We would like to welcome our old readers as well as new voyeurs on this interesting combo trip >>> Cuba first ….a step into a Socialist environment followed by some rest and recreation in Florida and then a longish road trip home through the DSA (Divided States of America).
Here we go again ……ferry from the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver > more than ample time for a sushi feed, drop the car at the Seabus Terminal (our son-in-law Trevor will pick it up and they will keep it for the duration of our trip) ….then the seabus across the harbor and a straight shot to the airport via the Skytrain …….sure is nice to have a decent public transportation system !!!
At the airport…..and an obligatory photo of the sculpture of: The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: the Jade Canoe carved by Bill Reid in 1994 > it is intended to welcome visitors to B.C., however, we treat it as a talisman for the forthcoming journey:
Our flight departed on time and we are on our way to our first stop >>> Toronto
…..as usual we are uncomfortably seated in steerage and our aisle/window seat plan did not work > full flight arrgh!! Red eye flights are such fun…bleary eyed and anticipating a longish day, we felt an overpriced breakfast in the Toronto International departure area was in order. It would also be our last chance for decent internet, Cuba not being renowned for its hi speed internet > the lifeblood of a modern traveller……clearly Annie is taking advantage of this opportunity:
We also would like to introduce our readers to our new travel companion. In our trip to France and Spain, we had a constant presence in the rental car of Miss Clio, she of the rather annoying British accent. For this trip , and in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, we bring you Miss Moose, aka Mooosie ……
….to ensure some interaction with our readers we will also be creating some challenges in future entries >>> as to how many times, where etc. Moosie will be featured in our daily activities !!!!!!
CUBA
Our 11 days in Cuba will be focused on Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Varadero with a final night in Habana, before departing for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
HABANA CUBA ……..some history
Established in 1514 on Cuba’s southern coast, San Cristóbal de la Habana had been moved by 1519 to its present-day location on the island’s north coast, at the mouth of a deep and spacious harbor with a narrow, protected harbor channel. It quickly become the most important port in the Spanish colonial empire, serving as a resupply and embarkation point for the Spanish fleet before returning to the Old Country laden with bounty. By 1607, Habana had been declared the capital of colonial Cuba, and by the early 1700s, it was the third-largest city in the Spanish empire, behind Mexico City and Lima.
Subsequent centuries saw Habana grow steadily in wealth, size, and prominence. Luckily it was spared the bulk of the violence and fighting that occurred in Cuba’s Wars of Independence, and later revolutionary war. Following the sinking of the USS Maine in Habana harbor in 1898, a long period of direct U.S. control and indirect U.S. influence followed. This era was also marked by a strong presence of mob activity, with the likes of Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano setting up shop in Habana.
Habana has been largely frozen in time in the wake of the 1959 Revolution. Decades of economic crisis and shortages exacerbated by the U.S. embargo, have left much of Havana in severe decay and decomposition. The exception to this is La Habana Vieja, where parts have been meticulously restored to much of their colonial glory, using a percentage of tourism receipts from the Old City hotels. Although the situation in Habana is beginning to change, with the recent boom in tourism and tourism-related growth, what new construction has occurred over the past 40 years has largely borne the drab architectural stamp of the former Soviet Union. Today, Havana, with some 2.5 million inhabitants, is the largest city in the Caribbean and Cuba’s undisputed political, business, and cultural center.
OUR HABANA EXPERIENCES
March 19, 2017
Arriving in Habana Internacional Aeropuerto around noon we were rapidly processed through customs, security (belt and watch off >> but not shoes) and immigration …as we had carryon luggage, we were in the arrivals hall in almost no time. A man with a sign emblazoned with our name met us (as pre-arranged), dropped us at a Cadeca to exchange our CAD (better than USD which suffers a 10% penalty fee) for local currency (CUC) and . Most tourist transactions are settled in CUC (100 CAD = 70 CUC) some minor purchases can be made with CUP e.g. pizza, bakeries etc. So within an hour of leaving the airport (and 30 CUC) we arrived at Casa Miriam:
Our Casa is in Central Habana …….considered to be a more local area …..this means it reminds one of the TV clips from war damaged cities in the middle east e.g.Beirut….
but enjoys a great location between Habana Vieja and Vedado and close to the Malecon, featuring many old buildings and homes (which if and when restored would make this a really nice area). Safety is not a concern with a police presence visible or not ensures that we feel confident day or night.
……view of the “hood” from the balcony:
No rest for the wicked ……off we went for a short walk along the seafront promenade (The Malecón) which stretches for 8 kms along the northern coast of Habana, from Habana Harbor in Habana Vieja, along Central Habana and ending at the Vedado neighbourhood.
Not seeing much in the way of restos we reversed course and headed for the Asahi Restaurant > recommended by our Casa owner: grilled chicken and rice/beans for Annie and pork and rice/beans for yours truly plus 2 beers and a bottle of water >>> 31 CUC, not so cheap and ok but not great…looks like we are unlikely to repeat our foodie experiences from our last trip in Bali.
Afterwards more walking, this time towards Viejo Habana until we hit the wall….back at the casa and in bed by 14:30 > out cold (aka siesta) for two hours. Much refreshed we ventured out towards the Malecon deciding to have some beers on the terrace of the Castropol restaurant to watch the sights and of course the sunset …quite neat.
Then on the way to a resto we had seen earlier we realized we were short on cash….reminder > use of credit cards is limited to large hotels…..hmmm dinner budget would be modest however our place of choice was full, with a 20 minute wait….not. Decided to go back to our casa and have a beer instead. ……saw a bread store open and scored a few buns to go with our beers.
An eventful, exhausting day …….sleep came quickly.