. They seemed to record every detail of her, lost in her, their slave. She wonders if this stare battles and the half smiles will always going to leave her breathless. But at the end of the day she doesn't want anything else ... is better to live breathless than to live without him. She was interrupted by a high, cheerful voice. Yuki, the judge of the time, announces the end of another chapter between the powerful couple of the famous Totsuki school.

“ Time is up! You may serve the dishes!”

Erina tried to focus more on her dish than on the glittering golden eyes that seem to have no other source of attention than absorb the minute details of her body movement.

“I present to you my dessert: hot guava soup with spices” - the blonde finished her presentation with a perfect french,  wishing to jurors to enjoy the meal. From the corner of her eye, she noticed her boyfriend approching with that mischievous grin of his, he was tring to get a better look at the dessert she had made.

"I hope you saved me a little, Nakiri."

"You know very well the answer to that, Yukihira! Wasn't that the deal?"

"I can't wait to tasty it, but first I think I need to defeat you, Am I right?"

"In your dreams Yukihira!"

They were both interrupted by the jury's groans of satisfaction. On one side Joichiro seemed to almost cry with each spoonful, on the other Sezaemon Nakiri had already undressed, exposing his shirtless chest while savoring dessert.

"I think you can give up before you go through another public humiliation, Yukihira "

The boy just smiled, put his lips close to the girl's ear and whispered.

"You know very well that you drive me crazy when you get this worked up, don't you?"

Erina felt her cheeks flush, his breath tickling her neck. She could feel his mischievous smile forming, the one he always gave when he could pull a shy expression from her. Soma looked into her eyes again, the tension between them dense, almost solid. And he chose not to come any closer. The chef wasn't sure if he would be able to get out of the situation alive if he let himself be carried away by the desire to kiss her. He was sure she wouldn't like being kissed in public at all. He simply chose to slide his fingers under her left cheek as he realized the jurors were no longer eating but paying attention to the couple. Soma felt his face flush and spoke calmly to his girlfriend again.

"I think it's my turn. And this time  I guarantee it. You will say 'delicious' Erina."

The young woman felt the seriousness in his words and swallowed hard when he called her by her first name. Something they just do in the privacy of their room.

"Gentlemen, I present to you my dessert: 'Mascarpone ice cream with nutmeg'. Enjoy!"

What followed was a demonstration of pure gastronomic pleasure. Joichiro rolled his eyes as Sezaemon tore the clothes he had stripped before. Despite the great commotion, the result was not the expected by the couple.

"So Gramps, Pops ... who won this shokugeki?"

"I think you drew again, young Soma."

"A TIE?" the young chefs exclaimed in surprise.

"I can't believe you put me in the same level as him again, Grandpa."

"Pops you can't be serious? A tie? But I was sure that this time I had improved my technique"

"Now calm down, you two. I think I have an answer to that - Joichiro spoke while exchanging complicit glances with the old director - If the old man here allow me, I can explain a little something or another about harmonization.

The older Nakiri just nodded allowing the old student to continue. Joichiro got up and placed both dishes on the kitchen counter. He narrowed his eyes and realized that a young audience was watching him intently. He smiled at the seriousness before his own eyes. What was missing here was lightness.

"Of course you must have read the story of the two lovers of Verona. Romeo, the witty, dreamy, happy, brave and loyal boy. Juliet, for her part, was a spoiled, obedient, strong, determined, romantic girl. The great tragedy of the Capulets and Montecchios came from a single sentiment. Love. The only one capable of unit the unimaginable. Romeo's impetuosity and Juliet's sweetness. It was based on Shakespere's novel that one of the most famous and appreciated sweets of Brazilian cuisine emerged, it is called Romeo and Juliet or simply guava and cheese. That's when I learned that every Romeo" - Joichiro took a spoon of Sorbetto from his son's dish - " Would be nothing without his Juliet" - He ended up adding Sorbetto to the guava soup.

Erina couldn't disguise the flush on her cheeks at this point as Soma watched his plate blend with Erina's so that a new rosy color appeared.

Saiba offered two spoons to the couple and finished "I present to you Romeo and Juliet in Nakiri Yukihira style"

This time, it was Soma who blushed he just seemed less embarrassed compared to the almost purple coloration of his girlfriend's cheeks. He wondered if she had forgotten to breathe at some point. The young couple sank their spoons into their plates, taking equal halves of the guava soup with marscarpone sorbetto. And as the flavors mingled and complemented each other, the whole house seemed to be in the middle of an earthquake. The stronger flavor of mascarpone rediscovered sweeter guava notes. Nothing overlapped, everything was completed in a dance of incredibly delicious flavors. In the end, Erina couldn't contain herself, with trembling mouth and anesthetized body, she uttered the sentence that Soma expected to hear ...

"It's delicious"

Soma came out of the trance instantly. With wide eyes and cheeks still trembling after the gastronomic attack he suffered.

"What .... what did you just say Nakiri?"

"Hm?"

"Did you happen to say ... my food is delicious?"

"Hmpf! Of course not."

"No no. Don't lie. I heard it. Okay I was in a trance, but I did hear ... everybody listened"

Erina could very well admit that the boy's food was delicious, she had already admitted her feelings, why not admit that his food was delicious too? However, this was a battle she didn't want to finish anytime soon. After all, a competition between them was much more fun and interesting. She let a mischievously smile scape her lips and spoke again.

"That's right. I admit the food was delicious. But as I remember, this dish is not just yours. It's my guava soup that is completing the dish. And if there's something I cooked on the dish, it wouldn't be less than delicious, would it?"

Soma took a deep breath. He hated having to admit she was correct. The two watched their friends throw themselves in a battle for a piece of dish that the God's tongue blessed as delicious. Soma took advantage of this cue to approach his girlfriend from behind and whisper in her ear.

"You ... you are very ... very smart and very beautiful for your own good, Erina. Don't think that this competition is over because it isn't."

Erina smiled, pleased.

"I expected no less from you, Soma."

The blonde felt the boy's breath on her neck and his fingers trace the curve of her waist.

"You know me. Always ready for a challenge."

"Especially the impossible ones?" She let her head rest on the boy's chest.

"Especially yours."

That same night, after everyone had tasted and approved the couple's dessert, the young people were reunited in Marui's room, where an end-of-semester party was taking place.

In one corner, Erina and Soma argue over some irrelevant subject. Clearly they had more fun with discussions than for the reasons that led to it. Ryo was struggling to keep Alice still, the girl seemed unconscious to the effects her body induced in the boy every time she wiggles on his lap while trying to find a comfortable position to continue reading a school gossip magazine. The cover had it in bold letters the article "Top 10 Most Powerful Couples from Totsuki".

"I don't believe we are in second place, Ryo!"

"Miss ... please stop moving"

"How can you stay so relaxed knowing Soma and Erina are in front of us?"

Ryo made a low sound as he felt the girl fit perfectly on his hips.

"Miss ..." he gasped once more.

"We have to reverse this, Ryo!"

"Alice ...!"

"What ..." - The girl stopped in the middle of her question. There was a familiar pressure from the boy in the lower part of her back.

"Don't you realize you're driving me crazy?" He's whispered, this time in the girl's ear.

She felt strong arms encircle her waist and bring her closer. If before she doubted, now she was sure that Ryo was very… very happy to have her on his lap.

"Ryo ... this is ..."

"Don't think that just because we're in public my body won't react to yours. You don't know what you're dealing with, Alice."

She shivered and felt her body tremble againts his. Her eyes almost closed when she felt her boyfriend's warm lips on her neck. She bit her lip to avoid a pleasant moan.

"I don't think we need to prove anything to anyone. But if you want, we can start now."

Alice opened her eyes in astonishment. The bold proposition was tempting, but deep down Alice likes to maintain the family's reputation. She also knew that scandals of the sort were not beneficial at all either to her competition with her cousin or her relationship with her boyfriend.

"No..no we don't have to...not now and not here however, I think later, in my room, we can .... test your offer.

"As my lady wishes"

In another corner of the room, Hayama offers a cup to Hisako, who smiles at the scent of cinnamon in her chamomile tea.

"I see you put your own touch on my tea."

Hayama smiled, almost embarrassed to explain.

"Let's say I found the lesson from Mr. Saiba much more enlightening"

The boy intertwined his fingers with his girfriend's free hand. The girl with pink hair, in turn, couldn't avoid a flushed smile. They continued a shy conversation while the scent of tea envelops them.

"Have you asked for an autorization from Nakiri... about us spending a week together?"

"No"

"No?"

"It's not that I'm not going to talk to her ... what I mean is I'm not going to ask for an autorization. She is my friend ... I don't need her permission."

Hayama couldn't explain the feeling of pride on his chest. To see his girlfriend as confident and as free as she was right now made him the happiest man in the world. So much so that he couldn't avoid to kiss her right there. A quick but not less breathless one. The boy heard her stutter his name. They were not a couple who showed public affection like Alice and Ryo, nor were they obvious as Soma and Erina. Hisako likes to think that their relationship was so theirs that it didn't have to be anyone else's.

"Akira ?!"

"Forgive me but I couldn't help it. I am proud of you Arato."

The girl just smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as she drank the tea that smelled like him.

Not far away from there, right on the dorm counter, Takumi takes courage to ask a question that should have been asked months ago. He had already lost count of how many times he had gone out with Megumi, He knew the names of all her family members, the full explanation behind the lucky charm, The've watched all the Disney movies together from the oldest to the last ones released in the movie theaters. Still, he felt his hand sweat and his heart skip a bit.

"Takumi, are you sure you are alright? Don't want some tea or a painkiller maybe?"

"N..No ... I mean ... don't worry Megumi I ... I'm fine just... just a little nervous"

He ran his hands along his golden threads of hair, searching for trust and to help him keep it calm. Takumi couldn't handle matters of the heart the way a boy with an entire fan club dedicated to him was expected. The charisma and charm guarantee him fans but nothing too close to the safety of romance.

