Saturday 29 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 24 (Sat, 29 Mar)

Itinerary:
Arrival: Frankfurt International Airport Time: 14:20 TERMINAL 1 Stops: 0 PNR: LGHJFY Journey: 10.30 Airline Ref: Z9LBOB Baggage: PC
Seat Info: Ms Jan Ford Seat Nr 03A Non smoking
Airline: Lufthansa Flight: LH4856 Status Confirmed
Departure: Frankfurt International Apt Time: 16:50 Seats: 1
Terminal: TERMINAL 1 Class: Business
Arrival: Manchester Time: 17:30
Terminal: TERMINAL 1 Stops: 0 Journey: 1.40
Baggage: PC

Slept reasonably well on the almost flat bed on the Lufthansa flight, arriving Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon. Just one more flight and I'm home! Explored the terminal aimlessly at Frankfurt for a while then made my way to the splendid Lufthansa lounge to await that final connection to Manchester. We arrived at Manchester on time. I was getting a bit bleary-eyed by then, but I did notice that Manchester was about the dirtiest airport I'd been through on this trip. There was only one immigation officer on duty but, since I was the first in the queue, that was no problem. I expected to find a delay in the baggage hall, but my case was one of the first to arrive within a few minutes (so, Manchester, you may have been scruffy on that occasion, but at least you were functional).

Alan had just walked into the arrivals hall to run me home and was amazed, like me, that I'd got through the terminal so quickly. I was very grateful for a quick trip home. An excellent end to a wonderful trip. Well, there was a touch of farce as well.

I mentioned briefly earlier that I'd lost my purse in Cuba (losing credit cards which I had to 'stop', a little money, the visiting cards of various people I'd met on my travels and my front door key). Before leaving Cuba, I'd remembered where I'd hidden a front door key in the garden at home, so I thought I'd be alright. By the time we arrived home, it was pouring with rain (welcome back to England, Jan), so I got a little damp before I triumphantly recovered the key, pleased that I'd correctly remembered the hiding place. Alas, what I'd not remembered was that, since burying the key, I'd had the lock replaced, so the key I'd found was useless. Bemused and bedraggled, I contemplated my possible actions when Marion arrived by car with my dog, Tai and, most importantly, her key. All dampness was forgotten in the happy reunions which followed after the door was opened and the security alarm turned off. So, I really was home!

Friday 28 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 23 (Fri, 28 Mar)

Itinerary: At the appropriate time, transfer from your Panama City hotel to the Tocumen International Airport. Note Departure Tax is $20.00 per person for Panama.

Airline: Mexicana de Aviacion Flight: MX382 Status Confirmed
Departure: Panama City Tocumen International: 12:55 Seats: 1 Class: Economy
Arrival: Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport: 15:40 TERMINAL 1 Stops: 0 PNR: LGHJFY Journey: 3.45 Airline Ref: EOL4KE Baggage: 20K. Seat Info: Ms Jan Ford Seat Nr 12F Non smoking.

Airline: Lufthansa Flight: LH499 Status Confirmed
Departure: Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport: 20:50 Seats: 1
Terminal: TERMINAL 1 Class: Business.

After a simple breakfast, I had a little walk in the city (managing to get lost temporarily in the process) before my driver picked me up at 10 a.m. We went to the airport, with a brief detour to see the extensive remains of the original stone built settlement sacked by the British then checked in at a fairly quiet airport for my flight to Mexico City by a Mexicana A318. Here, I transferred to a Lufthansa 747-400 for the almost eleven hour flight to Frankfurt at 20:50 hours.

Thursday 27 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 22 (Thu, 27 Mar)

Itinerary: Panama Canal Partial Transit.Today after breakfast one of our drivers will meet you in the hotel lobby for an early morning transfer to Flamenco Island. There you will board a Panamanian vessel for a Canal Transit. As you approach the canal, you will be able to observe the Bridge of the Americas. Breakfast and snacks are included while you are aboard the ship. An English-speaking guide is onboard the ferry and will narrate the dramatic history of the building of the Panama Canal, which was completed by the US between 1904 and 1914. A partial crossing is scheduled, allowing you to enjoy the cruise all the way to Gamboa Dredging Division. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Once again, it's an early start. Pick up at 6.30 a.m. for transfer to Flamenco Island.

When the Canal was built, stone was used to make a causeway about 5 km long on the Eastern side of the approach to the Canal at Panama City. The intention was to prevent silting-up of the Canal approach and I believe it was successful. The causeway now links three former 'islands' to the mainland - Isla Naos, Isla Penco and Isla Flamenco. There's a major marina and shopping plaza on Flamenco and the 'trip boat' which goes into the Canal starts there.

Checking-in resulted in passengers being equipped with one of two colours of wristband. I was trying to work out the fiendish purpose behind this division but, in practice, it only seems to be used to operate a system of two 'sittings' for the buffet breakfast and lunch we were later offered. My transport had got me there for 6.50 and there were plenty of other passengers already waiting. In fact, we didn't actually sail until just before 8 a.m. We started to make our approach to the canal but then had to stooge around waiting for the Canal Pilot, which all ships must have. We watched as a huge 'PANAMAX' 'Ro-Ro' car carrier preceded us towards the canal. 'PANAMAX' is the term applied to a ship design which is a large as the canal can handle (leaving just two feet clearance between the hull and the lock chamber wall each side). 'Ro-Ro' is an abbreviation for 'Roll-on, Roll-off' and two massive ramps are provided on these ships which are lowered when berthed, allowing the cargo to be driven on and off the ship. As we closed up to the 'Ro-Ro' vessel, we could see that it was the 'New Nada', registered in Panama. Two of the powerful tugboats were preparing to 'nuzzle' the 'New Nada' into the locks. Larger vessels may need some distance to change direction or stop unaided, and their tall profile makes them tricky to handle in windy conditions.

After a while, a launch approached, came alongside, and the pilot jumped aboard. The approach to the canal is spanned by a huge arch girder bridge, the Bridge of the Americas, so we had good views of this as we passed beneath. By this time, we had received our call sign for the day '21CZ' from Miraflores Control Centre, indicating both our 'running order' and type of vessel. We were not to enter the first lock until 10:50, so we had a while to wait. The Port of Balboa comes up on the starboard side before the locks so we went fairly close to the quay and watched a couple of container cranes at work on the 'Maersk Valparaiso'. Before you get to the locks, there are a number of mooring buoys for waiting vessels to use, so we made fast and waited.

The 'New Nada' continued its careful approach into the first chamber of the Miraflores Locks, using the left of the two parallel locks. As we waited, we were overtaken by a smaller container ship, the 'Green Brazil'. She was set to enter the right-hand lock and her size allowed room for us to 'tuck-in' behind her. As we approached, the 'New Nada' was almost in position, filling her lock chamber, and the 'Green Brazil' was gently moving into the right-hand lock chamber. We were entering at sea level, the low level, so the walls of the lock chamber loomed high above us as we approached the stern of the 'Green Brazil'. In the lock to the left of us, the immense bulk of the 'New Nada' was even taller than the lock walls, although this vessel, too, was still at sea level. Our passengers responded to the excitement of the situation and the foredeck was now thronged. With one or two others, I climbed onto part of the superstructure so that I had a less obstructed view for taking photographs.

A special railway track runs parallel to the locks on both sides and the electric locomotives, the 'mules' are connected by cables to each larger ship, not for towing purposes, but purely to position the ship in the centre of the lock chamber to avoid contact with the lock walls. The 'Green Brazil' had four attendant 'mules' - left and right at the bow, left and right at the stern. The 'mules' were moving forwards, keeping pace with the ship, whilst a winch on the 'mule' maintained the cable ternsion. 'PANAMAX' vessels, like the 'New Nada', require eight mules for positioning. The Canal Pilot on the bridge controls the whole operation. He uses radio to instruct each 'mule' and, rather oddly, the 'mule' acknowledges each command by sounding a bell. The whole process is accompanied by a series of 'clang-clang' rings from the 'mules'.

Our smaller vessel required no 'mules': we simply passed ropes ashore and made fast to the right-hand wall of the lock chamber. One of the canal tugs, the 'Herrera' followed us into the lock and tied up behind us and then the massive mitre lock gates closed behind us, the valves were opened and millions of gallons of water flooded into the lock chamber, raising all three vessels in the lock over 25 feet in less than 8 minutes. Simultaneously, to our left, the 'New Nada' was being raised.

As the lock chamber filled, we rose above the lock wall, adjacent to a grassed area with a 'court' marked out and a large 'bulls-eye' target erected at one end. An important part of the locking process is passing lines between ship and shore. This is done by throwing the weighted end of a thin 'messenger line' from one to the other, with the actual cable then being attached to the messenger line and hauled across. The 'court' is for the 'Line Handlers' to practice their throwing skills and there is an annual contest between men from the three lock sites on the Canal. Two men practised as we waited for the lock chamber to completely fill. Of course, as the vessels rise and fall, the lines need continuous adjustment. The 'mules' have an electric winch for this purpose but other lines are adjusted by the vessel itself, either manually (in our case) or using winches (in the case of the tug behind us).

The lock gates ahead of the 'Green Brazil' now opened, revealing the second lock chamber, with lock walls even higher. A ramp between the lower lock and the upper lock allows the 'mules' to get to the higher level. The 'Green Brazil', with her attendant 'mules' slowly eased forward and we and the 'Herrera' followed. To our left, the 'New Nada' matched our progress into the second chamber. To our right was the modern building of the Miraflores Control Centre. The public galleries were thronged with visitors, but I don't think the spectacle from the building would have matched our experience on our ship. One of the original 1913-built 'mules' produced by General Electric in the U.S.A. is on display outside the Control Centre. The present 'third generation' 'mules' were made by Mitsubishi in Japan.

We made our way through the second Miraflores Lock, then on to the single lock at Pedro Miguel and through the narrows of the Gaillard Cut as far as Gamboa Dredging Division, where we disembarked and were returned to Flamenco by bus, where my regular driver was waiting to take me back to the hotel.

Photographs

Partial Transit, Panama Canal.

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 21 (Wed, 26 Mar)

Itinerary: Historical Portobelo - San Lorenzo & the Transcontinental Railroad Tour. In the morning at 6.30 a.m. you will be transferred to the Railway Station to ride the train to the Atlantic side. Upon your arrival to Colon you will be met by an EcoCircuitos Tour Guide to begin your tour to San Lorenzo Fort located in the Atlantic Side of the country. The Castle of San Lorenzo was constructed by the Spaniards in the 16th century, and it was besieged by British pirates over the years due to its strategic location guarding the entrance to the Chagres River. Sir Henry Morgan captured San Lorenzo and used it as the entrance point to sack Panama City in 1671. Thereafter return to Panama City.

