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March 27
We were both excited, but especially Blu, about going to Cuba. Caught the Isla Mujeres ferry across to the mainland and then a bus to Cancun airport. we were surprised to find the flight time to Havana was only 45 minutes, it is so close to both Mexico and Florida, but we went forward 2 hours in time which was a bit confusing. It took about an hour to get our bags at Havana airport, but we finally arrived at the Hotel Nacional which was rather grand. It was "the" hotel in pre-revolution Cuba, and many famous people stayed there in the 50s and 60s, their photos adorn the walls as proof. Built in the 1930s, it is a national icon. Our room was like an old American style hotel. Not our usual budget accommodation, but this is the meeting place for our tour tomorrow night. Headed up the road for dinner at Cafe Roca, we shared a huge dish of fish, crayfish and prawns done in a Creole sauce, with potatoes, rice and salad, plus 2 Mojitos and a beer for 20 USD!
March 28 Warm and sunny. After a leisurely start, we headed
out for a look around, took the hop-on hop-off bus,, a great way to get a sense of the city, as it does a full circuit over about 2 hours. We were fascinated by the old cars driving around the city, something you know about but seeing them is so cool! Blu was in his element identifying them- they are either 50s American cars or Ladas, all running on diesel. After a rest and a swim in hotel pool, we took a stroll along the malecon (sea wall), a very popular hang out for locals. Met David, our Cuban adventures guide, along with Gabrielle (Australian living in Chile),Mark and Sue (UK) and went to dinner at a lovely restaurant nearby.
29 March Warm and sunny. Met in foyer after breakfast, and met the last of our group, the Mansfield family - Steve and Amalia and their two children, Nathan , 11 and Scarlett , 8. Had a briefing meeting then set off in our coach with Evan our driver. Good size coach, about 15 seater. First stop, the Bay of Pigs, famous for the US CIA attempt to overthrow Castro in 1962. talking of pigs reminds us of
the Animal Farm quote, "all animals is equal but some are more equal than others" - despite Castro's best intentions, I think this quote sums up the Cuba of today. Everyone gets free education and health care, and staple food rations each month but the average earnings are only $ 15-25 a month. However, Cuba has 2 currencies, CUCs or tourist pesos, and local Pesos, and if you can earn CUCs (from tourism for example), they are worth approx. 25 times more. So a doctor might earn 25 a month, a casa (homestay) owner might earn that in a couple of nights. Anyway, the Bay of Pigs was beautiful. we stopped there for a swim at the cenote, a freshwater pool 70 metres deep and very clear, then a swim in the beautiful blue Caribbean, saw quite a few fish, different colours. Had lunch at the cenote, in Cuba everywhere you go there is a restaurant nearby! Tried crocodile from the farm down the road, nice. Meals in Cuba are all enormous, beans, rice, salad and more with every meal.
Our first night was at Cienfuegos, a nice town established by French settlers, so there are lots of grand
colonial buildings and a very nice square. it was a holiday today, Good Friday, so everything was quiet. We took a ride in a horse carriage to a grand old hotel called Palacio del Valle, where we had cocktails up on the roof terrace, complete with small Cuban band, then watched the sunset over the bay. Took a tricycle taxi back to town. Getting around is very cheap in Cuba, cost 3 USD for 3 of us. Our first night staying at casa particulars (homestay), but had a group dinner at night. We all got along really well right from the start, felt like a family together, 11 of us counting our guide and driver, with age range from 65 down to 8!
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