"Hm..right. So ... why are we here?"

"I just ..."  the boy swallowed hard..spired deeply and tried to continue " I need to ask you something, Megumi"

"Hm ok. You can ask"

Takumi approaches her, getting so close he could see her perfectly long lashes. His eyes confident and so bright that they were able to reflect the moon. Megumi no longer fought against the tide that always pulled her into the immensity of his gaze.

"Megumi, I know we are friends and that we have been going out for quite some time. You're such an amazing company and I don't even feel the time go by when we're together. I like our conversations, the way you smile when you like a movie or when you finish a new recipe, you teach me either with your words or with your look. Your words inspired me to be better every day and I finally understood that I don't need to overcome anyone but myself to be better. You make me feel at easy, you give me confidence and I think I'm repeating myself but you surround me with so many good feelings that I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to live on this magic ride with you every day and how happy I would be if I could do the same for you ... so ... if you can ... I mean... if you want ... I would very much like...hmm..."

"Takumi" the girl smiled her heart couldn' possibly stand so much apprehension.

"Okay..sorry ...well..." the young man cleared his throat and intertwined his fingers with the girl - Would you give me the honor to be my girlfriend, Megumi?"

Takumi notice the girl's cheeks flushing, and felt his own neck burning from the spreading flush. Finally he saw her smile shyly.

"I ... I do ... I do! Of course I accept!"

The boy didn't contain his happiness, hugged her tightly and they twirled.

"I thought you would never ask"

"I ... I'm sorry for keep you waiting ... I ... I wasn't sure what to do ... what to say ..."

"It doesn't matter now." She puts her forehead to his and spot his gaze traveling from her eyes to her pink lips.

"Megumi ... may I ..."

"Yes, please!"

Megumi saw him smile before feeling his hot lips. She smiled during the kiss. Happy, light and extremely in love. When facing the room, already holding hands, they were welcome by the angry voices from Alice and Erina, who is once again discussing about something irrelevant. Their boyfriends were doing nothing to appease the heirs. Ryo chose to remain inert and Soma was to entertained laughing about it.

"What's going on here?"

Alice withdrew her red eyes from the battle with her cousin's purple ones and fixed them on the new couple's clasped hands.

"Ahhh more competition! Yes..I'm happy for you two ... yes ... everyone here sure expected this to happen but NO !! I am not going to make it easy for you now that you are the new couple from school"

Takumi and Megumi feel drops of sweat fall from their forehead. Those from embarrassment rather than heat.

"What is she talking about?" Takumi decided to voice the question for both of them. And it was Hisako who provided the necessary explanation.

"Don't worry. She's been that way since the gossip magazine article put her and Ryo at second place in the school's top most powerful couples"

Hayama, who had his hand on Hisako's waist, completed.

"Alice is a very troblesome especially when it comes to competitions. I honestly don't know how Ryo can handle it"

"It must be because he really loves her And believe me a grumpy Ryo is worth a thousand cranky Alices"

The four laughed before hearing Yuki exclaim from across the room.

"Right ... Right ... We are all very happy and some of us very much in love. But there is a very large portion here that is BORED TO DEATH!"

From the girl's side, Sakaki sighed as She nodded.

"Yuki is right. What can we do to pass the time?"

Alice practically jumped with excitement as she spoke .

"I HAVE AN IDEA!"

And with the same speed she spoke she was also barred by a set of voices.

"NO, ALICE!"

"Ahh, come on guys!"

While Alice complained on one side and their friends laughed on the other, Erina and Soma looked at each other. They seemed to imagine the same thing. Who would have thought a silly game would give them a lifetime in paradise.

-THE END-

#

ANNNNNDDD CUT!

What a RIDE?! I can't believe it's over. It really took me a while to post the last chapter because I didn't want to say goodbye to this fic. It gave me wonderful moments ... some troblesome ones ( yeah the whole "I was plagiared thing" was a hard one) ... but the vast majority was full of emotion. And I owe it all to you. My readers! To all of you. Whether you're a ghost reader, or if you always comment, whether you're the one who just likes it and favorite it, whether you're the one who eagerly waits, the ones who resisted and has accompanied me til here. I have no words to thank you all. Each of you has given me strength, taught me, and thrilled me in its own way. I hope I managed to get a few sighs fro you guys, a few laughs and the main one,  I really hope that I somehow made of your day a better day ... even if was just little bit. Writing fanfics is like an outburst… you don't expect anything… no waiting for feedback … but hearing from you has undoubtedly been the best of experiences I've ever had. To all of you ... my eternal Thank you and until next time! Love, Maddie

p.s: Sorry about the english although I think my mean gol of improve myself on the langage was achived. Thank you all for that. p.s 2: Thank you to all the amazing friends I've made with this fic! You guys will be always in my heart!

#food wars: shokugeki no souma #shokugeki no soma #sorina #soma yukihira #erina nakiri #soueri #fanfic #7minutes #the end #endgame #alice nakiri #ryo kurokiba #ryoali #akira hayama #hisako arato #akisako #megumi tadokoro #takumi aldini #takumegu #food wars #polar star

[traveling-couch-potato]

Puerto Rico Day 6

Woke up at 8am feeling a bit under the weather. My throats been bothering me for a few days now but woke up feeling like I spent the night yelling at the top of my lungs. Walked outside of our room at Casa Flamboyant to the most gorgeous morning view of the rainforest and... Angel chilling on our hammock with al her bed pillows. She let me give it a shot and I now have half a mind to swap my mattress out for this hammock (and move to Puerto Rico over the rainforest of course).

After a few minutes of hammock shut eye we went upstairs to see that Ricky and Florin prepared us some coffee and tea. We grabbed a cup and headed into the Infinity Pool to welcome in the morning with a nice cool dip. Also all the water in the pool, tap, showers, etc, are all from the rainforest so all fresh, natural sources!

I don’t think anything could beat this kind of view or these kind of mornings.

After lounging in the pool for a while, Ricky informed us that breakfast was ready. He started us off with a plate of fresh fruit grown by themselves or their neighbors. He then followed it up with a cup of fresh Acerola (Puerto Rican Cherry) juice. As if that wasn’t enough, he then brought out our main course: poached scrambled eggs with a goat cheese sauce and tarragon, a homemade coconut arepa (unleavened Puerto Rican bread), a slice of Carribbean avocado (extra creamy due to the water content), and a link of Spanish chorizo. Oh my gosh this was all so good. Poaching the scrambled eggs made them even fluffier and the balance of the neutral but creamy avocado with the salty, fatty, spicy chorizo, and the crunchy, sweet arepa was everything my mouth could want.

After breakfast I ordered a brown bag lunch for Ricky and we gathered our things for our second stop of the day.

---------------------------------------------------------------

We only had about a mile to drive to our next stop, the south entrance of the El Yunque National Rainforest. There were 3-4 other cars parked out front but essentially no one around. According to Ricky there’s two main hikes. The first is a more difficult hike up the mountain past the main recreation area beyond the gate. We decided to give it a try. It’s as unkempt as he said and then some. We may or may not have hummed the Jurassic Park theme the whole time.

Jurassic Park-esque to the max.

We went about .3 miles before we hit a muddy river/rock/upward river? of sorts where my more experienced friend said we should avoid. We turned back, had some lunch at the recreation area, and decided to give the easier of the two hikes a try. This hike is closer to the front of the park entrance. I wouldn’t really even call it a hike. It’s a decently maintained path that leads to a spot right by one of the waterfalls. I was honestly relieved it wasn’t too strenuous cause I was definitely starting to feel my cold. Plus the view was decently worth the minimal effort.

---------------------------------------------------------------

With El Yunque off the checklist, we headed off to our Airbnb in Los Croabas. Compared to our luxurious loungings yesteray this place was....well not that... Leaking ceiling, no hot water, and so many mosquitos. The hostess did try her best with the other small amenities though but I’m relieved we’re only here for a night. We relaxed for a bit and headed to our dinner joint at La Estacion (well technically we went to CVS first for cold medicine). Besides breakfast, this meal was the only other highlight of the day. Great bilingual service and some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had (and I paid my dues in the South). We ordered the BBQ swordfish served w/ Arroz con Habichuelas and a sampler platter which included: a BBQ Cornish Hen w/ Alabama White BBQ Sauce, Brisket w/ pickled red onions and chimichurri plus an arepa, and 2 St. Louis style smoked ribs w/ a guava bbq sauce. This was paired with an American style potato salad and a summer salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. Seriously it was so much food and every item was so tender and flavorful and our servers were all so helpful and friendly.

---------------------------------------------------------------

After dinner we rushed off to our Bio-luminescent kayaking tour through Pure Adventures and well...that was quite something. To be honest it was mostly fun. Kayaking was a fun workout and it was amazing going through the mangroves at night until we hit a huge bay where we could see a ton of stars. We tied our boats together and got a brief lesson on dinoflagellates and their glowing effect. We ran our hands through the warm water and watched it glimmer with every twitch. It was mesmerizing. I also loved the view of this open water slightly sparkling with the tiny safety lights of so the kayaks. Crowded yet peaceful at the same time. But of course before we got there we had a mishap. Namely running into several mangroves and capsizing our boat and losing my flip flops in the process. I’m thankful I didn’t bring my camera but I did bring my wallet and phone. The latter was in a Ziploc bag and as of writing this we may have recovered it enough for me to not need to bring it in for repair. But let’s just say the rest of our night involved CVS/Walmart runs, bags of rice, and lots of hairdryers and paper towels. Also none of my Gopro footage of the night turned out cause of how dark it was but hopefully the flash photo the staff member took turned out nice.

