• Stacey Robinson
jun. – nov. 2017

2017 Travel Adventures

Et 144-dags eventyr af Stacey Læs mere
  • Back in Havana and the Cuban Art Factory

    21. oktober 2017, Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We had breakfast in our Casa before a collectivo picked us up. We drove for three hours to our next Casa in Havana. We checked in to our 5th floor room where they added a third bed for us. We went to the Museum of the Revolution to try to get a bit more of an understanding of what had happened in Cuba. There was a few photos and descriptions as well as a boat and tanks used. After we ran through the rain to a cafe where we had really yummy Italian food. We were all very relieved following our previous bad food in Santa Clara. After we had a rest back at home, some rum and pineapple juice and headed out to an Italian restaurant Colleseo. We were his only customers and they had no cheese to make pizzas. The guy was lovely and gave us garlic pizzas and some coffees along with our pastas. We then caught a cab to the Cuban Art Factory which was really cool with lots of containers making up the building. The drink sizes were huge, for $10 they used two bottles of Havana Club to make our drinks. There was art for sale, art on display and bands performing in different sections. We saw two bands play and had a bit of a dance!Læs mere

  • Walking tour and a Jazz club

    22. oktober 2017, Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Breakfast was cooked for us in the casa by our host Frank with the highlight being a massive avocado the size of your head. We headed to Parque Central for the free walking tour which went for nearly four hours. We visited the first cigar workshop, Capitilo building, Bacardi House, a number of different squares and a mojito drinks place. We stopped for drinks on the rooftop bar of the hotel where Ernest Hemingway used to stay. We had lunch at Dandy’s where Emma’s friend’s boyfriend worked. We had really yummy pork tacos and sweet potato chips. We then walked out to the dance party ‘Rumba’ that was just finishing when we arrived at Callejon de Hamel. There were some interesting artist furniture made out of baths. We walked up to the National Hotel and had drinks on the porch. We then walked home along the Malecon. Back home for a sleep, some rum and showers. We had dinner at Dona Eutimia where we had yummy frozen margaritas. Emma and I shared fried plantains with different toppings on top. I had garlic prawns for main course. We walked along the Malecon stopping for rum and passionfruit drinks on the way. We walked up to Jazz club La Zorra for some easy listening. After a while and a brief appearance by me on stage we caught a vintage car cab ride home.Læs mere

  • Fusterlandi and old clothes

    23. oktober 2017, Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had cereal in the casa before heading out for coffee and juice at La Cafe. We walked to Parque Central and caught the double decker bus to the Plaza of the Revolution. There wasn’t much to see there other than giant faces of Che and Cienfuegos. After we caught the bus to the end of the line where we had an adventurous time making it 3.5km to Fusterlandia to see the artistic house inspired by Picasso. It was a bit all over the place and had a junky feeling but overall quite interesting. The beach there wasn’t too great so we headed back by taxi to the bus stop. Back on the big double decker bus, we travelled back to Central Havana, past the port with the big cruise ship and got off at the market. I bought some tote bags and we had a coco loco on the water. After we stopped at the brewery for a beer while looking over the ports. The three of us squeezed into a ciclo back to our Casa. We went out for dinner at El Chanchullero where I tried the dish “old clothes” which was a yummy slow cooked pork in spices. We tried a Cubata cocktail which was similar to a Bloody Mary and quite spicy. After we went to Roma for a drink on the rooftop before heading home.Læs mere

  • Leaving Cuba and heading to Tulum

    24. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We had some cereal at the Casa and said goodbye to Emma who headed to Varedero for some beach time. Zoe and I used the internet at the house and Frank gave us some coffee. We walked around town looking at the market for artists, buying rum, had lunch, coffee and a coconut. We travelled to the airport in a vintage blue taxi and checked in to our flight back to Cancun. Once landed we got a bus to Playa del Carmen and then a collectivo to Tulum. We checked into our AirBnB and headed out for some delicious fresh sushi!! Was so tasty after being in Cuba and the big day of traveling.Læs mere

  • Tulum ruins and beach

    25. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Zoe and I went out to a cafe for breakfast of yummy bircher museli. We then spent a while checking around different dive shops to try and get the best deal for the next day. We hired bikes and rode down to the Tulum ruins. They were super touristy and not very big but these were still being occupied when the Spanish arrived unlike most Mayan ruins. We went swimming at the beach for the ruins. We then rode our bikes to public beach and walked along and got a beer from a drinks place. Back in town we had guacamole, chips and rum. The avocado was massive! We had dinner at Burritos Amore. I had a fish burrito with chipotle sauce which was super yummy.Læs mere

