DAY 1 Just Hav'ana Good Time

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Finally, this had been a trip in the making for nearly 2 years before i actually got to step foot on Cuban soil. The feeling that i was to travel to the Caribbean for the first time in my life had not hit me until the very last week of work before i was about to set myself on an educational and emotional two week adventure with G Adventures (Cuba Colonial tour). I had never travelled alone before, i must admit i did fear for the worst. Questions start clouding your head. What would happen if i got lost? Would i find it difficult to understand the Spanish language? What would i do if i got mugged? Where do i go if i was confused? What if i don't have a good groups of people who i would be possibly sharing a casa with? All these thoughts gathered in my head as i headed to the airport to catch my flight. I had packed lightly compared to my other travel trips. This experience helped me know what and what not to pack. In doing so, you get a much smoother and hassle free trip. Avoid carrying heavier or more luggage throughout your trip. I knew i was going to travel a lot on the bus on this tour by staying at different cities so i knew i had made the right decision and it did work out perfectly.

As i flew over Africa to get to Havana from Madrid, I browsed through my G Adventures itinerary. Havana > Santiago De Cuba > Baracoa > Camaguey > Trinidad > Santa Clara > Havana. These were my destinations within the Cuban tour. The entire east and central region of Cuba was too be covered and I couldn't have been more happier with my tour choice. I was going to cover these cities in the space of two weeks meaning i was going to do a lot each day with not much rest. The excitement was building in me.



14 hours later. TOUCHDOWN! As the flight attendants opened the airplane door, I could smell the Cuban air dance through the aisles. I made it there alive and curious. It was 7pm. The dying sunset was on the horizon as I stepped out the airport after immigration. I could hear the Cuban music in the air as I looked over the city. It was humid and cheerful. The buzz at the airport woke me up from my sleepy self and grabbed myself a cab after exchanging my pounds to Cuban pesos swiftly. I was ready to be dropped at my hotel, Hotel Plaza, in Old Havana. 4 minutes away from the El Capitol, the iconic symbol of Havana. This so happened to be the starting for the tour and I had finally checked in.

The room was decent although I had no windows to stare into the city nor could I hear the Cuban streets to surrender my ears to. I wanted to witness and feel the atmosphere straight away so after a quick shower, I headed out to have a walk around Old Havana. It was mermerising. The vintage cars were a beautiful sight. Gave you a feeling that you were stuck in a time capsule in the 1950's. You were lost in time. The sounds, the majestic looks, the colours were all too powerful to my senses. I just stared at them one by one as they kept chasing themselves around on the street of Old Havana. If only I had a glass of rum and cigar in my hand to fit right in at that moment, my life would have been complete at that moment. I didn't walk too far away from my hotel in case i found myself lost. I made myself back to my hotel and played through the Spanish channels. Luckily, an English movie channel saved my night as I ended the night with some "REACHED SAFELY x" to a couple of friends and family. I was too excited to sleep but the tiredness crept slowly into my body to retire me to sleep. Goodnight Havana! See you tomorrow morning.

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