Overall, it’s been kind of a rough day. My cold is peaking, damaged wallet and possibly phone, leaking ceilings/mosquitoes/no hot water. But it was all a fun experience (so long as my phone/wallet make it out alive, I’ll handle anything else.

#puerto rico #2019 #puerto rico travel tips #travel #travel blog #travel log #travel tips #wanderlust #fajardo #el yunque

[sweater--child]

So, I finally read Ship of the Dead...

Now, I know. Its been out for months. Its been sitting on my shelf since it showed up on my doorstep way back in whatever month after waiting forever for it to be released after I preordered it. So trust me I know that I'm behind on the times. But I'm a college student and have the life drained out of me as I sit in my completely overpriced lectures and contemplate archaeological finds and cultural decelopment in western civilization.

And I saw you all attempting to be spoiler-y on my Blitzstone post. For shamed.

Edit: This is getting more attention than I thought it would. Please, add your own favorite moments and stuff! I love reading them and seeing what I missed.

But here are some of my favorite things from this particular book (SPOILERS!):

Fierrochase. Beyond just loving the ship, this is huge in ways of representation. I'm nonbinary myself, and lack of representation makes it so hard to go about my life and be accepted. Also dating is basically impossible? So this was a huge win for me personally. Also I feel like pansexual Magnus has just been accepted by the whole fandom as canon, which makes me little broken heart swell (I'm pansexual as well).

Fierrochase again! I just felt the transition into their romance was much more real than most books and media? Like it wasn't this "I kissed you and know we're going to be together forever and stuff". There was a confession and then honest thought and consideration? Also all the hinting and awkward crush moments were adorable and made the confession less jarring and prevented that awkward "oh no we need a romance lets just shove these 2 characters together with no pretext" that a lot of books and shows seem to fall into.

Magnus can know talk to animals, on top of glowing and healing and being a beautiful soul- confirmed Disney Princess. Now to get him a gown and tiara (men can wear dresses, fuck you).

Muslim representation. I'm not Muslim myself, nor do I know a whole lot of the culture (I'm an ignorant potato, I'm sorry) but from what I've heard Sam's character is pretty spot on and is really great. Specifically, I think the discussion about the treatment of Muslims in America, while short and brief (it is a kids book and Uncle Rick can only put so much in before it causes problems with publishing and stuff), was really important.

Mallory, TJ, and Halfborn's development. Mallory came to terms with her death (sort of) and embraced herself and her parentage. TJ showed all of us what it truly means not to forgive per se, but to move on, that fighting is only worthwhile when its for something bigger than yourself, and that optimism is never wasted. Halfborn coming to terms with the failings of his life (not returning to his life) and turning it into a purpose, a new way to keep going.

Alex. Alex gets her own little segment here because there are so many good moments with Alex. We finally got the source of a lot of Alex's will and independence with her Grandfather, along with Mexican culture representation. The real struggles of being queer. The loss of a friend. Building Pottery Barn (and refusing to designate a gender until they themselves could have a say). There's a lot- but what sticks with the me the most is that moment when he kisses Magnus at the end in the Hotel. The fact that he waited until he was a boy to me shows that Rick was making a point with this- it was one thing for Magnus to say Alex was the best thing that happened to him while she was a girl, but completely when he's a boy. It showed a real fear to Alex that she covers really well, and this moment addressed the very real fear of rejection that gender fluid, nonbinary, and trans* people face when it comes to dating.

Hearthstone. Baby boy breaks my heart. We get a lot of closure that I needed and really gave us a chance to see that Hearth is gonna be okay, that he can move on and be happy. He no longer carries the burden and is free.

Blitzstone? Okay, I know I've talked about this ship in the past, and I do still really love this ship, but I actually like that it was open to interpretation. Honestly, there isn't enough healthy male friendships in media. As long as my 2 boys are happy and healthy and alive, I'm not mad.

The flyting. Theres a trend I've noticed recently that I love and that's the departure from the typical brawny fighting male protagonists to mains who have an empathy and peacefulness about them. Primarily I think of Newt Scamender and Magnus Chase. Neither are fighters, and only do so when necessary. Newt is a caretaker and Magnus is a healer. Looking back on Percy Jackson, nearly everyone of his adventures was solved by fighting, which is not a bad thing and I'm in no way complaining. But I do have to praise uncle Rick for choosing to end this series the way he does- not only does he choose a nonviolent duel of words and wit (rap battle), he also veers Magnus from being insulting and cutting but instead Magnus literally wins by praising his family members. In the end, our hero didn't succeed through fighting ability and bravery, but instead because he realised that he couldn't ever really lose in life when he has these people with him, come Ragnarok or eternal existence as an undead hotel guest.

The Chase Mansion. Nuff said.

Big Banana

Magnus immediately assumes every goat he meets in Otis.

Alex's continual obsession with pink and green.

Expand-o-duck

Mango Cheese is awkward and dorky in every situation and I agree.

Almost freezing to death.

Heavenly dates (I actually hate dates)

Percy praising Annabeth and gushing about his baby sister

Guava juice

Continued love for Falafel (never had it, but seems great)

Cherry Soda insanity resulting in ceramic Voltron versus mud monster showdown

Pop culture references and Magnus fearing his Tardis Banana

Chocolate tug of war

Being prepared for Ragnarok with organized parking and golf carts

Magnus doesn't know how to date and I agree

Amir is constantly astounded by how awesome his Fiancee is

Actual discussion of grief and loss

Dragon Heart grants Disney Princess powers to anyone savage enough to eat it

Hearthstone is a better Thunder God than the Thunder God Thor

Daddy Frey

Butchering all the Norse namesand pretending like I remember who half of them are

Green Hair Meal

Billionare fish

Blood, Spit, and Honey

Blitzen yelling at a dragon because his friend is sad

Walnut

There's more but I'll leave it here for now

#magnus chase #mcatgoa #alex fierro #fierrochase #blitzstone #hearthstone #mallory keen #halfborn gunderson #tj #blitzen #ship of the dead #samirah al abbas #thomas jefferson jr #mango cheese

[notquitedailyamy]

Another LA trip, another trip to Porto’s

Porto’s is a bakery and a half, probably even a bakery and another whole. My sister Buffy heartily recommended I paid it a visit early on during my first stay in LA this February. It was a destination of priority on her list of things for me to do while I was there. Forget the Getty Center or Venice Beach: Porto’s was the place I ought to go at the earliest opportunity.

It’s a really nice walk through a charmingly mismatch melange of residential architecture ( - though I’m sure the novelty for tourists like me of exploring streets so different to those I’m used to in the UK won’t necessarily apply to the locals!) from my sister’s place in Burbank to Magnolia Boulevard, where one of the four existing Porto’s Bakery & Cafes looms, an imposing yet friendly and inviting giant on the corner where Magnolia meets North Hollywood Way.

As soon as you duck in, the relentless heat and dazzling brightness of outside is left behind in favour of the cool, capacious interior that welcomes you in its place. The bakery counters and a large café seating area are one big and buzzing open space. A constant rumble of chatter provides the perfect background music, and the smiles and affable greetings - which I’ve consistently received from the front of house on so far every occasion I have visited, ensure whatever time is spent inside is dominated by grinning of your own.

The queues at the counters are long, but the large number of staff on duty ensures a minimal waiting time. When I reached the counter after a lengthier wait than usual the second time I dropped by, I was handed my single item free of charge, as well as having a couple of other tasters thrown in! The high footfall and general busyness are seamlessly managed, and I have always found the customer service to be excellent; it is obviously an indispensible contributor to the convivial atmosphere of Porto’s establishments.

From savoury to sweet, the offering is vast and varied. They also do a particularly good line in iced coffees (*pant* - from both heat and coffee love). It’s obvious that both authenticity and accessibilty are key. The quality is excellent and the price tags importantly affordable. My sister would recommend the Refugiados guava and cheese strudels every time. I back her up entirely - I have tried them, they ARE great. Myself I’d say give the Ojo de tigre a go - it’s an oval-shaped soft almond sponge cake native to South America, with dark chocolate flakes folded in, soaked in a sweet rum syrup and filled with dark Belgian chocolate ganache. Agh, I just sold them to myself all over again… oh must I now be so far away! 

Ojo de tigre [Image source: portosbakery.com]

Only the stoniest of hearts could resist this place; everything about it beams, including its uplifting backstory. After seeking permission to leave the political unrest of 1960s Cuba, Raul Sr. and Rosa Porto found themselves segregated and jobless on their home turf. This was a long time before permission was finally granted for them to leave, and in an effort to scrape together the means necessary to support their three children, while Raul Sr. was sent away into manual labour, Rosa Porto called upon her longtime love of baking. Throwing herself into the practise and fine tuning of her skills, Rosa started to sell her first cakes, which in turn soon came to be much in demand. It wasn’t until 1971 that the Portos eventually emigrated, taking with them Rosa’s baking skills and aspirations of a better life. Having initially run the baking business straight out of their front door, with a small loan the family set up their first small-scale premises. Little did they know that their humble beginnings would spiral into the culinary powerhouse and SoCal staple Porto’s is today, with a monthly footfall of tens of thousands.