  • Diving in the cenotes

    26. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We had breakfast at home and were at the diving shop by 8:15am. The first cenote we visited was The Pit. It was 35m deep and had light shimmering in and two locations where the water went blurry due to the mixing of salt and fresh water. We then got out and drove to Dos Obos for two dives in the caverns. It was very cool diving through the caves and seeing the stalactites and stalagmites. The light shinning through was beautiful. Back home and we had guacamole, chips and rum before heading out to dinner at the tacos place with a girl from diving. We had more drinks at a bar where the other guy from diving joined us too. We had lots of tequila and went to another bar for a dance.Læs mere

  • Coba ruins and swimming in cenotes

    27. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We had a cruisy morning after a big night. After a coffee we spent a bit of time walking around, got on the wrong collectivo and had to walk back into town. We found the right stop and had just missed one, so a taxi driver started talking to us and we made a deal with him to take us. He drove us to Coba ruins where we raced around for an hour. We climbed the tallest pyramid which was quite steep and it had stunning views from the top. After we went to two cenotes for a swim. The first one had a steep staircase down with diving platforms off it. We both jumped off into the beautiful blue water. The second cenote had stalactites and stalagmites and only a small area for swimming.
    Back in town we had drinks and guacamole before heading out to dinner. We had an early night as were very tired.
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  • Advanced diving course

    28. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    We had breakfast at Tulum Art Club before packing up and Zoe left to fly home to Australia. I started my advanced diving course with my instructor, a pom called Dom. We headed out to Casa Cenote which was right near the ocean. My first dive was a cavern dive where we practised laying a line, swimming by feel of the line, if there is a silt out and going in the part where the limestone and water mix to create a hazy water feeling. I saw a little crocodile swimming above which was pretty amazing!
    My second dive was navigation where I had to swim in a square, we timed my swimming speed and I led the dive for 10 minutes and we had to return to the starting point. After we finished I went back to my new hostel, the Weary Traveler where I had some rum and coke with chips. I ate dinner at the cheap authentic taco place and went back to the hostel for the free drinks hour. I met a few travelers and I went out with them to the Main Street for a bit.
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  • Finishing my course and Playa del Carmen

    29. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    I was up early, had breakfast and got picked up for my next day of diving. We headed to the beach and got a boat out to the reef which is the second largest in the world after Australia. The first dive was another navigation test where I had to try and find the boat line at the end. We also went a little deeper to check if I was ok with the depth. There wasn’t much to see till the end other than six lobsters hanging out under a rock. After a break we did the second dive where we tested my buoyancy and we swam around the reef. There was pretty formations and fishes. Once finished I was now certified as an advanced diver...woohoo! I went out for tacos with my instructor, got a coffee and collected my things from the hostel and caught a collectivo up to Playa del Carmen. I checked into my new hostel and went for a walk along the beach. It was very busy with people everywhere! I had a rest back at the hostel and went out for a late falafel dinner. I walked along the Main Street for ages, very commercial here and felt a bit like the Gold Coast.Læs mere

  • Oaxaca and day of the dead

    30. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I caught the 7:30am bus to Cancun Airport. Once there I met Sabine and boarded the plane to Oaxaca. The trip involved two stops on the way. It took forever and I was very hungry as we weren't given much food. We caught a collectivo to our hostel and checked in. We then headed into town for a drink and dinner on a roof top. We wandered around town and there was many parades. Dancing ladies, paper mache head pieces with fireworks, painted faces, bands playing and lots of happy people. We went in the library for the opening of the altars which different towns had made. They gave out Day of the Dead bread and delicious Mayan style hot chocolate. We went out for some mezcal with oranges before heading to bed.Læs mere

  • Halloween and getting our faces painted

    31. oktober 2017, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We ate tortillas for breakfast at the hostel and then headed for coffee and to the big market. It was chaos there with people everywhere buying all the things that they needed for Day of the Dead celebrations. There was lots of flowers, bread, sweets, ornaments and decorations. I brought a pretty blue dress to wear. We had lunch in the market and I tried a Tlayuda, basically a pizza with steak on it. We changed and walked to the main square to get our face painted. We weren’t sure what to expect but it looked like a skeleton face. We watched some of the performances in the street before getting on a tour bus to go to some cemeteries. The first was in Xoxocotlan and it was crazy. There was people everywhere and candles, stalls, music, flowers and our ‘tour’ which was super unorganised. We had some mezcal and were given two hours to wonder and look at all the decorations on the graves. It was very difficult to walk around as there wasn’t proper paths. We saw some happy family celebrations and other families mourning and sleeping on graves. There was lots of mezcal, mini fires for cooking food and some singing. We had flowers and candles to put on the graves so we found the most lonely looking ones. We then went to the old cemetery which was much smaller and had more of a rustic feeling. We got back on the bus and went to Atzompa cemetery which was the most beautiful with many candles. It had less people and less structured graves just made from dirt. Candles shimmered for as far as the eye could see and it looked amazing. There was groups of families, kids asleep with blankets and mezcal or hot chocolate being drunk. It was 2:30am by the time we arrived back at the hostel and we were very cold. It was a very enjoyable night.Læs mere

