Cayo Guillermo, Cuba (North America)

Hi, this is the 34th country in the 34 country World tour and the final trip that I will be taking on the World tour. The country where the USA is hated and cigars are widely smoked, Cuba. Cuba lies in the Caribbean south of The Bahamas and USA. I was also going with my good friend Karl, who I have been with when I went to Prestatyn – Wales, Ovacik - Turkey, New York – USA and now Cayo Guillermo and Havana - Cuba.

After 9 hours on the plane we finally got to Cayo Coco, Cuba where we would be for a fortnight in the resort Iberostar Hotel Daiquiri. The Cayos are islands just off mainland Cuba in which there are 9 hotels, 3 in Cayo Guillermo and 6 in Cayo Coco. The resort was fantastic and was more like a village with pools, shops and excellent food facilities. The only problem was that it was in the middle of no where so we decided to book a day excursion to Havana, the capital of Cuba, where many people have said it is brilliant and a real trip back in time. For the first week me and Karl only relaxed, played a bit of tennis and went down to the beach to swim in the warm turquoise waters.

The Tuesday of the second week me and Karl went to Havana for the day to sample the true Cuban life. The streets were filled with people wanting your money, from people wanting to kiss and cuddle you for a picture to people approaching you and asking for money. We left the hotel at 6:30am for the flight to José Martí airport in Havana. It took an hour to get from Cayo Coco to Havana and when we got to the airport it was very basic with hardly anything in it. Havana, also known in Spanish as La Habana, is a very poor city with the homes looking like something you would see in the poorest countries of the World but the tour guide said the government was carrying out a lot of restoration work. It is split into 3 sections: Old Havana, Central Havana and Modern Havana. The tour started with us going to the Republican Square where there were several government buildings and it was where Fidel Castro made all his long speeches and he let no one make a speech from the same place as him on Republican Square, not even the Pope. We saw the Cuban taxis which are like Thai tuk tuks with 3 wheels but with a yellow plastic covering. We went to another square and 2 busty women came up to me and asked if I wanted to have a picture with her and I said no as I assumed they wanted money. Karl who was looking at something else instead of his wallet jumped at the chance so I thought I would join him and we ended up paying 10 convertible pesos which is roughly £6.50 each for 1 picture. We then went into a bar for a mojito cocktail which is a Cuban cocktail with rum and mint leaves in it. After leaving the bar slightly drunk we headed to Cathedral Square where there is the Cathedral of Havana which was one of the first buildings to have been restored. Next we went outside the Bodeguita del Medio which is the most famous bar in Havana having been a place where the writer Ernest Hemingway hung out and drank mojito. If you go into the bar the walls are decorated with visitors’ comments. We then had lunch. After lunch we went to the Capitolio Building which is a copy of the Capitol Building in the USA where congress meets. The Capitolio Building is where international and important meetings are held in Cuba. We went inside and the interior looked really good with a statue that symbolises Cuba. We then went to a cigar shop and they told us why Cuban cigars are so unique and it is that the tobacco for a type of cigar is taken from a specific area in Havana and because of the quality of the soil and tobacco it makes the cigar excellent. After that we went to the harbour and there was a market with all sorts in it from paintings to maracas. As well as all that there were all the old American cars which felt like going back in time. All in all a great day in a city with a lot of history and culture.

This is the end of the World tour which has seen me going to 34 countries and 6 continents around the World covering over 100,000 miles on airplanes. Many of the countries are not on the blog as I only did the blog for the final six months when really this has been going on from the 27th May 2006 when I went on a coach holiday to the South of France where I met up with Keith Sutcliffe and his family which was really good and a holiday which I still think, after going to many other places, as the best place I have ever been to. To walk around the Monaco Grand Prix after seeing it on TV and knowing that it is the greatest circuit in Formula One was great. Another fantastic place was New York, USA and going up the Empire State Building, walking around the Statue of Liberty and seeing all the famous buildings. I also liked the Copacabana beach, Cristo Redentor and Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. I have created a separate web page with some statistics and the list of places I have been to and the amount of miles I have covered in the year and nine months I have been flying on airplanes. The web address is roberttrip.weebly.com. I also have a slide show that I have created with pictures of all the 34 countries. Thank you for your support.

Take care.

Robert

Cardiff, Wales (Europe)

Hi, this was the 3rd country in the 34 country World tour. The last time I went to Wales was when I went on Beach Missions with the Church to hand out leaflets to holiday makers in New Quay and Benllech. I also went to Prestatyn with my good friend Karl and his family.