This turned out to be a very tiring but very satisfying day. Arise at 5.15 a.m., breakfast in the room at 5.45 a.m., picked up by car at 6.15 a.m. to be dropped off at the station about 6.35 a.m., where there´s already a crowd of tourists waiting. A few minutes later, they actually open the station and allow us to board the waiting train. I eschew the preserved ´Vista Dome´ car (where all the tourists hang out) in favour of standing on one of the open observation decks (which are actually provided for smokers because the train itself is non-smoking). The train doesn´t leave until 7.15 a.m. and as departure time arrives, the train starts to fill up with local business people taking the one hour trip to Colon.

I´ll keep the technical stuff for a separate post (for this relief, much thanks, I hear you say). Suffice to say, the train ran on time and gave some fascinating views of the Canal, Gatun Lake and the forested, jungle area that the railway traverses. We arrived at Colon, sandwiched between two container ports, and I quickly found my guide for the day, Jose, together with our driver and a smartly turned out SUV. Colon, about 50 miles from Panama City, is a small city with a population of about 400,000 which includes the important Colon Duty Free Zone. However, we made our way towards the National Park area to the South West.

This means crossing the canal, where we stopped at traffic lights at Gatun Locks. Just a hundred feet away, the special electric locomotives called 'mules' were easing a massive Maersk Line container ship from the Atlantic approach passage into the first of the three lock chambers at Gatun which would together lift the vessel eighty-odd feet on its journey to the Pacific. Immediately behind this vessel, a similar ship was being simultaneously moved into the second, parallel set of locks. I was transfixed by the scene. Once the two ships were safely in the lock chambers, the massive mitre gates closed behind them and the process of filling the lock could commence. Smaller intermediate gates were closed and our roadway, across the top of these gates, was reinstated. As we crossed, we had an awesome view of the immense lock gates and the stern of these two ships.

We avoided the marina area and took the road into the National Park. The rainforest is a thick, impenetrable jungle, much heavier then the 'Bush' type of forest. In fact, we passed through the accommodation areas of a long-abandoned U.S. Army Camp where they formerly undertook jungle training. We parked on a headland overlooking the Atlantic commanding splendid views of the Chagres River to our left. There was some sign of the old Spanish fortification but, as we explored, the full extent of the major fortification of San Lorenzo became clear. Spain derived immense wealth from its American operations and its history is a complex tale involving slavery, exploitation, piracy and enough skullduggery for a host of Hollywood movies. We saw lizards and some of the local birds. We could hear the Howler Monkeys calling but did not actually see them. Only with reluctance did I leave this fascinating area.

Returning to the locks, we only had a short wait this time before the lights cleared and we headed North East towards Portobelo National Park, where our route lay close to the Atlantic shore. When we stopped for lunch at a restaurant featuring the traditional architecture of the region, it was no surprise that seafood featured heavily. After a pleasant lunch, we carried on to the small town of Portobelo itself. Despite its small size, the port held immense strategic importantance for the Spanish and three forts defended the area. After visiting the church with an unusual and revered black Christ, we studied the remains of the nearby fortification then visited the restored Customs House. The large size of this building hints at the fact that, at one stage, one third of the world's gold supply was passing through this modest seaport. The convoluted history of the area was interpreted through displays and an audio-visual presentation. None of the European protagonists acquitted themselves with much honour, as you may imagine.

We then made our way back to Panama, my mind reeling with the events of the day. We became caught up in the 21st century miseries of road works and traffic jams on the main road to Panama City. Finally, we became embroiled in the rather agressive, apparently uncontrolled business which is the city centre traffic. To the accompaniment of a lot of horn sounding, vehicles appear to head in all directions at once but it actually seems to work rather well. At the hotel, I said goodbye to my guide and driver. Jose had been a well-informed guide and excellent company. Finally, I walked to the nearby shops where I was able to purchase a couple of excellent maps of Panama plus a 'heavy' book on the building of the Canal before collapsing in my comfortable suite for the rest of the evening.

Pictures of the Canal.
San Lorenzo.
Portobelo.

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 20 (Tue, 25 Mar)

Itinerary - Depart Havana on Copa Airlines flight CM231 at 07:57. This economy flight to Panama City Tocumen International Airport takes 1h 35m, arriving 10:32. Arrive to Panama. A representative of EcoCircuitos will meet you at the international airport for your transfer to your hotel in Panama City. 3 nights - Hotel Bristol - Suite Room.

The hotel for my last night in Cuba is a great success. It´s an old building in the Spanish style. My suite has to massive French windows with views of the Plaza dos Armes. During the day, it's fairly noisy with the children playing and the music but at night, only the sighing of the wind can be heard. The staff are very good but there's the occasional language problem. I tried to order a 'wake up call' by telephone and, I finally realised, I'd been transferred by the first person to room service, who were trying to work out how to cook a 'wake up call'. We eventually got it sorted.

I slept well and woke to my alarm. The wake-up call followed shortly afterwards. The night man on the bar rustled up orange juice and toast, so that was alright. My taxi turned up early and it was still dark when we got to the airport. I started to panic because I couldn´t find any documentation for my flight to Panama and I wasn´t sure that it was supposed to be an electronic booking. I managed to find a Havanatur representative and she found me on her passenger manifest taken from Copa Airlines computer. There´ll be no problem, she said, and it proved so.

We left on time but the flight was longer than I expected because there´s a one hour time difference at present between Cuba and Panama. Panama airport was fairly deserted - I breezed through Immigration and only had a few minutes to wait before the checked bag arrived. I was met by a pleasant young man from the local agents Eco Circuitos Panama and we were soon on the Mexican-built toll road heading for the Bristol Hotel (oh, alright then, I have to say it: "I wonder if there´s a Panama Hotel in Bristol?"). It was decidedly cool this morning when we left Havana but it´s very hot and sticky in Panama.

Although the Bristol is located in a modern building, the furnishing and decorations are in very traditional style and it works quite well. Most importantly, the staff are friendly and attentive and I´m in a suite of generous proportions. Much as I feel ready to relax, I just have a quick shower and determine to explore a little.

Central Panama City is all high rise but, in parts, scruffier than I was expecting. The Bristol is located in a quieter side road not too far from the Centre. I´m carrying some Sterling and intended to change some into dollars for the Panama segment. The hotel are unable to oblige but direct me to the Scotia Bank who also can´t do it and suggest Western Union. Setting aside the currency problem for a while (I have a few US dollars to keep me going), I walk a few hundred yards to Avenue Bilboa and there, on the other side of the road, is the Pacific, with waves breaking on the rocky shore.

My intended destination is the World Heritage Site of El Casco Antiguo, the colonial town founded in 1673 after the first settlement (Panama la Vieja, the Old Town, started 1519) was destroyed by pirates. It must be at least a couple of miles but I keep walking - at walking pace you can learn so much more. Perhaps most interesting was my route into the peninsula which the old town occupies which was via a very scruffy Fish Market area with not a tourist in sight. Various dilapidated boats lay on the seaward side and run-down housing on the land side. Both sides of the road were lined with tin shack market stalls mainly selling all sorts of engineering items - automotive spares, electrical wire, stall after stall loaded with bits that already look very second hand. I passed one pavement barber and I dare say you could find any service if you knew your way around.

That area led on to what I presume the Heritage Inscription was based on - a core of churches and administrative buildings restored to reasonable condition. The work´s not completed, though, and there are plenty of roofless derelicts still to be dealt with, some with restoration in progress. Very reminiscent of Havana. There were plenty of tourists in these áreas (I beg your pardon, I mean areas - where did that accent come from?) and, consequently, a lot of souvenir vendors. There were also a lot of upmarket restaurants and bars. Cars and SUVs were parked all over the place and there was a continuous drone of air conditioning systems as the drivers keep the vehicles nice and cool whilst waiting for their passengers to return.

I visited the Panama Canal Museum which is housed in one of the restored buildings then visited a downmarket Chinese restaurant frequented by locals and backpackers for a restorative Coca-Cola, then hailed a taxi to come back. I was surprised that I chased off a local who tried to ´pinch´ my taxi - I think I must get more aggressive when I get tired. The taxi driver didn´t seem too happy that I didn´t speak Spanish, but he took me where I wanted (Western Union) and charged me the proper ´local price´. He cheered up considerably when he got a tip for his honesty. I looked at Western Union but, not wanting to wait in line, I changed my mind and successfully drew dollars instead from a nearby ATM using my one remaining credit card. It was then a short walk back to my hotel for a shower. I slept for a couple of hours, decided not to go out again, had soup and ice cream from room service and went to bed. A tiring but enjoyable day.

Photographs

Bristol Hotel, Panama City.
Panama City.

Monday 24 March 2008

Valle de los Ingenios Railway, Cuba

Trinidad, in Cuba, is a world heritage site. There is a railway operation from Trinidad towards the East, terminating at Mayer. There´s a diesel railcar service provided for the locals which I think does a round trip morning and evening. There´s also a steam train for tourists which does a round trip starting at 9.30 in the morning.

Unfortunately, the steam locomotive had failed sometime before I arrived and the steam trip was not running. I found the locomotive in the yard at Trinidad - number 1432, a fairly modern Baldwin ´ten-wheeler´ 4-6-0 oil-burner. I also had a conversation with one of the drivers (if you can call it a conversation when I don´t speak Spanish and he didn´t speak English). So, I didn´t get to see working steam in Cuba, but I was able to look at the Valle de los Ingenious Railway operation.

The ´station´ at Trinidad is a short, low platform provided with a small awning. On the other side of the minor road which runs parallel with the single railway track is a simple building with a waiting room and an office for the booking clerk and railway operator. I presume the line to the West does (or did) connect up with the rest of the network, but I couldn´t confirm that. To the East, the line continues to Meyer where it stops. To the West of the station, there are three parallel loops where the stock is stabled - there is also a reversing ´wye´ or triangle which allows locomotives, railcars or whole trains to be turned. On one road I found a 4-wheel coach, a 4-wheel open wagon converted for use as a coach and a diesel locomotive 34C71. This was next to the steam locomotive with two coaches and a motorised platelayer´s trolley with its own wagon. On the other siding was an open-sided passenger coach, an apparently converted freight car which now has windows down the sides, a fairly big diesel locomotive made in Russia and a 4-wheel trailer passenger car. There was also a lightweight railcar without autocouplers by ´IFA´, numbered 637 apparently based on a bus design. Finally, there was a fairly new open-sided but fenced-off shed provided with a pit and a lifting crane, with a bogie diesel railcar numbered 4021 ´at home´ and giving the impression it did most of the work.

