NY allows to do anything you want. Wanna walk in micro-shorts on the 5-th avenue - you're welcome. And nobody cares. That's a great difference to Moscow.

I learnt that love is blind.

I learnt that people are rarely open with you until you are intimate with them. And even then they hide as much as they can.

I learnt that love is a beautiful thing, and that you can’t relax in a relationship, you have to try, and try, and keep giving the whole time. Don’t ruin something that can be wonderful.

I learnt that relationships are about compromise, and a person who will not compromise back, or does not understand that everything is two way is absolutely bad news, no matter how great they make you feel.

I learnt that women are amazingly complex, and it’s amazing that any man is good enough.

I learnt that life isn’t easy, but if you make the most of it, and stay cheerful, and talk to people, and try hard; every day is rewarding.

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

I've been there for 5 days and it was more than enough. It took a while to sort my thoughts on this trip. To put the verdict up front: picturesque but not really recommended.
I don’t want to say it was a bad vacation …but somehow it just seems that general picture of Cuba is a bit too romantic. Don’t you also think of these friendly people living in this beautiful but worn down buildings, music, cigars, rum and a little “viva la revolution”. All this with some sunshine and some “Buena Vista Social Club” music in the background? Well, some of that is true …unfortunately some is not.
So what was wrong? Well, the one thing that really annoyed me - hustlers everywhere! What I really hated is that they made me distrust anyone! This and the arbitrariness.
We met a girl that lived in Cuba for a while about 10 years ago. She so couldn’t stand the new face of Cuba that she was trying to change her flight and leave earlier. I think that speaks a thousand words.
Cuba must have been the pearl of the Caribbean. But it’s seems many Cubanos are selling out the spirit of their country …until everything is gone. Let’s hope they realize this before it is too late.
Cuban beaches were quite a disappointment. For some reason there are very few cities that are close to the beach. And the (supposedly) good ones are resort style. Well, probably depends whether you like that sort or vacations or not. The actual beach people refer to is “Rancho Luna“. A nice beach - but not spectacular. 15km from Cienfuegos. You need to get a taxi or be lucky to catch the local bus. This is also where I went diving. Not that I could recommend the dive operator - but the diving itself was quite nice. But in general I weren’t impressed. I realy hoped for the better...

"Hoila Amigo.....You Speak English?"

"Yes...you want Cuban Ciger?...Cohiba?...Monte Christo?...."

"No Amigo...No Cigar....my name is Daryl and you are?"

"Manuel"

"I was wondering Manuel?....Tomorrow...celebration in Place De Revolucion?"

"Yes....Fidel Castro will be making a speech to the people."

"I hear there is going to be 100,000 people there?"

"Oh...more than that senor...maybe a million."

"A million!"

"Yes....They come from all over Cuba..."

"Will you be there?"

"Yes....it is my obligation"

"But what if you dont want to go?"

"Then maybe when I go back to my Job Tuesday they say I have no job....if you have to work during the speech then you do not....have to go...but it is a holiday so many people will go."

"So when does Castro start speaking tomorrow?"

"About 8:30 to maybe 12:30 or 13:00"

"4 Hours!"

"yes...in the morning everybodys eyes are closed but in 4 hours they are wide open."

"No problem for me manuel to be there?"

"No amigo...it is no problem."

"Good...very good...I plan on being there...."

"Yes Daryl....now I show you the Cohibas at the market...you no hafta buy...just look"

"Okay Manuel...I will look but I am not going to buy...I am not"

"No problem Daryl."

Perhaps I'm a stupid fool, but I do miss Moscow. My friends, my parents, my past are there. And if I had known about this nostalgia earlier, I wouldn't have selected a Russian site for the blog (yep, Lusya it's for you).
And still my future is in US, I may miss my country, but undoubtedly I'd never return.

Because I've felt the "need" to completely unplug of late, yet with a thousand things on my mind, I was up at 4:30 this morning and decided that instead of laying there I would get up and get the day started. Killing two birds with one stone, I would also have the benefit of a slow morning, breakfast, a Starbucks stop, and a seat on the subway.

As I walked to the subway, I thought to myself how peaceful NYC seemed so early in the morning. It was 6AM, I knew Starbucks would be open so slowly made my way through down 3rd, across 87th and over to Lexington. The Starbucks line was efficient (as there were only three customers ahead of me); the papers were just being delivered; the air wasn't yet stale. I swear birds were chirping. And were those fawns and fairies frollicking? It's not the very NY I saw at first, grave and crowded. It was heaven, I swear it was!

That's what I love this place for

With each retelling the trip becomes more and more legendary, even as all I remember are the mundane parts of it.G etting on the bus in the Florida sunshine, my brand new Fuji 4900z along to remember the journey, a copy of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and a bottle of Pepsi to set me off. A hat in Washington. A 4 story high stork in North Dakota. Sunflowers in Montana. A town named Weed. An angel painted on a wall. A coffee kiosk set by a giant red barn. An argument over the computer in Seattle. A grove of giant trees. I remember everything and nothing.

I've understood that I'm fond of bald men. Really, can't help admiring them. They seem to be kind... Perhaps it's just a cast, but I can't resist their magnetism.

In New York, it's hard to stand out, especially in the Lower East Side. You think you look crazy enough, and then there goes a guy in orange paint and a thong, and all of a sudden your pink neon jumpsuit just seems tame. Looking mentally unstable seems to be cool here...
By the fact I've found lot of magnificent shops to go, with quite low prices. One store where ladies can score some stand-out threads is Peggy Pardon, a cute little vintage boutique on boozy Ludlow Street. A collection of beautiful, preserved dresses from the 1920s-40s that are just the bee's knees - great! And when you're done shopping, replenish your energy at two of the trendiest, and tastiest, Italian spots in the city: Falai and 'inoteca. Finally, erase the fact that you've just spent way too much from your memory by downing a few beers at Max Fish. Sure, it's way too bright and crowded, but the eclectic art, jukebox and crowd makes it the perfect place to show off your unique new threads.
I love LOVE LOVE this city!!!!

New York is an incredibly cool city! It's like diving into a rabit hole, you're just falling and don't understand where, it's wonderland! And when one gets here, he won't even try to get out.
And, yep, it's much easier to find a man here, than in Russia. Americans are so sweet!

What is a girl who's just come to Manhattan to do? Where to go? And there is nobody to ask.
I used to live in Moscow for all my life, I'm Russian in my mind, but I don't wanna be the part of this mad country any more, it makes me irate to see so many stupid fools every day, see them trying to live, not understanding that it's not a life. I hate all this bullshit about Russian mysterious soul, it's just lack of brains!
I don't know what to do here, I've just found a place to live in the Lower East Side (not a palace in fact, but better than nothing). And I've got my laptop wth me. And I'm happy. For the first time in my life I'm incredibly independent. It's a... WOOOOOW!!!! It's more than I used to wish

...Vain, ill-tempered and easily offended. Just woman.