As the lights came on at the Teatro Nacional in Habana, I wasn’t sure if I was in Cuba or the U.S. The audience was Caucasian, well dressed, with an air of sophistication and worldliness. I had just seen excerpts from Giselle, performed by the famous Cuban National Ballet, and again the dancers were all Caucasian […]
Once Upon a Time in Cuba
First impressions… I wonder if it’s better to leave a place with great memories or to return and be completely disenchanted with what it has become. I would soon have an answer to this question. After a nine year absence and ten trips to Cuba between 1995-2004, my curiosity finally lured me back. I […]
On the Tourist Trail
The most popular tourist destination in Ethiopia are the famous churches of Lalibela. I never made it here in 1973 since it was several days trek by mule but now there is a modern airport with several flights from and to Addis everyday. I chose the 950 km drive from the north in Mekele since I […]
Ethiopia… .. On the Ground
Definitely some of the best food in Ethiopia is at the Gheralta Lodge in Hawsien village,north of Mekale. I knew that the cooks must have been trained by a European so when the manager confided that the owner had brought an Italian chef over for six months to work with the women,I was vindicated. After […]