Varadero - Havana - Everglades - Miami - Yellowstone - Arco

Before we begin: The laptop has risen again - unfortunately, a Tolino has now passed away.

Last days in Cuba

Our last entry ended with our stay in Varadero. Three sunny days by the pool and sea later - Petrus had mercy on us and gave us dream weather until our departure to Miami - we arrived in Havana.

Havana's old town cast a spell on us. We stayed right next to one of the hotspots - the Plaza Vieja - with a very courteous Airbnb host. As a surprise for our honeymoon, the entire apartment was decorated with rose petals when we arrived, he gave us very helpful tips for city sightseeing, and someone prepared breakfast for us every morning. The three days were packed: returning the rental car, visiting El Morro (a castle built by the Spaniards to protect the harbor), visiting the former parliament building (Capitolio), attending the Buena Vista Social Club (concert by well-known Cuban musicians), and taking a hop-on/hop-off bus tour.

Many of those who know Thomas better have read the words hop-on/hop-off-bus at least twice in the above list, as he is a confessed opponent of these tourist traps. In Havana, we followed the recommendation of our host and boarded such a tourist bus. What was special - we didn't know this beforehand - was that it wasn't really about "hop-on," "off" at a nice place, and later "on" again, but rather a sightseeing tour without any real hopping opportunity. When we boarded this vehicle, Karin asked warningly: "Do you really want to keep your hat on - because of the wind and all?" After 15 minutes of driving, her tone became more severe: "You will lose your hat, I can see it coming." After 45 minutes, she only said: "I told you so." The hat was blown away by the wind, and Thomas said, "I told you so too: I won't go on any hop-on/hop-off buses." Because anyone reading these lines knows that this bus is to blame for the loss of the hat.

Thanks to the taxi ride to the airport in an old Cadillac, Princess Karin's last wish in Cuba had been fulfilled. By the way, the departure from Cuba and the entry into the USA went absolutely smoothly.

Welcome to Miami bienvenido a miami

With Will Smith's hit in our ears, we landed in Miami, where McDonald's, Burger King, Tinka Bell, and all the others at the airport made it clear to us: Cuban culture is behind you, welcome to America - the land of unlimited possibilities and well-stocked supermarkets. The land where the Nissan Versa represents the smallest car available for rent. With that, we set off towards the crocodiles in the Everglades. Shortly after arrival, we boarded a speedy airboat at Speedy's Airboat (editor's note: what a play on words!) and raced through the jungle-like nature channels of the national park. One crocodile didn't want to show itself. Motivated by the thrilling ride, depressed by not seeing the croc, we explored the area with our compact car. The depressive mood eventually turned into inner joy when we came across countless reptiles and observed them sunbathing or chilling while swimming. Karin also saw a baby crocodile (Karin's definition) or a large lizard (Thomas's definition). Our dispute only lasted a short time, and we agreed that Karin had seen a reptile about 30 centimeters in size.

Leaving the Everglades behind, we arrived in Miami Beach. We had a magnificent hotel - from the pool, you could admire the view of Miami, and the size of the rooms was more like a small apartment than a hotel room. Thanks to the early reservation, we were able to stay in this gem. However, the parking fees of USD 41 per night and our beer consumption on Lincoln Road - 2 packs of beer for a mere USD 22 - were less moderate. Miami Beach gave us the impression of being what Zurich would like to be. If you're not rich and/or beautiful, or if you haven't had any cosmetic surgery, you somehow don't belong here. Our feelings for Miami Beach are therefore comparable to the affection Berners generally have for Zurichers. However, Miami Beach has an extremely beautiful beach for a city.

Into the wild

After a flight marked by turbulence, we reached Denver. A Ford truck driver fully convinced by Donald Trump brought us to Cruise America - our camper rental company. Since then, we have been cruising through America with our C19 motorhome.

We spent the first two nights in Rocky Mountain National Park. We really liked it at the foot of the Rockies, and the evenings by our campfire followed by a barbecue were cozy. With the goal of heading towards Yellowstone National Park, we set off after these two nights. The over-motivated Thomas drove us on an 11-hour journey through Wyoming - beautiful landscapes made the drive feel more like constant natural sightseeing than a tiring trip - until we reached the park. We arrived in the national park at 7 p.m. On this evening, we were really lucky. Despite our very late arrival, we managed to secure a campsite for the next three nights (for comparison: all sites were occupied by 6 p.m. the following day, and even before noon on the next two days). We realized how lucky we were when we left the park: a 20-mile-long line (they would have been delighted with a 10 km traffic jam at the Gotthard) had formed to enter the park - including day tourists. What could be better than spending 3 hours in traffic, briefly photographing 1-2 bison, and spending another 3 hours in traffic on the way home?

Back to Yellowstone National Park, who:

- feels a certain enthusiasm for nature (nature in terms of animals, volcanoes, rivers, canyons, mountains, or incomprehensibly simmering bodies of water) and/or

- enjoys hiking and/or

- likes to take photos and/or

- enjoys camping

is in the right place in our view in Yellowstone. One natural wonder follows another, and bison, bears, and moose bid each other good night here. In our opinion, Yellowstone cannot be described, it must be experienced. We really liked the park! The only downside was that with so many people in the park, you weren't really alone unless you were hiking. For example, more people watched the eruption of Old Faithful than games of the Rapperswil Jona Lakers.

It's worth mentioning: Many people have discussed extensively with us about the plan to camp in New Zealand in winter, and we ourselves have put a lot of thought into it. According to climate tables, temperatures in winter drop to just below 0 degrees. In Yellowstone, it was -3 degrees Celsius at night, and it had snowed. The thermometer showed around 20 degrees again the following day. And it's not even April.

Back to civilization

After experiencing so much in the last two weeks, a break was due. That's why we are now in Arco for three days. A place whose greatest pride is being the first atomically powered town in the USA. It's cozy, and the campsite offers a beautiful view of the mountains.

The following lines are not for the faint of heart. Children under 16 should only read them in the presence of an adult. It's also important: Read one sentence, immerse yourself in the situation, and then continue with the next sentence:

Tomorrow, half past nine in Arco: You're sitting on the toilet in flip-flops for a longer session. You're enjoying the feeling of having infinite time for your business. The neighbor's toilet is flushed. You feel moisture on your feet. You look down and realize that it's really wet. Someone tells you that the toilet is overflowing. You look down again (you're still sitting on the toilet seat). You realize why it feels wet and what it is your flip-flop feet are standing in...

...as you leave the toilet, suddenly your thigh feels wet. You realize that your shorts in the toilet seat position have touched the floor.

You come back and tell the story to your wife. She finds the story amusing.

Tomorrow, half past ten in Arco: You have recovered from your shock and want to remove the wastewater from your camper for the first time. You check the valve and open the plug. You assume that nothing will happen now. You are wrong...

...right now, you don't feel the need to wash your hands, but your hands are "washed." Only with great effort can you close the wastewater valve again.

Your hands smell like feces. You wash your hands. When you come back, your wife greets you with a nice, "Honey, do you feel like shit today?"

Enough of the feces - planned onward journey

After three days in Arco, we will continue on Saturday. We have 11 more days until Las Vegas and will visit some national parks along the way. We have been enjoying the trip so far, even though we already miss our loved ones a little bit.