Ahhhh....Cuba

I'm so glad I've been to one of the countries that was always on my bucket list, but having been I'm so glad I'm back home again. It's not that I didn't like the place...the lush tropical countryside is stunning, the waters are clear and warm, the beaches full of white sand, the mojitos are free-flowing, the people are friendly and welcoming, the cities are safe, the inter-city buses are excellent, and everywhere, everywhere there is bright vibrant colour. No there's a lot of good about Cuba, but still I'm happy to be home.

This was our 8th Wedding Anniversary trip. A new year of marriage, and thus a new country and for now the tradition still stands. 1 week was way too short a time to spend in such a big country, and that alone proved frustrating in itself. On reflection we could have left Havana sooner but we enjoyed walking the streets admiring the beautiful old architecture and cars (just how many photos?!), and soaking up the relaxed atmosphere, (and the fact that an 8am bus isn't the least bit appealing after 9 mojitos the night before). There's so much beauty yet it heartbreaking to see it crumbing away. It seems like there's no money there to preserve their precious past. We stayed in small family run 'casas' which positioned us perfectly in the heart of the city and gave us a great insight into Cuban people and their lifestyle (but perhaps my Mum would've have been all that keen!) We also got a fabulous home-cooked breakfast to start our days (omelette, fresh fruit, pastries and fresh papaya or pineapple juice)

We were thrilled to be meeing up with my brother Ian and his girlfriend Axelle on our 3rd night in the city and spent the second half of our time on the island with them. On our 4th day we all took the 6 hour bus ride to Trinidad on the south coast of the island. The whole town is a designated Unesco Heritage site and due to it's smaller size I think it's better 'preserved' than Havana - the cobbled streets and matchbox houses painted in a rainbow of pastel colours, and the old bell towers and church overlooking Plaza Major. We had planned to do some diving here, but by now we'd been in Cuba nearly a week and I guess the food was taking it's toll. Chris and I weren't really feeling entirely up to the challenge. Instead a lazy day on the beach and just a single dive the morning we said our goodbyes and Chris and I headed back to Varadero airport.

I think we both enjoyed ourselves. Cuban food is awful (with the exception of breakfasts - see above)- there's really no point beating around the bush here - even I was grateful for airplane food on our return flight! And what is with these countries and their lack of toilet seats?!

Glad to be home, but I sure will miss those mojitos....Thank you Cuba for the memories....Thank you Chris for putting up with me for 8 years - love you hun.xx

Not for my mother's eyes

My New Bike!! I picked it up this afternoon - a Honda 230 Dualsport. It's all very shiny and new looking (enjoy it while it lasts I say!). I had the daunting task of riding on the road for the first time in 7 years to get home. And let me tell you - it is NOT as warm as it looks! My previous knack of sitting on my hands to keep them warm doesn't really work out too well, I was in pain by the time I got home - you'd have thought the nerves and adrenelin would have been enough to keep me warm! Now I'm excited to get out and play more - go and explore all the wilderness around here that's only accessible by dirt trails and forest roads.
p.s. Mum - I'll be really, really careful - love you.xxx

Action Barbie!

So last weekend we had a busy time! I have a dirt bike on loan from a friend so after 7 years I was back on my own 2 wheels for the first time! It's an off road bike but lucky for us we have plenty of available land immediately behind the house without having to venture onto the road. It felt great and now I definitely have the taste for more! (I think the plan will be getting me a road legal dirt bike asap!)

The afternoon we FINALLY got around to skiing! We took the trip up to Silver Star Mountain resort just outside of Vernon. We last went (but not to ski) on Christmas Eve - it's amazing how much less snow there is now - the whole area is just on a huge melt - our winter here has just been incredibly mild and distinctly lacking of snow. It was an evening ski session for the bargain price of $5 lift tickets and $10 rentals - perfect for us for our first time out in I don't know how long! And after a couple of hours the temperatures cooled down I am pretty partial to the fantastic pastries and sandwiches at Bugaboos cafe right at the edge of the slopes and a great end to an exciting and busy day! (still buzzing from the bike riding again!)

