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.

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..

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Round the World Five - Day 8 (Thu, 13 Mar)

Itinerary: After spending Thursday, 13th March in Bangkok, transfer to the airport to catch Thai Flight TG794 leaving at 18:30 for Los Angeles by an A340-500.

I didn't see much of Bangkok this trip, having spent most of the day in the Business Centre at the hotel, trying to sort out some of my experiences. That long flight to LA is still to come. It's a long trans-Pacific flight through what should be the night, arriving fourteen and a half hours later (what?) at 19:00 hours local time. But, because we've crossed the International Date Line, it's still Thursday, 13th March. Travelling east from England, you lose time until you get to the Dateline, then you gain a complete day. Carrying on east, you continue to lose time so that, by the time you get back to England, your clock agrees with local time again.

We should arrive at Los Angeles International Airport, Tom Bradley International Terminal 'B'. After immigration and customs, to Terminal 7 for the UA1492 United Airlines for Ted A320 flight at 22:45 to Las Vegas. Arrive Las Vegas McCarran international airport, Terminal 1 at 23:58 and taxi to the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, for a 5-night stay.

Postscript: I've got as far as the new airport at Bangkok. Not only is the airport huge but, since it's Thai's home airport, the 'Royal Silk' lounge I'm in is the biggest I've seen anywhere!

Post-postscript: Between the Thai lounge at Bangkok and the aircraft, we had two very thorough security checks. But the people were friendly enough, so it wasn't too bad. Now I'm at Los Angeles. The Thai flight from Bangkok was good but oh, so long! I adjusted my watch to West Coast time when we set off. After the first meal, they darkened the cabin and screened the windows to encourage people to sleep but, once we'd crossed the terminator, it was bright sun outside. It's all a bit odd.

The international terminal at LAX (Tom Bradley) is being rebuilt, so it's not a very pleasant experience walking to the terminal. Neither is waiting in line for Immigration. The process didn't take too long and the immigration officer was friendly. I walked to terminal 7 for the United connecting flight and managed to work out how to check in with a paper (not electronic) ticket. To get into terminal 7, you go through another security check and the lady security guard directing the traffic was rather officious. They make you take your shoes off so they can X-ray them. Since I wasn't wearing socks, it meant going barefoot on the floor past the X-ray machine. I politely pointed out to the one girl employed there that the floor wasn't really clean enough to make this an attractive experience but, of course, she just looked at me blankly. It's a bit noisy and scruffy in the seating area near the gate and I'm getting a bit tired. Anyhow, I found an automatic Internet machine which works (for money) so I'm able to do this minor update.

Road To Mandalay

'The Road to Mandalay' is German-built, to the design of a standard Rhine cruise ship and flat-bottomed for river work. She is about 101.6 metres long, LBV (that's Length Between Verticals, the Captain informs me) 95.1 metres, 11.6 metres beam, 3.10 metres keel to main deck (depth), draught 2 metres, gross weight 1916 metric tonnes, nett weight 697 metric tonnes. Just over 12 years ago, she had an extensive refit in Germany and England before being brought to Myanmar on a specialist transporter ship to work these cruises.

Every 3 years, she is dry docked in Yangon although, operating in fresh-water, corrosion is not a major problem. A system of sacrificial anodes was tried, but was not effective because the low conductivity of the river water did not allow the intended electro-chemical action.

Propulsion is by two Voith keel-mounted propeller units comprising five vertically-mounted, straight, variable-pitch blades. There is no rudder and steering is by controlling the pitch of the blades. A similar, smaller 4-bladed propeller unit is provided as a bow thruster, making the vessel extremely manoevrable. She can turn in her own length or move sideways.

Power is provided by two pairs of Deutz V12 diesels, each of about 425 horse power. One pair of engines drives the port propeller via a gearbox, the other pair drives the starboard. The ship can make way with two engines or even only one. Blade pitch is directly controlled from what looks like a lorry steering wheel the in wheelhouse by a direct mechanical linkage which has proved very reliable. The throttles are arranged as in aircraft practice, except that 'Idle' is in the middle of the quadrant, with revs increasing either side. Red and green indicator lights show that the the port and starboard engine pairs are in idle. Another lever is moved left or right to control the bow thruster.

I'll add to the description when I can, and link to my photos when they're uploaded.

My thanks to the Captain and Chief Engineer for various explanations - any errors are all my own work.

