My trip last week

[Stan]

Last week I had to be gone.... was able to get on the internet only once or twice, from a town 30 miles away or so, from an internet cafe that had about 30 computers hooked up to one slow connection.. Felt strange, very little internet for me for a week.

I appreciate Amelia, Gail and the moderators looking after things...

Here was my place of suffering...

[phkrause]

Oh that's to bad. hate to see anyone suffer like that.

pkrause

[Nan]

Why are you complaining Stan? I presume that row of brown umbrellas is where they provide shade for those in the stocks etc? :)

[Neil D]

Ooooohhh Stan...I am soo sorry you had to suffer like this...All that sand and sun....Let me guess..they force you to drink liquids with little pink parasols [sp] in them? and you had to wear shorts and tee-shirts ...probably with a straw hat as well....

You poor poor man.......

NOT!

[Stan]

Finally some sympathy....

[Neil D]

Finally some sympathy....

[Denise]

LOL Hello Stan! Looks like a beautiful place you were at! By the way, is that a pic of you sitting there with your laptop?

[Stan]

Nah, I am on the one behind the camera taking the photo..

There was no internet access, well no cheap way, I think it was $100 for the week.

I drove to a village a couple times, shared a slow connection with 30+ computers.. hard to deal with that after years of high speed.

[Halfstep-Denise]

I would feel sorry for you, Stan, but it's not part of my nature! hehehe!

Welcome back, O Fearless Leader!

Halfstep-Denise

[Denise]

Well, your really good at taking photos! Nice picture!

[Stan]

There is a lot of scenery to work with, I have over 1,000 photos from that trip...

I am so thankful for digital cameras.

I also got some from a Aussie couple... from their digital camera.

[Stan]

Was told by several, that the only nicer place for tourist is some of the Cuban beaches... Hopefully that will be my next one.

[Denise]

Wow! Your gonna have to share some with us! Norman wants to know where you went.

[Stan]

Here is a slide show of where I was at... I was told by people there, the only nicer place is Cuba.... hopefully that will be my nxt stop.

http://homepage.mac.com/stanjensen/iMovieTheater17.html

This may take a few minutes to load, must have www.quicktime.com

[Amelia]

It wouldnt work for me Stan and I have quicktime.

[phkrause]

Me Too!!!!!!!!!!

pkrause

[Stan]

try firefox.... it does take a bit to load, did you see the quicktime thingy? at all?

else try this this one...

http://clubadventist.com/stansvacation.mov

[Dr. Shane]

Glad you enjoyed your vacation, Stan, but I would definitely discourage Cuba.

I cannot justify going to Cuba as a tourist. The government takes the land away from the Cubans so that tourists can come. Why should I be able to enjoy the Cuban beaches that the Cubans themselves cannot enjoy?

Tourism apartheid in Cuba

Many don't like Mexico because when they go there they are exposed to the poverty. To me, seeing the poverty of the people is part of experiencing Mexico. In Mexico, the poor are often found mingling with tourists.

Quote:

It isn't just the $5 toll, the equivalent of a month's salary, that keeps them away. It's also the law. Cubans and tourists are allowed to mix when tourists initiate contact or in public areas, but otherwise, never the twain shall meet. "Tourism apartheid," as its critics call it, is taking hold.

The policy isn't actually new. It's been around for at least a decade, since Cuba started expanding its tourism industry to make up for lost economic aid from the Soviet Union. But every year, another beach, key, resort or historic hotel is cordoned off for foreigners. Because the Cuban government's hunger for tourists and their dollars is insatiable -- more than 22,000 hotel rooms have been added since 1990 -- Cuba is progressively being taken away from its own people. Unless something changes, more and more of the country's most beautiful places will soon be off limits to the people who built or founded them.