Rosa Porto [Image source: portosbakery.com]

Now should you just happen to find yourselves in Southern California at some stage, have I convinced you enough to swing by? I hope so! (They’re not even paying me…)

It’s my big-little bro Ben! Sippin’ on his blended iced mocha (what’s left of it already…)

Let’s not forget the SuSo: “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman / http://open.spotify.com/track/1pJHnQCWY4hn8ZWuNJ75jt

References:

http://www.portosbakery.com

https://la.eater.com

#portos #bakery #la #losangeles #california #socal #tourist #cakes #bakes #coffee #brother #sister #visit #yum #cafe #restaurant #cuba #cuban #ojodetigre #refugiados #refugiado #strudel #guava #smile #smiles #happy #times #buzz #placetogo #tourguide

[takawtikim]

Tasting Experience: Essential Goodness for the Pilgrims

looking for a fresher take on speak easies?! I recommend heading to the rooftop resto of Lub’d’s hostel in Makati avenue called Essential Goodness for the Pilgrims- yes, it’s a long name for a resto and yes, I did seriously ask if they were serious about the said name. if you break down this moniker, it simply means nourishing the wanderer. customers who journey to this place are not only fueled w/ food but they aim to provide an ecstatic dining experience as well.

press the #13 on the lift to make your way up to the rooftop restaurant and bar and once that door opens you’ll be greeted by the most hospitable, accommodating and well-rounded staff I have ever encountered, by far. the servers ask for your name and throughout the course, they address you as such instead of the norm “Ma’am or Sir”. I mean, I'm good w/ either, but being called by your given name, makes it all the more personalized and genuine.

the interiors are well lit, simple and clean designs that have an earthy tone to it w/ a lil touch of industrial yet still chic and functional. it has an open kitchen w/c connects both the air-conditioned and al fresco dining area so that the CM can glance at what the back-of-the-house are preparing for them.

we were seated at the long table (well, the tabled were conjoined to make one long table) at the open area where we were left in awe as that beautiful Makati skyline view at night was just magically alluring, not to mention relaxing.

it was an honor to become part of the resto’s tasting experience as we got to learnin’ how the hostel and restaurant came about, straight for the heads of Lub’D themselves - Airfic, Jordan, Simon and Luke were nothing but wonderful, congenial and FUN! after just an hour of exchanging pleasantries and stalking each others SNS’s, it really felt like we’re friends... i guess there’s magic in their slogan “everyone leaves as a friend.”

now, the moment of food, hehe. the menu consists of 9-courses (2 vegan dishes and 2 desserts) all w/ a touch of Thai and these items will become part of their dinner menu as well as an intro for Valentine’s; also, drink pairings were on cue.

a welcome drink in small shapely glass (bigger than a shot glass) was served, called French 75. it’s got gin, champagne and lemon juice- made me a lil whozzy ‘coz i have had a bite 7hours before and i don’t drink, drink... just sip-sip, so this got me talking a bit more than usual.

the tofu salad was the first to be deployed: marinated tofu slices that dressed w/ fresh spinach, cilantro, basil and squeezed w/ lime was an interestingly amazing bite. better though if the tofu had a thicker slice, to make it easier to fork w/ the veggies as well as get that taste going in your mouth. ***paired w/ caipirinha***

the crab curry turned up: it was a tad salty and left me looking for that heat w/c curries are known for, but it ain't there. it was served w/ a fried, chewy and fluffy roti that when eaten together resulted to a much mellow taste that I appreciated. though the grease from the roti bread was something I felt like needed more tissue for pattin mg the excess off. ***paired w/ soursop black tea***

the salmon ceviche was served - I’m not a fan of raw meats or meats cooked in acid, but this one wasnt bad. the fish was sweetly fresh and bouncy to the bite, the pickled vegs were okay but lacked to give that tang that the ceviche needs to pop-out. ***paired w/ lemonade***

my eyes gleamed upon seeing the fried chicken poppers and my taste buds were more than impressed. crispy, juicy and toothsome thigh fillet, plunged in that tartly weird but nummy sambal crean cheese spread was - this was my fave#1 and paired w/ the essential iced tea was delish.

a lighter take in laksa, that’s all vegan was the vegan curry laksa. the broth was light, rice noodles were al dente but boy did the ginger scream through the soup. prolly, for ‘em vegans they’ll surely appreciate it because they can enjoy a laksa that’s suited to their food specifications.

the sous vide, thai fried chicken was next. one quarter chicken piece, that’s fried to perfection after being cured of spices, spread w/ a lil green chili sambal was delightful- of course, fried food is love, though the herbed rice was it’s downfall, it felt too mushy, a bit over cooked because it lost that al dente feel. ***paired w/ duke if earl***

another main course was busted out called the braised beef in guava sauce, it wasnt appralingnti my olfactory but boy it was tender, fall off the bone good. who’d’ve thought guava and beef works?! this was fave#2 ***paired w/ cabernet sauvignon***

for the sweet endings, the mango sticky rice and the earl grey chocolate. the former was okay, better if there was more coconut condensed doused on the rice while the latter was fave#3!!! i am ALL praises or this one. vanilla ice cream, spooned w/ earl grey chocolate mousse/spread + that brownes butter crumbs was a delicately delicious dessert to cap off one lovely tasting experience. if this is on the menu, i’d DEFO get one.

to conclude, it’s a 4/5 star culinary journey that took place in a 4-hour dinner set up as we bonded over stories, new friends and new food created masterfully by their chefs that brought you Hey Handsome and Your Local.

#Poblacion #Casual Dining

[ruanaich]

I was lucky to be invited to take part in a group trip to Cuba. I’m not usually one to head for tropical destinations, but the invitation from David to join himself and Johnny, both photographer friends I have made via Instagram, was one I couldn’t pass up.

100% Havana

Glasgow to Havana

It was an early start in Glasgow. My taxi picked me up at 3:30am for my 6:05am flight to Amsterdam. It’s only 10 – 15 minutes to the airport, but it wasn’t long before word of delays started circulating around the queue at the departure gate. 

In fact the flight was delayed till 7:45am. This was going to make things very tight.

The flight was late but fairly uneventful. As we came into land at Schipol airport, it was already approaching departure time for my connecting flight.

As soon as the landing gear hit the tarmac, I turned on my phone.

My compadres on this trip were, David, making his way from Inverness and Johnny flying from Edinburgh. I knew both had slight delays themselves due to fog in Amsterdam, but they had both departed before me.

As my phone came to life and found a Dutch carrier signal, the Cuba WhatsApp chat sprang to life. “Where are you?”, “You could still make it”, “10 minutes if you run across the airport”. Then the KLM popped up telling me my plane was about to depart. I was in a mild panic to say the least and because we were late they were quick to unload the plane. 

I started sprinting through one of the largest airports in the world! The departure time for my flight had well and truly passed. I had to make my way from D gate to the F departure gates. 10 minutes and full speed. My version of full speed, as my jeans fell around my arse, I puffed and panted passing other travellers and along the moving walkways. Eventually my gate came in to view and they were waiting for me. I swiped my boarding card and with relief caught my breath in the gangway onto the plane.

I was met with relieved smiles from my travelling companions. They had been updating the flight crew of my dilemma so they were fully aware of my situation.

I was shown to my seat by a friendly flight attendant. She tried to make me feel better and told me all was well as I sat down, coughing and spluttering, much to the dismay of my neighbour for the next 10 or so hours of the flight. I apologised. We sat on the tarmac for some time. Possibly an hour beyond our intended departure time. I wasn’t complaining. The pilot announced that they were waiting on the last of the baggage to be loaded. This gave me hope that my bags would make the transfer.

The 10 hour flight was thankfully uneventful.

My coughing dissipated and I listened to music and podcasts. Tried to sleep but failed to get anything substantial. Eventually watching a movie, that took me through turbulence somewhere above Bermuda, possibly the remnants of Hurricane Irma which had recently ravaged the north coast of Cuba and devastated many other Caribbean Islands. It wasn’t too long after this that we were descending towards Cuba itself.

I watched the long empty unkempt roads and countryside scroll beneath our plane, catching my first glimpse of the Caribbean Sea. The palm trees and banana trees surrounded by rich red soil. It was overcast. Touch down.

Stepping off the plane, the humidity struck me, I’m a cold weather person. I made my way into the airport stopping to thread my belt through my jeans, while awaiting my companions to catch up.

We made it through security without incident, despite me forgetting to show my tourist visa until prompted by passport control. 

We got to baggage reclaim and it soon became clear some of us would not be collecting our luggage.

Johnny received at text from KLM explaining that his bags had not made it onto our flight. I had no cell service so had to assume I was in the same boat.

As advised by the optimistic KLM flight attendants, we went to the lost baggage office window and tried to explain in broken English and terrible attempts in Spanish the dilemma we faced to a group of ladies who appeared to have been through this scenario more times than they would care to.

Johnny and myself were listed on a dot matrix print-out which we were handed to check our details. David was not on the list and one of the exasperated ladies requested he return to the carousel and ‘look carefully’ for his bag. She then looked at me and told me to do the same. She had been able to tell me where my bags were. Johnny was told he would get his bags the next day. 

David’s bags eventually appeared, but it was obvious I would not be reunited with mine. I hesitantly left the reclaim area, looking over my shoulder, if they made some last-minute appearance.

We entered arrivals and pushed passed the crowds and found our contact who then led us on to the currency exchange office where I swapped around 360 Euro for 400 cucs, or Cuban convertible currency. We were then shown our taxi. My head was still spinning from tiredness and the disappointment from losing my bags. We had each loaded half of our luggage with clothes and sundries to hand out to those affected by the hurricane, not to mention our own belongings.

Onwards, we approached Havana on roads through plantation fields and shacks before reaching a dual carriageway leading into the city.

The centre of Havana is a warren of narrow streets. Ornate, dilapidated colonial buildings stacked in a seemingly haphazard way.

Our taxi was seemingly took a rather contrived route, as we saw several places on more than one occasion. However we had pre-paid, so maybe this was ‘the tourist route’ or a one-way system. 

We stopped in one of the narrow streets and off-loaded (with our hand luggage). We rang the doorbell to the casa that would be our base for the next two days.

We entered up a steep dark stairway and onto a landing and lounge area that was open to the elements. A spiral staircase continued up to another level to a dining area that led onto a balcony high above the street.

The wooden spiral stairs led up to the room we’d be staying in. Green leaves dangled in the void, around the stairs, blending outdoors with indoors.

