1. I was happy that I was able to find things to do, that directly supported the Cuban people.
2. I was happy to have booked an experience that surrounded itself around African decent ideals, beliefs, and religious practices, inserting more history about how slaves continued to practice their religion, in a secret form, and what it means today.
3. I was happy to be supporting a Brown girl and her business, in Cuba.
I found this tour through a travel group that I am part of on Facebook. You have to be invited and approved by the administrator. There, a young man posted about his week long trip to Cuba, and what he had scheduled each day, with links. This happened to be one of them and I hopped on immediately. I did so because the word "Afro" jumped right out at me. This was my opportunity to learn more about Afro-Cubans.
Adriana is ambitious, smart, funny, friendly, knowledgeable, and loves what she does. She is only 25, but, figured out how she can weekly, work at the University (for the government), and on weekends, continue to be an educator for visitors. She knows that most people are interested in visiting Havana, however, she wants you to learn about where she is from, a small town outside of Havana, called Guanabacoa. She wants you to learn more about how her people, Afro Cubans, have survived and thrived in Cuba, with the support of the original religious practices, that is known today as Santeria (Worship of Saints), to some. The other names that other may be familiar with include "Regla de Ochá", "La Regla de Ifá", "Lucumí". Originally, this religious practice was only practiced by African slaves and their descendants from Nigeria's Yoruba tribe. There came a time where people of European and Spanish decent, began to practice the religion as well. Africans allowed these people to be part of their "secret society". You can walk around Cuba currently, and see more Euro and Spanish descendants, practicing this religion. These people, do not see skin color, as some outsiders may say, since it originated with Africans. They allowed others "in". They see a spiritual practice that they believe will help them with their journey in life.
We met with Adriana at a coffee shop that was built out so nicely, and served us delicious coffee, or, what I had was coffee with a type of rum. I was the dare devil for this tour. Adriana created it. Before I knew it, I was sweating, while she was giving us background information about Santeria, what the tour consists of, and, how it is practiced.
With our transportation already waiting for us outside, we rode to her town, Guanabacoa, to begin our tour. Our 1st was stop at the museum dedicated to visitors who would like to learn more about the religious practice, how it originated, objects that are used, and the most recent Babalowo of the town (who passed recently).
Listening to all the information, I now learned more about this practice, which definitely knocked the negative stigma that is attached to it, via word of mouth, or concepts passed on from those who as well, did not know much about it. I loved it.
We proceed to walk the streets of Guanabacoa to our next stop. People are staring at us and wondering why we are there. Only a select few know about Adriana's tour, and welcome us to their town. In passing, we briefly spoke with a woman who has begun her Santeria transition (which is a one year process of renewal). who was happy that we were interested in learning more about this practice in her town. We continue to walk and end up, at the local outdoor bar :-). At this bar, we sit, have a beer, and later notice, the design of the bar consists of the Orisha's of the Santeria religion. Photos had to be taken!
My pants from the motherland :-) - Zanzibar
Orishas
We proceed down the road, passing many local homes and streets that you can clearly tell, assistance is needed. Some buildings just need a little outside work, whereas others, needs full repair. Most of the damage looks to be from the hurricanes that have passed over the island within the last year. Lack of funds has left most of these homes and streets in disrepair.
DOGGIE!!
We arrive at the newest Babalowo of the town, home.
Here, if you wanted to participate, you received a cleans, and was given a history of the practice. Please note, this guy is either in his late 20's or early 30's (can't quite remember). He ascended into this role at a young age, which is a huge responsibility for a young person. He is visited by many people!
After our cleanse, there was a surprise in the backyard. Home cooked food, stuff you were not going to get in the heart of Havana. MAN! I do not remember all of what each item was, but these puffs with a little drizzle of some honey, boy o boy! So good!
Our toast, was with Santero Rum, no chaser :-).
There was an additional surprise that I do not want to give away, as it is something that you need to see in and experience in person. To note, there were more locals who joined us, who were a delight to see. We ended with nice photos, enough rum in our system, and an experience that was unforgettable.
Our ride back to our apartment was outside ready to drop us off. We had to freshen up and start our search again for food.
