Half of My Heart is in Havana

I know, I know, sorry for the cheesy title. I just had to. But, it’s true. It’s been well over a month since my trip, but that doesn’t mean my excitement about finally going to Cuba has waned. I just have not been able to find the time to put everything from that trip into words. As I mentioned in my previous Cuba post, there is something magical about Latin countries, at least for me personally since I’m Latina, and Cuba did not disappoint. I felt alive, as I knew I would. Before I get all into my feelings, let’s cover a few basics, or the questions most people have been asking:

Was it safe?

Yes! I felt very safe in Cuba. EVERYONE we came across was super friendly, very willing to help us out and incredibly accommodating. Now, I’m half Puerto Rican, and this accommodating attitude is very common of Latin culture. So I wasn’t necessarily surprised. They just wanted to make us feel welcome, show us a good time and show us the country! And make it as easy as possible for us along the way. I feel like they just wanted to treat us like family. It didn’t seem like anyone was trying to take advantage of us while we were there. Even as a group of 3 women, we felt safe walking around at night. Would I have walked alone by myself at night? Probably not, but I don’t even do that in Charlotte…

What about all those rules?

Many people have asked if anyone asked for our itinerary, proof of our reason for travel (one of the approved 12 categories), etc. No, nobody asked. Not one person in Cuba and nobody in the U.S. airports either. Technically, you are supposed to keep all your receipts from your trip for up to 5 years after the trip in case you are audited, but that would be by the U.S. government, not Cuban. So as long as you keep them for 5 years, you’re good. But the immigration experience, both in Cuba and back in the States, was one of the easiest I have ever been through. As in, like, 5 minutes. So all my worries and jokes I made promising my boss I wouldn’t get “locked up abroad” and would come back to work were just that – jokes. Not that I was genuinely concerned before I left, but I guess you just never know when you are dealing with traveling between 2 countries that aren’t exactly known for having the best historical relationship. As with traveling anywhere in the world, you never know what can happen. But the immigration officers just checked to make sure I had the appropriate travel visa, stamped my passport and I was on my way. I think they may have asked what my reason for traveling was and I responded “Support for the Cuban people” and that was it. Easy peasy!

Does it really feel frozen in time?

Yes. The architecture is simply stunning – lots of Art Deco from the 20s and 30s and a lot of architecture from the 50s as well. Many of the facades of buildings are crumbling, the paint is chipping and they haven’t been well maintained, but they are still simply stunning. There is something still beautiful and haunting about the crumbling feel of it. Again, as I said in my previous post, I don’t want to romanticize a culture that has been oppressed, but there is something very Old World about it. The sad part is there are also just lots full of crumbled concrete and old buildings that have completely fallen down and are just a rubble site. However, on the flip side, there are some cranes and a decent amount of new construction going on, so there is new growth. A lot of old government building are being turned into hotels to accommodate for the new tourism there. And of course I have to mention the classic cars. Everyone knows about the classic cars of Cuba. There are truly cars from the 40s and 50s everywhere, all up and down every street. Many Cubans think it’s funny we take pictures with their cars because they are just their everyday cars, no big deal. But the shape these cars are in for being so old is amazing. The mechanics there have to be some of the best in the world. And many of the cars are passed down through families, generation to generation. The oldest car we rode in was a pink convertible Ford from 1928! It literally had the “aaoooga” horn sound like from cartoons of old cars, I kid you not.

Is there really no Wi-Fi? And can you really not use American credit cards?

Well, sort of. And nope, sure can’t. Our Airbnb had Wi-Fi in our rooms (not throughout the whole apartment) and you had to log on and off each time you wanted to use it. This wasn’t necessarily a painful process, but just something we don’t do here in the States, so took some getting used to. And it’s mainly so they can track the usage on their end and we had to pay for the usage in addition to our stay. But outside of our Airbnb, there was no Wi-Fi at restaurants, bars or cafes. None of this logging on to the Wi-Fi while out and about to get on WhatsApp or whatever. There are a couple “hot spots” around the city on public streets or in public plazas and you can identify those by the amount of people gathered at them with their phones out. But even with those, the service is spotty at best. So I recommend sticking with your group and not relying on being able to get in touch once out and about away from Wi-Fi. Or just have meet-up points and times like we used to have to do before cell phones! Come on, you can wrack your brain on how and when you used to do that… Well, unless you’re a millennial… but I digress…

