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Published: April 13th 2015
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I've been to Cuba several times over the past (14) years and living in Cayman certainly makes it easier when the plane ride is only (45) minutes. Each and every trip to Cuba, and in particular Havana, never seems to amaze me and leaves me wanting more. Whether its a trip to Trinidad, Vinales or just hanging our in Havana there is never a dull moment.
During my past visits I've always stayed at one of the big hotels, and well they are nice and provide the comforts of home there is nothing like living in a real Cuban neighborhood for a few days and enjoying the daily rides in a local taxi (1957 chevy for example). This last trip was fantastic. I stayed at a Casa Particular called Casa Blanca Guest House - located in Vedado; Calle 13 No. 917 e/ 8 y 6 (
cbl917@hotmail.com and
www.casablancacuba.com) The owner, Jorge Duany is so accommodating and treats you like royalty, not to mention he is very responsive to your emails. It was an amazing experience, and I encourage anyone who wants to visit Cuba and Havana to stay at Casa Blanca. The highlights for me were immersing myself into the
local Cuban neighborhoods and catching taxis with the locals on Linea, 23rd and Neptuno.
It has been years since I ventured out to Trinidad or Vinales as most of my time has been spent in the streets of Centro Havana with a Cristal in one hand and the camera in the other. How can one go wrong with $1 beer and $5 Pork and rice/beans dinner or lunch and $10 lobster meals. However saying that Cuba, has changed so much that the next trip will be longer than the last (4) days and will be sure to take in Trinidad, Vinales and a few of the other cities - sounds like a adventure is to be had with a Cuba Bus trip.
You can't turn on the tv, internet or radio without hearing something about Cuba these days. Its the hottest place to travel and so it should be. Havana in particular is changing daily, getting a hotel is becoming more difficult as are Casa's as the US opens its doors a wee bit. People want to get to Havana and see it before it changes, in other words before the Americans flood it with commercialism of it
most famous franchises. Its like no other place, stuck in time with the old cars - but to be honest you have to feel for the locals who must go into stores with empty shelves, rationed with their chicken, bags of potatoes and bread. The old cars are amazing and you certainty never tire of seeing them rumble down the streets, but the reality is the old cars are on the streets for a reason, the average Cuban brings in on average $30 a month and hence can't afford to have a new "modern" car. An interesting but sad fact - Cubans aren't even allowed in boats! Everything that makes Cuba and Havana so amazing, old cars, crumbling buildings, cheap beer, cheap seafood etc., comes at a cost of the locals. So as much as I don't want to see Cuba change, it must for the Cubans and for there sake I hope change comes quickly but in a controlled fashion as not to cause harm as we have seen in other countries in the past that had radical change from Communism to Capitalism. If you have the time to speak to locals there is an excitement in the air
about the changes that are coming - they will tell you change can't happen fast enough.
Unfortunately I do not speak very much Spanish and as I result I know I'm missing out. However, I do my best to immerse myself with the locals and this past trip I had countless broken conversations that were full of laughs. Whether down at the Malecon with local fisherman trying to describe how many tiny fish they need to catch for a dinner to offering them a cold beer the list goes on - Cubans are such a friendly bunch of people. The best part of Havana is just walking the streets, I did this for (4) days and it never got old - albeit I was never empty handed as the Cristals' were going down like water in the heat! If your into arts the market by the port and the market on Saturday and Sunday on Paseo de Marti are great places to buy Cuban art. If you don't have time to spend hours and days wondering the streets, its easy enough to take a Coco or get a ride in a three wheeled bike to see the main parts
of Havana and Old Havana.
Can't wait for the next trip and encourage everyone to go contribute to the local economy and help out the local Cubans.
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