From the upper landing where our room was located, there was access to the dining/bar area which was essentially the rooftop. The lives of Havanans continued across the surrounding rooftops and on the streets below.

Our Casa in Havana

Johnny checking out the street from the balcony

Havana Streets

Havana streets

Later, we gathered in the lounge and met with the rest of the team we’d be traveling with over the coming days. Our guide would be Rayner, a pleasant young man and a very proud Cuban.

The roll-call consisted of the following:

Rebekah, a New Zealander on her travels around the world.

Kieth and Michael, two older loose canons from Australia.

Janine, also from Oz who had come via Canada and the U.S.

Jo, Australian, who had recently been in Africa and would continue on to Central America.

Katrina and David, honeymooners, yet again from Australia.

Then there was us, David the Welshman from Inverness who had put this trip together for us then Johnny and myself, two Scots in a hot country.

We introduced ourselves and gave the reasons we each had for wanting to undertake a visit to Cuba. Once pleasantries were out of the way, Johnny and I explained our baggage situation to Rayner in the hope a native speaker would be able to get to the bottom of the situation. He did his best to get more information, but it didn’t look like we’d be getting our bags bag that night.

We were hot and tired and some of us had been in the same clothes since leaving Scotland. Despite this we went out into the dense hot air of the Havana night.

Our guide led us out through the dark streets. Locals were out mingling and socialising. 

The venue for our first meal was the D’next diner. It’s bright decor and air conditioning was a contrast to the steamy darkness outside.

D’next Diner

I don’t remember what I had to eat. I do remember spaghetti sounding quite appealing at the time. But I do remember my first drink though, a Cuba Libre of course. What else could it be?

We were all tired and we had a walking tour of the city arranged for the next morning, so we made our way back to the Casa excited for what the next day held. This excitement was tempered slightly by the fact that our luggage was still unaccounted for.

Havana Day Two

I started the first full day with a shower to combat the growing discomfort caused by a lack of fresh clothing.

We had breakfast on the rooftop. Food composed of a variety of fruits. Pineapple, guava and mango juice, accompanied by bread rolls, cheese, ham and scrambled eggs.

Today our city guide was Jenny. She spoke great English had a good knowledge of her city.

It was hot, too hot for a black t-shirt and denim jeans.

We made our way down the main shopping street Calle Obispo. Quite different from European city streets, there were only a handful of boutique style stores showing their wares in the window. Most establishments consisted of a large doorway only and what lies within is a mystery.

Calle Obispo

Calle Obispo

One of the first stops was a square with the original post office and a cathedral on the opposite side. This was Plaza de Catedral. We took in the cathedral itself, full of ornate idols and a beautiful interior then paid for access to climb one of its towers. This gave us views across the plaza itself and across the harbour towards the lighthouse on the other side of the water.

Catedral de La Habana

  An old apothecary

The tour took us through old Havana where we paid a brief visit to the indoor market where our guide left us. This was probably the reason we decided to stop for a beer at a modern microbrewery on the waterfront.

Fruit Sellers

Wall garden

Havana streets

Market art

Classic Taxi Tour

After the official tour we decided on the taxi tour of the city that would see us driven around in the very Cuban 1950s cars. They wait for unsuspecting tourists in the main square and after we haggled for a price and chosen our cars we set off across Havana.

Havana car ride

The tour was well worth it, and a great way to see the wider city. We stopped at Revolutionary square, with its large portraits of the Cuban heroes emblazoned in steel sculpture on the sides of the largest buildings. Across the square sat the massive tower with turkey cultures souring around its flanks.

At the foot of this obelisk is a large white marble statue of José Marti the Cuban hero and revolutionary philosopher.

Hotel for WiFi and baggage update

After the taxi ride, the Hotel Inglaterra was a rather refined old establishment where we all regrouped for cooling drinks and my first dose of Cuban wifi. When I logged on it was with some relief that I received my first notification that my bags were at least in the KLM system. It was our plan to make our way to the airport lost property later and hopefully be reunited with our luggage.

Return to the Airport

Johnny and myself made our way back to the Casa to organise a taxi back to the airport and find our luggage. The Casa manager, mystified why we might need a taxi to go to the airport at this time, made the call for us. With the taxi ordered, we paced around impatiently. 15 minutes we were told. Those minutes passed very slowly. Neither of us sure our ride would ever come. Nothing seemed that reliable to us at this time. It didn’t help that we were warned that the lost property department closed around 7:00pm. We wouldn’t get there till 5:30pm or 6:00pm.

The taxi arrived, maybe only a few minutes after the arranged time. We were jumpy though. So every minute counted. It was a nervous 30 minute journey, but our driver stopped us outside the porta-cabin type office that was ‘Lost Property’. It seemed to be a regular stop for the driver.

Inside a chain-linked enclosure there were a few anxious looking people already waiting. It was outdoors but I could see in to one open office. A spartan room with a portrait of Che Guevara on the wall and a small cuban flag on the desk.

We couldn’t get many answers. There was one security guard, but no-one directly from the lost property department we could talk to.

We spoke to a woman with decent English. She was waiting to find out if anyone had found her purse which she had lost.

It turned out the representative from KLM was in the airport building somewhere and we were awaiting their return.

We decided on a two-pronged approach. I would wait here at lost property while Johnny would try to find the KLM rep in the main building.

I waited more, there was very little happening. The only development was with the woman waiting for news on her purse. The outcome wasn’t a positive one. After she was given the news, she gave me a dejected look, but wished me luck. 

Time was ticking and I was wondering how Johnny was getting on. Part of me was paranoid he was in a queue waiting to claim his bag and he was waiting for me to turn up. He returned 20-30 minutes later with a welcome bottle of water and some news that we were in the right place and there would be someone in attendance soon. Whatever that meant.

From one of the glass doorways a woman would occasionally stick her head out, look around then withdraw. Still no sign of what was going on.

Eventually some of the other waiting people were invited in to this room, later leaving with their bubble wrapped luggage.

Eventually it was our turn and we were taken into the room. We had to pass over our passports and leave our bags we were carrying. We were invited by a man to follow him down a corridor in to one of several locked rooms. We were then told to look for our bags among the shelves. We scanned the room and saw nothing that looked familiar. My heart sank. Then, from behind a woman shouted something to the man sounded something along the lines of “you’re in the wrong room!”.

The woman then lead us further through more hallways until we were back in the main arrivals area and the baggage carousel. And there they were, our bags, at last.

We were led back to the lost property area for clearance and after a high-five, Johnny and myself grabbed a taxi to return back to Havana.

David sent a few texts from the town asking how we were getting on. The rest of our group were meeting later for food and we were hoping to join them. We decided to keep them in suspense and show all on our arrival.

Lost Property

Drinks in Floridita

Fresh threads and Havana nights

At was really satisfying just to pull on some fresh clean clothes never mind have our bags back. We met the guys at restaurant Lamparilla 361, a contemporary, stylish looking bar and grill place that did a fine line in mojitos and burritos.

We were welcomed with a cheer, and some relief I imagine when we turned up in our clean clothes. It was so good to have all our gear and we could at last start enjoying this trip properly.

We would head out after the meal to try some watering holes, despite the early start we had waiting for us the next morning. We had reason to celebrate so a bunch off us went to the Floridita, a famous haunt of Ernest Hemingway’s. The Cuba Libres started flowing to the sound of band playing in the corner. In the other corner a bronze of Hemingway leans on the bar. Old-school bar staff with red-tailed jackets ply their trade shaking cocktail behind the bar.

It was a great evening full of song an atmosphere and relief. I didn’t really want to leave, but eventually we had to admit we needed some rest before our 3am start.

Santiago de Cuba Day Three

The main reason we were so desperate to get our bags back, was because we were flying to the far south-east of the island. So it would have been unlikely that our luggage would have ever caught up with us. 

It was 3am rise for the airport. Our bus took us to the domestic departure terminal where we had a couple of hours to kill and short strong coffee to drink.

It was a two-hour flight to Santiago de Cuba were we disembarked into bright warm sunshine. In the tiny arrivals area, we thankfully collected our bags before passing through some basic security who checked we had collected our own bags, not someone else’s.

Santiago Airport

We were soon on our bus heading out for our accommodation in Santiago de Cuba, ‘Hero City of the Republic of Cuba’ known for it’s leading role in significant events during the Revolution. The people of Santiago were the first to rise up in arms against government troops in 1956, and it was in Santiago on January 1st 1959, that Fidel Castro declared the triumph of the Revolution in a broadcast message to the country and the world. 

Our Santioago Casa

After dropping off bags and being introduced to our hosts in the Casa, we were back out exploring. 

Moncada barracks

First stop was the scene of Fidel’s initial foray in to revolution against the Batista regime on July 26th 1953. The date which would later become the name of Fidel’s political movement.

The Moncada Barracks themselves are still pockmarked with bullet holes from that historical raid. Inside, the Barracks themselves now function as a school and a museum. Our guides took us round the exhibits and filled us in on each item and its historical significance. From blood stained uniforms of those cut down by bullets to some of the weapons actually used in the fight. It was a fascinating tour and you really got a sense that this place was where it all started and what struck me most, was just how young these rebels were when they decided to take on the establishment and change forever the course of their nation.

Moncada Barracks

We left the building passing classes of children in smart uniforms then out on to the playing fields where some of us captured images of the building’s facade. We were ushered onto the bus as we had lots to fit in today.

Next stop at the entrance to the city was one of the most commanding monuments I’ve ever seen. The Antonio Maceo Monument in the Revolutionary Square is considered Santiago’s most outstanding monument of the 20th century. 16 meters high, the highest in the country, it honours Antonio Maceo Grajales. It is flanked on one side by 23 machetes that rise up from the ground, and represent March 23rd 1878, the date when the independence fight was renewed after the Protesta de Baraguá.

