Havana, Cuba
There are two realities in Cuba: The tourist reality and the local reality.
Day 1
The flight from Miami to Cuba was amazing. We were bumped up to first class and were served mimosas before take off, as well as snacks and drinks in flight. It was early so after the mimosas we opted for coffee and diet Coke. The flight was all of 45 minutes long. Once we arrived we went to the bathroom and then went ahead and exchanged money. Found our cab driver arranged by the woman we re staying with. He did not speak English. I did most of the talking for Andrew and me. The man wanted to know why we were so late. We went out another exit and couldn't find him so we had gone to the bathroom and then exchanged funds. We had brought Canadian dollars to exchange, but on my receipt it says we brought Indian currency? Still confused...
In the car I sat on a cloth and wasn't able to buckle up. Weird. The driver wanted to know where we were from and then once we told him he wanted to know whether it was far from Miami. He spoke slowly and used gestures. He often needed to repeat himself but we understood each other. As we drove down the street I was fascinated by the plantations, old cars and run down buildings.
When we arrived the area looked run down and so did the outside of where we were staying. When we arrived our lovely host, her husband and their little dog resembling Toto were there to greet us along with two young German tourists who had stayed in that room for one night. We spoke in German and they said they were off to the beach. Once they left we concentrated on our host. She showed us to our flat which was in the basement and we were so thrilled that it's very nice with a modern shower, a nice bed, couches and a TV There is also a small fridge with bottled water in it for 1 CUC each. We were told not to drink the water here at so we've used it for tooth brushing and washing out our mouths as well as the usual drinking.
Once we set our things down we ventured into town, which resulted in walking about 7 miles and getting lost in the process. With no wifi and Andrew being the only one with directional sense it took a while for us to find our way around. Eventually I was dying of thirst and we stopped for a bottled water. Cuban bottled water tastes like pool water. Yuck. After walking further we found a hotel restaurant where we ate ham and cheese panini sandwiches which were pretty good. We sipped our drinks, ate our sandwiches and watched a soccer game on the television. It was so pixelated and difficult to see, something we haven't dealt with in the US since the 1990s.
Using the bathroom proved to be interesting. On public toilets in Cuba there are no toilet seats, and you're lucky to have toilet paper (lots of times it's rationed out to you) and then you're lucky to get soap to wash your hands with. Yum. Thankfully I had read about this before my travels and brought extra tissues and hand sanitizer with me. Both have proved to be very useful.
After lunch and walking miles without figuring out where old Havana was, we took a taxi in an old 1950s American car and finally got there. We walked around and went to a couple cafes, most notably the Museo de Chocolate, where the chocolate milk and the chocolates that came with it were cheap and delicious. We bought some to bring home with us.
Dinner was at a brewery and the food and service were both less than stellar. The chicken didn't taste good. We picked at it and drank our drinks-I had a mojito, Andrew had beer. It seemed weird to be in the most touristy area in all of the city and have the food be so cheap. Chicken was 6 CUC, beer was 2 CUC and the mojito, which was delicious, was 2 CUC. Not exactly expensive. However our cab ride was 15 CUC to get home, which, according to our host, should've been 5-8 CUC. We of course got charged more since we are tourists, something I don't begrudge the locals for. I know that money is tight for most Cubans and they need the extra income.
Back at home, we were exhausted from the day. Outside, we heard loud music and talking in Spanish. Why in the world was there a party on a Wednesday night? Weird. I put my earplugs in and fell fast asleep.
Day 2
Our host does breakfast for 5 CUC per person so we'd requested breakfast for our entire stay. The breakfast was very delicious. It was coffee (VERY strong), condensed milk, a plate of fruit each with guavas, pineapple, etc., scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, bread, butter, marmalade, and pineapple juice. Very delicious and very affordable...
After breakfast our host took us to a street where we could hail a taxi and talked to the driver so the drive was 5 CUC, not 15 like yesterday.
We got dropped at the Plaza de Armas and went into the Castillo (castle) there. We were looking at different coins and stones with relative disinterest (we paid the admission to see the view from the top of the castle) when a woman approached me and started a conversation in Spanish. She asked if we were from Canada or the the U.K., to which I replied that we were from the US. She asked where and mentioned she had relatives in, you guessed it, Miami. She then took us to a view that was out of the way from the cameras and asked if we wanted a picture which wasn't allowed. I said no, knowing she'd want some money. Then she continued to follow us around, went behind another camera and asked us for money. Had Andrew give her 1 CUC and we were on our way. We went up to the top of the castle, looked at the view and then went back down. In front of the old governors mansion a guy tried to sell us coins. He took them back when he realized we weren't going to pay him more than like 40 cents. While we were expecting this in such a touristy part of the city, it never fails to make us uncomfortable.
We moved on from there to a look out point that you go to by taking an elevator to the 8th floor of the building. That was really cool, and the tour guide there was nice. She took us in a room that showed us the city "live" thanks to a bunch of mirrors on the roof that were projected into the room. Very cool stuff!