Round the World Five - Day 7 (Wed, 12 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 5 Wednesday 12th March. After an early breakfast, transfer to Mandalay airport for your onward flight (depart 08:45) to Yangon. On arrival in Yangon at 10:10 you will be taken to an airport hotel to freshen up and rest for approx 4 hours prior to your international flight. Transfers and room included. Thai Flight TG306 leaves Yangon at 19:45, arrives Bangkok 21:25. Private transfer by Tour East Thailand to the Shangri-La Hotel for a DLX Balcony Room in the Shangri-La Wing.

We enjoyed the usual good breakfast in the restaurant of 'Road to Mandalay' and all felt a little sad at leaving our new friends on the ship which had been our comfortable home for the last few days. Soon, we were aboard one of the two buses (one English-speaking, one German-speaking). Once again, San was our guide and we took a circuitous route, looping through a number of small villages until we came to the airport, sitting on a large plain. A long, straight approach road took us to the modern terminal. I'll add more commentary when I can.

Round the World Five - Day 6 (Tue, 11 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 4 Tuesday 11th March (Mingun & Sagaing). After breakfast, cruise to Mingun to visit the most important sights such as the pretty Hsinbyume Pagoda and the world’s largest uncracked bell. Return by ferry for a late lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Sagaing Hills, considered to be the living centre of the Buddhist faith in Burma. Sagaing is also famous for its silver and silversmiths who still work in much the same way as their ancestors did. Leave Bagan by 'Road to Mandalay' around 13:00. Dinner and local entertainment on board.

After an early breakfast, some of us left on foot with San for the short walk to the local monastery, where the monks were lined up prior to the morning procession around the village accepting offerings of food. Their first stop was a table set up by the ship where the Captain and members of the catering staff were serving various foods. The procession then wound through the village where, every few yards, women would be waiting with a bowl of rice or other food.

Pictures of the Monks' Procession and the Village.

We then picked up our tour bus and headed north for about 40 minutes to Mandalay itself and the Jetty. This is just the usual shelving beach with lots of wooden craft moored side by side. We clambered over various gangplanks to get from moored craft to moored craft until we reached our private charter boat where, on the upper deck, cane chairs had been laid out for us. The boat was run by a team of husband, wife and son about ten or so. There was also a much younger daughter running about. We sailed north for about a hour and landed at Mingun on the west bank. We ran the gauntlet of the souvenir vendors to get to the Mingun Pagoda, which has been described, fairly accurately, as the world's biggest pile of bricks. The building project was abandoned when the huge pagoda was 50m tall - only a third of the intended height! Subsequent earthquakes have seriously damaged what's there and the various fissures mean that the steps to ascend are quite hard. I made the climb, with a retinue of four local boys who appointed themselves my guides. I clearly represented the best chance of dollars that morning. On the same site, there's the worlds largest uncracked bell. Of course, I rang it with the stick provided and also stood inside whilst someone else rang it. We also climbed the whitewashed Shinbyume Pagoda (coming away liberally whitened ourselves). We rejoined our local boat, cruised back to Mandalay, returned to the Road To Mandalay by coach and were ready for our lunch.

Pictures of the Boat Trip and Mingun.

In the afternoon we went by the tour bus to Sagaing, on the west bank of the river directly opposite our moored ship. This is very hilly and pretty, crowded with monasteries and nunneries. The most famous pagoda amongst the hundreds dotted around the hills is the Soon U Ponya Shin, commanding good views in all directions from its summit position.

Pictures of Sagaing.

We were allowed to tour the Zeyar Theingi Nunnery, where the nun's ages ranged from 8 to late 70s. The nuns smile readily and don't appear to mind the intrusion, although you feel a little uncomfortable walking through dormitories and kitchens.

Pictures of the Nunnery.

We also had two fascinating visits to commercial properties.

The first was a pottery where clay water pots are made. it's hard work, mainly carried out by women and because they only make water pots, they're not trying to sell the tourists anything. We were mobbed by a gang of young children who wanted to hold our hands and look at the pictures we'd taken on the screens of the various digital cameras. It was a joyful occasion and I was surprised that none of the children was looking for gifts.

Pictures of the Pottery.

We also visited a silversmiths' factory where the most exquisite work was being produced under the most primitive conditions imaginable. Here, there was an extensive showroom and a number of us were tempted to make purchases.

Pictures of the silversmiths' factory.

In the evening, we had our Farewell Dinner in the restaurant of the ship, followed by examples of traditional Myanmar Entertainments: four girl dancers, a boy and girl comedy dance routine, an astrologer talked about the rather different principles which they use and finally a girl jugglimg and balancing act. Quite a packed day and another early start tomorrow.

Pictures of shipboard entertainment.