Thank you to all past Cuba Unveiled participants! Check back for 2008 dates!
See OTTAWA CITIZEN article "Write and Cycle in Cuba" Dec. 24, 2004
See NATIONAL POST article, "The Long Way 'Round Havana" by Sue Bowness (Jan. 3, 2004)
In one week, it brought me as close to ordinary, daily life as is possible for a group of outsiders. It brought more texture to my way of thinking about this puzzling country, one that for my generation in the 60s was so iconic, so fraught with symbolism. -Cuba Unveiled participant
Join our small group of friendly and curious people as we get away, slow down and uniquely combine leisurely, fun, cycling and walking with meaningful conversation. We'll cycle quiet backroads, explore authentic towns, visit hilltop Spanish ruins, meet a Cultural Director, ride along the Atlantic, pass a sugar mill and a rum distillery, walk the roads of Old Havana, cycle the famous Malecon, and more. We'll see how local Cubans live and work, and of course we'll enjoy the unforgettable beach, music, culture, and friendly people that define this warm yet complex Caribbean island. Unlike the structured life/work conversations of CareerCycles, this voyage of discovery will offer relaxed yet focused conversation stimulated by our reactions and impressions of life in Cuba. SEE ITINERARY BELOW.
Anyone who delights in cycling and outdoor activity, exploring different cultures, wanting something different from a week-at-the-beach, and is open to engaging in meaningful conversation within a small group.Participants should be comfortable riding a bike recreationally. As distances are relatively short, with plenty of stops, Cuba Unveiled is appropriate for the widest audience and almost all ability levels.
We stay at comfortable "habitaciones particulares" which are recently legalized, private-enterprise accommodations in local people's homes. Our meals are taken at local restaurants or in the private houses.
Our rides are in Havana Province and are mostly flat with some gentle hills. Expect easy to moderate cycling on quiet roads. We'll take three day rides, one short ride on our first full day, and one walk/hike. Short options are available.
You can rent comfortable bikes from Bicycles Without Borders, a Canada-Cuba social justice organization (see Links). Cost is a reasonable $90 (Canadian) for recent model Raleigh hybrids, 21 gear, V-brakes, suspension seat-post, sized right for your height. Rentals come with helmet, though you may want to bring your own. Wearing a helmet is mandatory for cycling.
We'll focus our conversations on our reactions to, and impressions of what we're seeing and experiencing. We'll aim to have a few conversations over the week based on the Conversation Cafe (see Links) "tips for a great conversation": 1.Suspend judgment as best you can. 2.Listen...with respect. 3.Seek to understand rather than persuade. 4.Invite and honour diversity of opinion. 5.Speak what has personal heart and meaning. 6. Go for honesty and depth without going on and on.
Mark Franklin, M.Ed., P.Eng. creator of Cuba Unveiled and CareerCycles leads this getaway. Mark also works as a career counsellor and coach. A local Cuban woman, Mabel, is our guide, assistant, translator and cultural interpreter. See Bio for more info.
$1695 (Canadian) for 2005 trip, 7-day, 7-night, included flight. 2008 rates may be higher.
All payments to TRAVELBEST, 4950 Yonge St., North York, ON M2N 6K1. TICO #50012043.
This getaway includes:
Excluded: Bike rental (CAD$90), drinks, Cuban Airport Tax (US$25).
To express your interest and discuss your situation with Mark, please call 416 465 9183 or email.
To register, call Oviel Falcon at TRAVELBEST / 416 646 0890 x247 / toll free 866 848 8705. All payments, by credit card or cheque, are through TRAVELBEST, 4950 Yonge St., North York, ON M2N 6K1. Make cheque payable to TRAVELBEST.
Payment & cancellation terms: Reserve with full payment. Full refund less $250 administrative fee if cancelled outside of 35 days before departure. No refund if cancelled within 35 days of departure.
