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| This car was pristine and absolutely beautiful! |
Actually we're home now, having arrived a couple of hours ago.
Honestly, I'm too tired to be doing this, but I'm so excited to share the wonderful time Forrest and I had on the island that is still (although hopefully not for long) forbidden fruit.
It was a quick trip, but packed to the gills with excitement.
We left Houston on Monday morning with a confirmed flight to Cancun. You still can't book a flight directly from the US to Cuba, so we opted to go through Mexico as it's only two hours from Houston. Once we arrived in Cancun, we shared that we were trying to get to Havana, and we were directed to Cubana Airlines.
Thankfully, the next (and only) flight to Havana was delayed, so we purchased tickets and waited to board. We waited for several hours, leaving Mexico about 7:15, arriving in Havana at about 8:15.
Once on the ground, we were met with sweltering heat. It took forever and a day it seems to get through passport control, and it was hot as a booger bear in the area were we were waiting.
Then with that paperwork behind us, we headed out of the airport to secure a hotel.
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| Hotel Nacional - Not where we stayed! |
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| Celebrities who have stayed at the Hotel Nacional |
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| This plaque is embedded on the ground as you leave the hotel going to the garden. |
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| A hallway in the Hotel Nacional |
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| Another view of the hotel |
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| Mohammed Ali was here, too. |
Again, you can't make any reservations for flights or hotels yet from the US to Cuba through the major booking sites like Orbiitz or Expedia.
So, we asked at the airport information where we might find a hotel, and the lady said that all of Havana hotels were completely booked, and the only available rooms were in private homes.
Forrest suggested we ask someone else. We spoke with a cab driver who said he knew of a hotel and off we went . . . into the unknown.
It's late and dark outside, but we're too excited to be there to be anxious about anything.
We're made it this far, so were we confident we've find a room.
We did, but as Forrest described it, if Motel 6 is rated a 10, this place was a 2.
Clean, but rustic, is the kindest description.
The next day, we looked out the window to 1959.
Seriously, it was like walking back in time.
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| Many of the old cars are taxis. |
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| 1956? |
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| A beautiful home |
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| Most of the cars are in classic car mint condition. |
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| This is a local artist's home that is incredible to see. I have more pictures of this that I hope captures the magnitude of the beauty of this place. |
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| Many of the cars are painted really bright colors. |
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| This is a "Coco Taxi." |
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| These chickens and chicks were roaming around at the restaurant where we had lunch. Black beans and rice. DELICIOUS! |
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| Cars, cars and more cars! |
The buildings. The cars. Everything screamed 1959.
It's almost as if time stopped.
So, we got dressed, asked for directions to an ATM, and headed to the bank to get local currency, which is what I do when I travel. The directions given were to go down the block, and turn left at the hotel. Well, when we passed this hotel, we noticed how nice it was, inquired within, and secured a room there. Compared to where we were, it was 10 stars! The name of the hotel is the Habana Libre. It's in the center of town, a great location. The link is below. It looks like it might be possible to contact the hotel directly to reserve a room.
http://www.hotelhabanalibre.com/en/
At the bank we encountered a problem. The bank we were sent to only honors Cuban bank cards. In a mini-panic, we returned to the hotel, asked around, and we were sent a couple of blocks down the street in the opposite directions to an ATM that honored cards from around the world.
But, there was one exception, Cuban banks DO NOT honor US credit/debit cards AT ALL.
So, if you plan to go, and I highly recommend it, take cash, and exchange it at the airport. It is a cash society. Very few places accepted credit cards.
With cash in hand, we hired a cab driver to show us the city sites. He was amazing.
He was patient, (in an island kind of way), friendly, and thorough in his knowledge of the history and significance of the sites.
In fact, everyone was very cordial.
He shared that having the Internet in private homes is forbidden. Wifi is available in public places.
There were lots of European visitors, as it's so much easier for them to visit Cuba.
It was our plan to be on the ground in Havana for two days, but there was a conflict with the return flight that I booked from Cancun to Houston, that would have gotten us back to Cancun to late to catch the flight to Houston. So we had 24 hours.
That's OK, though.
Our day in Havana were filled with awe and wonder and pure pleasure.
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| The entrance to the Jazz Club |
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| Sculpture down the main causeway |
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| The US Embassy!!! |
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| Although it's not clear, this house has a wrap around porch that is so inviting. You just want to hang out with a glass of ice tea, enjoying the day. |
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| A view of the beach. The water is blue, blue, blue. |
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| This is the entrance to the Marina Hemingway that is lined with incredible yachts. Picture are not allowed of the boats. Bigwigs demand their privacy! |
VIVA LA CUBA!!!
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