Since 4021 only had a cab at one end, it was obviously intended to run with a trailer car to provide the second cab. The trailer car I´d found looked the right size, but the 4-wheel (as opposed to bogie) construction seemed odd. Also, 4021 had had a tail lamp ostentatiously fitted on one side of the non-driving end. That evening, all would be revealed.

Sunday evening, I travelled in the cab of 4021, as described in my travel blog for Sunday.

Pictures of the railway at Trinidad.

Stop Press (again)

'Again' in that I showed you a few pictures like this in earlier travels. I won't bore you with details, but I can't upload pictures at present in the way I'd want. Here are a few to be going on with (oddly in reverse order, latest first). Updated to show Cuba. There's also a few pictures of cuba on the Travel Photograph site.

Trinidad (above)

Havana viewed from Casa Blanca.

Havana (above)

Jan standing next to the main temple at Chichen Itza. You are, sadly, no longer allowed to climb the pyramid.

This is what Las Vegas is about. A corner of one gaming room at the Wynn when it was very quiet.

This pre-war diesel electric was running the passenger service at the Museum.

One of the genuine Venetian gondolas giving rides outside the famous Venetian casino/hotel in Las Vegas.

The 'River of Kings' in Bangkok always teems with activity. This was the view from my hotel room.

The famous Golden Temple in Yangon.

Round the World Five - Day 19 (Mon, 24 Mar)

Itinerary - Private transfer from Trinidad to Havana via Santa Clara, another interesting town. On arrival in Havana your will be taken to your hotel. One night Santa Isabel Hotel then on 25th March, private transfer from hotel to airport.

I'm afraid today wasn't quite unalloyed joy. The transport was over two hours late and then I managed to lose my purse with some credit cards during a toilet stop. Eventually got to the Santa Isabel and it's rather nice (see pictures). I've managed to get internet in my room so I could upload a lot more but I don't have the energy at present. We're still planning on an early start in the morning to catch the flight to Panama. I'll update you when I can.

Sunday 23 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 18 (Sun, 23 Mar)

I think a suitable title for this section of the trip would be ´Cuba - the power to amaze´. I´ve just had the most surprising Easter Sunday ever and I might get used to it.

I got up early, enjoyed a decent breakfast (they´re very big on eggs in Cuba, but that works for me). The last information I received was that the steam train was running. I decided to go down to the station early to see if there were signs of a steam locomotive "brewing up". I found the station, I found a fairly modern Baldwin "ten-wheeler" cold. After a few minutes, a railwayman with reasonable English arrived and introduced himself as a driver. He said the locomotive had failed and there would be no steam today. I had thought to bring some Peak Rail postcards showing me on a steam locomotive, so I was able to ´establish my credentials´. We spent some time looking at the steamer and other rolling stock and I took plenty of pictures. The driver introduced me to the Railway Operator cum Booking Clerk who had just arrived by bicycle. When I left the driver, I went to the station to try and confirm what trains, if any, were running.

In the small waiting room, I met an English couple on holiday, Helen and Mick from Exmoor. Since Mick speaks fluent Spanish, he was able to confirm that the next train was 5 p.m. - too late for them, so they´d hired a taxi to take them to the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Works) which was where they wanted to visit. They kindly invited me to tag along and we spent a very pleasant morning together. As we chatted, I discovered that they formerly lived in Codsall, have friends in Brewood and that we share some friends in common! Small world, as the English say. Mick informed me that the Spanish say ´The world is a handkerchief´ - I think that´s far more poetic.

Their taxi first stopped at a natural viewpoint overlooking a large, fertile valley once devoted to sugar cane. In modern times, the profitability of sugar has fallen, so much smaller areas are under cultivation. Cuba is looking to tourism as their growth industry. Of the two million visitors a year they´re currently getting, 1.5 million are Canadian (so maybe the French I´ve been hearing is Canadian French, not French French).

We then went on to Manaca Iznago, famous for the watchtower used for supervising the slaves. I made it to the top. We had a drink in the cafe then tried out a huge machine for extracting sugar. The sugar canes are simply crushed between two serrated rolls which extracts the sugar juice, just like an old washing mangle (if you´re old enough to remember such things, dear reader) extracted the water from wet clothes.

The taxi returned us to Trinidad and we toured the military museum. Cubans are intensely proud of their various struggles to achieve independence and the roles played by Che, Fidel and their followers. This, and other, museums meticulously chronicle these activities. Various artefacts were on display, including an army lorry and a speedboat equipped with radar and machine guns. We would have visited the parish church but a sign said a service was in progress and tourists were not admitted. At another museum we climbed the belltower and were rewarded with marvellous views across the town and surrounding countryside.

Two little cameos spring to mind. We found a Chevrolet in splendid condition, signal red and polished chrome. I think Mick said it was a ´59 ´Impala´. The proud owner told Mick, with a laugh, that he took better care of his car than his wife. You often find gnarled old men sitting and taking their ease whilst enjoying a large Cuban cigar. One fellow, who was 83, had a fine looking cockerel standing on his lap, with a piece of string as a lead. He said the bird´s name was Pedro and that he was two years old. We then ´repaired to my hotel´ for a snack lunch before I temporarily said goodbye to my new friends.

In the afternoon, I set off on my own to visit more museums. Yesterday, I may have sounded a bit ´sniffy´ about all the tourists but today there seemed fewer and they were quieter. Is it because it´s Sunday, because it´s Easter Sunday, or is it just me? Two of the Museums are based in houses enjoyed by the Spanish colonists Brund and Cantero. Seeing the princely style in which they lived, you can understand why Spain was so reluctant to give up its possession of Cuba. A more modest dwelling is now the Museum of Architecture, detailing some of the materials and techniques used.

Only parts of the town have surfaced roads - stones are used elsewhere. Cars still tackle these streets but it´s very unkind to suspensions. There´s a type of motorised taxi rather like the ´Tuk-Tuk´ you find all over the East. In Cuba, these usually have a round Fibreglass, I think, body. The driver wears a safety helmet, but not his passengers. You find various designs of bicycle taxis in the streets, plus the horse-drawn people-movers with two or four rubber tyres. There may be a second horse tethered, trotting alongside. Goods are also moved around by men with simple 4-wheeled trucks who can often be found talking to friends. Some Trinidadians unselfconciously ride around on horseback. I saw a few leather saddles but many riders use a large ´cushion´ as a saddle.

There´s music everywhere, sometimes live, sometimes from a ´Ghetto Blaster´. I watched the years drop away as one old lady, all alone, swayed to the infectious rhythm in an elegant manner. Many of the people will exchange a ´Hola!´ (informal ´Hi´). Sometimes it´s just friendliness, sometimes it´s a precursor to a little bit of private enterprise - samples of local money offered in exchange for the ´Convertible Peso´ (CUC) used by the tourists or requests for soap.

There was time for a quick shower before I set off, with some trepidation, to catch the train which was supposed to leave at five o´clock. There were already a number of people waiting in the small station and more were drifting towards the station. I managed to purchase a return ticket from the man I´d met in the morning and, a little after five, a single diesel railcar pulled in, so I quickly ´bagged´ a seat at the front. Now was the moment to whip out another postcard of me on an engine and commit virtually my entire Spanish vocabulary in an appeal to the driver. Something like ´Disculpe´ (pardon me), ´Inglaterra´ (England), ´Machanista´ (engine driver) combined with pointing at me and pointing at the driving cab.

It might not be grammatical, but it worked. I was invited up front and given the right hand seat (the second best seat in the house. The best - come on, the driver´s seat, of course). Then followed an incredible 3 hour journey up to the end of the line and back. The diesel engine is underfoor mounted in between driver and secondman and quite deafening. A crude wooden box formed the engine cover. This cover had partially disintegrated and was topped by a loose piece of vinyl floor covering. Each time the vinyl started to slip off, it was carefully moved back to the proper position. It was, as you can imagine, also quite hot so near to the engine. On gradients the engine would scream its head off, as the driver advanced the throttle and the vibration was intense.

The track is in pretty poor condition and, in places, I was convinced we were about to derail. The driver just carried on, perfectly nonchalent. On the trip out, a ´Ghetto Blaster´ was played in the cab, loud enough to be heard above the engine's roar. Of course, the railway is completely unfenced, so there´s much blowing of the loco horn to warn people or animals. Frequent stops are made for people to get on and off, often loaded with produce and all sorts of packages. The service is more like a bus. Some stops are provided with a small shelter but, in most cases, the train will stop on a road crossing where the people congregate. The horses, chickens, cattle, goats and oxen will normally get out of the way just in time, but my heart was in my mouth as a goat ran alongside on my side for hundreds of yards before suddenly jumping in front of the of the train. I was sure we would hit him but there was no ´thump´ and the driver said he made it. Later on, a hen with her brood decided to cross in front of us 'chickens playing chicken'. Again, I believe they all got out OK. The line is as spectacular as the publicity claims. I only saw one short tunnel but bridges abound. They're usually trestle but the larger ones are impressive girder structures. The line twists and weaves through changing countryside, sometimes downhill, sometimes up.

We stopped near the Watchtower I´d climbed in the morning then contined, with frequent stops, to our destination, Mayer, where the tiny platform was crowded with passengers for our return trip. Some minutes of confusion followed as people got off with all their belongings whilst others got on.

The driver allows the second man to drive back to Trinidad. I´m allowed to stay in the right hand seat, so the driver supervises from a bench seat at the back of the cab. There´s only a driving cab at one end of the railcar, because there should be a second trailer coach with its own cab, so we set off, rather disconcertingly, backwards. After a few hundred yards, we reach the triangle of lines (or ´wye´) I´d spotted on the way in. Now, the ´third man´ (guard, shunter, perhaps) jumps onto the ground to set the points. When we regain the main line, the cab is leading again.