Antonio Maceo Monument

Sitting in front of the monument was a smaller monolith featuring a black and white photo of Fidel Castro, kitted out in full fighting regalia including back pack and rifle staring out across what I imagine are the Sierra Maestra Mountains, where his revolutionaries took a foothold.

Ifigenia cemetery

We moved on to our next destination, the Ifigenia Cemetery, where they lay to rest the great and the good. The greatest and goodest, of them all, Fidel had his ashes entered within a large rock. The grave itself was relatively humble compared to many others. We were not allowed to take photos. Guards kept their distance, but were still a deterrent.

Graves of the famous Bacardi family and one of Cuba’s greatest heroes of all, José Martí (1853–95) were here. The beautiful bright white marble reflected the intense heat we felt as our guide showed us around.

Ifigenia cemetery

It should be noted, that although you are not allowed to photograph Fidel’s grave, you can take photos around the rest of the cemetery, at a price of course. From memory it was around 5cuc. I’m still not sure how I feel about this practice.

San Pedro de la Roca Castle, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Our next destination was perched on a cliff top, overlooking the Caribbean. The heat was intense as it was just after mid-day as we approached an old limestone, European looking castle. San Pedro De La Roca, was much cooler inside thankfully. 

Once again we were told that we would have to pay to take our ‘big’ cameras in-site. We decided, it wasn’t worth it and left our collection of SLRs with the attendants at the entrance. They gave us a cloakroom ticket and locked them in an old wooden wardrobe. iPhones would have to do the job of recording this place.

We were given a brief history of the 17th century Castle which guards the entrance to Santiago’s port. The castle was built by the Spanish two years after the defeat of the Armada by the Elizabeth I’s Navy to protect their territories in the new world.

The castle is built on a cliff face and has many levels of defence including gun emplacements, thick walls and steep sets of stairs linking the many levels.

We worked our way down to the lowest part passing cannon and old magazine buildings where the powder and other munitions would have been stored.

It overlooked the mouth of the bay with its smaller islands and turkey vultures soaring along the flanks of the castle casting with an enquiring eye to see if we had left any morsels for them to eat.

We had a limited time to explore, 15 minutes I think, and we had to run up the stairs to make it on time. Not easy in the heat with sandals either!

It was a fascinating place, worthy of its Unesco World Heritage Site designation.

Lunch in the hills

Bomby, our dedicated bus driver loaded us on the bus and took us up what could only be described as a dirt track. I was surprised the bus even made it. His recommendation for lunch was an airy establishment perched higher up the hill, looking beyond the castle and out to sea.

It was a family home with and upper rooftop eating area protected from the sun by an awning and allowing the sea air to cool us down.

Drinks were served and I got my first test of the local Bucanero Beer, a refreshing lager that was mentioned more than once in a book I’d read before leaving. It was very refreshing after the heat of the sun.

I ordered the shrimp dish for lunch since we were near the sea. It was in a simple tomato sauce and was delicious. After the food, a few more beers and the odd rum were consumed too.

Evening cocktails at the Casa Granda

We returned to Santiago de Cuba along the coast, passing idyllic looking inlets with clear waters and thick tree covered slopes rising from the water. This soon gave way to the urban sprawl of the city itself.

After cleaning up back at the Casa, we made our way into the centre of Santiago where we had a short evening tour taking in the square and the main hotel where we enjoyed rooftop drinks at the Hotel Casa Granda Terrace Bar.

The impressive hotel overlooked the square which itself sits high above the port area of the city with commanding views to the Sierra Maestra mountains across the bay.

Santiago at night

Free day in Santiago de Cuba Day Four

We made the most of this free day to explore the city more. It started with the Rum Museum. It’s never too early for a rum, especially in Cuba. The museum is small and pretty basic, explaining the processes and displaying various types of rum. Some rather expensive Havana Clubs were on show. Of course it included a little taster.

The Rum Museum

The Rum Museum

The Rum Museum

The Rum Museum

We then moved across the town centre to the Balcón de Velázquez, the site of an old Spanish fort. There was not much to see of the structure itself despite paying 5cuc for entry. There were, however, commanding views of the bay below. We also had an interesting discussion with a local who tried to persuade us to take him on as our guide for the day. Although pleasant and informative enough, we decided not to take him app on his offer. In part down to his assurance that no one would be stealing our cameras for fear of ‘disappearing’ within the prison system!

Nearby was the ‘Oldest House in Cuba’ now the Diego Velázquez Museum. Originally built in the 16th century it could even be one of the oldest in the whole of the Americas.

Casa de Velásquez

The rooms were well conserved, with many ornate fixtures and fittings. The intricate shutters casting their shadows into the dark interior.

We were chased around the inner courtyard by over attentive museum guides who were keen to secure tips from us at the end. Unbeknownst to them, they were chasing stingy Scotsmen who had already met their allotted tipping threshold for the day.

We visited the Hotel Casa Granda for lunchtime refreshments and said hello to some of our fellow travellers who had the same idea.

Hotel Casa Granda

Hotel Casa Granda

We spent the afternoon exploring the town towards the port. It became very industrial and a lot less touristy. The three of us stood out quite a bit here, and it wasn’t long before one person who approached us was offering us black market rum. We politely refused, despite his persistence. We made our way deeper into the more residential areas of this port town, trying to capture daly life of the locals as we went.

The town centre was up hill, we made our way through the warren of locals going about their daily lives until we were once again in the familiar territory of the square. 

Streets of Santiago

Streets of Santiago

Passing a small bookstore, David popped inside and started browsing some old vinyl records. Interest piqued, Johnny and I entered the store. Its walls covered with interesting artefacts, books, pamphlets and posters.

Conrad the bookseller

Probably most interesting of all was the proprietor. A silver haired gent, leathery skinned but with a friendly face. He asked where we were from. On hearing ‘Scotland’, his response was ‘Sean Connery!’ Thumbs up and a smile.

David purchased a vinyl record from him and asked if Conrad, the owner, would sign it for him. This was a great opportunity to capture his portrait. Asking him to sit by the doorway, we grabbed his picture, then departed with a ‘thank you’ and a wave.

We decided it would be the perfect end to the afternoon if it was spent with a cool beer in a shady bar, and that’s exactly what we did.

After returning to our Casa to freshen up and a wee lie down, we were taken by Rayner to a local restaurant a short walk away. It appeared at first as though we were entering someones house. Climbing upstairs before being shown a table for the group. It had a rooftop view across the city and we were serenaded by a couple, a singer and guitar player, the cocktails flowed including an introduction to Canchanchara a traditional honey and lemon rum cocktail, and the food was great too. I did go for shrimps again. It was a very friendly intimate evening with fantastic company. I was showing Rayner our guide photos of Scottish castles and some snowy scenery. When he saw pictures of myself snowboarding he exclaimed how he would love to try it. In return, Rayner took pride in showing me his father’s artwork. Fantastical, dream-like paintings of Cuban jungles painted in vivid greens and tropical aqua colours.

Evening sky in Santiago

After dinner we walked back to the main town square. On the rooftop of the Hotel Casa Granda we indulged in a few speciality cocktails.

We said goodnight to Rayner and went on to try a few more specialities as well as a visit to the ground floor for more wifi access to end the night. 

Camagüey via Boyamo Day Five

We left our Casa in Santiago. Leaving a few presents and goodies with our Casa Mama who had looked after us. I don’t think we impressed her judging by her response. Despite this I gave her a hug and took a parting photo before getting on to the bus that was waiting in the narrow street. 

Our Casa Mama in Santiago

It would be a long travel day, along the Carretera Central with a few stops along the way.

We left the town and entered the surrounding, greener countryside. We passed through lots of lush vegetation before reaching the next destination.

Our first stop was Bayamo. Predating both Havana and Santiago, it has been cast for time immemorial as the city that kick-started Cuban independence. Despite its place in History, we were only paying a flying visit. After a quick comfort break, we walked through the square to view one of the churches. Little buggies drawn by goats took children around the square. In the tropical sunshine, the colours dazzled. However, it was a quiet little spot, with a subdued bustle of people circulating the main square with its colonial facades. We literally spent ten minutes here. We were on a tight schedule and it was a long road trip today. By noon we had left on our bus to continue our journey North West.

Boyamo rush hour

Boyamo

A couple of hours later, we pulled off the main Carretera Central to stop at a shady lunch spot. This was the Cuban version of motorway services. A far more pleasant version than the road stops we have in the U.K. I might add. It was an open air bar that served food and it was covered with a high thatch roof allowing cooling air to pass through. As well as lunch, we took the opportunity to buy a batch of beers for the onboard fridge we had on our bus.

This was nice spot to people watch, and busloads of other tourists would offload and join us. As we were leaving some Dutch folk descended on the poor barman with a huge order for beers. I grabbed an ice-cream before loading back on to the bus, but before leaving, I did have to jump off the bus and quickly grab a photograph of the large billboard featuring Che dominating the roundabout next to our lunch spot.

Las Tunas. Lunch stop.

Camagüey and bike taxi tour

So around seven hours after leaving Santiago de Cuba, we reached the city of Camagüay. We were shown to our respective Casas, Johnny and myself were lead into a hallway with an almost dilapidated staircase that took you to the first floor. The room was OK and did feature a print of a wonderfully cheesy glamorous lady on the shower curtain in the bathroom. I wasn’t sure what to think of this. We wouldn’t be staying long in here. We quickly dropped our bags and met everyone on the street where we were introduced to our teams of cycle taxis who would be taking us on rapid early evening tour of the city.

