What a day - we visited both Sun Studios and the Memphis Museum of Rock and Soul. As you enter the recording studio at Sun you feel as though you have stepped back in time - it actually has the original acoustic tiles on the walls & ceiling as well as some of the original instruments and recording devices. Standing in the room where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkin
s, Roy Orbison, B. B. King (just to mention a few) all recorded caused us to have goose bumps - this is where Rock and Roll was born - this is the only studio that is a designated national historic landmark - this studio is nothing less than awe inspiring. Similarly, the Rock and Soul Museum brilliantly tells the stories of musical pioneers and legends of all racial and socio-economic backgrounds who, for the love of music, overcame many obstacles to create musical sounds that changed the world. Both seeing the many original artifacts and listening to the original music and stories was very emotional and soul stirring - a magnificent day.
Got into Memphis early in the afternoon today and booked a hotel for a week. We were really lucky after receiving some great advice from a taxi driver who talked himself out of a fare by telling us about a good economic hotel right in the middle of the downtown region. Went for a walk to the Tourist Information Centre only to discover it had closed an hour earlier due to blocked sewerage pipes. We then went to the famous Beale Street (just around the corner from where we are staying) and our senses were immediately overloaded with the sounds and sights of the blues. Sat in a park and listened to a great blues band belting out some of the classics of the sixties and seventies then had a bite to eat. We discovered the B.B.King Club and will go there on Friday night. There is so much to see here in Memphis it is taking us some time to work out our itinerary. Tomorrow we will go to Sun Records who also have a free shuttle service to Graceland. We also have to fit in the Delta Blues Museum, the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Memphis Rock n' Soul Museum and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music just to name a few. In addition, almost every corner has some sort of historical remnant or reminder of the glory days of blues and rock and roll - what a place to be.
Went to the Alabama Jazz Hall Of Fame and had a spectacular time. We were really lucky to be guided by Frank "Doc"Adams, the first inductee into the Hall of Fame. Doc Adams has played with some of the greats including Duke Ellington, Lucky Millinder, Tiny Bradshaw and Sun Ra. (He learned to play the clarinet from his older brother, Oscar Adams, Jr., who was Alabama's first Black Supreme Court Justice and his father, Oscar Adams, Sr., who played trombone with W. C. Handy, the Father of the Blues). This was a most inspiring tour and "Doc" played us a number of classical jazz pieces on his clarinet, even making up a song for Sharon on the spot that is now officially called "Sharon's Be Bop Blues". It was fascinating to hear a first hand account of some of the major jazz influences and he shared a whole heap of stories about some of these famous people. We also visited the 16th Street Baptist Church and saw a film with historical footage of the famous bombing which gained the Civil Rights movement world wide recognition and sympathy. Finally we had some real down south home cooking at Mrs B's on 4th - the best meal we have had in ages. All in all, a brilliant day. (Press the play button on the video below to hear Sharon's Be Bop Blues)
Birmingham is an impressive city which appears to be determined to face its segregationist past rather than sweep it under the rug. To this end the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Kelly Ingram Park stand as testaments to the city's willingness to move with dignity away from its shameful past. This can best be demonstrated by the inscriptions under the various monuments in the park. The one under that of the dogs and police attacking innocent demonstrators reading: "This sculpture is dedicated to the foot soldiers of the Birmingham Civil Rights movement. With gallantry, courage and great bravery they faced the violence of attack dogs, high powered water hoses and bombings. They were the fodder in the advance against injustice, warriors of a just cause: They represent humanity unshaken in their firm belief in their nation's commitment to liberty and justice for all. We salute the men and women who were the soldiers of this great cause." 
In a similar vein, the inscription under the Martin Luther King statue reads, in part:
"His dream liberated Birmingham from itself and began a new day of love, mutual respect and cooperation. This statue of Dr. Martin Luther King is erected by the citizens of Birmingham as an indication of their esteem for him and in appreciation of his sacrificial service to mankind."
It was an extremely moving day spent looking at the exhibitions that both celebrated and documented this tumultuous time in the struggle for equal rights and dignity.