We were busy coming out but, going back, we find some large crowds waiting to board. We have plenty of space in the large driving compartment, but it´s getting packed back in the coach. The driver does allow some of the parcels forward into the cab, but no passengers (making me fully realise the privilege being extended to me). We´re travelling more or less West, watching the sunset. Each station stop gets longer and longer as the new passengers try to squeeze on. At one stop, the driver chats to two very old-looking ladies, who then sell me the most overpriced banana I´ve had. But why not - it tasted good.

More luggage comes into the cab, generally through the window. Most unexpected was a white piglet, trussed up in nylon sacking, which was placed on the floor alongside me. It was the very image of ´Babe´. The heat and the noise each time we started away set the pig off crying and struggling, so I quickly had to develop my pig communication skills to try to keep him settled during the rest of the journey. I think I was reasonably successful - the crew were certainly amused. By now, fully dark, the headlights lit up the track for fifty yards or so. At the last few stops, I think we turned passengers away. It was hard to tell in the dark and with all the people milling about. Finally, we arrived back at Trinidad (where my piglet friend was unceremoniously returned to his owner) and all the passengers got off, leaving the crew and some hangers-on (who might have been relatives of the crew).

But we were not quite finished, yet. I knew the likely moves - turn on the triangle at Trinidad ready for the next day's departure then stable in the fairly new railcar shed I´d seen in the morning. The driver asked if I wanted to ´take the chair´ and, of course, I did. I moved away slowly, whistling for a level crossing, just stopped short of the points which were changed for us to turn onto the ´wye´. Draw over the points and wait for the third man to put the points back to the main line and jump on again. The third man signalled when we were clear of the points at the ´top´ of the wye, the business of changing, moving through and retoring the points was repeated then I gingerly backed round the sharp curve, stopping short because the points were not yet set for us to rejoin the main line. Reverse clear of the points, wait for them to be set for the shed then, gently forward and into the shed. The driver eased up the last couple of feet, because I´d been a bit too cautious. But in the dark, on a line I didn´t know and in a railcar I only half understood, I was reasonably happy.

More goodbyes and thanks from me, then I walked back to the hotel, pausing only to buy some blank CDs from the camera shop, so that I can make yet more copies of my treasured photgraphs. What a day!

Photographs

Trinidad, Cuba.
Valle de Los Ingenios Railway.
The Watchtower: Manaca Iznaga, Trinidad, Cuba.
Journey on the Valle de Los Ingenios, Cuba..
Railcar 4021, Valle de Los Ingenios, Cuba..

Saturday 22 March 2008

Steam Heritage, Havana

I think regular steam has now been eliminated in Cuba, apart from tourist trains. I found locomotives (in 'Barry' condition, or worse) on display in a couple of places.

Whilst exploring Havana, my unerring 'nose for steam' (well, sometimes) led me to a car park adjacent to Parque Central in the city centre where a number of locomotives had been 'dumped'. I was told afterwards that these locomotives had turned up in this impromptu museum a few months ago. I found:-

1306: A Baldwin 2-8-0 dating from 1920.
1302: An American 2-6-0 built 1901.
1122: Porter 0-4-0 side tank, works number 4437 built 1909. This is the nearest thing to a working engine at this site.
1351: Another 2-8-0 built 1919.
1172: An 0-4-0 fireless steam locomotive, built in Germany in 1898.
1501: A 2-6-0 built by Rogers in 1904.

There are a number of photographs of these relics: Pictures.

When I got to Estacion Central in the afternoon, I found the 'museum' I'd heard of before my trip - a fenced compound with some interesting relics. I found:-

1207: An elderly 2-4-0 side tank.
1308: An elderly 2-8-0 tender engine.
1403: A Rogers 2-6-0.
No ref: An elderly narrow gauge 0-6-0, together with a well-preserved 4-wheel tender.
1112: An 0-4-2.
1413: Another 2-6-0, this one with a Chinese air pump.
1311: A 2-6-2 side tank.

In a container, I found a miniature live-steam 4-4-0, numbered 1182.

There is a collection of photographs of these locomotives: Pictures.

None of the above appear to be in steamable condition and, I´m sorry, I haven´t even sorted out the gauges yet but, when I´m able, I´ll try to add some more details.

There's a collection of pictures of the Valle de los Ingenios Railway, including a 'working' Baldwin which was 'stopped' during my trip: Pictures.

There are a few pictures of diesel and electric traction and a small collection on the diesel railcar I managed to drive.

Round the World Five - Day 17 (Sat, 22 Mar)

Itinerary: Private transfer from Havana to Trinidad. Your driver and guide will take you via Cienfuego, a town worth a short visit. On arrival in Trinidad you will be taken to your hotel for two nights - the Iberostar Gran Hotel, junior suite (no website found). The Iberostar Gran Trinidad Hotel is a five star hotel located in the center of Trinidad city, the third town founded by DiegoVelázquez and whose rich historical, cultural and artistic value was declared UNESCO Heritage of Mankind in 1988. This city is considered as the best-preserved colonial city in Cuba. Gran Trinidad Hotel has 40 rooms (36 standard rooms and 4 junior suites) is only for adults (over 15 years). The rooms overlook the main square and they have furniture specially designed in combination with the elegant and colonial style of this city. There is a Tourist Steam Train from Trinidad to the Sugar Mills Valley - Valle de los Ingenios, Cuba. Explore Valle de los Ingenios near Trinidad, by fantastic old steam train dating from 1906. Picturesque striking green Valle de los Ingenios was once centre of the sugar and slaves trades, home to the plantations that brought prosperity to Trinidad region in 18th centuries. Nowadays steam train is a main tourist attraction. The train track is incredible through small tunnels and over few huge bridges, right through the sugar cane fields to the hacienda of Pedro Iznaga at Manaca, even continuing to the colonial hacienda Guachinango. Today sugar mills and other remnants are visited by tourists who are attracted by the history of slavery and the beauty of the valley. The main site is the remarkable Manaca Iznaga Tower, that was used by one of the wealthiest men in Cuba, Pedro Iznaga to watch over his African slaves. Rumbos operates the Historic Steam Train, tel:419-6495. Departing daily from Trinidad at 9:30am and returning at 2pm costs $CUC10 round trip.

It´s three o´clock in the afternoon and I´ve just arrived in Trinidad, near Cuba´s southern coast after an interesting 4 hour drive from Havana. It appears the Sugar Mills Railway may not be operating. The hotel is trying to confirm. So far, the hotel appears excellent. More below.

I got up early at the Saratoga in Havana and packed ready to leave for Trinidad. Good Breakfast in the Anacoada Restaurant, then I determined to go back to Casa Blanca. Old Havana isn´t particularly clean. This morning I passed an industrial size wheelie bin standing in one of the squares, with most of the rubbish in plastic bags (or not) on the ground. A couple of people were turning over the contents, looking for useful things. There´d been more rain overnight so some of the streets were a bit muddy. There´s usually at least one pavement but they´re often narrow and with all sorts of obstructions. I reached the ferry jetty, passed through the security inspection and stood in line waiting for the ferry to arrive. It was called ´300 Anniversio´ (dunno, I must look up my Cuban history).

Like a lot of countries, construction in Cuba often uses bits of metal welded together. I was intrigued that the superstructure of the ferry seemed to be rectangles of plate, only about 2 feet by 1 foot, welded together like a brick wall. The welding varies from excellent to poor. You can usually find flame cut raw edges on things. I couldn´t see whether the hull was the same construction but it didn´t sink when I was on it, so that´s all right.

We made the crossing in bright morning sun but still pleasantly cool. Next to the ferry there´s a run down electrified railway line. Yesterday, I couldn´t decide whether it was still in use but, today, there´s an antique 3-car electric train standing there and a dozen or so passengers waiting for the doors to open. Apparently, this was the 8.35 to Matanzas. I hadn´t time to try it out, so I walked up the hill away from the ferry, ignored the main part of the town, and carried on up the hill past the old fortifications to the statue of Christ in Havana. Not as large as the famous one in Rio, but quite impressive and with splendid views across Havana Bay. I caught a glimpse of the electric train leaving, then retraced my steps to the ferry.

Another staple of Cuban building is ´Rebar´ - reinforcing bar, the round steel rod used the world over to reinforce concrete. In Cuba, they use this stuff for everything. Many of the window grilles on buildings are made from rebar as are gates and all sorts of things. Two straight parallel bars with a ´wiggly´ bar welded between them form a simple truss. I found these used as roof purlins but I was amused that, if a roof truss got in the way, they would simply cut away part of the purlin to clear it, weakening the purlin and leaving raw ends on the rebar. I also saw rebar trusses embedded vertically in the columns of concrete buildings. You only know they´re there when the concrete crumbles away, exposing the reinforcing. The ferry jetties are mainly reinforced concrete. These are crumbling away as well so you need to check your footing quite carefully when getting on and off.

I´m not sure how extensive the piped water system is, but there are plenty of water tankers threading their way through some of the narrowest streets.

Back at the Saratoga, there was just time for a shower and check-out before I was picked up by a taxi driven by a young lady with passable English. We headed through the city North then took the road tunnel which crosses the narrow strip of water joining Havana Bay to the Caribbean. There are two 2-lane tunnels which lead to the main dual-carriageway road to the East. The two carriageways have a wide, grassed central reservation, with rectangular beds of flowering bushes at regular intervals. Much prettier than ´Armco´! Each carriageway is a broad strip with little in the way of road markings accommodating at least four lanes plus a hard shoulder. It´s more like driving down an airfield runway. I suspect this was a Russian project, from the time when Russia was investing heavily in Fidel´s regime.

My driver was not hanging about, maintaining 140 kph most of the way (the limit is 110). This is quite adventurous, because in many places the road surface is badly broken up, so you either have a punishing attack on the vehicle suspension or a sudden swerve to find a better surface. We did both. The road´s not exactly busy. There were less than 3 vehicles a minute going in the opposite direction and, since we were overtaking everything on our side, we passed about 3 vehicles a minute. We stopped at a ´services´ and drove to the tyre place. My driver had the spare ´pumped up´ but seemed unconcerned about the lack of tread on the rear wheels. We stopped at the next services and I got my driver a coffee - very strong, small cup, chocolate sprinkled on the top. I stuck to orange juice. At the washroom, you are issued with a bit of toilet roll by the attendant, in exchange for a suitable coin. The stalls had very low doors, reminding me of some school toilets.