I got the train to Cardiff and it took me 4 hours to get there with a change of trains in the middle. I got there and was surprised to see the Millenium Stadium tucked away behind buildings in the middle of the city.

I went to my hotel which was on St Mary Street. I got there late and I was very tired so I fell asleep. The next morning I had a lie in and then took a walk by the River Taff which runs past the Millenium Stadium. I walked up to Cardiff Castle and then up to the Cardiff City Hall and sat in a beautiful garden which was behind the City Hall. In the middle was the War Memorial for the people of the Falklands War and other wars. I got the train the next morning at midday and got back home about 5pm.

The next destination will be the final country of the World tour and then I will have to get a job. I shall be going with my good friend Karl to Cuba for a fortnight.

Take care.

Robert

Amsterdam, Netherlands (Europe)

Hi, this was the 15th country in the 24 country World tour. I first went to this place in August 2007. This is a place that is made up of dams and half naked women prancing about in windows.

I had been here before so walking round was easy. I went around the Red Light District and the dams. There are many museums and churches in Amterdam for you to go around. I went around Dam Square where there is the Nieuwe Kerk and the Royal Palace. There is also the Oude Kerk and next to it is the Red Light District which is one extreme to another having religion and sex for money at the side of each other.

Next I will be going to back to Tallinn, Estonia and I will put some pictures on the previous blog entry. I have also managed to print and scan photos for Bangkok, Copenhagen and Edinburgh and uploaded the images on to their blog entry. After Tallinn, Estonia I will be spending two nights in Cardiff, Wales.

Take care.

Robert

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (South America)

Hi, this is the 33rd and the penultimate in the World tour and it is to the final continent of my tour which is South America. I went to one of the greatest cities in the World and it was a dream to go there, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I got to Rio de Janeiro after 14 hours of flying and connecting at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris which was trouble free with no bags going missing which is great. On the reception desk of my hotel there were alot of advertisements for tours so I took a leaflet to decide where I wanted to go.

The first tour I picked was to the Maracana Stadium to watch a football match between Vasco de Gama and Fluminese. The Maracana Stadium is one of the biggest in the World and it will be hosting the 2014 World Cup Final. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric with people with flags, banners and flares. The supporters threw rubbish down from the top of the stands if they didn't like a referees decision but there were no fighting between fans. Fluminese looked the best team and won 2 -1. After the game we took the tour bus to our own hotels.

The second tour was a day around Rio which was basically showing you all the sights of Rio in a day. I got picked up at 8am from my hotel and taken past the Copacabana beach to Sao Conrado beach which once had lots of hotels on the front. Now there is only one due to the drug warfare in Rio de Janeiro, all the rest closed down. Next we went up and through Barra da Tijuca which is where the nice neighbourhoods, in Rio de Janeiro. We then went through the Tijuca forest where there is animals, greenery and tranquility. As well as that you can see through the trees and get a fantastic view of Rio de Janeiro. After that we went up Mount Corcovado where at the top stands one of the most famous statues in the World which is the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue. A cloud seemed to sit on the mountain so we could see nothing looking down which was disappointing but seeing the statue was enough. After that we went for our dinner which was provided with the tour and was a very nice all you eat buffet. Next we went to Sugar Loaf Mountain and took the cable car to the top. The only bad thing was the same as Mount Corvacado and the cloud was sitting on the top. We got a glimpse of the Copacabana beach but that was it. After that we went to downtown Rio de Janeiro and saw the Teatro Municipal and the Candelaria. We also saw some favelas which are the main residential areas and probably the poorest areas of the city. In some favelas there is a problem with drugs and the police pay money for peace on the streetsas it can be like a war zone at times.

For the rest of the week I relaxed on the Copacabana beach, went around various shops and had a massage. Rio de Janeiro was very nice with it being sunny and not as dangerous as you read on the internet and in books. Not many people speak English but the people are friendly and willl try to understand hand movements or show you pictures to point at.

Next stop will be Amsterdam for the day.

Take care.

Robert

Edinburgh, Scotland (Europe)

Hi, this was the 14th country in the 34 country World tour. The country of kilts, tartan and bagpipes.

A bit of an ordinary break and because I had been here before I did not really go to any effort of really seeing everything. I stayed in a guest house quite near to the centre of Edinburgh and just really walked around Princes Street. The sights of Edinburgh are the Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and Balmoral Hotel.

