Our casa was on this street in La Habana Vieja.
What a thrill it was to wake up in Cuba…
Kristin and I really wanted to dedicate some of our time in Cuba to snorkeling, especially since it is known for its extraordinary diving spots. This was the main reason why we booked a side-trip to Isla de la Juventud. La Isla, which is the affectionate name the locals have given it, is situated about 100KM east of the mainland. It is known for having one of the best underwater coral formations in the Caribbean, as well as drop-offs, ship wrecks, caves, and a variety of marine life.
La Habana's domestic airport.
It is also known for housing some famous people in its prison; including both President Batista and Castro and many pirates whom had sailed there to escape imprisonment elsewhere. Nueva Gerona is the capitol and that is where we were scheduled to fly into for two days, one of those days being my Birthday.
Kristin and I were told by many Cubans that we needed to arrive three hours before our flight. We both thought that was a bit ridiculous, but when we walked into the domestic terminal we quickly understood why we were given that advice. There was only one person servicing the entire airport. We waited in line for at least an hour and when we finally made our way to the counter we were informed that there was a flight delay. Not knowing what to do with ourselves for several hours, we hesitantly checked in our luggage and decided to go for a walk to try and find some propaganda signs we had spotted on the taxi ride to the airport.
As an American, it is impossible to speak about Cuba, let alone to make the choice to travel there, with all the red tape and implied illegalities, and say that it is not political.
You gotta love the propaganda signs!
Therefore, I apologize if my political commentary throughout my blog offends you readers in any way. Obviously, I am against the current embargo that the U.S. has with Cuba and while I know my traveling there has no impact on it in any way, it was my one little way of rebelling. I think Che would have been very proud of me!
It was well over 100% humidity and the mosquitoes were out in full-force, but neither of those things mattered to us after finding the signs. Cuba is the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the few remaining in the world. Fidel Castro is now the longest-ruling leader alive today. I am not a Castro fan, nor any dictator’s for that matter, but I am greatly intrigued by the immense power he continues to have over his great nation.
No translation needed...
These signs really captured some of that power and that is why I wanted to photograph them.
The old American cars that drove past us while we walked along the highway looking for the signs were beyond fantastic! Cuba exudes sexiness and the cars simply add to it.
Having received my political-fix for the day, Kristin and I returned to the airport to get an update on our flight situation. Delayed, delayed, and delayed some more. We ended up spending the entire day at the airport. Finally, around 7PM we decided to cancel our flight to the Pirate Island, as we did not want to spend the night in the miserable airport and waste any more of our precious time.
One of the many old American cars found throughout Cuba.
We were in a predicament though since we had checked our luggage earlier; we now had to somehow find a way to get it off the plane. And even though Kristin and I speak some Spanish, our desires were not being communicated very well. Thankfully though, two kind gentlemen whom were in the same situation as us overheard our difficulties and came to our rescue. We got our stuff back, but not before aging a couple of years from the stress.
Apparently, flight delays are more than a common occurrence. Es Cuba! My advice: take buses or boats when traveling in the country!
We were delighted to be out of the airport and in a taxi, however now we were homeless. Not expecting to still be in La Habana; we had no casa reserved for the evening.
A street in La Habana.
Since we had lost a whole day to the airport disaster and the next day was my Birthday we wanted to splurge a little and stay in a hotel. The only problem was that we had not budgeted for one. So, we turned to our holy Lonely Planet for advice and could not help but fall in love with the description of the Hotel Nacional (www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com). It really does not get more glamorous than the Nacional and that is where we were determined to stay (we just needed to figure out how to pay for it first). Kristin thought I was crazy for thinking I could negotiate a room there for two nights. To be honest, I am not sure where I found the courage to walk into such an establishment and ask for a discount myself? The woman behind the desk was astonished when I first told her that we could only afford to pay almost half of what a room normally costs. I put on a good show though; not forgetting to mention that in a couple of hours it would be my Birthday.
The famed Hotel Nacional.
She eventually took pity on us and gave us the room at the requested price. Score!
The history of this luxurious landmark is deeply rich and captivating. The Nacional’s tiled lobby, oversized chairs, and aristocratic air capture the atmosphere of a bygone era and it is the perfect place to cool down with a mojito or Cuba libre at the end of a hot day. It is perched on a cliff above the Malecon and is also surrounded by lush gardens and pools. All in all the perfect place to celebrate a special Birthday!
Kristin and I found a nearby restaurant and decompressed from the day. Around midnight we laid our heads down on our soft pillows and just as I was drifting off to sleep Kristin said, “Feliz Cumpleaños mi amiga,” and with that all of the frustrations that I experienced throughout the day were gone!