We turned off the main road and headed for the regional capital of Cienfuegos. It all became much more rural and there were almost as many horses and cart or horse drawn taxis as motor vehicles. Large hoardings appeared again with various political exhortations. One was painted to look like a computer ´screenshot´ with a alert box saying, roughly, ´George Bush Genocide Plan Delete´ then ´Confirm Delete´ (except that, in Spanish, ´Delete´is ´Eliminar´, which sounds far more threatening). I think we took the by-pass because I only saw dreadful, modern multi-storey flats and the University Campus, before we were on our last leg running over hills then along the South Coast of Cuba where there are a number of resorts before turning inland to our destination, Trinidad. 347 km in just four hours, including stops.

Trinidad is a low-rise colonial town. My hotel forms one side of the town square - traditional outside but quite nicely modernised inside. My suite is well-appointed and overlooks the square. After a shower, I explore on foot. Yes, it is charming but sadly dedicated to the hundreds of tourists milling around (French, German, Japanese - I didn´t see many obvious English). I know I´m a tourist, too, but there´s only one of me and I´m quite quiet. I think of Heisenberg´s Uncertainty Principle which states that an observed system is changed by the observation. The act of visiting to see this colonial town has, inevitably, changed it. The market today sells only craft items: the shops sell postcards and souvenirs: the square is full of air conditioned tour buses.

Photographs

Iberostar Grand Hotel.
Trinidad, Cuba.

Friday 21 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 16 (Fri, 21 Mar)

Here we are in Habana (Havana) at the Saratoga Hotel. I'm up early and it's still dark. The rumble of traffic outside is starting to increase, but it's still fairly quiet. The room has two very tall French windows opening onto small balconies above the traffic. It doesn't get light until about half past seven, so I decide to have buffet breakfast first. The Anacaona Restaurant is supposed to open at seven, but didn't open until the front desk chased them up at 7.10. The meal was very good and I was definitely the first in. What do you mean, you've never heard of the famous girl band of the 1930s, the Anacaona Sisters? Neither had I, I'm afraid. Check out Times article.

Armed with a not-very-good city map supplied by the hotel, I set off on foot. You can't see Havana Bay from my room, so I headed for the water through 'Old Havana'. It turned out to be a good time for a walk - still cool but the place coming to life in the rather leisurely way that seems typical of countries with hot climates. A lot of shops and offices open from 8.30 'till one, close for extended lunch and re-open from four p.m. to 7 p.m. I've never seen a city with so many decent buildings in desperate need of repair. The colonial period has left Cuba with some grand public buildings but also street after street of, to my mind, quite elegant buildings. In hot climates, correct building proportions are crucial. Even quite humble housing has a ceiling height of at least twelve feet, often much more. Street level is normally reserved for commercial use or entrance stairs. People live on the floor above, which the Americans call the second floor but the British call the first floor. This living floor often projects forward across the pavement, supported on pillars, forming a shady and cooler colonnade for pedestrians. The front living room invariably has a tall window facing the street, or a window with balcony, and the locals seem to like nothing better than standing at the open window watching the world go by. This design aims to provide reasonable living conditions without fancy modern tricks like air conditioning. This approach is called 'passive thermal design'. During the day, I saw a number of people visiting houses. Each time, the visitor would stand in the middle of the road and bawl out the name of the person required. Some buildings are just two-storey, as described but others are three or more storey, accommodating more living floors. Domestic buildings often have stucco with quite elaborate reliefs, but grander places appear to be stone. Some buildings had the rough surface I associate with volcanic stone.

But there's been chronic under-investment in maintenance over a long period of time. Once water gets into the fabric of a building, the consequences can be seen all around Havana. The buildings either become partially uninhabitable or they fall down completely. Some of the collapsed building sites are now in use for car parking - a bit reminiscent of the bomb-sites in England after the Second World War. It's not just the buildings. Except on main roads, road surfaces have crumbled and cracked. Pavements demand wariness - deep holes abound.

There are plenty of old cars about - not just the 'Chevvy' that you hear of but Fiats, Ladas, all sorts. There are quite of lot of the old 'GM' bus design that I always associate with American yellow school buses. Lorries vary from old Fords through to new. You can be sure anything new is imported. It's not as romantic as in the films of Cuba - some of these old vehicles look as if they've just won a 'Destruction Derby' (they must have won, 'cos they're still moving). Most of the engines are perpetually misfiring so are difficult to start. There are some newer vehicles of all sorts of makes and the more modern buses are 'Bendy Bus' type, just like London.

My route took me East on Muralla (there are small, cast street signs fixed high on the buildings at each intersection - just enough to keep you on track. I assure you it was quite by chance that I came upon the preserved Presidential Railway Coach. You can go inside but I was too early for that: I took some technical record shots instead.

I came out at the middle of three piers which appear to have been built for the big passengers ships. Two appear disused but Northernmost one has been refurbished as a pier for cruise ships. No cruise ship today, but a large sailing vessel is tied-up. After a while, I turn left, away from the bay, to soak up the atmosphere in some of the quieter streets like O'Reilly. I commented some time ago on Avenue Pernardo O'Higgins in Santiago - now we have O'Reilly. Then I go to Parque Central and follow my nose to a parking lot with, in addition to clapped-out cars, clapped-out steam locomotives. Pictures in the parking lot. Then back to the hotel, a little rest and refreshment then purchase a couple of better street maps now that the in-hotel tour office is open.

I'm determined to look at the main railway station and my new maps take me right there. Here, there's another 'museum compound' with more clapped-out steam locomotives. The attendant is a retired locoman and when he sees how interested I am, he follows me from exhibit, chattering incomprehensibly. He shows me very nasty scarring (from a long time ago which, he explains, was sustained when an injector steam pipe fractured. Pictures in the Museum Compound. After I've taken my pictures, we shake hands and I tour the busy concourse of the terminal station. Pictures of Havana Station & the Electric Railway.

Next, I carry on to the waterside and head North past a series of warehouses. An older set of warehouses is currently being restored - newer ones are left to rot, like some of the housing stock. Then I come to a small jetty with a ferryboat moored. No marking on the street to say this is a "Ferry 'cross Habana Bay", except a sign about enhanced security. I notice the ferry is going to 'Regla' which doesn't even appear on my maps. One peso to the man on the jetty and then I'm on the ferry. No nonsense about gangplanks here - the boat ties up and then you scramble on. Strong hands are poised, should anyone need assistance. The crossing is only about five or ten minutes, then we disembark and I walk up into the town, where the pace is even more relaxed than early-morning Havana.

I walk back to the ferry by a different route and am press-ganged by a couple of young women staffing the Regla Museum Annexe. I am given the guided tour in fluent 'Espanol', so it's a good job it's a small annexe. They recommend I check the church next door: 'Free' they proudly say. Uneventful trip back to the jetty on Havana side. There's another ferry to Casa Blanca (no, not that one), just across Havana Bay in a different direction. I decide to cut my visit short because I'm getting tired so I take the ferry back as two powerful tugs escort a Panamanian-registered oil tanker to the oil terminal. Walk back to the hotel for a shower, a meal and an internet session.

Pictures of Havana.

Thursday 20 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 15 (Thu, 20 Mar)

Itinerary: Private transfer to Cancun airport. Depart terminal 2 12:40 on Mexicana de Aviacion flight MX7574 (See Wikipedia entry). This economy flight of 2hr 5m arrives Havana, Cuba at 15:45. Operated by Click Grupo Mexicana. Then the Discover Cuba Tour operated by Havanatour UK Ltd. Stay Prado Suite at Saratoga Hotel in Havana for two nights, including breakfast.

Picked up OK by car and we set off for Cancun taking the toll road. Most of the Yukatan is covered by, well, it's not really jungle, more like the Australian Bush. You can't often see traffic going the other way because they've left the bush on the reservation. They opened the toll road 12 years ago, but most locals don't use it - they stick to the old, 'free' roads. I doubt if we saw a couple of dozen vehicles in about two hours on the toll road (if you don't count the locals on tricycles scavenging wood for cooking).

Cancun Airport is modern and pleasant, as these places go. I got checked in OK (using an e-ticket) and stooged around the Departure Hall. After the usual extra document checks, we walked a few yards to board our aircraft - a Fokker F100 seating around 100. The flight only took an hour but the approach to Havana was a bit bumpy. Landed safely, immigation, baggage claim and customs was painless. Found the Havanatur desk and fairly soon was on my way into the city by taxi.

When I've thought about my first impressions, I'll comment further. There are plenty of hoardings, but they're all exhortations to the proleteriat. There was one with a picture of a 747 going down in flames with the tag 'Justice!'. I didn't think that was very welcoming. But the hotel was very friendly.

The 'Saratoga' is an oldish building reasonably modernised. My suite is a 'duplex': quite nice sitting room downstairs with bedroom and bathroom upstairs. I'm a bit tired after the exertions of yesterday and travelling today, so I'm going enjoy my accommodation and have a simple meal in the room. Best of all, there's a high speed internet connection in the room that actually works.

Later on in the evening we had heavy tropical rainstorms so I was quite pleased I'd decided to stay in. I've promised myself I'll be up and about early tomorrow to explore Havana.

Pictures of the Saratoga Hotel.

Wednesday 19 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 14 (Wed, 19 Mar)

Itinerary: Today you will be collected early for a morning sightseeing tour of the archaeological site. Entrance fee included. Stay at Mayaland Lodge.

I went to see the Light Show at the ruins last night. Commentary all in Spanish. Well, that´s what they speak hereabouts, so not unreasonable. I should get a guided tour of the ruins this morning, before the tourists arrive by road from Cancun, about 200km away. The rest of the day should be 'at leisure' here.

Bit of a false start as guide didn't turn up at eight. I got fixed up with a different guide but then had to pay him. However, when I got back to the hotel, they refunded me, so that's all right. Jaime was an excellent guide with a remarkable English vocabulary so we had a good morning going round the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, right next to the hotel. So, the short version is the one you might have seen a few times before:-

"Jan looks round a load of old ruins".

In the afternoon, I make three more forays into the ruined city. The place now has thousands of tourists and the souvenir sellers ranged around the buildings and along the tracks connecting the buildings are on full alert. But its still possible to find the odd quiet corner.

The following notes are based on what Jaime told me but, of course, it's always possible that I misunderstood some details.

Chicken Itza has a history in some ways similar to Macchu Pichu - a huge city state built using amazing resources which flourished for a few hundred years and then became deserted, bring absorbed back into the jungle. Again, rediscovery was by European adventurers or investigators (the science of archaeology had not yet developed and some of the investigative techniques originally used leave something to be desired).

