Johan Ramakers

Author's posts

First Impressions of Havana, Cuba

Today I’m looking forward to getting the first impressions of Havana, Cuba, something that has been on my bucket list for a long long time. In the morning, the last one in Matanzas, we were able to relax with our host over coffee and then had the drudgery of packing. I was a bit sad because they …

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Callejon de las Tradiciones, Afro-Cuban History in Matanzas

We had a very leisurely morning and were in no hurry to rush about. Cannot think of anything better than sitting on the porch with coffee and donuts (these donuts are dense and perfect for coffee dipping), while enjoying the breeze off the water. Around noon we called for our new taxi friend “Josnel” to go into …

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Varadero, beautiful as it is, is the other Cuba

Today our taxi driver “Jonel” picked us up at 10:00 sharp and off we went for a day in Varadero. The 30-minute drive over is quite stunning and the roads are amazing. He said they are the only really good roads in Cuba. I guess it is due to the fact that the Varadero Peninsula …

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Quickly Getting Used to the Cuban Lifestyle

allende beach, matanzas

Last night ended up not being restful. Garbage is picked up in early morning hours  in the neighborhood and the dogs go crazy and it was quite loud.After about an hour, they all finally settled down and so did we. This also reminds me of island life, but not so homey. LOL. Yet the Cuban …

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Waking Up to the Sounds of Home in Matanzas, Cuba

Cuba Life

Magic transpired this morning. I woke up to the sounds of home in Matanzas, Cuba. Horns honking, dogs barking, people yelling ‘buenos dias’ and roosters crowing. Some of you may know that I used to live in St. Maarten and in my heart consider it home still. So it was delightful this morning to feel (and …

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