I had a nice relaxing time apart from my bags and travellers cheques going missing and British Airways and American Express not helping in the slightest. My advice to anybody thinking of travelling is not to have travellers cheques even though they may seem the safer option they aren't as the company you get them from are usually unhelpful and not to go by British Airways as I have been on over 40 flights around the World and these are the only people to have lost my bag and they don't give a toss.

Next I will be going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Take care.

Robert

Madrid, Spain (Europe)

Hi, this was the 17th of 34 countries in the World tour and the last stop before I go home from the around the world ticket . The first time I was here I was with my dad in Lloret de Mar and we went to Barcelona. This time I was in the capital city, Madrid.

My shuttle was booked for 5:55am to take me to the airport for the 8:55am flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. Of course I got up late and the reception rung my phone at 6:30am so I run around packing everything in my suitcase as I intended to stay up and pack my things but fell asleep. Half of my clothes were in the wardrobe and I totally forgot them so when I got to Chicago I rung the Hilton Hotel in Universal City in Los Angeles and they said they would only send it to England with Fed Ex which would cost about £120. When I asked them just to box it up and send it in the normal post they refused. I told them where to go, I left nothing valuable which was good and I could buy a whole new set of clothes with what they wanted.

I got to Madrid, Spain at 7am and in the airport looked for the ticket desk for Iberia airlines. I found it and booked tickets to Lisbon, Portugal and Copenhagen, Denmark. I also booked hotels for one night in both locations, I booked the same hotel as I had been in before in Lisbon but a different hotel in Copenhagen. For the rest of the day I had a walk around the city looking in shops and looking at places I could go the following day. After all this I got back to the hotel and went to sleep as I had not had any sleep for a day at least.

On Wednesday I went around the city seeing the various buildings in the city using the metro to get about and that was about it really. I noticed a lot of prostitutes and offered me there services which I politely refused.

On Thursday I went to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium which is the home of Real Madrid. Tour tour allowed in different stands of the stadium, in the dugouts and in the visiting teams dressing room. The stadium was easy to get to as the metro took you right outside the stadium.

After this I went to Lisbon, Portugal and Copenhagen, Denmark to revisit and over the next 2 weeks I will be trying to arrange a day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands and a night in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as that I will have 2 night breaks in Edinburgh, Scotland and Cardiff, Wales. In between will be Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I will end it all in Cayo Guillermo, Cuba and hopefully I can get on the Access course for next year at my local college. Still a lot to do and keep myself occupied with.

26 Cities in 16 Countries in 4 Continents
21 Flights and 40,500 Miles Flown on 8 Airlines
1 Man around the World in 68 days

Next will be Edinburgh, Scotland for 2 nights on the 14th March 2008.

Take care.

Robert

Copenhagen, Denmark (Europe)

Hi, this was the 12th country in the 34 country World tour. I went here the day after Julie Lambert's leaving do but unlike Lisbon and the Sound of Music singalong I managed to get out of bed the morning after. Must of been all the singing.

I managed to book a cheap hotel next to the Central Railway Station and I was very lucky as when I arrived the hotel was turning people away as they were fully booked. The first thing I did was go to the tourist information centre to book a tour and it was closed. They shut at 4pm, they must think nobody arrives after 4pm. As they were shut and it was getting dark I decided to head back to the hotel for some sleep and get up early and try to get around as many places as I can with the time I had left.

I woke up at 6am and had my breakfast in the hotel as it was included in the price. The first place I went to was the City Square and the City Hall. Then on to Tivoli Gardens where I remember I had lots of fun the last time I was in Copenhagen going on all the rides. Unfortunately I went when it was out of season and it will not open back up until the 17th April 2008. Next thing I did was go to the train station and get a 24 hour S-Train ticket so I can go where ever I want. I took the train to Osterport Station and walked the Little Mermaid statue which comes from the Little Mermaid book written by the Danish author Hans C. Andersen. I then walked down to the Amalienborg Palace which is made up of 4 palaces and is like the Buckingham Palace of Denmark. I walked from there to the side of the water to look at the Opera House which was a gift from the largest container ship operator in the World, Maersk. After that I walked to the Rosenborg Castle which is like the Tower of London as it is a museum and holds the crown jewels. After that I jumped on the train and went to Enghave Station which is next to the Carlsberg Brewery. I took pictures of the stone elephants and walked around the outside. Then I got back on the train and went back to Copenhagen Central Station and walked up to Christiansborg Palace which is owned by the state and is the only building in the World to hold the 3 supreme powers, legislative, executive and judicial.

