In Emblem Hotel, we call ourselves “connectors”.
We always think that each of our member is a person who connect people, like between locals and travelers.
As a connector, who connect travelers from all over the world, we also need to have travelers’ mind-set. So we decided to encourage our colleagues to take a vacation for traveling, and share “travelers’ point of view” within our member.
Aki, marketing manager, wrote a first “Connectors are travelers” column.
Where is your destination?
I went to Cuba, in Central America.
Why did you choose Cuba for your visit?
Because I wanted to see the Socialism society and the local people’s life. When I was studying in college, my major was international relations. I have studied abroad in Estonia, a post-Soviet country, and learnt about Social Structure of Socialism, so Cuba was a country that I wanted to visit for long.
What is your motto of traveling?
“Enjoy something unexpected” is my “motto”.
I love backpacking without plan. Before I started working, I sometimes bought an airplane tickets and traveling for a few months. I met lots of wonderful people, visited local places that are popular only among locals and found my favorite restaurants. They are all unexpected, and somehow I still remember these experiences more than doing just sightseeing. Based on the experience, I still travel in similar way during vacation. I just bought a plane ticket, and enjoy local feelings walking around town.
What was the biggest impression of Cuba trip?
That’s locals’ life. In most places these is no Internet at all. (There are few in public parks, but it was really hard to find good spots.) I saw many people who don’t even have cell phone! It might sound very inconvenient, but the people living there look very happy and they seem they enjoy their life.
(Cuban people using public phone, 2018)
What is the biggest connecting experience during your trip?
It’s probably not exactly a connecting experience, but I enjoyed conversation with a guy selling antiques in a market!
I was originally looking for “Cuervo y Sobrinos” antique watch, but I saw so many kinds of attractive items, so I asked him a lot of questions. He is very kind, and explain to me about details of each item. Also we talked about the story behind items and Cuban history.
Having a conversation with local people was the most memorable during the trip.
And of course I bought a watch from him in the end!
Where do you want to go next?
I want to go somewhere I’ve never been to.
I heard Georgian Wine is very tasty, so I maybe I will visit Georgia next time.