Things to pack for a vacation in Cuba

Recently my wife and I went for a vacation to an all inclusive resort in Varadero, Cuba for a week. Overall it was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed a lot. Beaches in Varadero are to die for, super clean, big and delightful to swim in.

If you are planning to make a trip to Cuba and curious to know what to pack other than normal toiletries and clothing, I'll be explaining below, things we could have taken with us but didn't, as nobody told us to.

1. Thermos/Travel Mug - In all inclusive resort, drinks are free and unlimited. We noticed many tourists had brought their own thermos/travel mugs to refill their drinks from the bar and go back to beach or pool. If you don't bring your own thermos, resort's bar provides drink in a plastic glass (with straw) which does not feel environmentally friendly.
2. Water Bottle - Resorts provide filtered water, so you can get water filled up in your own water bottle.
3. Snacks - There are no chips in Cuba (only pringles). No peanuts. No popcorn. Bring your own snacks if you plan on snacking up while on beach or in your room.
4. Condiments - We saw some people had brought their own condiments, such as Ranch dressing etc.
5. Extra Cash for Cigars - Best quality cigars can be sold at 5 to 10 times their original price in Canada/US, which sometimes enables people to buy tickets for their next Cuba trip just by selling cigars bought from previous trip. We heard many people bring back best quality cigars, such as Cohiba Cigars, from Havana in permissible quantity so that there are no issues at customs and sell it at premium in their home country. 

The staff at resort such as maids, receptionists, bartenders, waiters, beach attendants seem to provide good service overall, however if you tip them monetarily (1 to 5 USD or CUC), you get extraordinary service. Once in a while, the staff seemed more than happy to receive a gift other than monetary tip. Below is list of goodies we though local Cubans liked to receive or were looking for. 

1. Cookies/candies/chocolates (from Dollar Store)
2. Cheap earrings/ornaments (from Shoppers/Superstore)
3. Used shoes, sneakers, sandals
4. Used women clothing (was in high demand)
5. Key chains and souvenirs (from Canada/US)

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9 months of Unemployment

I have been unemployed for the last 9 months. Here is a detailed description of what I have been doing since then. As some of you may know, after returning from Africa in January 2014, I decided to quit my job and take a personal break. I finally quit in April that year and thought of starting a "women-only travel" company in India. The idea was in a nascent stage. Travel/adventure  was a completely new industry to me, after having spent 4 working years in Information Technology. I interacted with several big and small adventure travel agencies in India- some suggested that I should go ahead, many told me not to. My main insight from all these interactions was that this was going to take time, at least 3-5 years. In May, I took a 1-month mountaineering course in Manali, Himachal Pradesh in the Indian Himalayas, where we drank a lot of rum :) and also learned the basic techniques of snow craft and ice craft, crampons, rock climbing , and river crossing. I had so much fun and made some incredible friends! Check out the pics on link below ! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152549164436385.1073741842.516646384&type=1&l=e187f693dc I then spent the month of June creating my own website, http://www.outbey.com  and Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/outdoorsandbeyondadventures.   It took me that long since I made the website on my own, doing it for the first time. By this time, I had moved from the idea of women-only travel towards mixed group travel. Towards the end of June, I planned a Zanskar rafting trip in Ladakh, posting it on my website and Facebook page. However, this got me a single lead only and no participants for the trip. By mid-July, I was bored with sitting at home, with nothing much to do and my future looking grim. A friend told me that he was going to do a solo trek on the famous Darcha - Lamayuru route in Ladakh. I later found out that lots of French travellers do this 21-day trek, which was made popular in France by a famous photographer. He invited me to join, and I did. The trekking route, spanning the Zanskar valley, was absolutely spectacular and breathtaking! The views were astounding, giving us a flavour of one of the most beautiful places in India - Ladakh. For the first 8 days, I trekked with my friend, while for the last 6 days, I walked alone. It was a difficult and great experience for me, as I sometimes walked on lonely roads, for 8-10 hours a day, crossing high-altitude passes at over 5,000 metres. I have documented my journeys for the first time on my blog. The links are below (7 entries, please keep clicking next!) Darcha – Lamayuru trek Day 1 & 2 Day 3 & 4 . . Day 13 & 14 In August, as I turned 30, I managed to sneak in a short 4-day trek to Triund, Dharamshala :-). In the end of the month, I did a cycling expedition with two friends I had met during the mountaineering course in May. We biked from Shimla to Manali via Kinnaur, Spiti and Lahaul Valley. It was another totally crazy and very beautiful journey that tested our limits. We cycled 600km in 14 days, crossing high-altitude passes of 4,400 metres. A short documentary video (15 min) is on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0-_hjpH48. In September and October, I attended a 10-day wilderness first-aid course and a 21-day -Trip Leader course organized by the American outdoor school NOLS. Both courses were very inspirational and enjoyable for me. Learning in the outdoors is far more enriching, and has longer lasting impact on me than conventional classroom education ever did J. I learned the importance of outdoor education and would like to do more in this field in the future. During the courses, we trekked for 18 days across the Kumaon Himalayan range, which is one of the most pristine and beautiful ranges in India. The trek took us to remote villages, so remote that reaching the nearest road takes 5-6 days. The villagers had probably seen very few, if any, tourists. This, more than anything else, made it my personal favorite for future solo treks. Not only did I learn about outdoors from the courses, but also picked up interpersonal skills, which I shall be blogging about soon. Check out the beautiful places in pics! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152952674961385.1073741852.516646384&type=1&l=c0b4d5dbf6 I returned from the NOLS courses in early November. In mid-November, I went for a 1-week holiday to Cambodia and Thailand (as every unemployed person has to visit South-east Asia J). As you can guess, this was a very rejuvenating break after several months spent in the mountains! By this time, I had decided that I would not be continuing with my experiments in the adventure industry and would take up a regular job once again, in January 2015. Me trying solo rock climbing in Krabi, Thailand  In December, I went for a 1-week trip to North-East India - I had never been to this part of India before. This was an eye-opening experience for me! This was followed by a -2-week rafting expedition over the Brahmaputra River. Brahmaputra is rightly called the "Everest of Rivers", as it is the big Daddy of rivers, being as wide as the Nile in quite a few places. Our raft flipped a few times among the 30-foot high waves. To be very honest, I was quite scared in those instances, really very scared ;). These will be coming up in the blog too! One of the rapids on Brahmaputra River, Arunachal Pradesh In the last few months, I had so many diverse experiences and I discovered more about myself and what I really want from life. It helped me in making decisions about my future. I realized that I want to travel the world, which I could not have done had I started and become busy with my own company. I wish for variety in life. An adventure startup is still a cool idea to me, but I do not want to keep doing and guiding the same trips over and over again. Also, this is a low payback and high risk industry. These and many more thoughts led to changing my mind and deciding to come back to corporate life. In the last months, I also looked for jobs in outdoor agencies, but they do not pay much. I am really thankful to my mother and sister for being considerate, friends whom I met during my travels, and the last 9 months of unemployment for teaching me invaluable lessons; without me learning the hard way, had I started a company and burned my fingers and savings (which are vanishing fast :-))!

