Our trip dreams started around December 2015. We were both itching for a new cycle adventure in a warm climate. Ideas of Mexico were thrown around until we found flights on sale to Varadero. These flights were hurriedly booked online while multitasking which resulted in buying different airline tickets. Oops.
Airline tickets aside, the whole trip came together swimmingly. My amazing colleague and mentor, Hilary, connected me with a wonderful network of Cuban educators. Big thanks for your time and support, Hilary. One of these people is one of the warmest people on this planet, Juan Silvio Cabrera Albert. He is a very proud Cuban and works at a university promoting education through the arts. He was an essential part of making this trip happen so smoothly. Mil gracias otra vez, Juan Silvio.
Sarah had a wonderful idea for this trip which involved having a fundraiser. Instead of bringing our beloved and reliable Surly Long Haul Truckers down to Cuba, we would be looking to the community to help us in our endeavors.
Working full-time and finding bikes proved challenging, but luckily I have a super supportive and well-connected boyfriend was able to secure us two bikes from his community of fellow cyclists. Endless thank yous, Drummond and friends.
And our fundraising night just could not have happened without two amazing Vancouver musicians, my brother, Luca Fogale who did our sound for the night, and a colleague of mine, Juan Pablo who played and practiced and sang some beautiful Cuban tunes alongside us. We so appreciate the support, it was an incredible night and a great way to kick off our trip!
Finally, grazie mille to the Italian Cultural Centre. So amazing of them to let us use their space for free and for feeding us delicious pizza.
Thank you, family, friends and community. I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures...
No comments:
Post a Comment