After running about I then got the train back to the airport and went back to Madrid. There is no pictures as I forgot my camera and took all my pictures on a disposable camera. If I have worked with you I will of sent plenty of pictures around before.

Take care.

Robert

Lisbon, Portugal (Europe)

Hi, this was the 9th country in the 34 country World tour. This is the first city that I have gone back to and I didn't know whether I would be bored or not. I even booked the same hotel as I was in before. There was only one difference from last time and that was I didn't go to a Sound Of Music singalong the night before, sleep in, miss my flight and have to wait 8 hours in Schiphol airport.

I got to Lisbon around midday and it was a cloudy day but got warmer as the day went on. I went straight out and walked down past Marques de Pombal to Restaurdores and Rossio Square which is right near the bottom of Lisbon. I then went on to Comercio Square. In all these places there are great monuments and as you go round Lisbon on every roundabout nearly there is a statue or monument. After going to the bottom of Lisbon I went right towards the 25 April Bridge which some would say is an immitation of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Next to the bridge there is Christ is King (Cristo Rei) Statue which looks like an immitation of the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro. Next I went on to the Discovery Monument which shows the great explorers such as Vasco de Gama and it iscelebrating the century of explorers in Portugal. After the Discovery Monument is the Belem Tower which was built to commemorate the expeditions of Vasco de Gama but has become one of the main attrations of Lisbon. After this I crossed the road to have a look around the beautiful grounds of the Jeronimos Monastry which are so clean and tidy. After this I made my way back to the hotel. I thought I would try and take a short cut, not a wise idea. The short cut took me through Campo de Ourique which looked to be the poorest part of Lisbon and didn't look to be the safest part of the city. I was glad when I was back in the centre of the city.

The next day I took the Metro to the Gare do Oriente which is a train station built for the Expo `98 in Lisbon. From there I went on to the Vasco de Gama Tower but couldn't go up it as it is closed on a Sunday. The cable car was open though so I took that past the International Fair Centres, Atlantic Pavilion which hosts concerts and the Oceanarium. I had a look around and then went back to the hotel to catch the bus to the airport and back to Madrid. I had a couple of good days in Lisbon and it was well worth going back.

Next I will be going to Copenhagen, Denmark.

Take care.

Robert

Los Angeles, United States of America (North America)

Hi, this was the 8th country in the 34 country World tour when I went to New York with my good friend Karl. I went to Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood.

The first thing I did when I got to the airport was look to buy tickets to Mexico City and New Orleans. In the end I bought tickets to Mexico City and decided not to go to New Orleans because of the cost. Later on in the week I then decided that I should go to New Orleans and bought some tickets and accommodation. I spent all of my second day in Los Angeles in the airport trying to buy tickets.

After I had got there and searched for tickets, I then focused my attention on getting to the Academy Awards Ceremony which was being carried out at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. After I had got to my hotel and sorted myself out, I caught the subway down to Hollywood/Vine and walked up to the barriers stopping people from getting any where near the stars. That is as far as I got. I could see the Kodak Theatre in the distance with the big golden statues outside but I got no where near any one famous.

On Tuesday I went to Universal Studios to have a look around and see what it was all about. The studios is split into 2 sections the city walk and the theme park. The city walk is where all the shops and restaurants are and the theme park has rides and the studio tour. I went around the shops first and what caught my eye was a restaurant based from the film Forest Gump when his friend Bubba wants to own a shrimp company. This shop is called Bubba Gump's Shrimp Corporation. After looking around the shops I went into the theme park which is excellent. The first thing I went on was the studio tour and they took you around the sets of some famous films such as Jaws and Psycho, then took you to some more recent programmes set such as Desperate Housewives. Indiana Jones is coming out soon and some of the scenes will be done in Universal Studios. They also took you into certain studios and then set off a seen where the roof caves in and big lorries come through. You went through a part about Jurassic Park and got quite wet. All in all a great day out and well worth a look if you are in the area.