In the colonial era, Mexico was carved into huge estates, each controlled from the hacienda by the Spanish. The ruined city of Chichen Itza was owned by the hacienda near what is now the Mayaland Hotel. So, when Edward Thompson became interested in investigating the ruins, he acquired the hacienda and became the owner of the city. He explored the site between 1896 and 1907. Ownership of the ruins passed with the hacienda so that the owners of the present hotel also own the archaeological site. The museum site is actually administered by a government department and moves are afoot for title to pass to the government.

Before Thompson, the American lawyer and writer John Lloyd Stephens and English architect Frederick Catherwood jointly explored the site in 1842. Lloyd wrote about the Mayan civilisation and Catherwood produced a series of illustrations of what they saw. I hope his illustrations were accurate, because they were used as guidance in subsequent conservation work! The French Canadian Augustus Le Plongeon carried out investigations with his wife, but he was fond of using dynamite to gain entry to the more problematic ruins. In this way, many valuable artefacts were found and removed from Mexico. A few have since been repatriated.

Between 1924 and 1932 the Carnegie Foundation funded the restoration of about twenty of the most important buildings on the site.

Mayans believed that the universe could be represented by the Sacred Tree of Life, the Ceiba. Heaven was represented by the branches, the earth by the roots. There were a number of divinities, such as the God of Water and the God of Commerce. The early Mayans has acquired great knowledge and skills in building to great precision. They understood the cycling of the seasons and had developed a calendar to plan their activities. The Southern Group of buildings at Chichen Itza includes an observatory with some interesting properties. The equinoxes and solstices were particularly celebrated.

The priorities for Mayans were water, food, clothing materials and shelter.

Water: Although there are no rivers in the Yukatan, there is water underground and so cities were built near water supplies. Water was stored in lagoons or cisterns.

Food: The Mayans were predominmantly vegetarian, eating grains like corn, beans,leaves, squash, roots and tubers. They would eat meat like venison, wild turtle, wild boar but 70% of their diet was vegetarian. Even eggs were rarely consumed.

Clothing materials: The Mayans technical capabiliities had given them a variety of clothing materials li9ke kapok, sisal sabre, sansiberia and other hard and soft fibres.

Shelter: They needed buildings for shelter and for food storage. ould cultivate, gather the crop and store it. It was a highly developed society. As in modern cities, public buildings were in the centre of the site, with the ordinary people housed further out. Civic buildings displayed a mastery of stone working but ordinary houses were simple wooden-framed structures, often with mud walls and pitched roofs thatched with bamboo.

In this period, the population of Chichen Itza was around 70,000 and it's believed that most people worked - the suggestion that extensive slave labour was used is probably an exaggeration.

Local limestone is the main building material but, since this is permeable, walls were often plastered, inside and out, and decorated with polychrome, predominantly red. Flint and volcanic granite transported from other areas were also used. Early Mayan architecture features very precise masonry with high relief carved panels often applied as a cladding in the form of stone 'tiles'. Flint was commonly used for tools as well as the volcanic, glass-like obsidian. The Mayans used gold, silver and jade in their artefacts.

Photographs

Mayaland, Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 13 (Tue, 18 Mar)

Itinerary: Tuesday, 18th March. Leave Wynn by taxi for McCarran Terminal 1. Fly US Airways US590 at 06:45 First Class to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, arriving Terminal 4 at 07:57. Transfer to US Airways US315 leaving 09:01 for the 4 hr 10 min flight First Class in 757-200 to Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Arrive Terminal 3 at 14:11. Met by Cathy Matos Mexican Tours for private transfer from Cancun airport to the Mayaland Lodge at Chichen Itza for a 2-night stay in a Royal Mayan Bungalow. The Mayaland Lodge is a 5 star hotel located right next to the Chichen Itza ruins, in the state of Yucatan. The Mayaland Lodge was one of the first hotels built in the area and one of the first ones in the world to be located next to an archaeological site, with a mystical atmosphere that will take you back to the ancient times with the commodities of modern life. In any of our 39 bungalows you will be able to enjoy the comfort and space, as well as a pool and garden view. Each one of these bungalows was built in the traditional Mayan style based on wood, stone, Yucatan marble and thatched roof; thinking about guests that like to be in touch with nature and the great culture that inhabited this land a long time ago.

And so we leave fair Las Vegas. I had to get up at 4.00 a.m., checkout, get a taxi to the airport. As soon as I got out of the taxi, there was a 'Kerbside Check-in' for heavy baggage with the guy touting for business. It certainly saves dragging a heavy bag round the airport, but there's a two-dollar charge (and they appear to solicit gratuities, too). Because I'm on a First Class ticket for this leg (it's like Business Class, really) I've a separate check-in agent so I don't have to wait in line. It makes it so much easier, particularly when it not even half past five yet and I'm not really at my best. I walk to the gate, find a quiet seat and, what do you know? I'm able to connect to the airport's unencrypted Wi-Fi with my new notebook computer (a Fujitsu Lifebook series P) and send a few e-mails. Last night, I failed to connect to the hotel's unencrypted Wi-Fi, despite a number of attempts. Heartened by this success, I board the aircraft (an Airbus A319), we taxi at remarkably high speed and enter the queue for departure. Then the captain announces an air traffic delay of thirty minutes. He shuts down one of the two engines for economy and we watch countless other aircraft, in the livery of various airlines. Alaska have the face of a man, presumably an Inuit, on the tailfin, another airline has a picture of a stag. US Airways, whom I'm flying with, have a stylised Stars and Stripes.

Our route give an excellent view of Las Vegas. The city lies in the centre of a sandy plain at least fifty miles across. The tall structures of the strip form a little pincushion, viewed from the air. I think rock underlies the sand on this plain, which is why they can build tall. We fly out across the desert over the suburbs. The light brown plain is divided into a square grid by access roads and then each large square is developed with houses clustering around various arrangements of local roads and cul-de-sacs. I've previously commented on a similar arrangement in Miami, but Las Vegas is far less colourful from the air: it's a study in brown and some of the blocks are only partially developed with houses. As we start to cross the mountains which ring Las Vegas, Lake Mead is very clear in the distance (it is 100 miles long, after all) but, although I think I recognise the one escarpment in the vicinity of Grand Canyon, I can't make out the canyon itself. I think our flight path takes us too far to the South. There's just time for the crew to issue a soft drink and a 'Quaker' energy bar (not bad) before the captain announces the descent into Phoenix and turns the seat belt sign on.

Phoenix also sits on a plain ringed by mountains but with more small mountainous areas scattered around the plain. It's all noticeably greener than Las Vegas. In the distance, I can see a large river and various irrigation canals criss-cross the landscape. The suburban areas follow the same general pattern as Las Vegas, large squares developed with estate roads and houses but it looks more 'organic' - there's not quite so much regularity and some of the big squares 'wobble'. It also looks older and more established than Las Vegas. In numerous places, the ground returns flashes of sunlight, probably pools, but we're still too high to be certain. There are a number of metropolitan areas with high-rise buildings and larger flat-roofed industrial buildings. As we get lower, I spot Honeywell but I think there are also a number of electronics companies based in Phoenix, like Motorola. There are also railway lines and sidings. I can see numerous lines of freight cars - it looks like flat cars loaded with containers. At one yard, there are 19 large diesel electric locomotives all in a line, awaiting their next duty.

The terminal at Phoenix is not too new and its low ceilings make it a bit claustrophobic, particularly since it's very crowded. I'd not found a transfer desk so went to the departure gate where there were lots of people milling around trying to check-in. The agents were under a lot of pressure. Even when we started boarding, people waiting for other departures were blocking access to our gate so, after a series of requests on the Public Address, one of the agents came to physically shoo people away. I got to the front cabin of my B757. Fairly old-fashioned equipment but wide leather-covered seats and a friendly crew. I noticed the door to the cockpit was left open until just before push-back, about right time. We taxied some distance on the parallel taxiway to 7L-25R (that means there must be a 7R-25L runway, probably handling arrivals, but I couldn't see it from where I was sitting). Aircraft in front of us were taking off in quick succession. I timed the last few departures - only 40 seconds between two aircraft of the same type, 65 seconds before a slightly smaller aircraft took off then we departed 50 seconds later! As our aircraft demonstrated the B757's rate of climb, I counted a further nine aircraft already waiting to follow us.

After a couple of hours, we land in Cancun. I´m met and taken by road to Chichen Itza. It´s good to be in Mexico, where I don´t feel such an alien as I did in Las Vegas! With my new notebook computer, I´ve written things to tell you but, natch, I can´t get it to connect to Mayaland´s Wi-Fi. More later.

Travelling across the Yukatan.
Mayaland Resort Hotel.

Monday 17 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 12 (Mon, 17 Mar)

Itinerary: Monday, 17th March, Las Vegas. Nothing pre-planned.

Well, after the sudden cold weather and the setbacks of yesterday, I'm not sure what I'll have the energy to do. Perhaps it should be a "day at leisure" before my planned departure from Las Vegas on Tuesday morning.

In the event, it was a bit more active than that. I went out before 8 a.m. with thoughts of looking at notebook computers in Fry's. It was dry and the sun was out but there was such a sharp wind that I nearly went back in (I'd only a thin, short-sleeved jacket). But, being stubborn, I walked to the Southbound bus stop. However, a Northbound 'Deuce' bus arrived first so I bought an All-Day ticket (five dollars) and decided to go all the way downtown and look at the older part of the city in the daylight. Well, I did. Fremont Street was quieter than the other night, but tourists were starting to emerge. This old part is definitely more down-market than the main part of the 'Strip' but I think MGM are heavily involved in a plan to re-develop chunks of the area. Eventually, I succumbed to the chill wind and bought a maroon short coat. There goes another 9.99 dollars plus Sales Tax!

After touring some more of the souvenir shops, I caught another 'Deuce' going South, together with a lot of tourists. This time, I stayed on the bus to near its Southern terminus.

Sunday 16 March 2008

State Railroad Museum, Boulder City

The Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs provides support for railway preservation in Nevada. The main Nevada railroad museum is in Carson City. Staff from this museum restored Engine Number 18 'Dayton', a classic American 4-4-0 with diamond stack, which I believe is displayed at the Comstock History Centre in Virginia City. Southern Nevada has its own State Railroad Museum at Boulder City which I was able to visit.

