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| Typical farm scene on the way to Habana |
We took the bus and
for a few dollars more we could take the bicycles. Arriving in Habana we were
glad we took the bicycles, we could cycle the 8 km to Old City
and the Casa Particular that Michelle booked for us. It was an amazing
experience to cycle through a working, struggling ancient city with the cars,
signs and most of public transport the original stuff!
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| Christelle infront of Casa Particulare Mari |
We checked into Casa
Mari and for U$ 20/night we got a decent double room in the center of Habana
Vieja.
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| Salsa band |
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| Big Salsa band on our last evening in Habana. |
We stayed five days in
all and first explored the Old
City and the surrounds.
We found bars and restaurants with good priced meals and excellent live music
and dancing… everywhere!
Music, especially
salsa, cigars and rum is part of live in Cuba. It is not strange to see a
street sweeper smoking a fat cigar!
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| All took part. |
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| Christelle got a quick lesson on stage! |
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| Los Nardos Restaurant |
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| Lamb shoulder @ U$7! |
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| Catedral San Cristobal. 1748 |
We looked at all the
amazingly conserved and also the run-down buildings of interest and saw a lot
of renovating going on.
Cuba is still struggling
since the USSR cut the U$ 30 mil/day support after fall of communism.
We had a wonderful time,
cycled all over Habana, stopped to hang with John Lennon on a park bench, had a
meal (fried chicken, beans, rice and salad) for U$ 0.65 at a local restaurant.
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| Catedral de la Habana inside. 1777 |
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| Catedral de la Habana. |
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| Jaco & Antonio Gades checking out Plaza de la Catedral. |
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| Old Canons used for pedestrian walkways. |
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| Its been a hard days night... |
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| Plaza de Armas. |
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| Resaurant La Fuente el Patio on Plaza de la Catedral. |
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| Grand Teatro. |
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| Casa de Ron a Tabaco/House of Rum and Cigars.... |
We checked out the
House of Tabaco and Rum and got some good advice about and a few cigars.
We strolled the
Malecon (promenade) at sunset and met Marco, a 45-something firefighter that
spearfish to make ends meet. He showed the absence of hair on his legs and
explained that this is caused by ciguatera (poison in big fish especially
barracuda).
When you are hungry
you test the limits and will eat a fish that have a big chance of harboring
ciguatera.
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| Che Guvara on Plaza de Revolusion. |
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| Monument de Jose Mati. |
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| Park de Martires. |
We had to get a visa
for Honduras (the Namibian passport guarantees fun and games) and we took the
local old wheeler taxis to the embassy at U$1 for a classic ride across town!
We compare Habana with
Prague, Budapest and Paris but with a Latin beat, much cheaper and the people so much
friendlier .We will be back before the masses of Americans are allowed in!
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| El Floridita where Hemingway enjoyed his daily Daiquiri. |
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| Cabriolets park infront of Grand Teatro. |