If your interested in visiting any other parts of the world, and want to get booked (payment plan options available), along with further information, e-mail me at ChristinaCtravels@gmail.com
Thursday 9am Zanzibar, 2am NYC Blue Lagoon Excursion
Per usual, we were picked up early by Azizi. Tired and all, we of course had it to make the most of it. We set out to where we were going to get our private boat to the Blue Lagoon. Along the way, we made a few stops, courtesy of Azizi, who explained to us, what they meant to him.
Paje Beach
We weren't sure about what was going on however, we just went with the flow. In the Paje area, we stopped by some local shops where one in particular, stood out. We chuckled. But let me tell you, the owner of the shop was one who made sure he showed you every item you requested, and definitely hustled for that American dollar LOL. He didn't know he was up for a challenge with my friends. For me, I'll negotiate but after a while, I get tired and over it. I'll change my mind quickly about buying anything where I have to hassle for a decent price.
This location also happened to be near where Azizi's brother (who we met while waiting to go to the next stop) worked!
It was nice to meet him. I even got a ride to the beach front, small hotel location, on his brother's moped 😊.
Met Hope
As we just hung out a bit at this beach front hotel, we are not only in the best weather there could be for this week that we have been in Zanzibar, but the water was just the brightest blue and green! My pictures and videos needed no filter. I laid in a hammock, just enjoying the "carribbean" feel of relaxation.
We were watched by a few Maasai tribesmen
who were trying to make a sale.
But there was one little Maasai girl who passed us and got our attention, as she was the most beautiful little girl with the brightest smile and the sweetest personality, we came into contact with.
Her name was Hope. She was 9 and she was Maasai. With the influence of many European tourists, she already knew how to work SnapChat on my best friends phone.
We took a few pictures of her, chatted a little bit, and she played with the filters on the app, until it was time for us to leave. Of course my girl was not just there to be there with her mom. She had a hustle as well! She surely tried to make a sale of her beads before we left the beach front. Hope KNOWS how to play the game...OKAY! I'm not mad 😂!
Michamve Village
We make a small stop at this village that, many would think did not fit in, especially with it being surrounded on each side, by big beach front homes as well as little hotels and moped businesses that have been obtained by Europeans who have moved to Zanzibar. This village is where Azizi is from, and had a story.
Some residents are noticing the changes that are taking place around them. They are also noticing that due to being part of Tanzania (remember Zanzibar wasn't, orginally), there are changes that are coming that they do not agree with. This village is also a village of people who do not quite agree with being part of Tanzania as well. They want to remain independent, or to say the least, left alone, without too much influence coming from the mainland. It all looked familiar to us, in the sense of gentrification taking place in NYC and other states. This village is holding strong which, makes you respect their movement. They are not violent. They are peacefully, resisting.
Thursday 1pm Zanzibar, 6am NYC The Rock Restaurant
I've seen many pictures, and read up on it before my arrival and there's nothing like seeing something in person for the first time and to be able to say "I went there".
This restaurant, from afar, looks tiny! It also makes you think, "how were they able to even build this establishment on this rock?". Well hunny chile, they did and not only that, the space available is something that blows you away. They managed to fit enough tables and chairs to accommodate enough patrons, along with an outside terrace/deck area for those who would like to sit and sip.
We ordered light food, because we did not want to be too full before snorkeling. I had Fish Fingers which were made out of type of fish. I can't recall LOL. I know that the fish sticks tartar sauce along with the side salad, were a great combo! Unique, but very good taste.
Of course a meal wouldn't be right if it was not chased with ALCOHOL! C'MON! I ordered "The Rock" which is kinda like a Blue Hawaiian back home.
What I loved about this drink was that it is a beverage that I have at a specific restaurant back home however, this one here has a slight touch of Coconut Milk/Creme in it. YUMMMAAAYYY!
Blue Lagoon
We finally hop on our private speed boat and head to the Blue Lagoon.
When it was time to find flippers that would fit properly, there was a slight struggle. I think we spent about 10 minutes on trying on flippers and praying they did not slip off and get lost in the ocean.
Let me just say, there is plenty coral and fish all around us. I tried my best while snokeling, to catch as much as I could on film on my GoPro. Just phenomenal!