To support the construction of what we now call the Hoover Dam (originally called the Boulder Dam), around 1931 the Union Pacific Railroad built a standard gauge, single line railroad from existing lines near Las Vegas to Boulder City, using 90 pound flat-bottom rail and ties (sleepers) every two feet. The original rails are still in place and the dry desert conditions have allowed the ties to survive as well. The Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for the dam's construction, extended this line to the top of the dam site and then the building contractor for the dam extended the line to the bottom of Black Canyon, where the dam is situated, and to the various worksites. Altogether, 52 miles of track supported the project and, at its peak, 300 cars of materials passed over these lines each day. All traffic on this historic branch ceased some years ago and the track to Las Vegas, whilst retained in place, became severed at the grade crossing (level crossing) in betwenn Railroad Pass Casino and Henderson, when this crossing was concreted over following a series of auto accidents.

Weekend tourist trains now operate from the Museum at Boulder City along about four miles of the currently-isolated track, as far as Railroad Pass Casino. Passengers can only join and leave the train at the the Museum. The weekend operation, and much of the ongoing maintenance and restoration of the artefacts, is enthusiastically supported by volunteers. Following the completion of the new road bridge currently under construction at Hoover Dam and the associated by-pass works intended to remove through traffic from the top of the dam, planned improvements in the road in the vicinity of Railroad Pass Casino may offer the opportunity to re-instate the railroad link to Las Vegas by means of a bridge over the road. It is to be hoped that the authorities recognise the role the re-connected railway could play in enhancing the dam experience for visitors and in the reduction in traffic congestion and carbon footprint which would result.

The star exhibit at the Museum is Union Pacific 844, a diesel electric which has been fully restored and looks very smart in full Union Pacific livery. On the day of my visit, she was in the shop for water pump repairs and number 1000 was running the passenger operation.

In 1938, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors built two diesel-electric locomotive prototypes which toured the country, seeking to demonstrate to the railways the advantages of diesel-electric traction. One of these locomotives was used as a switcher by the Union Pacific, latterly carrying black livery. It is now preserved by the Museum as Number 1000, in the attractive blue livery adopted by the tourist train operation called the 'Nevada Southern Railway'. The power-plant is a 1,000 horse power 2-stroke compression-ignition (diesel) engine (type 567V, I believe) coupled to a 600 volt d.c. generator. The engine is water-cooled and a large radiator at the front is provided with two fans. Air is provided by a 3-pump reciprocating compressor in front of the engine with pumps set at 9, 12 and 3 o'clock, relative to the driving shaft. Two pumps provide first-stage low-pressure air and the third pump delivers second-stage high-pressure air for the braking systems and auxiiaries. Driving controls are arranged in an early form of the 'classic' American configuration of power interlock switch, direction selector and power controller. Engine idle is around 150 r.p.m. and notch 6 gives around (?) r.p.m. The train air brake application valve is provided with a brake force selector settable to 'PASSENGER', 'FREIGHT' or 'OFF'. Below the train brake valve, there is a 'straight air' locomotive brake application valve. Small levers are provided for air sanding and the the bell used in station areas. A cord from the roof controls the air horn.

Pictures around the Museum
Pictures of loco 1000

Round the World Five - Day 11 (Sun, 16 Mar)

Itinerary: Sunday 16th March Wynn. GBM-4 (Monument Valley Day Trip) - $15 fuel surcharge payable at check in Reservation Confirmation #: R-449318 Flight Departure Time: 5:40am Hotel: Wynn Pick up Time & Location: 4:10 a.m. at the Tour & Travel Bus Area Shuttle Operator: Grand Canyon/Scenic Airlines.

Lord knows why I vounteered for such an early start! All these casino/hotel pick-up areas are in the open. Fine for a warm-weather climate but, this morning, it was cold and had been raining in the night. Although the pick-up was about right time, I was already rather cold and miserable. But the day continued downhill from that point, apart from a pleasant interlude in Boulder City. We drove to a different company terminal at the airport, joining other rather weary passengers, to be told that weather conditions might result in cancellation of our trip. We hung around feeling rather dejected for some time until the trip was finally cancelled. Then there was a flurry of activity as refunds were issued or reservations made for later dates. My only possibility would have been Monday, for which improved weather is forecast, but there was no space available.

This is the end of the winter season so this sort of sudden cold snap is by no means unprecedented but it has come as a surprise to locals. I was brought back to the Wynn in a different personnel carrier - it had started to rain again - and decided to have breakfast in one of the many cafes. The air tour company had suggested ringing again about a possible Monday trip, so I made a final enquiry but without success. I'd enquired previously about two 'Pink Jeep' tours for Monday (because I was supposed to be at Monument Valley on Sunday) but there was no space available. So, finally, I checked again with 'Pink Jeep', with no success. By this time, the rain had stopped again, but it remained cold.

Although the hotel had no knowledge of the Nevada Southern Railway at Boulder City, I'd quickly tracked their details on the web and had managed to speak to one of their mechanical engineers, Paul. So I took a taxi out to the site and met the usual friendly bunch of (mainly) volunteers who made me very welcome. 1938-built General Motors EMD diesel electric locomotive number 1000 was already ready with its train and I joined Bob and Ardel in the cab for the first trip. The consist is four miscellaneous passenger cars, a generator car and a caboose. After four miles, the train stops adjacent to Railway Pass casino/hotel and the locomotive then propels the train back to Boulder City. I made the second round trip in the caboose with Chuck and Jeff and then Paul showed me around the well-appointed workshops. After talking with Carl about the history of the railway and its future plans to work into Las Vegas, I returned to the Wynn. My thanks to everybody at the railway for a pleasant interlude. I'll put more technical details in a separate post.

Saturday 15 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 10 (Sat, 15 Mar)

Itinerary: Saturday, 15th March at the Wynn.

I'd booked a tour with 'Pink Jeep Tours' to visit the iconic Hoover Dam. I was picked up by Mark in an SUV with two middle-aged, pleasant couples already aboard, so we made for the 'Beltway', the 215, and passed by sprawling, and expanding, Henderson, where we turned onto the 93.

Population in the Las Vegas area is increasing by 5,000 each month. In Las Vegas itself, it's mainly casino/hotels development but that's putting housing pressure on places like Henderson. Las Vegas currently has about 135,00 hotel rooms and growing. The MGM Grand has 5,000 rooms supported by 10,000 employees. The group comprising the Venetian and the Palatzzo has 9,000 rooms. The year-round room occupancy rate is over 90%! Las Vegas (which is a major convention centre) has 32 million visitors arriving per year, with a further 6 million arriving by road. Las Vegas has the fifth largest education department in the U.S.A. with 340 schools.

When the Hoover Dam was built, they built a railway about 32 miles from Las Vegas and we meet up with the now disused route at the small casino/hotel called Railroad Pass. This dates from the '30s and is the proud holder of Gaming License Number 4.

Although the railway is disused, the State Department of Museums run a weekend museum at Boulder City Click for the website. Volunteers run a diesel-hauled service about 8 mies to Railroad Pass on Saturday and Sunday. As we entered Boulder City, I spotted the preservation headquarters with the usual rows of railway vehicles.

Boulder City was built to accommodate the workers on the Hoover Dam and a lot of the original buildings survive. The small town is a pleasant relief after Las Vegas and, for that reason, is now a desirable place. The accommodation was placed at Boulder City at least partly because the higher altitude was cooler and gave some relief from the unremitting summer heat at the Dam site. We carry on along the 93 which goes across the Dam en route to Phoenix. They're buiding a new road which will cross Black Canyon just South of the Dam on a new bridge. Following delays, this is now due to finish in a couple of years. About 18 months ago, 100 mp.h. winds in the canyon brought down some of the construction cranes but these have now been redesigned and replaced.

This tour was rather tightly timed so, after a 5-minute photostop on the Lake Mead side of the Dam,we went to the visitor centre to be registered for the tour. This started off in a film theatre with tiered seating and a huge, curved screen. There was the usual 10-minute orientation film which would have been great, except that the picture was awful, at least it was where I was (I was near the front, in the middle so I doubt it was much better elsewhere). Our Dam Guide then took us to the lift to descend the equivalent of 53 stories into the access tunnels cut into the rock. Then it all started to unravel, because his swipe card wouldn't activate the lift. Then we found it wouldn't activate the other lift, either. Then 3 or 4 staff got involved and it was some minutes before we managed to descend, by the expedient of somebody outside the lift calling the lift we were in. There were further delays at the bottom as prior groups were having similar problems ascending. Eventually, we ascended to the level of the Turbine Hall, where there's a viewing gallery at one end. By the time we regained the surface, there was barely time to take photos from the observation deck and check the souvenir shop, because our driver had arranged a meeting time. I commend the little book 'Construction of the Hoover Dam', published by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (ISBN 0-916122-51-4). The standard trip ends here, but I and the people I was with had opted for the 'Optional Upgrade' of a raft trip to view the Dam from water level on the downstream side. We drove a little way back towards Boulder City, parked at the raft company's base and transferred to their own personnel carrier. We crossed the main road and went through a set of electric gates which closed behind us. This was the Lower Portal Road, used during the construction of the dam. The road is steep and twisting to lose about 900 feet in a short journey. We parked by the river where a modern raft, featuring four large inflatable sponsons, awaited us. We had a very enjoyable ride in good weather, with only about a dozen passengers on a raft which can carry at least three times that number. Both the driver of the personnel carrier and the raft driver gave interesting insights into the area and the construction project.

Pictures of Las Vegas.
Pictures of the Hoover Dam.

Friday 14 March 2008

Round the World Five - Day 9 (Fri, 14 Mar)

Itinerary: Friday, 14th March: Grand Canyon.
Flight Departure Time: 10:00am
Pick up Time & Location: 8:50am at the Tour & Travel Bus Area.
Shuttle Operator: Grand Canyon Helicopters Limousine Las Vegas.
Ground Service Highlights:
Round trip limousine transportation from hotel to hotel. Convenient departures from the Atlantic Terminal at McCarran International Airport. VIP check-in service. VIP passenger lounge complete with an array of seasonal snacks, and refreshments.
Air Service Highlights:
Platinum service utilizes the EC-130 EcoStar exclusively. Professionally trained tour pilots. All forward facing, theater style seating. Stereo aviation headsets with voice activated passenger to passenger and passenger to pilot intercom. Tour narration available in 11 languages, 12 including English. Approximately 75 minute flight time. Return along the Las Vegas Strip.
Grand Canyon Ground Service Highlights:
Private landing site 500 feet from the Colorado River. Stunning up-close views of the Grand Canyon. Three gourmet platters. Sparkling champagne. Ample time for pictures and reflection.

