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Girl off to school.
Consider diving and snorkeling on Days 8 and 9.
Cuban students rank best in the Americas. School is free for life!
Havana was founded in 1519. Its historic sites are unmatched.
World's smallest hummingbird just larger than a bumblebee lives in Cuba.
Havana's Malecón beachfront for relaxation, music and romance.
Young person staffs local store.
Fresh sea fish supplement island diets and provide a valuable export commodity.
Maternity care: Cuba has the lowest rate of infant mortality in the Americas after Canada.
Cubans come in all colors. Bigotry is absent. They're proud of their multicolored kids.
Music is pervasive.
Several species of iguana: they're not poisonous or mean. |
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Marianopolis College Cuba Study Tour Itinerary
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You'll attend a Rumba performance at Callejón de Hamel on Day 2. |
Farmers markets offer organic produce.
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Cuba is an antique car-lovers dream.
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You'll attend a CDR festivity in city of Pinar del Río on Day 6. |
Day 3: Primary school in Cayo Hueso. |
Horse escorts boy across river. |
Bicycles are a mainstay for commuters.
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Animal partners help out on the farm.
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Rural school kids in Pinar del Río.
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Youth retrieves calf in Viñales. |
You're going to Playas del Este on Days 8 and 9 for sun and fun! |
TIME/TEMP IN HAVANA NOW!
Island-wide annual averages:
Summer temp average: 81F | 27C
Winter temp average: 72F | 22C
Ocean temp average: 78F | 25.5C
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Exploring Cuban civil society, history and culture
Saturday 21 May to Monday 30 May 2005
10 days and 9 nights in safe student-friendly Cuba! |
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Route map for this tour |
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B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner indicates meals included while in Cuba. All breakfasts are complementary from 07:00AM to 10:00AM. |
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Go to Day | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
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Your group will be traveling with a expert full-time bilingual Cuban guide, a driver, and a representative of the Cuban Movement for Peace. Your transportation is a modern air-conditioned bus. To learn more about tour goals and objective see Tour overview as outlined by Marianopolis faculty leader Dolores Chew. |
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| DAY 1 |
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MONTREAL – HAVANA
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Welcome to Cuba!
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Cubana Airlines Flight CU0171 departing from Montreal at 18:35PM to Havana (be at Trudeau International at 16:00PM sharp).
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Arrival at José Martí International Airport at 22:30PM to welcome by your Cuba Education Tours guide and driver. Transfer to Hotel Saint Johns. Private group check in. |
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| DAY 2 |
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HAVANA
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Afrocuban folk art at Callejón de Hamel. Top Rumba performance.
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Panoramic bus tour of Modern Havana. We'll explore the main sights that make this city of 2.1 million famous.
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Rumba performance at Callejón de Hamel, an alley where all the buildings display mural paintings inspired by Afrocuban religions. We'll meet alley artist Salvador Gonzales at his studio.
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Guided walking tour of the four main squares of Old Havana, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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This evening we have a Cuban band playing for us – and a chance to learn to perform and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba and Mambo from bandleader Dulce María.
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| DAY 3 |
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HAVANA
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Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is among the most venerable institutions of higher learning in the Americas.
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Gathering with our island host the Cuban Movement for Peace (MOVPAZ) for a presentation and discussion on the current social, political, economic and cultural situation in Cuba today.
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Visit the University of Havana and for a discussion with representatives of the Federation of University Students (Federacion Estudiantil Universitaria, FEU, founded in 1922 at the proposal of anti-imperialist youth leader Julio Antonio Mella).
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Meeting with Peoples Power representatives (Cuban national assembly members) at Cayo Hueso for an explanation of area community improvement programs.
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Walking tour of the Cayo Hueso community, its key Callejón de Hamel project, Casa del Niño y La Niña (childrens center) and a local high school.
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Evening is free to explore the metropolis with your classmates and new Cuban friends.
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| DAY 4 |
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HAVANA
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Regla community in foreground.
Regla church.
Master artist Antonio Canet.
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Morning ferryboat ride across Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. This Afrocuban community has a long, rich and still active tradition of African-inspired religions.
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We'll visit the local church dedicated to the Black Virgen de Regla Yemayá African goddess of the sea in the Yoruba religion and the patron saint of sailors.
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Tour of the Municipal Museum to learn the origins of this unique community and its religions.
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We visit home studio of painter, master printmaker and designer, Antonio Canet.
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Lunch on your own. Your guide is available to advise on venues and cuisines to meet your tastes and budgets.
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Upon return to Havana we'll meet with members of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), one of Cuba's largest mass organizations for a on women's contributions to island society.
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Optional evening venue: Enjoy the best Jazz live at La Zorra y El Cuervo Club.
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| DAY 5 |
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HAVANA – PINAR DEL RIO – VINALES
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Havana family enjoys Malecón (great seawall). |
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Morning departure to Pinar del Rio province.
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Gathering with students of the University of Pinar del Río.
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Visit a old folks home to learn about Cuba's treatment of its elderly.
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Check in at Hotel La Ermita with breakfasts and dinners included.
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Free evening.
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| DAY 6 |
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PINAR DEL RIO |
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Joven Club (Palacio de Computación) |
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Visit a community clinic and family doctor in Pinar del Río City to learn about the Cuban health care system. |
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Tour a Joven Club (Palacio de Computación) to learn how computer access and training for youth. |
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Attend a festivity at a local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). CDRs are responsible for the well being, education, sanitation and safety of people in their neighborhoods. |
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| DAY 7 |
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PINAR DEL RIO
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Limestone mogotes (pin-cushion hills) unique to Viñales. Below Tobacco, a major local crop, is considered the best in the world.
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Excursion to Viñales Valley containing the most spectacular scenery in Cuba and some of the most interesting and varied geological formations in the Caribbean. The valley is famed for its dramatic freestanding rock formations called mogotes.
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Tour of a hogar materno (maternity home) in Viñales to better understand the Cuban health system. |
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Visit tobacco fields – an unique opportunity to learn first hand about the lives of Cuban farmers and how this important crop is grown and processed. |
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Time to wander Viñales village and explore at your leisure its open-air craft market, Parque Martí, Church and other interesting sites of this charming colonial town. |
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Dinner at hotel.
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Free evening: Your guide will keep you updated on night venues. |
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| DAY 8 |
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PINAR DEL RIO – PLAYAS DEL ESTES
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Morning departure to Playas del Este – Havana's eastern beaches.
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Check-in at the Hotel Resort Tropicoco, all inclusive.
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| DAY 9 |
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PLAYAS DEL ESTES
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Free day to enjoy the clean white sand beaches of Playas del Este, explore nature, swim, snorkel and hang out with classmates.
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| DAY 10 |
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PLAYAS DEL ESTES – HAVANA – MONTREAL
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Take an early morning swim, then pack your bags and jump onto your bus to Havana's José Martí International Airport. Cubana Airlines Flight CU0170 departs Havana 13:45PM and arrives in Montreal at 19:05PM via Varadero. |
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Your new Cubans friends will miss you and look forward to your return. Be sure to keep in touch with them by email! Take pictures and keep a journal and we'll post them on this website for all to see and enjoy upon your return.
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