  • A bit like clowns

    1. november 2017, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Breakfast today was very odd, carrot and potatoes! We went out for coffee and chocolate cake to compensate for the bad breakfast! We looked around town at the decorations and walked to the Pantheon cemetery just out of the center of town. This is usually the main spot but due to the recent earthquake, the walls were unstable, so it was not open at night. There were lots of decorations up and a funeral taking place. It was very hot walking back. We stopped for lunch where I ate a whole avocado stuffed with tuna. We walked around town and up to the auditorium on the hill for views over the city. We had beer at the hostel and headed into town to get our faces painted. Tonight we looked more like clowns! We got some freshly cooked chips coated with lime juice and spicy sauce. We then sat in the main square and people watched. There were many fancy outfits and painted faces to look at. We joined a parade in town with a band, people dressed up and joined Congo lines. We circled the block twice and had lots of fun dancing. After we went to two clubs for dancing where we ran into the English couple from the night before. It was a really fun night and we drank lots of Havana Club rum.Læs mere

  • Feeling like a zombie and a cemetry

    2. november 2017, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Day of the Dead - breakfast this morning was a bit more normal with eggs for a change. We went out for coffee and most people were walking around town looking like Zombies. We had a look in some shops and saw another parade commencing in the city. We ate a hamburger for lunch at a cafe in the main park and sat with an iced coffee while people watching. We had a rest at the hostel before heading out for dinner. I tried a gringa and we then caught a cab to the San Felipe del Agua cemetery. We bought a scorpion mescal for 10 Pesos before heading inside. It was more peaceful than other cemeteries with flowers seeming to be the main focus. Some Mexicans we’d met before, invited us to join them for a mescal and told us how they’d decorated their grave earlier in the day and celebrated with their extended family. It seemed that the night time was more for the younger people. There were some beautiful sand decoration displays in this cemetery. We easily caught a cab back into town.Læs mere

  • Ruins and last full day in Oaxaca

    3. november 2017, Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Breakfast at the hostel, then out for coffee and down to the bus station where we took the local bus to Mont Albán ruins, which are in the hills just outside Oaxaca. The views were stunning and the ruins had a big plaza area with buildings surrounding it. It was very worthwhile heading up there. We had lunch at a trendy hipster cafe with very delicious coffee and food. We did some shopping and I brought a dress, top, mescal, pom-poms and some magnets. We watched some more performances in the street including a very scary clown. We had a rest at the hostel before walking to the square near the church where there was more dancing with many ladies looking like Frida. We walked to a Mezcal bar where we ran into people we’d met the last few nights, so we chatted with a big group of fellow travelers.Læs mere

  • Cancun

    4. november 2017, Mexico ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Up early, ate a strange breakfast of nachos and went for a coffee in town. My collectivo arrived at 11am and I headed to the airport for my long flight to Cancun which included two stops. The trip was long, but at least this time I wasn’t hungry on the plane. I caught the bus from the airport to town and walked to the hostel. I went to the main square of downtown where lots of people were hanging out, eating and watching performances. I tried a hurrache which was like a large taco. Then I headed back via the supermarket to buy cheap rum and lemon chips. I sat on the roof top and had a beer looking at the city skyline before heading to bed.Læs mere

  • Cancun beach and heading home

    5. november 2017, Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    I ate toast and an omelette for breakfast and then headed out to the beach with three other people from the hostel. We caught the bus to Delphine beach where the water was crystal clear and very warm. I caught the bus back, grabbed some Mexican food at the square and headed back to the hostel, collected my bag and took an uber to the airport. I checked in and boarded a United Airlines flight to LA, a five and a half hour flight with no entertainment or food. I didn’t know about that! I had a two hour stop over in LA which was spent racing around trying to change terminals. I made it to my flight with ten minutes to spare which was quite stressful!Læs mere

  • Flying a bit of reminising

    6. november 2017, Forenede Stater ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Up in the air flying home and thinking about what a trip it’s been!! My 6 highlights are:
    Glastonbury - the lifelong dream
    Staying in a French Castle celebrating Dad's 60th and watching the Tour de France pass by
    Camino bike ride for five days along the Portuguese coastal route
    Galápagos Islands and an orca sighting
    Hiking up a Guatemalan volcano and seeing lava exploding from a volcano
    Day of the Dead in Oaxaca Mexico
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  • Arriving back home

    7. november 2017, Australien ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    The end of my amazing trip. Grace picked me up and we went out for breakfast at Brighton Soul. It was Melbourne Cup day so we watched the race. My horse won!!
    Such an amazing trip! The End.

    Slut på rejsen
    7. november 2017