Havana Daze: Getting lost in the city of music and colour

On arriving that first night there was an immediate flurry of activity. Meeting with our TUI rep, checking in, and then finding our room (You’ll be pleased to know this all happened without incident …we didn’t get lost once!)

There was even a certain amount of flattery from the TUI rep (Louis) who said, “Linda means beautiful in my country!” …although I suspect he was just trying to make me feel better after having watched me fall flat on my face moments earlier when I stepped out of the taxi! 🤪

(Those airline gins are stronger than you realise!)

Adventure wasn’t really on our minds that first night. Having checked out our room, unpacked and changed, we were all out of energy …so the only adventure we were up for was having a quick drink at the bar and then an early night!

Our ‘bar quest’ led us through the main part of the hotel …and it was stunning.

Very colonial with big sweeping staircases, massive pillars and wood everywhere, with a huge veranda wrapped around the outside of the building, complete with bistro tables and chairs (…well worth the upgrade we’d paid!)

You could just imagine Hemingway sitting in a corner somewhere, sipping a Mojito😁

There was even a lovely rooftop terrace complete with pool and spectacular views across the city.

Having found the bar, we settled down our first (and fabulous) Mojitos of the holiday, listening to the dulcet tones of ‘traditional’ Cuban music from that night’s entertainment (a girl band singing Motown covers!!)🤣

Breakfast

We were up bright and early for breakfast before heading out for our walking tour.

We’d been told the food in Cuba wasn’t great, so we had no idea what to expect. But it was pretty much like every other hotel serving continental breakfast.

• That said there were a few things we learnt:
• Drink tea without milk (don’t ask!)
• Papaya is horrible, inedible as a juice and fruit.
• The average Cuban must have diabetes …there was so much sugary sweet stuff on offer! Doughnuts, pancakes, cakes, and much more …all served with added syrup, sugar, and cream. Basically, sugar with added sugar!

After breakie, we had to sit through the TUI Orientation Session on Cuba and Havana …yay!

Or not! It was dull with nothing blog-worthy!

(Though if you ever wish to fall fast asleep, get someone to explain the intricacies of money in Cuba. You’ll be asleep in no time!)

Walking Tour

We were really looking forward to our first day in Havana, the sun was shining and the city looked magical. There was just one small, tiny thing…

This was me…

…and Fi

…out and about

…on our own!

So, of course, we got lost on our way to the start of the walking tour! 🤣

If it hadn’t been for the extremely kind people of Havana, we would never have made it in time to meet our guide!

Two people helped us out with directions using pidgin English and much pointing. The second one, a lady perhaps a little older than us, simply indicated we should follow her …so we did!

(Yes, we should have known better … all those lessons about not following strangers gone in a blink of an eye as we merrily followed her down a dark alley!) 🤪

As we were winding our way around the backstreets of Havana we did wonder where we were going and whether we’d ever find our way out. We were completely lost and at the mercy of our good Samaritan …or would-be kidnapper! 😳

When we arrived at our kidnapper’s lair…

I mean…

When we arrived at our meet-up point, safe and sound with phones and money intact, our lovely stranger good Samaritan simply turned gracefully, smiled and glided off back the way we’d come.

Smiling at our excellent judge of character, we turned to look at the crowd of annoyed tourists waiting for the late people …but much to our surprise there was none. However, our confusion soon turned into delight as we discovered we were the only people on the tour that day (wahooo!) and we could go anywhere we wanted!

And so began an amazing three-hour tour taking in the sights and sounds of Havana! 😁

Diana, our guide was brilliant, telling us stories of the history and culture of old Havana and Cuba.

Rather than bore you with an in-depth retelling of those stories akin to “here’s my 200 picture slideshow of Cuba”, I’ll stick to the highlights!

The famous Hemingway bar was allegedly frequented by the great man during his time in Havana. Naturally, it’s now a tourist hotspot.

We didn’t go inside because, well, we couldn’t get in! …the bar was tiny!  …and what with a band playing inside too, it only took a couple of others for it to be full.

Moving on from one real Cuban experience to the next, we then met a city street dog …called “Trevor”!

Havana’s stray dogs (and cats too) are looked after by the city. These ‘city-owned dogs’ have their own dog tags and are fed by people on the street. This means dogs can just potter around making new friends. 🐶

(For those cat lovers, you’ll be pleased to know the cats reside in a cat garden, and if you are that way inclined you can visit the café there 🐱)

Whilst meandering around taking in the sights and sounds we almost walked right into a carnival of dancers on stilts as they passed by. Watching them dancing along at about twice our height was mesmerising. I have no idea how they stayed balanced up so high. 😁

But they were outshone by the wizened-old lady following on behind collecting a few dollars ($$), who suddenly appeared right in front of our faces …puffing on a massive Cuban cigar! 🤣

Eventually, the walking part of our tour came to an end and it had already been a FAB-U-LOUS day. Havana was so full of music, colour, and amazing art!

The tour wasn’t entirely over though… Diana took us to a café for a traditional Cuban lunch and a traditional drink …a Mojito! …which legend has it, might have been invented by Sir Francis Drake while visiting!

Diana walked us back to our hotel after lunch, she felt it was best given our ‘issues’ in the morning, and we had to agree it was probably the safer option! 🤪

Just chillin’

We spent the remainder of the afternoon lazing around the pool, looking out over the city skyline, sipping G&Ts (we had a yearning for something more homely, and they made a cracking G&T!)

I even went for a swim in the pool and …OMG! – It was colder than a dip in Edinburgh’s Wardie Bay on a November morning!

As we turned our attention to what to do in the evening and where to eat, we remembered Diana telling us the main street from the hotel had some great places to eat.

She also warned us not to stray off the main street and in particular, don’t go up any dark alleys (…our capacity for getting lost and our malfunctioning ‘Stranger Danger Radar’ being what they were, it was sound advice!)

Feeling adventurous, we were all set for a night out in Havana!

What can I say, forever gullible and trusting, we didn’t quite stick with the advice we’d been given …have I ever mentioned there are times when Fi and I shouldn’t be allowed out on our own?!