Simply Irresistible

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First impression of Cuba. The customs officials. This is where Robert Palmer’s backing singers went. The uniforms are not mini-skirts, but micros with fishnet stockings and not one of them smiled. We wanted to take a photo but thought we might end up in a Cuban jail. Havana’s airport is about half an hour away from the center of town. We had been told that Cuban organization was more fluid than we might be used to. So, after we got through customs and we were looking for our driver that had been arranged to take us from the airport we were not surprised that we couldn’t find him. It took some negotiating with the lady at the information desk after which we were expecting to pay a guy to drive us to his friend’s casa particular (house where they rent a room out to travelers), but to our surprise we were delivered to Pablo and Raquel’s house, who we had booked through Airbnb, and they looked after us very well. Another thing I noticed was the freeway we were driving on was in very good condition in most parts. A lot of it was concrete and looked like the old German Autobahns and American Interstates from the pre-world war II era. Some of the asphalt sections were showing their age though and drivers had to avoid some big potholes. Also, the amount of traffic on the roads does not seem to warrant the number of lanes on these “Autopistas”. I guess Fidel spent up big in the early days.

Havana was an old walled city with really cool forts on the other side of the harbor. We went over by ferry one afternoon to check it all out, including a Che Guevara museum and then waited until 9.00 PM for the cannon firing ceremony. This had been done every day for centuries to tell the gate keepers when to close the gates. There are no walls or gates anymore so the ceremony is held for tourists. We had waited quite some time before anything happened and it dragged on a bit because as I started to realise it doesn’t take very long to fire a cannon. But I have to say it was worth it in the end. The cannon was very loud and the bang (even though we all knew it was going to happen) startled us. It was a bit like how bungy jumping takes 5 seconds, but the excitement before and after is what really counts. Havana also has old streets and squares that are really cool to stroll around. There are many crumbling old relics that need a benevolent dictator to spend money on and restore to former glory. Sadly, the benevolent dictator is out of cash and I think foreign money is helping turn dilapidated ruins into expensive hotels. We also visited the Capitolio building which used to house the congress or senate or whatever they call it. But it only holds 500 politicians, so the current crop of six hundred and something need a bigger space. I hope they can downsize their government as it seems a shame that such a nice building is only used as a tourist attraction.

It was Easter when we got to Havana and when Nathan went to bed, shortly followed by us, there was a lot of noise from the street; people in Havana Centro live very close together. But the sound of our air-conditioner helped to drown out the street noise. I think it was powered by an old spitfire engine. Which, incidentally, is the same vintage as most of the cars in Cuba. A lot of them are kept in great condition. When the old American cars break down they are repaired with Russian parts. So, Buicks and Cadillacs have Lada and Muscovite parts to keep them going. We got a collectivo from Havana to Viñales and when it arrived it turned out to be one of these big old cars, that had been modified to fit three extra passengers in an extra row in the back. Lucky us, we were a party of three, so we got the squeezy seats with less leg room. It was meant to be a 3-hour drive to Viñales, but it took a lot less than that for my bum to go numb and I wasn’t that perturbed when the car broke down half an hour from our destination. I got to walk around, see more closely the horses and carts and bicycles riding on the side of the freeway and watch our driver remain completely calm in this situation, probably because it is not that uncommon for him. So, all of his passengers followed his lead and stayed calm. After a while another collectivo stopped to tow us a bit further, and as we were being towed, we overtook another broken down car that was also being towed. There is always someone worse off than you, you see. Next, we waited at a tobacco farm for a few hours, where we were offered coffee, juice, tea, rum and cigars. Of course, we had to pay. Eventually another car came to get Leanne, Nathan and I and we arrived at Viñales very hungry but before the other passengers. I think we got preferential treatment because we were travelling with our little man.

Now, Havana lacks parks. The areas known as parks tend to be paved. Even the schools have very little grass and the kids play areas are concrete. So, it was a nice change to go to the country side and see the valleys around Viñales. We booked a place called Casa Daniella and turned up to be told that Daniella’s place was full. We were going to her niece’s place down the road. Apparently, this is normal practice in Cuba, so no need to panic. It was a great place to stay and we are comfortable with the fluid organization process I mentioned before. In Viñales we have visited a tobacco plantation, ridden horses, been on a boat in an underground cave/river and seen nice (but not as beautiful as I had been led to believe) landscapes of limestone casts/ridges that stick up out of the ground in the same way as the islands of Ha Long Bay and the James Bond scenery in Thailand stick up out of the water. Something that we all really liked here was the pollo and cerdo asador, Roast chicken and pork, which they start cooking on a BBQ at lunchtime so that it is ready for dinner. We were given a taste at one restaurant (Parilla), when Nathan was desperate to use a toilet in the afternoon and loved it so have had a few helpings since. I hope there are more treats like this to enjoy in our next locations. We felt that we had done everything we wanted to do in Viñales and decided to leave a day early. So that was the first part of Cuba. We have one week left in this country.

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Photos

Simply Irresistible
Couldn't take a photo of the immigration officials. This is the closest thing I can find.

One of many old cars in Cuba
This one picked us up from the airport.

Good restaurant "5esquinas"
We had a good lunch and then a good breakfast at this one. There were plenty of other good places to eat in Havana.

Old Cuban Jet
They love to show off their military hardware. Guns, tanks and wreakage of US planes that were shot down over Cuba are on show in Havana. This is outside the fort on the other side of the harbour.

Canon inspection
Can be a dangerous job!

Sunset from the fort looking towards Havana
We had to wait hours to see the canon firing show at 9PM. But we did see a good sunset.

Lights of Havana
After sunset. Still waiting for the show!

Cheap rum
About $1 per litre. We didn't try it.

Pablo and Raquel
After forgetting to pick us up from the airport they did give us some good advice and their casa particular came with two cats Chicha and Chico. Nathan loved the cats.

Our first experience in a Cuban colectivo
We spent a bit longer getting to Viñales. But now we have a story to tell.

Man working in the tobacco field
Just a few minutes walk from our casa particular in Viñales. We did a quick tour of a farm and learnt how it was made before buying a cigar.

Inside the drying shed.
The crop spends three months in here before it goes to the factory.

Comments

[Nina]

Interesting
Hi Jon, Thanks for your interesting insights on Cuba. It's great to hear some down to earth views that cut through the tourist gloss. Great photos too, how photogenic is Nathan! Happy travels xx Nina