Come in here, Dear boy, have a cigar.
You're gonna go far, you're gonna fly high,
You're never gonna die,
You're gonna make it, if you try;
They're gonna love you.
Well I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
You're gonna go far, you're gonna fly high,
You're never gonna die,
You're gonna make it, if you try;
They're gonna love you.
Well I've always had a deep respect,
And I mean that most sincerely.
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.
Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
Today's
post highlights a most enjoyable and successful trip to CUBA in year
2000 with my friend Andy Lindsay, not simply a birding trip but much
more besides.
Just
one of the places visited, excursively by taxi, having befriended a
driver we hired him daily for all of our tours. By and large all the
cars on the island were either of the large AmericanMobile type (USA
occupation) or Moskvitch (associated with USSR rule) we were tied to the
latter. A hard bumpy ride where ever we went but worse still, the
exhaust came through the dashboard.
Anyway
for the first couple of days it got us around the capital Havana and
the surrounding countryside, recording just a few birds in the process.
However,
on the third evening we were enjoying the usual half dozen Cuba Libre
and were asked by a couple of young men if we needed transport during
the rest of our stay? They undercut our previous driver and agreed a
time and rendezvous for the next morning.
Having
boarded our new found and cheaper transport it was suddenly surrounded
by armed police, who handcuffed and dragged off our similarly new found
escorts, never to be seen again. We decided on a quick exit ourselves
and luckily we were not pursued.
Articulated 'Dragon Buses' were very much part of the urban scene.
An 11 year old street urchin drew this sketch of me for a few $'s more.
Che and Fidel were very much in evidence where ever we went.
Just
about every evening we dined on Crayfish of the very best. We had taken
advise as to where we should eat, with the 3 main seafood restaurants
charging $5, $4 and $3 respectively for their Crays. Which would be best
we enquired, "they all come from the same ocean" was the reply, so as
cheapskates we opted for the $3. When you've got to go, you've got to go
and on Andy's return he reported that the toilet was absolutely
disgusting, but soon enough I had to pay a visit. On my return I
concurred but advised him not to look in the kitchen as it made the
toilet look immaculate by comparison. That said, the food, especially
the speciality, were the best we had ever eaten and returned to the same
place most evenings.
Without
doubt the highlight of our visit was the Zapata Swamp, despite the 186
miles round trip, which hold 3 of its own endemic birds, a Wren, Rail
and Sparrow, we saw none of these. We did however clock up 7 of the
Island's endemics including
CUBAN TROGON
the
tiny CUBAN TODY just an inch bigger than our own Goldcrest. It is
notable that both of these species were seen in the same tree within a
coupe of minutes of arriving at a woodland in Pinar del Rio on our very
first birding trip.
CUBAN BLACKBIRD
CUBAN BULLFINCH, not an endemic but a 'BLACK' Bullfinch - WOW!
Lots of War Memorials to be seen here, after which each evening we would visit the hotel a little further down the main street.
While our hotel was adequate, the other had a fumador and a far better restaurant, where
we occasionally enjoyed a fine Cuban Cigar (Andy's favourite being Cohiba and mine Punch) and more Cuba Libre.
and finally another amusing contribution from Willie Downes - at least I found it funny!
Wherever You May Be Let Your Wind Blow Freeand finally another amusing contribution from Willie Downes - at least I found it funny!