After a day of rest yesterday where we watched TV whilst not sleeping we caught the Greyhound bus to Birmingham and arrived at 12 noon. We have learnt that you really need a car to travel around America anywhere outside of the major cities. Public transport is very sporadic and it is almost impossible to find out timetables and connections. Luckily we have the Greyhound to connect us between Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham so we don't have to walk the route as did the participants of the great Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Looking forward to seeing some of of the civil rights sites/sights in Birmingham including the Civil Rights District, the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Institute and the Kelly Ingrim Centre. In addition we are keen to see the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. On a different note, it was great coming to an area which has supermarkets and department stores. We were able to buy a few essentials including fresh food which has provided a striking contrast to the take away fare we have had to eat for the last week or so (although I do recommend the Waffle House chain should you ever be in the USA - fantastic hash browns and omelettes).
Caught the Greyhound bus to go to Montgomery in Alabama an
d arrived after a nine hour trip. Wow, Montgomery is so different to New Orleans. We hit the Civil rights trail in the city and saw some amazing sights. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum was truly unique and, without doubt, it was one of the best interactive museums we have ever seen. The time bus in the Children's Wing was spectacular and gave a brilliant exhibition of the struggle for rights since the 1800s. Similarly, the Civil Rights Memorial Centre was an inspirational tribute to those who lost their lives and those who struggled for Civil Rights. Montgomery has proved to be a quiet town which has embraced its place in the Civil Rights movement with dignity and pride which is quite ironic give
n its original strong opposition to the movement in the 50's and 60's. In addition, Montgomery is the first place that we have been to where we have really missed having a car. The large distances between locations of interest and the locals amazement that we are "public transporting" have both contributed to our sense of "automotive deprivation" - will need to check out rental options.
Got into New Orleans on Thursday night after another fun airport experience where we had to wait for three hours to be processed by USA immigration and customs resulting in us missing our connecting flight. When we rang the number of the hostel to pick us up at 10pm we got a "not in service" message. Fun and games then ensued but we finally arrived at our destination at 11.30pm. Anyway, New Orleans has geared up for the Mardi Gras and we have seen a lot of different parades (similar to Moomba) where they throw beads and cups from the floats - now have a substantial collection of both. The streets are full of music, particularly jazz and there are a huge number of eating places with a wide variety of foods. We discovered a record shop that sells a lot of old vinyl and Cd's and they made up a CD
of rare music for us by copying over the music from old vinyl singles. Other highlights to date include The Museum Of The Confederacy, all you can eat jazz brunches, visiting the House Of Blues, riding the Mississippi river, encountering our first gun totting southerner, visiting a memorabilia shop which had signed guitars from many famous musicians including Janis Joplin ($90,000US), Cream ($45,000US), Rolling Stones ($50,000US) and B.B. King ($35,000) just to mention a few. We are currently investigating buying/renting a car and will soon continue on to Alabama
Took a day or so to acclimatize to Mexico particularly the abundance of food and provisions. Yesterday we went to Chichen Itza which was very spectacular. It was great having a guide who explained a lot of the ancient traditions. Historians do not know what happened to the Mayan people and their culture - my theory is that they basically sacrificed themselves out of existence with blood sacrifices being a huge part of the culture as it was thought to bring "new blood and life" to the gods. Many of these involved cutting the victim's heart out with a sacrificial knife (see picture below). Then there were the beheadings, of particular fascination were those of the captain of the winning side in the local ball game played to honour the gods. The main temple (the site of most sacrifices) is an architectural marvel and was designed to act as a calendar with astonishing accuracy. The other ruins around the temple supplied a great insight into life and culture at the time. A handy hint in Cancun is that you can do a lot of trips for free (or very cheaply) as all of the hotels have time-share type presentations. We quickly discovered that sitting through an hour of these enabled you to get free meals and excursions saving hund
reds and hundreds of of dollars. (There are many Aussies doing this - surprise, surprise). Tomorrow, we are going on a free submarine ride to explore the reefs after we get our free breakfast and then we come back for our free lunch.