A friend of mine from Cyprus days always used to call me Action Barbie because of all the exercise and activities I did. Sadly I don't do quite the exercise I did back then (though I could do with it!) But certainly today was one of those days that Eddie would be proud of me - I certainly felt that I earned my nickname today! Woot Woot - what fun!

We couldn't resist

It was right on our doorstep right?! (OK so a 5hr drive away!) We had to go and check it out and I'm so glad we did. From the moment we got near the city the vibes were already there - the busy-ness, bustling excitement! It felt like one big party - I suppose it IS one big party! Some of the main streets in downtown have been pedestrianised for the duration of the games which made for a fun atmostphere. Everyone was in such good spirits and even I didn't mind the crowds and queues. We didnt' have tickets for any events but just spent our time wandering the streets, seening the sights, socking up the atmosphere, visiting some of the pavillions, watching street performers and loving every minute of it. So very cool!

The Games are here!

(c) VANOC

We just spent the evening watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony - what a visual treat! Whilst we won't be going to the city or to any events it was such a great experience just watching it - I think there's been an amazing job done of making everyone here in BC feel part of the Games - a couple of weeks back we joined about 15,000 others in Kelowna city park to watch the torch arrive in town on it's 106 day journey across Canada - the longest domestic torch relay ever. There were artists and acrobats, the most brilliant ice sculptures and little Canadian flags and torches for everyone to get in the spirit! And I will be checking out this website heaps the next few weeks I'm sure!

Tonight was the first opening ceremony to be held indoors (which lets face it was a pretty good move in the Pacific Northwest!). The light show put on was unreal - those whales 'swimming' across the stadium floor was something else! It was so emotional and happy at the same time - I loved watching the atheletes on their procession into the stadium - you could see the excitement on their faces! (though why in the world were the British women atheletes wearing French berets as part of the uniform?!) It's a shame though that shortly after it finishes I come online and the headlines are all scandalous about the 'gaff' in the torch lighting moment - what a shame the media can't focus on the good bits and not the bad?! We were both so impressed too with the delicate way which they handled the sad and tragic death of the Georgian Luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili who died in training today - the minutes silence was so the right thing.

Here's to a great fortnight of sporting events. I might just become a telly addict for a bit! And I've got the choice of 2 teams to cheer on....now the tough one will be the men's curling - GB or Canada?!

She got a job...

...no more 'retirement' for me. Hence we haven't been doing all that much with life other than making 2 twee little matching lunch-boxes, sharing rides to work and coming home to a cold house (bought a programmable thermostat tonight - seriously that's how exciting work is?!) This weekend we're all set for a trip to the big city - the Vancouver Bike show, and of course any trip to the lower mainland wouldn't be complete without a shopping spree at my favourite big blue and yellow store *wink*!!

Snow Day!

Not really any snow here at home so we went off in search of the white stuff to play in! First stop was Telemark at Crystal Mountain where I hired snowshoes (someone got his own pair for Chrismas!), a bargain $5 for a trail passes and we were all set. We made sure to get kitted up in our snowshoes out of sight of a very busy XC arena (several hundred people in some competition or other!) - I had no idea whether I'd fall flat on my face at my first attempt at moving but they were so light and not at all cumbersome and I managed to only trip myself up once on the whole outing!

It was such a lovely snowy winter wonderland all around us. We ventured off the trails for a bit in some fantastic deep powder snow but with no idea of where we were heading we reluctantly turned back for the main trail. What a fantastic way to spend the morning. Once we returned to the chalet the competition was wrapping up and the hot dogs were a'cookin' on the deck - what a welcome smell to our rumbling tummies!

On the way home, around dusk we went in search of suitable sledding hills. Having got a new go-faster sled at Christmas we were itching to test it out. In the end we ended up back at home, got a couple of quick runs down a rather steep hill a couple of roads further up the hill than us. Then as we parked the car in the garage realised the potential of the slope down the side of the house leading to the basement access. It's short and not much of a hill but if you take a running dive at it you can reach the basement door!!lol!