Three of us crammed into each of the rear double seats and set off with our drivers racing other over the cobbled streets of Camagüay. Stopping in the square, we investigated the church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad with its baroque frescoes. Despite its size, Cuba’s third largest city has managed to keep much of its colonial heritage, and exploring the city’s winding streets is half the fun. The city was planned in a deliberately irregular and confusing pattern hoping to disorient any would-be assailants. We were then transported, led by our guide to an artists quarter of the town. We explored another small square and a gallery filled with artworks by local artists.

Resisting the urge to purchase anything from the gallery (which was kind of pricey) we returned to our accommodation to get changed for dinner. Before heading out to dinner we had a slice of cake to celebrate Katrina’s birthday, then shared a cheeky shot of Rum with Kieth and Michael the Ozzy lads.

Dinner was back near the artist quarter and took the form of a large buffet. I must have circled the large table covered in rice, beans, pork, chicken and other goodies, maybe two or three times. I made sure I had my fill, it was a fantastic little restaurant, but we eventually made our way out onto the streets once more. After a walk through the town and a long pedestrianised street, we ended up at another rooftop bar in the Gran Hotel.

Dancing on the Ceiling 

Cocktails were the order of the evening. It wan’t busy but the music was playing loud as we looked across the city at night.

Our group were the only people on the rooftop and it wasn’t long before the cocktails were taking effect. We started talking with the bar staff and by midnight they were attempting to teach is some salsa. I’m afraid the state I was in meant I was a hopeless student, despite the best efforts of my tutor. It was great fun though, and the evening continued with the staff playing our music from our phones and joining in on more dancing. I’m sure we provided as much entertainment for them as they did for us. 

We had great fun on our one and only night in Camagüey. 

Day six would be another early start.

Humanitarian drops day six

Our mornings travel would be an eye opener. We had brought with us some basic medical supplies and toiletries. I had managed to secure a batch of kids summer clothes from Trespass and we would distribute these as we traveled. We left the decision to Reyner and Bomby the bus driver. They traveled this road regularly and knew who would be affected the most from the recent Hurricane.

We stopped at a school first, David had brought colouring books and pens, pencils etc. These were gladly accepted by the teacher. We carried on, heading for Sancti Spiritus and stopped a few more times. The most poignant for me was by a small shack with family sitting outside. Their home looked like it was built from driftwood. Our friends took some clothes out to the family. Holding up t-shirts and shorts to gauge the size, the Trespass clothes were wholeheartedly appreciated. 

When our guide returned we wanted to know the family’s story, we asked how they were coping. Reyner relayed the message from the father, “We are just grateful to be alive…” It was truly humbling. Especially when you saw the smiles on their faces and how stoic they all must be to carry on in this way.

Sancti Spiritus

Everything changed as we entered Sancti Spiritus. The town is located in Central Cuba and is one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Leaving our bus we strolled through the pleasant town. Passing a few tourist shops selling Che licence plates and other paraphernalia, our walk took us down to the river which was spanned by a humpback bridge. Palm trees and shanty like houses lined the opposite bank. On the near side of the bridge was The Taberna Yayabo, a pleasant shaded bar featuring flags of the world hanging from the ceiling. This was our lunch venue today, we made our way inside where I helped myself to a cheeky rum cocktail of some type and ordered some food.

Reyner introduced us to his father, their mutual pride for each other was clear in their beaming smiles.

With lunch out of they way it was a slow walk back to the bus, taking in the vibrant colours of the town and grabbing some more photographs.

Trinidad

We finally arrived at the spectacular World Heritage site of Trinidad around 5:00 p.m. We got straight out into the town for our orientation walk. It’s a very pretty town with lots of colonial history well-preserved in the brightly coloured buildings, grand mansions and cobbled streets.

The layout of the town was on a hill-side, with the prettier older part of the town at the top. We started from one of two town squares, where youngsters congregated for wi-fi and the older generation partook in chess games in the club across the way.

One of our early stops was in one of the ration stores that you can find throughout Cuba. It was the end of the day and I guessed (hoped) that was the reason most of the shelves were empty. This is where locals could pick up their government issue basics, like rice, cooking oil, eggs and other sundries.

The inside of the building was rather austere as you might imagine. In one corner though was a quirky composition of a rickety old bike leaning against the pink wall with a faded portrait of some kittens hanging above. This was in stark contrast to the lady who was running the store. A strict looking matron who looked like she would take no crap. An attitude that most likely helps when working in such a place.

Trinidad is also steeped in religion, such as Santeria, which is one of the Afro-Cuban religions (related to voodoo). We visited one such temple where we were introduced to the priest and allowed to look around. The idol (literally a doll sat on a high chair) in the centre of the room was dressed all in white and a shrine was built in the corner of the room behind it with devotions to the sea. We were not permitted to speak so it was impossible to communicate the strange feeling I got as I looked around the room.

We planned to follow this later by visiting a Santeria dance performance later on.

Santeria Dance Experience

At one centre of Santerian dance, we spoke with the owner, who persuaded us to join the audience. To be fair, it was really just our group in attendance, with a few locals hanging around the bar. There were musicians playing on stage who looked like they were going through some inter-band struggles, but they soon made way to a pair of heavy-set dancers, dressed only in colourful karate style loose trousers.

They did not waste any time in separating Johnny and David from their drinks and cigars, dragging them up on to the stage. It was all taken in good humour, but I don’t think the guy’s dance moves impressed the hosts. It looked like a cross between a Maori Hakka and some Brazilian capoeira with large machetes thrown in, literally thrown in! All done to driving drum beats. It also involved stuffing the blades down the front of their trousers and licking the edge of the blade. I assume this had some fertility connotations.

With the dance over, much to Johnny and David’s relief, we nervously finished off a few more rounds of rum and disappeared into the night.

We sought out a local bar and found a tiny hole in the wall, complete with bathtub and a ceiling covered in bank notes from around the world. We chatted with locals in the tiny candle lit bar, we should have known better as we had an early outing planned for the morning.

Parque el Cubano Day seven

We had a couple of option for the day’s activities, the beach or a national park. We decided to opt for a hike in the national park as we had been in towns most of the trip and fancied seeing some countryside. If we had time, we’d fit in the beach afterward.

Janine, Kieth and Mike left us to it and explored the town themselves. The rest of us jumped on the bus and took the dirt road along a river to the trailhead of a marked route. The Parque el Cubano consisted of a tumbling river and dense forest. The air was humid and it was warm, but at least we were not in direct sunshine. Reyner talked us through some of the indigenous flora, including a tree called the ‘tourist tree’ due to its flakey skin.

Parque el Cubano

Parque el Cubano

Parque el Cubano

The hike was less than an hour and easy going, but led us to a fantastic jade coloured rock pool. It was a busy spot, with many other visitors there, cooling themselves in the water, splashing around and having a great time.

We had brought some beers with us so languished in the cooling water with beer in hand.

It was a pleasant walk back across the river and returning to the bus. We had decided that since the weather seamed to be on the turn, we would make a quick dash just to see the beach.

As we circled the lagoons near the coast, the rain lashed off the bus window. It felt more like a visit to a Scottish beach, not my first experience of a beach in the Caribbean. 

We pulled in to a hotel complex, it felt empty. It was still only a week or so since hurricane Irma had hit this coastline.

The rain continued to lash, and no one looked keen to get off the bus. All except Rebekah who made it known she wanted a photo of herself standing in the Caribbean sea. I obliged and followed her out across the sands. It was torrential as she ran into the water up to her knees. I rattled off some shots in the rain until my camera decided it had enough of the rain. My EOS 6D just packed in. All read-outs were dead. This had happened to me before. Even though it is weather sealed, if humidity is too much, the camera will just shut down. I had the shots for Rebeka and my camera would just need some time in a dry room to recover.

We ran back into the coach, wringing wet. We all decided to leave and look for a spot for lunch.

On the way back into Trinidad, we stopped at a friendly little restaurant for lunch. From what I could work out, this seems to be a relative of Reyner’s, or possibly just a close friend. The rain continued to lash down as we took our seats and chose what to eat. More shrimp, pork and chicken was washed down with drinks, cocktails or a beer. Once we were done it was back to our Casas for a rest and a clean up.

From Casa to Cavern

That evening we made our way in to town. The whole gang was together once again and after a quick stop in a bar for yet another rum cocktail, we agreed on a fantastic looking restaurant which, as with many Cuban establishments seemed to expand back from a half-ruined exterior. On old rustic dilapidated facade gave way to beautifully laid out dining area which felt like someone’s home. The place settings used reprints of old revolutionary newspapers, they made for good reading while we waited for our food.

Those of us who wanted to decided that after dinner we would try the ‘Disco in a Cave’. After a few more drinks we found ourselves working our way up the hillside on which the town is built. The streets narrowed and became alleyways. The alleyways became dirt tracks and eventually we found ourselves at the entrance to Disco Ayala, Las Cuevas. There was an international collection of partygoers waiting to get in.

The gates were closed and it seemed the disco didn’t open till later. We hung about and swapped stories of travels from around the world.

When the gates did open we were among the first to descend into the depths. The cave was huge, purple and green lights bathed the rock interior over the dancefloor. Despite being a cave, it still smelled like every bar toilet I’ve been in. In fact I paid the toilets a visit, and I swore I wouldn’t go in again!

Our tickets entitled us to a complimentary drink so we got them in and tried to find a table that didn’t have water pouring onto it from above.

Ayala, Las Cuevas

It soon filled up and the music was going, but the novelty was short-lived and we felt around midnight that we were about to turn into pumpkins.

We gathered everyone together and returned to the alleyways and descended the hill back to our Casas.

The road to Havana day eight

We had an earlyish start to the day. It would be a long haul back to Havana with a few stops on the way.

The first of which was the Manaca Iznaga tower in the Valle de los Ingenios. It was erected in 1750 to observe and control the slaves working in the sugar cane fields around the plantation hacienda. Currently, locals line the approach selling their wares including hats, blankets and shirts.