"It gave us a chance to get close to Cuba and Cubans in a way that no resort hotel could. The mixture of cycling, hiking and public transportation offered an excellent variety of experiences. We feel that we got a glimpse of the real Cuba and were able to appreciate the country in a way that most tourists do not." -Pat & Norm McLeod, Ottawa
"I felt completely confident in Mark. I experienced no sense of concern or need to figure things out for myself. One of my desires during this week was to not be in control, be a leader, figure things out, make plans. I experienced complete comfort in following. I felt that Mark showed tremendous sensitivity towards the group as a whole." -Dr. Vicki Cattell, Saskatoon
"Her [our Cuban assistant] openness, and warmth provided a safeness for me to learn much about Cuban life through my discussion with her - ranging from her personal family experience, to some of her life views."
ITINERARY for seven unique days of cycling, walking, culture & conversation.
DAY 1 - Bienvenidos en Cuba!
Arrive Jose Marti International Airport. Shuttle under an hour to Guanabo, principal town of Playas del Este. Settle into our private accommodations, known as "casas particulares." Walk on beach before welcome drinks and dinner at a hilltop "palader," private run restaurant.
DAY 2 - Orientation to Playas del Este
Highlights: Guanabo town. Beach, sun, swim! Ride to nearby Veniciana, a pre-Revolutionary luxury enclave, now a workers' resort. Visit local cultural centre, beachside mangrove park. Cycle to Bellomonte lookout for visit to Spanish ruins and sunset cervezas.
DAY 3 - Beach! Town & Country Ride.
Highlights: Beach! Warm wind through your hair as we ride through pleasant countryside and authentic inland towns, Barreras, La Gallega, Bajurayabo. Lunch and Conversation Cafe at Guanabito, like walking into a Cuban Guajira song.
DAY 4 - Microcosm of Cuba from the Seat of Your Bike
Highlights: Fabulous ride through Havana Province. Authentic towns and beautiful countryside. Hershey town. Seaside ride along Via Blanca.
Wednesday details: Breakfast at our casa. Long option riders depart for gorgeous ride through Campo Florido, Castilla, fine views of limestone cliffs. Short option riders have a leisurely breakfast before boarding local transport, Cuban-style, to Escaleras de Jaruco. Long and short option riders meet for walk through tropical savannah to viewpoint then ride downhill to lunch in historic Jaruco. Ride the quiet countryside past farmland, tropical savannah, verdant sugar cane plantations and through several authentic inland towns to Hershey, a company town and sugar mill built by US-based Hershey, all of which was nationalized shortly after the Cuban revolution. We ride toward the Atlantic, passing the world famous Havana Club rum distillery at Santa Cruz del Norte, then turn west on Via Blanca and glimpse the strange sight of dozens of oil wells as we ride the final seaside stretch back to Guanabo.
DAY 5 - Once-in-a-lifetime ride into Havana via Hemingways' Cojimar, and unique ciclobus
Highlights: Ride through Soviet architecture of Alamar, into historic Cojimar, setting for Hemingway's The Old Man & The Sea. Ciclobus under Havana Bay Tunnel. Cigar factory. Easy ride through residential streets of Havana's Centro and Vedado districts.
DAY 6 - You'd never seen "La Habana" like this!
Highlights: Easy riding through quiet streets of west Havana. Maqueta model of Havana, Canadian embassy, funky Miramar hotels, architectural curiosity of Russian Embassy, parque Almendares-the lungs of Havana, huge Colon Cemetery, Plaza de la Revolucion, John Lennon park, Universidad de Habana, la Rampa-the centre of things
DAY 7 - Historic Habana Vieja (Old Havana)
Highlights: Ride into Habana Vieja. Historic plazas. Capitolio-a replica of the White House. Parque Central. Prado. Bicicletas Cruzando Fronteras. (Departure for Feb. 26-Mar. 4 trip)
DAY 8 - Vedado outdoor craft market, Malecon. Departure (for Feb.17-24 trip).
NOTE ON ITINERARY: Itinerary may change somewhat as a result of the changeable nature of Cuban reality. One of the features of past trips included some fun planning improvisation.
(page updated Jan. 5, 2005)