As for American credit cards, nope. You cannot use them. At all. So you just have to make sure you bring enough cash. American cards do not work in ATMs, so if you run out of cash, you are SOL. So I repeat – make sure you bring enough cash. I took the equivalent of $800 U.S. dollars and only spent about $500 of it. It was PLENTY for 4-5 days. Now, granted we had pre-paid for many of our tours in advance so you may want to bring extra for those if you who do not pay in advance. But on average, about $100 a day was plenty. I exchanged my dollars for Euros before I left which I recommend. The exchange rate isn’t necessarily that much better, but there is a 10% fee for exchanging U.S. dollars for whatever reason when you get there, so that would have been a hefty $80! So I was told it’s best to exchange dollars to Euros first, then Euros to CUCs (their money) once there to not incur the fee.

What was your favorite part?

Okay, this is where I’ll get back into my feels. I’m not going to go into every last detail of every single thing we did on the trip, but basically, we stayed in Old Havana and our first day was mostly spent there just getting our bearings and getting familiar with the area. I loved Old Havana so much, it feels very Old World and is just hauntingly beautiful. The next day, we went to a town called Viñales, where we toured a cigar farm and rode horses. I love animals, so riding horses was probably my favorite part of this day… but…

The next day was our Hemingway day. This was definitely my favorite day. I don’t know what it is about the artists of the Lost Generation, but I’m fascinated with them. It may just have to do with the fact I love that period of the 20s and 30s, all the glamour and lifestyles of the day. My husband and I planned an entire European trip following many of the steps and cities outlined in The Sun Also Rises. So much remains from that time period in Cuba so it just enhances the Hemingway-esque experience while there. First, we toured La Finca Vigia, which was Hemingway’s house during his time there, not far outside of Havana. It is preserved in the same manner as he left it when he had to leave the country in 1960. His presence there is palpable. His artwork reflecting his love of Spain and bull fights still hangs on the wall, many of his hunting conquests do as well, and his over 9,000 books on the property are astonishing. His boat, Pilar, which was used to patrol for German U-boats during World War II, was just sitting in the back behind the house like no big deal. Supposedly, much of Hemingway’s time on Pilar was inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea. So it was crazy seeing it in person just sitting there with all its history. Next, we drove to Cojimar, the fishing village where he often docked Pilar and spent a lot of time fishing. There is literally a bust of Hemingway in an archway style monument thanking him for his contributions to the small town. We then visited some of his famous watering holes, La Floridita, Bodeguita del Medio, and ended at Hotel Ambos Mundos. He was known to drink daiquiris at La Floridita, so of course we had one there. He drank mojitos at Bodeguita del Medio, so we had a few there as well. This is supposedly the birthplace of the Mojito! There are also a bunch of signatures and messages on the walls, supposedly including a few messages from rebels during the Revolution! It can be a slight tourist trap, but if you go at the right time, it’s less crowded and may have been my favorite bar of the trip. We ended at the rooftop of Hotel Ambos Mundos, where Hemingway stayed in a room there for a few years on and off in between his time in Key West and Cuba. This room is apparently where he began writing For Whom the Bell Tolls. We toured the room and then went up to the rooftop to enjoy some piña coladas. This was the drink he most enjoyed here, so we had to partake of course. They were delicious! And the views of Old Havana from the rooftop were absolutely stunning.

There is soooo much more about Havana I could write about and share with you, but again, these are just highlights from the trip and my favorite parts. This definitely doesn’t capture everything. Four days in Cuba is certainly not enough, you really need an entire week there to see it all. As with most places. We wanted to hit the town of Trinidad and Veradero beach as well, but there just wasn’t enough time to fit it all in. The good things is – I’m going back with my family at Christmas this year so will hopefully have even more updates for you after that trip! All I can say is, if you have the chance to go to Cuba, now is the time. GO!