We come back to the boat to take a mini break, readjust, and head back out. With this, somehow, my friend Tee ended up with her own tour guide LMAO! He came from another boat, a friend of Azizi's, and litterally turned to her in the water and said "let's go!" All we could do is laugh, as we knew what it was! OK! In the meantime, myself and Yasmin continued to snorkel with Azizi, since we the best swimmers or whatever! LOL! We finally stop to regroup by a coral rock. Everyone else was able to stand on it but I couldn't get my damn balance. I used my middle finger to break my fall and man oh man, I got the nicest cut from the rock, on my finger. Salt water going into it felt so awesome🙃.
Thursday 5pm Zanzibar, 2pm NYC
I thought we were headed back home however, the girls wanted to make one last stop in Stone Town for some final items.
Lets just say the vibe and look is very different at night
It was nice to have experienced it as well. My nap in the ride back was phenomenal, of course, since the ride is about 45 mins from Stone Town. I couldn't wait to run to dinner! 😊
If your interested in visiting Africa or any other parts of the world, and want to get booked (payment plan options available), along with further information, e-mail me at ChristinaCtravels@gmail.com
It's a chill day for us. Adjusting to time change and having had partied late, we were tired!
We finally get to see what the breakfast spread is and boy oh boy...was it wonderful! Each station has a chef ready to make your egg any style, fry your bacon any style (I like mine crispy), and pancakes made that looked more like Crepes, as well as some items available buffet style, for your picking. There was always an abundance of peeled and sliced fruit, 4 different kinds of fresh squeezed juices, and home made baked goods (I buttered my Croissant).
Seated in the same spot as dinner by the pool, we were now enjoying the bright view of the beach in the distance, tall trees, with low tide beginning, as the break in the waves, seemed to be about a half a mile out already. The water still blue and green.
Because some of us were still tired, we decided to go back to bed for a nap, especially me. However, my bff decided to take herself on a tour of the beach and the hotel grounds. Let me just say, she got the best photos!
Sunday 2pm Zanzibar, 7am NYC Photo shoot Fresh
If you saw my post on my Instagram, you saw that my Aunt gave me a camera of hers for use, since I wanted to snap way better photos for this trip. I am not one who likes to be in front of the camera, I rather try and catch natural moments however, when you have friends with you who love to take a picture, a photo shoot happens almost all the time. I texted them asking them to wake up so we can freshen up and take pictures before the sun goes down. With the beach and parts of the hotel as our backdrop, we were watched as we posed off LOL!
Dinner finally rolled around and me, per say, was excited to be eating again, since dinner would entail local food cuisine. Per usual, I was fulfilled with my dish. Nothing beats fresh veggies that are sauteed just right! While eating, we had a performance taking place by the pool, from a local band, that showed traditional dancing and music.
We finally went to bed to prepare for the next day's adventure
Monday 7am Zanzibar, 12am NYC Prison Island Tour
The fact that we had to be up so early just to enjoy this tour for the full day, was beyond us. Of course we went to bed late, only to wake early for our pick up from Azizi. We drove roughly 45 minutes to Stone Town, where we would get our own private boat to Prison Island. Before boarding our boat, we of course took photos along the way, every chance we could get.
We even got a tour of one of the newly built hotel in the city and a chance to see one of its luxury rooms.
Saying "Ndizi" to smile which means Banana in Swahili
It's finally time for us to get on our boat but, not without being harassed to buy some items from the local peddlers on the beach, one of whom did not take no for an answer!
Our "captain" of our little speed boat, didn't smile much.
We couldn't understand. We even tried cracking a few jokes with him but no smile. We later found out, he didn't understand English that well, because we were speaking too fast for him. Once our jokes were translated and we spoke slower, he smiled and even laughed.
We hop off the boat and proceed to make our way to our Prison Island tour. Please note, humidity at this time is about 100% with clouds.
I couldn't understand why! But, it worked to our benefit, as it was better than having the sun beaming directly on us, while on this island with very few trees.
Prison Island was not actually and island that held prisoners. It was originally a place where rebellious slaves were held (Prison Island). It later was used as a quarantine for those infected with Yellow Fever.
