Varadero and Havana, Cuba (11/26/2012-11/30/2012)

This was my third time in Cuba, which is rare as I don't generally like to repeat travel destinations, but I had a soft sport for the socialist nation and birthplace of salsa, given its rich culture, and history. Certainly didn't go there for the food (even the local food is surprisingly bland and stale). It was a place I went to both relax and soak in a bit of old Latin American culture.

In the past, I've found the Cubans to be extremely warm, and exceptionally talented (in both art and mechanics as evidenced by their immortalized classic cars from pre-embargo era); they did things because they enjoyed them, as money was never something they really considered. This has changed vis-a-vis my last visit 6 years ago. One example - pervasive tipping culture - every extra action required a tip, such as fetching a coconut from a tree that was my height.  Maybe it was just my luck with the resort.  They were still warm and welcoming, but materialism is certainly creeping in and some of the ugliness associated with have and have-not. Hopefully it won't go too far.

As for what we actually did - aside from lounging around and decompressing, had the chance to actually swim with dolphins, something I've wanted to do since I was a small child. Amazing experience, even in the chilling rain and cold water.  We had arranged semi-legally with the resort manager to book a private car to take us around Matanzas province and tour both the 'real' and 'sanitized' Havana to get a sense of both what the tourists are shown and how Cubans really live.

In the 'old' Havana - the buildings were a bit run down but some efforts at restoration of these centuries-old structures have been made. It was clean, had a modern feel (with cafes, street vendors, lively atmosphere, etc).  Unsurprisingly, 'new' Havana felt a little different - it was quite dirty and depressing - lots of propaganda, idle people, litter and terrible pollution (from unregulated auto emissions).  It was a little sobering, but important to see.

As bleak of a description that I've given, the country definitely seems to be improving economically since my first visit in 2001, and my only hope is that they don't lose their character and culture in the process.

Zürich and Interlaken, Switzerland (10/04/2012-10/07/2012)

This was my second time in Switzerland, but the first was long ago in my childhood, and thus did not remember much, however my parents reminded me that I had wanted to live there after my visit.  This remains unchanged.

Switzerland is an absolutely beautiful country, a marriage of beautiful natural scenery and clean, efficient infrastructure and governance. It is no surprise that some of the world's largest and most successful corporations had their origins here.  

I was surprised that on a few occasions people had proudly mentioned that their unemployment rate was under 3% and that they desperately needed skilled labour - on the other hand I would hear people complain about all the foreigners.... the latter less frequently, undoubtedly in part because I myself was one. Anyway... I digress.

We spent only a brief time in Zurich, opting to play tourist (along with numerous Chinese tour groups) and go to the Interlaken area, with Jungfrau as the highlight.  We rode on Europe's highest altitude railway to reach the peak, a great part of which was spent inside of a tunnel bored directly through the mountain. On the other side awaited a land of glaciers, snow, jagged peaks, and.... an Indian restaurant.  Not too bad, might have been the hunger or lack of oxygen :). Walking on the glaciers themselves was a real treat, and hope that they'll be there next time we visit. 

Oh yeah - we went to Geneva too.. it stank.  

Munich (München), Germany (10/02/2012-10/04/2012)

First - apologies for the ~1 year hiatus .... it's been busy to say the least. 

Whenever Munich is mentioned, the first thing that often comes to mind is Oktoberfest, the 16-day long festival with its origins in celebrating the marriage of King Ludwig I, now associated with copious consumption of beer, grilled pork in various forms, and massive tents in which to do so.

Of course we were there for Oktoberfest, and actually in October (as most of it takes place in September).  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - it was fun. Seeing thousands of happy Germans (normally quite stoic) was also a rare treat.

The city itself is beautiful - Gothic architecture, wide cobblestone streets,  and impeccably clean and efficient (even with 6 million tourists rampaging through).  It would be a shame to just see Oktoberfest.  

Munich is also home to one of the most impressive science and engineering museums I've ever seen - they have cross-sections of entire commercial jets (no Smithsonian, but close), rooms dedicated to essential components of modern mechanical engineering (engines, gears, piping, electricity generation), an entire section dedicated to bio- and nanotechnology and even a multi-story model mine beneath the museum that takes nearly an hour to navigate through.  It was a science nerd's dream and I only wish we had more time to see it. 

Last, we drove from Munich to Switzerland on the autobahn. Regrettably we had a diesel and I wasn't quite in the mood to rent a sports car for crossing countries.  Not very concerned about this as I know we'll be back.