For the next three days I was in Mexico and decided when I get back I must look around Hollywood Boulevard and take a look at some of the names in the walk of fame. I got the metro to Hollywood/Highland which is right next to the Kodak Theatre. For an hour or so I just walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard trying to recognise some names. The first name that I knew was the singer Kenny Rogers. Outside the Kodak theatre seemed to be the most recent names such as Forest Whitaker who won Best Actor 2007 for The Last King Of Scotland. After that I decided to try and find where I could view the famous Hollywood sign on the hill. They directed me to the mall at the side of the Kodak Theatre and told me to go on the walkway on the 4th floor and I should be able to see it. I was very disappointed when I got up there as the mist had come down and you could see nothing of the sign so I decided to go to the cinema and see a movie and then go back and see if there were any improvement. I went to the Chinese Theatre and watched Michael Clayton. After that I went back and was pleased to find that I could actually see the sign even though there was mist around it. After that I took the metro back to my hotel.

The next day I went to New Orleans for a night just to get a taste of what it was like there. I got there about 7pm and decided to go straight out onto Bourbon Street to see what it was like and it was buzzing. Bars every where, loud music and bands playing, some bars had a jazz band and they were playing some low key music. Something for everybody could be found. I went into several bars, listened to different types of music and had a really good time. After a couple of hours I felt tired and went to bed. The next morning I got up at 6:30am for my breakfast and to go for a walk in the day light whilst I was still there. I went to the Cafe du Monde which is supposed to do the best coffee and beignet in New Orleans so I went and it was lovely. I also went on the street car along the Mississippi River, the longest river in USA. I walked around Jackson Square and down Bourbon and Canal Street before checking out and heading for the airport. New Orleans has some very nice people and a very lively night life and I really enjoyed being there and seeing people have a good time. I would definitely advice people to come through this city or stay there for this is a really nice city and a great place to go out and have a good time. I didn't see any trouble just people having some fun.

I go back to Europe and spend next week in Madrid before heading back to my home. Still a lot to do and I plan to go to Tallinn,Estonia and Copenhagen, Denmark and Lisbon, Portugal all next week if I can book everything.

Take care.

Robert

Mexico City, Mexico (North America)

Hi, the 32nd in the revised 34 country World tour brings me to a place I hadn't really planned to go. I planned to go to Vancouver, Canada by train from Los Angeles but a man I met, from Vancouver Island, in Hong Kong advised me to stay well clear as the weather was really bad and suggested Mexico City.

About two weeks ago I emailed the Mexico City Hostel just to see if I could book some where in advance other wise I probably would not of come with the things people were telling me about violence and kidnappings. Usually places want a deposit or credit card details but a woman called Paulina emailed back to say that she had reserved me a room so now it was just trying to book some tickets to get there. When I got to Los Angeles airport I went to the American Airlines desk and asked how much it would be, they told me a price but said to ask the Mexicana counter and see the price there. The price was more expensive so I booked with American Airlines but the flight was actually run by Mexicana.

I got to Mexico City and the hostel said they offered a taxi service so I thought I would use that instead of being conned or kidnapped by the local taxis. I rung the hostel and they sent the taxi which cost about 4 pounds which is 100 pesos. The hostel it self was just about 100 yards from the centre of Mexico City so for half a day I walked around the centre taking photos and arranging what I was going to for the rest of my stay. I booked a tour to the Mexican pyramids. It was fine walking around and there looked to be a big police presence in the centre.

On Thursday I woke up really early and called into the 24 hour cafe at 3 o clock in the morning for some tortillo wraps. I went to San Juan Teotihuacan to go and see the Mexican pyramids which lasted 9 hours. On the way we stopped to have a look at the Square of the Three Cultures which has three buildings which represent the three periodsof Mexican history which are pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial and the mestizo which means Europeans and Amerindian people living together in a Latin American country. It also has remains of Aztec temples and commemerates the Tlatelolco massacre in which 300 people were killed. We next stopped at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadulupe which was built on boggy land so you could see that it was sinking in the ground. As well as the old building they have built a new building as well which is very nice inside. It is the most important church in Mexico and millions of people flock for the feast on the 12th December. The churches denomination is Catholic. After seeing the church we went to see some of the biggest pyramids in the World. Mexico has the biggest, by volume, pyramid in the World with the Great Pyramid being second and the pyramid that I climbed in San Juan Teotihuacan, which is the Pyramid of the Sun, being third. It lies on the Avenue of Death inbetween the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela. It took some doing but I reached the top and there were some fantastic views of the city and nature.

On Friday I got my Mexicana afternoon flight to LA and got the shuttle back to my hotel. Next flight I will be taking will be to New Orleans and I shall be staying there for one night before coming back to LA and then going on to Madrid, Spain, connecting at O'Hare (Chicago) airport. The last stop of the around the World ticket.

Take care.

Robert