The Manaca Iznaga tower in Cuba’s Valle de los Ingenios was erected in 1750 to observe and control the slaves working in the sugar cane fields around the hacienda (or plantation). At 7 stories high and 136 steps to the top, it’s worth the climb for the view of the valley. The bells that once regulated the mill’s daily life are still intact.

We bought tickets to access the tower which narrowed the higher you climbed. At 7 stories high and 136 steps to the top, it’s worth the climb for the view of the valley. I imagined that as well as its grim original use, the tower would have been an ideal lookout post during the revolution.

Views from the tower.

While walking through the grounds of the hacienda a man thrust a small kestrel on to my hand. I felt bad for the bird, but thought I’d try to photograph it while it sat bemused on my hand. It was free to fly, but was must have been imprinted on the owner, who then proceeded to chase me around for payment. Begrudgingly I caved and gave him a few CUCs.

The road back to the coach took in the local train station where I saw some locals commuting along the rails using a hand cranked railway car, just like you would see in the old movies and cartoons as a kid.

The Manaca Iznaga tower in Cuba’s Valle de los Ingenios was erected in 1750 in order to observe and control the slaves working in the sugar cane fields around the hacienda (or plantation). At 7 stories high and 136 steps to the top, it’s worth the climb for the view of the valley. The bells that once regulated the mill’s daily life are still intact.

The Manaca Iznaga tower in Cuba’s Valle de los Ingenios was erected in 1750 in order to observe and control the slaves working in the sugar cane fields around the hacienda (or plantation). At 7 stories high and 136 steps to the top, it’s worth the climb for the view of the valley. The bells that once regulated the mill’s daily life are still intact.

Once back on the road, we distributed some of the toiletries, medicine, and clothes we still had. Toothpaste, sticking plasters, and water purification treatments were amongst the parcels we dropped off.

We reached Santa Clara, where we were to visit the mausoleum of Che Guevara. However it was days before an anniversary celebration of his death and some military personnel near the monument turned us away from the official entrance.

We made our way around to a large square, which was decked out with seating for the visitors to the event. We got a great view of the giant statue of Che, carrying his rifle, looking across the city. Santa Clara was one of the first major cities to be liberated by Castro’s army in December 1958.

It was time to eat so it was off to an airy little restaurant in Villa Clara for a buffet style lunch.

The rest of the afternoon consisted mostly of the very long drive back to Havana. The road was a poorly maintained and rather empty motorway. Every now and then a farmer stood in the central reservation selling cheeses and other produce.

We would stop at a services for a rest and what marked it out from motorway services back in the U.K. were the rum based drinks you could buy! I’m sure these were not intended for drivers, but their thirsty companions.

The bus rolled in to Havana, and dropped us where most would spend the last night.

La Gárgola hostel was directly opposite the fort that guards the mouth of Havana’s harbour.

Inside it was pretty stylish and modern and had the strongest shower of all the places we had stayed. We took advantage and freshened up before heading out into the town for something to eat and drink.

The dark streets were only illuminated by the occasional stall, living rooms and bars.

We made our way back to Lamparilla for burritos and Cuba Libres.

We scoured the city for places to drink, ending up at another rooftop bar. The wind picked up and rain showers forced us to seek shelter inside for our last drinks of the night.

Last Morning in Havana Day nine

We woke and had breakfast ‘No eggs’ we were told, it didn’t matter, we had a full morning planned before we would have to leave for the airport.

Johhny, David and myself set off along the Malecon the extensive promenade that runs the length of the city’s shore line.

The sea wall was being slammed by the large waves off of the Atlantic. Brooding skies above only gave a suggestion of what it must have been like during hurricane Irma.

Much of the public squares and buildings along the front showed signs of the severe weather only weeks before. The authorities had moved quickly and it looked like things would be tidied up pretty soon. The buildings themselves oozed faded grandeur  with paint flaking off walls and the walls themselves crumbling. The colonial buildings contrasted with the soviet style residential high-rise apartments and the office blocks of the city.

The waves continued to crash over the wall and on to the road itself. On one occasion Johnny and myself narrowly avoided being drenched. David caught it all on camera of course.

We moved on inland to some of the side streets, eventually finding a small tuc-tuc type taxi to take us across town towards the market. It was a fun ride, with three of us squeezed into the back seat, waves splashing across the road. Eventually we reach the indoor market, Jo and Rebekah were there to meet us so we explored a bit further with them. We bought some souvenirs, t-shirts and trinkets mostly. Gradually we made our way back to our hostel where our taxi for the airport was waiting.

  It was time to say goodbye to everyone, and into the taxi for Johnny, David and myself. We left the afternoon bustle of Havana and into the airport. We changed out of our shorts and made ready for the flight and the return to an autumnal Europe.

We toured the duty-free shop, picking up some rum and settling down with a coffee.

We were not in the departure area for long before being informed we had a couple of hours delay on the return flight. This looked like being a repeat of our flight out to Cuba.

Eventually the plane left around 6:00p.m.  and we took off leaving Cuba behind, but bringing with us memories of incredibly friendly people, a beautiful culture and places that will forever have left their mark on us.

We are in debt to Bomby and Reyner our guides for the trip. Thanks to them for the insight and patience. A huge thank you to all of our Casa families too, who were all welcoming and warm.

The rest of my journey went pretty smoothly, despite a lack of sleep. I did make my connecting flight from Amsterdam to Glasgow with time to spare. Johnny just made it through security on time to get his onward flight to Edinburgh. David however was not so lucky. He missed a connection and his luggage took a bit of a detour too and wasn’t returned to him till quite some time later.

But I’d like to thank David for the invitation and Johnny for being a great travel companion and roomie on the trip.

If you’ve stuck with the story this long, thank you. If you ever get the chance to visit Cuba, please do so. It’s a wonderful place.

It has been a year, but fiCuba Travel Instigated through Instagram I was lucky to be invited to take part in a group trip to Cuba. I’m not usually one to head for tropical destinations, but the invitation from David to join himself and Johnny, both photographer friends I have made via Instagram, was one I couldn’t pass up.

#Boyamo #Camaguay #Cuba #Havana #hurricane #Irma #Sancti Spiritus #Santiago de Cuba #travel #Trinidad

[borgesnutri-blog]

healthy lunchbox

Parents’ help in preparing the lunch box encourages healthy eating in schools. But one of the most frequent complaints of today’s society is the lack of time, and the parents themselves use this fact as an excuse when it comes to school snacks, that is, while they run to take care of their professional responsibilities, little time remains to be dedicated To their children’s food, so many resort to ready-made or ready-to-eat industrialized foods.

In the class period, play begins at home, in which case the responsibility will be of the whole family. One suggestion is to take the time to prepare the lunch box and explain to the children the need to eat well during the class period for good glycemic control, avoiding cases of hypoglycemia, hyperglycaemia or more serious complications.

Ideally, children should be aware early on about the importance of balancing this meal over the course of the week, and also discuss at home about a common habit in schools to share snacks. Even if they are taking healthy food from home, they may be eating goodies shared with other friends. One tip is to stipulate a day when treats are allowed.

Now let’s get the lunch box set up? Here are a few tips:

Planning: Monthly or weekly … It is your choice, the important thing is to plan the snacks with the children and make them buy in advance. Avoid substitutions at the time as they may cause child dissatisfaction or repetitions of preparations; Confirmed Presence: Always put 1 Fruit option in the lunch box, but let the child participate in the choice; Nutrition: Make the Snack contain at least one type of Carbohydrate, one being 1 Portion of Fruit or 1 Bread, a type of Protein and insert the source of healthy Fat also if possible; Portioning: always divide into portions. Do not trust that the child will respect the portioning alone; Hydration: Always send a bottle of child water and stimulate its consumption, since most children use to quench thirst with juices or soda instead of water. Use your child, from an early age, to have this healthy habit; Treats: They are not forbidden, but they are not at ease! Choose a date (weekly, biweekly, for example, discuss with the nutritionist) and on the other days negotiate the most nutritious foods with the least nutritious; Nutritional Freedom: Among the concept of healthy, use a free day of the week and ask your child about the snack of the day. Participating in the child’s routine is part of nutritional education; Macronutrients, food groups and their options:

Carbohydrates: Fruits - Fresh, Dried, Jellies: in the form of Apple, pear, plum, banana, nectarine, guava, ginger, orange, kiwi are the easiest to take for being individual, but you can also send papaya, melon, watermelon, pineapple Minced in pots or strawberries and grapes in the shape of a fruit stick

Cereals - Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Corn, Quinoa, Wholegrain Bread, Wholemeal Cookie, Wholemeal Toast, Wholemeal Cookie, Wholemeal Pie, Tapioca, Cooked Corn, Granola; Are good choices for making snacks, vary in filling, shape and flavor.

Tubers - such as Sweet Potato, Manioc, Yam and Cassava in the form of Roasted Chips of Sweet Potato or Yam, Yam and Cassava etc.

Vegetables - Baby cherries or cherry tomatoes or cucumber: tiny vegetables are a great choice to make healthy snacks for kids. How cute and fun they are!

Fibers - Seed of chia, linseed, oats, quinoa are great options to put on top of the fruit. Or add in milk or yogurt.

Proteins: Dairy Products - Milk, Lean Cheeses and Yogurts: in the form of Cheese mines frescal, Ricotta, Cottage, buffalo mozzarella

Meats: in the form of Tuna, Chicken, Meat (lizard) are good options to stuff the loaves or Quail Egg

Fats: Seeds and Oleoginosas - Almond, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Brazil nut, Cashew Nut, Walnut, Pecan Nut, Pistachio, Sesame, Flaxseed and Chia.

Now use the creativity, and together with the child to assemble the lunch box of the school. And always discuss with the nutritionist the best options and portions to fit into the child’s eating routine.