Spent the morning having one last look around Havana before leaving for the airport. Our hosts had arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport at 12.30pm so visited the market and a couple of favourite shops before saying our farewells. The airport was relatively easy and after we paid our taxi fare and exit fees (which were more than our entrance to Cuba fees) we had a few CUC left over so bought a book about the revolution and 
another Che t-shirt for Sharon which left us with just enough money to buy a bottle of water. The flight over was only an hour and a bit although the plane left an hour late (never found out why). Arrived in Cancun in the dark and got a huge culture shock - very different to Havana. The taxis wanted $60US to take us downtown and this was not negotiable so took a bus for $3.50US each. The money system in Cancun is confusing as they use both pesos and US dollars and the symbol is the same for both. Found a hostel to stay at through one of the many, many, many people touting at the bus station. It was only a five minute walk and we arrived, paid and just crashed for the night.
Went for a long, long walk to Verdado, the next suburb over from Old Havana with a mission in mind. Havana is full of revolutionary posters stuck in most shop windows, posted on billboards and painted on many walls. However, it is impossible to get copies of these and no shop owner was prepared to provide us with their copy. We received a lead and went to a group called OSPAAAL (Organization of Solidarity of the People of Asia, Africa & Latin America) and found some amazing posters (you can see some at www.ospaaal.com). They were very surprised and quite delighted that we were interested in their artwork and treated us with great respect and dignity. We were shown some amazing posters and were able to procure some of them including a series of ten posters celebrating Che. We rushed home protecting them from the inclement weather as we were unable to find either a post offi
ce to send them home or a place we could get some tubing to roll the posters into. Finally, we were able to procure some tubing with the generous help of our host and they now sit securely in our luggage until we can send them back to Australia. During our walk we came across the Martin Luther king Jr/Malcolm X Memorial Park which was quite impressive.
We went on a bus trip to the country today and saw many things. We saw a cigar production factory where every cigar is made by hand including the leaf sorting, the rolling of the leaves, the testing of the pressure of each cigar, the making of the identification wrappers and the boxes they are installed in. We then saw a typical tobacco farm where rules have just been changed so that farmers only have to give the government the first two tonnes of tobacco leaves and then they can manufacture and sell their own cigars (often much better and cheaper than the government produced ones). We then were shown a huge mural painted directly onto the cliffs (yes, no canvas just the rocks and soil) and then were privileged 
to see some spectacular countryside scenery. Finally we travelled through some underground caves by boat to see very interesting rock formations including stalagmites and stalactites. Finally, received a very tasteful lunch before heading back home. In all a very enjoyable day
International contact in Cuba is nigh on impossible. Wanted to make an international phone call back to Australia so went to the Cuban telephone Company head office to buy a telephone card only to be told that they do not have any cards. Was sent down to one of their branches and, after waiting in a queue for ages (see Sharon at the end), was also informed that they had no cards. After much searching found one at a hotel. After paying 10CUC (about $16AUS) made the call and got less than three minutes. We then decided to use the Internet which costs 6CUC (about $10AUS) an hour only to find there were no Internet cards available – apparently the same company make both Internet and Phone cards – go figure. Again, finally found a hotel that had a card for sale. Unfortunately, the Internet is really slow and censored in Cuba and when I say slow I mean slowwwwwwwwwwwww. It took 40 minutes to connect to Yahoo mail and then we ran out of time before we could send a reply. The hotel staff were not at all surprised or phased when we reported this and shrugged their shoulders as if to say “what’s your problem”. Lucky Havana is such a beautiful and friendly city.
Today walked around a bit and went to the train station to see if we can get tickets to go to places for a day trip. Gave up after a while as it was all too complicated. The queues were huge and there was very little information and assistance. At the bus station there were about 60 people seated ahead of us and we were informed that there would be a five hour wait. Decided to have a rest day where we tried to get s cup of coffee at one of the swank hotels. We were given a menu that ran for four pages and when we asked for a banana split and a coffee each were informed that the only items available was the Classic Sundae and Espresso Coffee. Nothing else on the menu was able to be purchased. We walked for ages and ended up at a place near where we were staying and got a bite to eat. We were extremely weary and returned home at about three in the afternoon only to fall asleep straight away
Went the total tourist circuit today using the tour buses. For 5CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) or about $5US you can buy an all day pass on three bus lines the T1, T2 and T3. We were able to find the T1 and T3 but could not find the embarkation point for the T2. Nevertheless we saw a lot of the town and discovered many new building and sights. Unfortunately, we did get stuck on the upper level of one of the buses for about an hour as we were locked in when the driver went to lunch (don’t ask – it’s a long story and we were not the only ones). Finding food in Havana is very difficult and this is attested by an old Cuban joke which goes –
Question - What are the three major failings of the revolution?
