We had a cool Uber Driver, who was really interested in famous South Africans, he was a real hoot. At Fort Lauderdale airport we had a long wait in the queue, it appeared that most of the people were Cubans and OMG did they have luggage like I never seen before. It was a serious concern that we would be able to take off. Check in and security (we again had all been tsa approved) was easy and we had great seats upfront. Still it was a 2 hour process. Apparently Americans are not that welcome in Cuba – something to do with Trump (surprising that), so luckily we are traveling on SA and British Passports. Still, we had been briefed on what to say if asked for our reasons for visiting Cuba – we are there to learn about the people and culture and to support them, we are not tourists. We also have pounds as currency, as US Dollars and credit cards are not accepted.
It was a short ¾ hour flight to Havana, with the Jet Blue plane making some really strange noises, as we landed the whole plane clapped. Gray and I thought it was because we had made it without crashing but apparently it’s a thing here.
It was another 2 hours of customs and baggage claim, in a very old airport, in need of some TLC, however the guys were treated to security guards with mini skirts and fish net stockings. After this lengthy process we headed into the waiting area where we met Enrique, our tour guide and Michael, our taxi driver. Fortunately both spoke English as the only language spoken in Cuba is the official language of Spanish.
We were welcomed into Cuba with a downpour which continued throughout our ride into Havana. It had been recommended that we do a home stay rather than stay in a hotel as the hotels are expensive and not always that clean. Also we wanted to embrace the full cultural experience. However, as we arrived at our accommodation we thought we were on an ‘Idiot’s Abroad’ series, the entrance to our accommodation for the next 3 nights looked like a place we would have found in Hillbrow. Gray said the look on our faces was priceless. Thankfully, our first floor apartment had been redone and was totally incongruent to the outside. We have two air conditioned bedrooms, on suite and an open plan kitchen, dining room and lounge. Maria, the upstairs neighbour was there to meet us. We had no idea what she was saying to us but she finished her flourished speech with a big smile and left.
We then went to one of the hotels on the waterfront and exchanged our money into cucs and pesos. Enrique had recommended a Jazz Bar, so we went there for a drink. It was on the third floor of the local mall, which was definitely no Sandton City (sorry Kirst, you would never survive here). They served us the strongest mojitos I have ever had and Jean and I were useless after one, so we ordered another. We then took a stroll around the area, which is dilapidated and a sad testament to better days. However, you feel safe and the people are happy and friendly.
We walked back to the waterfront, the Malecon, clearly a place where the social scene is and for lovers to sit on the wall overlooking the sea. We had more cocktails at a little restaurant – watching the sunset and the beautiful old American cars, that are such an integral part of Cuban culture.
We found a gem of a restaurant for dinner. Casa Mia was new and trendy, the staff were amazing and the food was delicious.
A great start to our Cuban stay.
Pandas in Africa 