Without having had done a lot more research, to our surprise after paying our entry fee, we came upon a mini forest that is covered by...TORTOISES! Just these slow, old, giant Tortoises, hanging out with the occasional Peacock roaming around them.
It was just something so weird and fascinating to see at the same time. The tortoises were a gift from the British governor of Seychelles (another African country/island) in 1919. We were able to walk among them, feed them, and even got followed by a few who wanted more food. They make you nervous, as you may think they would pop their heads out and bite you, but that was not the case.
We continued to tour the island, which now has a hotel and restaurant on it. Some of the old prison cells for the slaves have now been turned into lounge areas, still with remnants of the in-ground hooks that they chained the slaves to.
Just sad to see. We journey out to a ledge where, unwanted slaves were tossed to the low tide below, on the coral. Silence falls over us.
We return to our boat to continue with our tour, by snorkeling nearby. The coral and starfish we saw, were amazing. Not too many fish were around to catch on film, but plenty clear ocean blue and green water to just relax in.
Song: Temper by Skales
The sun slowly began to come out and my friend began to tell us about the time she tried to bring a Starfish home for her mom...from Jamaica.
Monday 3pm Zanzibar, 8am NYC Stone Town
We return to the mainland, with time to freshen up, change, and explore Stone Town a bit more. The inner workings of Stone Town was awesome. Something you see in movies. Locals all around us, tiny "streets" where people still rode their mopeds, speeding pass those walking in the tiny space (which later became annoying as hell) was unique.
Shop owners could smell tourist on us from a mile away, as well as, we clearly didn't look local LOL. But we were often mistaken for being from South Africa.
They also didn't know what we were from the hustling capital of the world, New York City, BORN AND RAISED, so as they threw their prices out, we threw ours out. A battle that had to be seen in person, which was quite funny to say the least. We always won :-)
There were very few tourists in the area where we were, which I liked. I loved that we were among some of the living spaces of the local people who, well word on the street is, gentrification is hitting them as well so many are being pushed out that area. Sad, but sounds all too familiar.
Monday 5pm Zanzibar, 10am NYC Local Market and East African Slave Trade Museum
We proceed to the local market, the "Fish Market". BOY...OH BOY! You know how you see documentaries that are shown on television, that show the busy markets in developing countries. Can I tell you, we were in the thick of it. So think and trying to keep up, that I tried my best to get some of it on film, without risking getting robbed or lost from my crew.
It wasn't just fish being sold, it was all food items you would buy in your local grocery, but on the street sidewalk on the ground, or in a cart. Fruits looking so fresh and ripe, veggies looking like they weren't injected with any hormones, just NICE!
Fish Market
Spices, Teas, Oils, Fresh Veggies
The market was roughly a 2 block walk from the East African Slave Trade Museum.
I'll admit, I never knew much about a slave trade taking place in East Africa. I was only familiar with the West African slave trade, as its where my descendants come from.
The museum contains photos and stories pertaining to how the people who were freed, later changed their names and religions, to not be associated to their slave descendants, as well as to not be a target for possible mistreatment due to their previous status.
Because the museum is located in the actual spot of where the trading took place, we were able to step inside 2 of the small chambers where slaves were held.
There is also a church in place of where slaves were auctioned off, right at the pulpit of where a church now stands in place.
When whipped during the auction, a step up, symbolized the increase in cost for a particular slave, a step down meant a decrease in pricing as well as, possible next steps for this slave to be deemed unusable and possibly killed.
Monday 7pm Zanzibar, 12pm NYC
We finally said it was time to go home. Most of the streets in Stone Town are not well lit, unless its in areas where big events are taking place like, local food vendors in the square selling food or nearby restaurants that are open right on the water, which is also frequented by kids after school who just jump in the ocean, in their school clothes, for a cool down.
However, I also didn't realize how closer we were to the ferry that comes from mainland Tanzania. It was because of this, we ended up in jam packed traffic as well as a police detail that just seemed to be rolling through the dark streets, going nowhere honestly. I was just happy to be able to nap in the car and hurry back for dinner at the hotel..which per usual, was phenomenal.
We decide that our following day, was going to be another chill day.
If your interested in visiting Africa or any other parts of the world, and want to get booked (payment plan options available), along with further information, e-mail me at ChristinaCtravels@gmail.com