From there we took a hop on hop off tour that basically showed us how run down the city is. The aquarium, which is still in operation, looks as if it was last updated/used in the 70s. It was pretty pathetic. Once we got off the bus we were dying for food and water. It was hard to find a decent restaurant and when we did we left after not being acknowledged after 25 minutes!! We finally found a restaurant later that had been recommended on our Cuba app. It was expensive but the food was better than what we'd been having. We were starving by the time we arrived 5pm for our lunch/dinner and promptly devoured 5 rolls and a bunch of bread sticks between us . Our main dishes, shrimp for him and chicken tomatoes soup for me, plus a huge bowl of rice to share, are delicious and we eat everything. Then we top it off with dessert. The restaurant was good. The bathroom there, however, was lacking. Toilet had a broken knob and then there was no water. Had to dip my hands in a tin of water and then I proceeded to douse myself in hand sanitizer.
Andrew and I went for a walk through a park and a Cuban man asked to have Andrews hat. We were so confused/amused by that. Andrew was not willing to give up his favorite hat!
We sit in a park for a while and then go to a cafe for mojitos. Dogs walk around with name tags and we wonder why. They are everywhere.
We walk towards the taxi stand and show the card giving to us by our host that has our address on it. The gentleman asks for 20 CUC. We refuse and offer ten. He refused and another man calls out. He will take 10 CUC. He's very nice and says he likes the USA and shows us a little flag. He says he hates Trump and we agree. He blasts Puerto Rican music and we sit in silence. Something about him gives me a good feeling. The best part of this trip is our interaction with good honest people.
I look forward to our home away from home. Our air B and B that is beautiful by any standards and I feel most comfortable there. Suffering from anxiety and also having a low tank of energy in general to begin with, I find myself exhausted quite early each day when I travel. I prefer to sit and relax in the evenings in order to prepare for the next day. Andrew and I share some snacks that we thankfully brought to Cuba with us, he reads and I watch a show I downloaded off of Netflix.
Day 3
Friday begins with another delicious breakfast prepared by our host. We go to catch a cab and this time we know where to go so that it only costs 5 CUC. Sitting in the car I cough from all of the exhaust. I look forward to the comparably clean air in Charlotte.
Andrew and I want to walk through a tunnel. Think better of it once we see the huge amount of smog coming out of it. No need to breath all of that in. We head to the museum of the revolution, which we both think sounds really interesting. Andrew looks around while I sit, dizzy and overwhelmed, tired of people asking us for money or trying to sell us something we don't want. When this happens to me I sit and wait for the feelings to pass. It's okay to let them take over for a short while as long as i don't let them ruin my day.
Later we go to one of the luxury hotels for lunch, which is expensive but allows us to go have a much needed filling meal. We enjoy the excellent service and feel a bit like we're back in America. When we're finished we head to the cigar shop in the hotel to buy souvenirs for our family and friends.
We go into a supermarket and are amazed at the lack of products available.
Later we go to one of the luxury hotels for lunch, which is expensive but allows us to go have a much needed filling meal. We enjoy the excellent service and feel a bit like we're back in America. When we're finished we head to the cigar shop in the hotel to buy souvenirs for our family and friends.
We go into a supermarket and are amazed at the lack of products available.
Later we just walked through parts of the city we hadn't seen before and then stopped for drinks and to read. At the second place, a bar we were visiting for the second time, we got the same cranky waiter who has quite the disdain for his job. When I asked for coffee, which is on the menu, he said "No, we have mojito." This man didn't seem to understand I didn't want alcohol, so I went ahead and ordered a beer, which Andrew drank after he finished his first one.
Our final destination before heading back to our casa particular (Air B and B) for a rest was a cafe where we got a brownie sundae. There was a man singing off key in front of the outdoor cafe with maracas. He was an old man of about 75 dressed nicely. When he finished his songs I clapped. I felt bad that others were ignoring him and it tore on my heartstrings. He came up to me and asked in Spanish if I could help him. I gave him 1 CUC, wishing I could give him more but we'd nearly spent all of the money we brought into town that day. He smiled and offered me a smile and a thank you in English. When he left I broke down and cried. It's so hard to know that I can't help everyone and that there are so many people that aren't as lucky as I am. But after sitting and thinking on this taxi ride back "home" for the evening, I decide to challenge myself to see those that are often invisible by continuing to give smiles, or a round of applause.
After relaxing for a bit back at where we are staying we walk to the John Lennon statue which is in a local park. Andrew and I sit for a while and watch all of the local kids, young and old playing together. It's great to end our trip on a happy note. Despite the economic challenges Cubans face, kids are kids and they enjoy playing soccer, stick ball, and other games together. We go back to our casa particular and go to sleep.
Day 4
On our last morning we have a quick breakfast and then have the same taxi driver who picked us up take us home. He's very kind. We don't talk much... he doesn't speak any English. When he lets us out, he gives me a kiss on the cheek and Andrew a handshake. We head in, exchange our remaining CUCs back to dollars, go through check in and security, and eventually board our flight back to Miami.