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Darcha to Lamayuru Trek - Day 13 to Day 14

DAY 13: LINGSHED TO BASE CAMP OF SINGE LA VIA MARGUN LA (4370M), KUPA LA (4430M) & SENGE LA (4900M)

This was the day that I crossed 3 passes and walked for 11 hours.

After a full breakfast of dal and rice from the previous night, I said goodbye to my young lama friend. I started from Lingshed early, at around 7 a.m., with full power.

The view after an hour’s walk from Lingshed

 The trail ascends gently, presenting gorgeous views of the nearby mountain ranges.

Walking shadow

After around two hours of easy walking, I reached the first pass of the day, Margun La (4370m). To be honest, it did not look like a pass, as it was easy to ignore. From there, I could see Kupa La Pass (4430m) straight ahead. This was the first time I could see a pass from another pass. The climb to Kupa La looked quite steep from far.

Under-rated Margun La (4370m) pass. Straight ahead is Kupa La (4430m)

The zigzag trail looked daunting and interesting at the same time. Unfortunately, the road has been built till Kupa La, and the thicker zigzag (in the photo) is the road.

Trails like these make the day more interesting. I could see a few people walking on it. Skyumpatta Village

The trail goes down to the scenic Skyumpatta Village. As I wanted to cover a lot of ground that day, I went straight down without taking long breaks.

The old lady had real difficulty walking. They had to go down and then up again.

It was more of walking and less of photographing. The dal and rice in the morning really helped me walk fast and I climbed the zigzag trail with ease, reaching Kupa La at around 11:30 a.m.

Kupa La (4430m)

Wrath of the sheep

At Kupa La, a herd of sheep came out of nowhere and started eating the prayer flags! They can eat anything!

Spiritual Buffet! In the centre is Kupa La. Somewhere behind it and on top must be Hanuma La. Not amused to walk on the road Did not leave my sole behind in Ladakh

Since I was in a rush, I did not take photographs of the dhaba at the base camp of Senge La. I had another sumptuous meal of dal and rice here and left quickly at around 2 p.m. for Senge La (4900m). Senge La is the highest pass of this stretch and my third pass for the day.

The road to Senge La, the plateau is the pass. Snow graffiti artist Satnam Singh's masterpiece

To go to Senge La, the ascent is moderate, but the altitude makes it tough. The weather started getting worse and dark clouds loomed over me.

Not looking good Hole in the sky Hole gone That is Senge La (4900m) for you Other side of the pass The highest pass has been conquered!  The descent was long and tiring. I reached the campsite around 6 pm, exhausted but gratified. The dhaba at the base camp of Senge La Dinner - The Sku

I spent the evening talking to the dhaba owner and the horseman. After walking for 11 hours straight and crossing 3 passes, I felt like Hercules and slept off early.

 

DAY 14: BASE CAMP OF SINGE LA - PHOTOKSAR TO KHALTSE

I woke up early to a magnificent sunrise and wonderful scenery all around it.

Some peak over 6000m On the left is Senge La

I was told that I could get a shared ride from Photoksar. Since there was no trail after Photoksar, I would haveto walk on the road, which I did not want to. Fatigue had set in, both mental as well as physical. So, I decided to finish the trek at Photoksar.

Boulevard of broken dreams

I was told to walk on the trail, but I decided to walk on the road instead. It turns out that there is a major river crossing on the road, which vehicles could cross easily, but people could not. I had to walk all the way up to the trail where the river was less turbulent. I spent an hour in doing this. This was my first river crossing. Doing it alone was quite risky, and I will not be repeating it in future!

Baddass river crossing

A landscape that belongs on a wallpaper

The feeling had set in and I just wanted to reach Photoksar as soon as possible and finish the trek.

Horseman, red rock, rucksack and walking stick Another pass that I did not care about Welcome to Photoksar

I reached Photoksar at around 11 a.m., but could not immediately find a ride to Lamayuru. So I waited at the only tea shop near the highway. While waiting, I had a great meal of sabzi and rice, while interacting with some local kids.

Beauties With a bribe of chips packet, love comes naturally! Weather changed drastically, rain, sun, then rain again Wow

Finally, a shared cab arrived at around 4 p.m. and I got a free ride till Khaltse. I was so tired that I decided to skip Lamayuru and end the trip in Khaltse.

Goodbye, until next time

This is the end!

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Darcha Lamayuru Map

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