Answer - Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Things are very expensive in Cuba and much is in short supply. However, there is always something that you can get so it is not a total loss and tnhe food is generally fresh and delicious.
Spent most of today at the Museo De La Revolucion and heard the other side of the story. Interesting to see the many exhibits talking about the USA Imperialistic expansionist attempts from the middle of the 1800’s with the exploitation of the locals for the sugar cane. The Castro led insurrection/freedom fight began in 1953 and culminated with the overthrow of the Batista government in 1959 and was just the final chapter in a long history of popular uprising. It was fascinating to hear the Cuban version of history and the very emotive anti-imperialistic rhetoric used. It was also of huge interest to hear the doctrines of equal opportunity, particularly to blacks and women, espoused by the revolution and the attempts to bring education and health to the masses after the victory of 1959. My in
ner revolutionary was really stirred and I think I felt myself channelling Che Guevara. Bought lots of souvenirs at the Museum as a unique opportunity. Sharon’s admiration for the revolutionaries and what they went through is even greater now than before and she looks great in her Che t-shirt.
A full day of walking around and experiencing the sights of Havana. Old Havana is spectacular with some of the most amazing buildings I have seen. There is a real carry over from before the revolution and there are many buildings which are extremely opulent and many which have been modelled on buildings in the United States. For example, the Capitol is an exact scaled replica of the House of Congress in the US. In addition there are cathedrals and state building dating back sixteenth century which are quite spectacular and fortresses and walls all over the place. We discovered a large group of people wheeling and dealing in the Prado (a main street with a centre walkway and places to rest and gather) only to find out that, as there was no buying and selling of properties, these people were negotiating to swap houses to meet their individual needs. The old cars in Havana are beyond spectacular with magnificent automobiles from the 50’s and 40’s abounding. Chevies, 
Plymouths, Cadillacs etc in excellent condition are everywhere.
Flew into Havana today and met up with Sharon. However, my perfect record of problems at the airport continued. Apparently, I only had a 30 day Visa for Peru (even though I requested a three month Visa) but had stayed for 65 days. This resulted in me having to pay $1US per day for every day over 30 days. In addition, I had to pay a $5US penalty because I didn’t have my embarkation document which no one told me I needed to get out of the country. This left me with no money in my wallet. When I arrived in Panama and went to board the connecting plane to Havana I was told I had to buy a Visa into Cuba for $20US dollars and they would only accept USA cash. I had to run around looking for a EFT machine and just made my flight (they were closing the door on me and did not want to let me in until I stuck my foot in the doorway and refused to move it). Got into Havana at about 7.30pm and took two hours to get through customs, Firstly, my baggage was the second last off the plane and then everybody’s luggage was being searched. Got to my accommodation at about 10.30pm and Sharon opened the door – a more beautiful sight I cannot remember. We hugged and kissed and caught up on everything. I met the people whose house we are staying at and they are lovely. Finally went to bed and slept like a baby
For those of you following this blog you will have noticed that there have been no postings for the last week and a half. This is because Havana does not have an Internet system worth speaking about. $10US per hour and it takes forty five minutes to open Yahoo. Now that we have arrived in Cancun we will place the postings for Havana in the next day or two.In the meantime here is Sharon enjoying a Havana Punch cheers for now
What a day - we visited both Sun Studios and the Memphis Museum of Rock and Soul. As you enter the recording studio at Sun you feel as though you have stepped back in time - it actually has the original acoustic tiles on the walls & ceiling as well as some of the original instruments and recording devices. Standing in the room where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkin
s, Roy Orbison, B. B. King (just to mention a few) all recorded caused us to have goose bumps - this is where Rock and Roll was born - this is the only studio that is a designated national historic landmark - this studio is nothing less than awe inspiring. Similarly, the Rock and Soul Museum brilliantly tells the stories of musical pioneers and legends of all racial and socio-economic backgrounds who, for the love of music, overcame many obstacles to create musical sounds that changed the world. Both seeing the many original artifacts and listening to the original music and stories was very emotional and soul stirring - a magnificent day.