The aircraft landed at Las Vegas around 11.45 p.m., but it was after midnight before we had taxied to the gate. There was then a long walk through the terminal, until we got to a railway station with the usual airport-style automatic train. From what I could see, the terminal we'd arrived at is marooned in the middle of the airport and the train dives down under the runways and taxiways to deliver you to what they call the 'Main Terminal'. Here things became quite busy as we were joined by streams of passengers off other arrivals. It was also noisy, partly because all the passengers appeared to be vacationers in good but loud humour, partly because of large television screens everywhere advertising various Vegas attractions with a loud sound track. Getting to Baggage Carousel 13 turned out to involve another long walk and there was a further wait of about ten minutes before the baggage started to appear. Eventually, my bag appeared safely so I went outside to look for a taxi. Barriers had been erected and there was a 'line' (queue) snaking up and down about four times with hundreds of people. I was getting a bit tired and bad-tempered by then but just gritted my teeth. Admittedly, the taxis were coming thick and fast so I was on my way in ten minutes or so. It's not a long drive to 'The Strip'. In fact, Las Vegas looks more like an airport with a town built round it.

I checked in and was not surprised to have to lug my stuff to the room on my own (as well as find the room from the map I'd been given) but I was not expecting to have to negotiate two huge gaming rooms to get to the elevators (lifts). Also, at 1.15 in the morning I didn't expect the place to be full of people but it was - lots of people arriving and thousands playing the 'slots' or the gaming tables. By contrast, the huge tower block with the Resort Rooms (I'm on floor 53) was deserted. The room is fairly large and quite well appointed, but decorated with execrable taste, falling uneasily and unsuccesfully between 'classic' and 'modern' - but definitely pretentious. On the 'Road To Mandalay' (that already seems such a long time ago) there was an American Human Resources lady currently workng in Hong Kong. She said she'd been on another cruise with the woman who did the interior design of the Wynn and, based on her assessment of the woman, didn't think the decor woud be very nice. Well, I think she was right. But the room has one wall completely glazed with views of the Wynn's golf course, part of the city and the distant mountains so I approve of that (it's a 'Panoramic View' room).

The bed's comfortable so I was soon asleep, but I had to get up fairly early for the 8.50 a.m. pick-up. It was odd to come down to a now-deserted casino with all the one-arm bandits flashing away but no players I could see. The 'Drug Store Cafe' was crowded, though. I really can't be doing with this American 'coffee and bagels' idea of breakfast so I settled for just an orange juice. I was picked up by a black stretch limo driven by a charming black guy. I had the car to myself until the Bally (another famous Casino/Hotel I hadn't heard of), where he picked up another six passengers. It was then only a few minutes drive to the General Aviation terminal at the airport. We were ticketed, weighed, briefed by video and then had to hang around a while. But they gave us snacks and beverages whilst we waited. The lady running the ramp worked out who sat where and then we were bussed across the apron to where a number of helicopters were loading. We had a cheerful but very professional young Spanish lady pilot.

I hadn't realised the distances involved. It took us about 20 minutes to fly to the Grand Canyon, looking at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way, with the pilot giving an excellent commentary. We then went part way up the Grand Canyon before descending to a small plateau on the West bank almost at water level. There was one helicopter already there when we arrived - by the time we left another five helicopters had landed. This site has been set-up with agreement of the Indians who own the land and a simple picnic area has been set up. Each helicopter had brought picnic lunch for the passengers - a rather nice Californian champagne served in plastic flutes, a filled croissant, cheese and biscuits, salad, soft drinks and bottled water. All the rubbish was carefully collected and carried back when we left. On the way back, we stopped at the small airfield near the canyon rim to re-fuel before returning by a different route. We were presented with a certificate and photograph and offered more refreshments whilst they arranged return transport. It was the same driver and limousine, reversing the pick-up process. All-in-all, a very well-run trip and very good value for money.

Incidentally, there seems to be no dignified way to get in and out of a stretch limo - the headroom inside is reduced and you can't stand up inside. You either have to assume a 'Quasimodo' position or slide along the bench seat inside. None of the passengers I was with had a very successful method of getting between the sidewalk (pavement) and the seat nearest the door.

So my initial rather adverse view of Las Vegas had been softened by the helicopter experience. I decided to walk around the area a little. There's a large, modern designer shopping area directly opposite the hotel - the Fashion Show Mall. Needless to say, it didn't appeal to me. Heading North, I then looked at the Treasure Island Casino. Although the Wynn appalled me, it's more modern and less dark inside than some of the now-shabbier places that were built earlier. You should be clear that each of the bigger places is a casino with bedrooms attached, not the other way round. The public are encouraged to come in and there are plenty of eating opportunites inside, the cheaper ones Macdonalds's-style with plenty of waiting-in-line when busy. I thought the British were supposed to be the nation of queuing people. Anyhow, I had a vanilla 'frozen custard', which is the rather more truthful term they apply to what we call ice cream.

The one advantage I can see with so many casinos is that a Rest Room is never too far away. But nothing else appeals to me. The gaming rooms are normally quite dark, illuminated mainly by the flashing lights of the 'slots'. Smoking is allowed, so a not-very-inviting mustiness pervades the places and loud music and flickering video screens is usually an essential accompaniment to the hubbub created by the patrons. I also find some of the attempts to create a distinctive theme banal, if not downright childish, although I recognise the money and ingenuity that's been applied.

But I also recognise that I'm very much in the minority. Las Vegas appeals not just to Americans but to countless people who fly in from all over the world. The desire to win money seems to be almost universal but, personally, I don't like the odds involved. These are places clinically devoted to removing your money. Casinos have always been linked to the Mafia and to criminal activity and I'm sure the connection is real. I also find distasteful the titillation (or maybe pornography) associated with casino operations through, for instance, the advertising for some of the shows and through related operations like topless bars. But that's just me. If people want this kind of entertainment and if people don't get hurt, what's the problem? I wish I could believe people don't get hurt.

Enough of the pontificating, back to the reporting. On a sunny Friday afternoon, the 'Strip' was thronged with pedestrians but I decided to try 'The Deuce'. This is what they call the fleet of modern double-decker buses which ply the 'Strip Route'. This is fine, except that the amount of ordinary traffic sharing the route is increasing so that, at times, you can walk faster than you can ride. I decided to head South and baled out at the Chrysler Building. Huh? New York New York is a casino/hotel modified to look like the New York skyline. Why? I hear you ask. I have no idea. Most of it isn't very convincing. There's Chrysler Building, Empire State and places I don't even recognise. There's a rather feeble Brooklyn Bridge out front. But the Statue of Libery is spendid.

Next I took in 'Excalibur'. This strange creation looks like a Disney castle on the outside and the set for a Doug Fairbanks medieval film on the inside (plus the endless rows of slots and tables, of course). I was intrigued by the reference to a 'Tram Station', so checked it out. It's a airport-style railway with very modern-looking trainsets and rubber wheels, platform edge doors and driverless. Despite the curving route, I was surprised to find it was a cable railway and it seems to work well. I found the makers plate - Doppelmeyer Cable Car Gmbh. We went straight past a huge black pyramid (Luxor - see below) and soon arrived at Mandalay Bay.

This is huge, quite near the airport and is very visible when you're taxiing around. My recent visit to Mandalay and Myanmar can be crudely summarised by my oft-repeated maxim 'Jan looks at a load of old temples'. So I suppose my visit to Mandalay Bay and Las Vegas can be summarised as 'Jan looks at a load of old temples of Mammon'. I couldn't discern much similarity between the two Mandalays, except they were both noisy and full of people.

Next, I went back to Luxor, on a parallel tram track that makes an intermediate stop. Apart from the huge black glass-covered pyramid (which projects a searchlight from its apex vertically into the sky at night, making me think of 'Stargate'), there is an obelisk covered with heiroglyphs and massive Egyptian-style statues. Inside the pyramid, the huge gaming hall, instead of being low-ceilinged, is an open atrium. As far as I could see (it's fairly dark inside, so you're not distracted too much from the serious business of gaming) there are a series of square corridors, getting smaller as you get higher in the pyramid, which presumably access guest rooms facing out through the dark glass cladding. Certainly an imaginative arrangement.

The tram took me back to 'Excalibur' and I crossed the intersection to the massive green bulk which is the MGM Grand. What do you know? Inside there was a massive gaming hall (you quickly run out of superlatives for 'big' in Las Vegas). I think I might suffer from agoraphobia, because as soon as I get in these gaming rooms, I have to fight an almost overwheming desire to flee. I followed the signs to the Monorail. It took about ten minutes and some false turns to get to the station (I suspect the signage cunningly takes you a route past every type of gaming temptation on offer in the hope that you'll give up and gamble).

The monorail system is modern (and is still suffering some reliability problems). It is elevated, double-track and runs behind the casino/hotels on the East side of the strip, twisting and turning to try to find a way through the various obstructions. The line makes a massive deviation behind the Wynn, because the backyard of the Wynn is an 18-hole golf course. We experienced some techncal delays but eventually arrived at the present (and I think temporary) Northern terminal called 'Las Vegas Monorail Station' which is near the Northern end of the Strip and the 'Sahara'. I didn't check out inside the Sahara but it has a scary-looking steel roller coaster outside which ends in a vertical dead-end. I was getting tired by now so I crossed the road, caught the 'Deuce' and made my way back to the Wynn.

Later in the evening, I made another foray by the 'Deuce' up North to downtown Las Vegas. This is noticeably run down but part of the old centre, around the 'Golden Nugget' on Fremont Street has been fairly successfully modernised by pedestrianising and adding a roof. This is now 'The Fremont Experience'. It was crowded but good-humoured. In one part, there's a stage and a group were performing. A block later, there was a jazz saxophonist, quite good, with his amplifers on the back of a pick-up and a couple of helpers selling his CDs. Another block and there was a troupe of acrobats who were quite impressive. I found a couple of railway coaches preserved (or should I say 'railroad cars'?). As used by various celebrities in the past, apparently. Quite nice but looking a little sorry in a fenced compound. This was at Union Plaza but I decided it was too dark in this part of town to go hunting for a remainng railroad so I caught the 'Deuce' back to the hotel.

Photographs

The Wynn, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas.
Grand Canyon.