6th and 7th July 2011 - cuba (havanna)

Another early morning! Met the coach at 7.30 to go on a two day trip to Havanna.

Our first stop was a small town where we just stopped so people could grab something for breakfast.  We stopped at a little cafe and were set upon by people wanting money - which makes you feel really uncomfortable because if you give something to somebody you would then get so many other people wanting something - and its impossible.  You would think that the cafe would be really glad that a group of tourists had stopped to spend money - as its not like the whole of Cuba is full of tourist - far from it! Its the least commercialised place I have ever been too.  However, the staff just didn't seem to want to serve anybody.  The guide was obviously getting annoyed with them and telling them to serve people but they carried on doing whatever tasks they were doing so basically they lost out!

This was the view from the front of the cafe looking out to the street

The next stop a couple of hours later was another quick stop - this time we were entertained by a lizard on a post!

There was also a little pond with tortoises - which were really cute but some really annoying Cuban kid came over and started poking them with a stick - trying to poke their heads and legs and flipping them over.  I decided that rather than just watch him I was going to tell him to stop it! I told him - no and tried to gently pull him away and he totally ignored me and continued.  I was so tempted to push him in - I bet he grows up to be a serial killer!

this was before they got terrorised by a Cuban brat!

Next stop was for lunch - just across the river from Havanna.  As usual there were Cuban musicians - and a violinist came and stood between me and Lissa and played - very well but its really awkward having him just stand there! lol

This was just before he got to us - I think we were both thinking - please dont come over here!!

After lunch we headed across the river (or under the rive via a tunnel) - and we were in Havanna.  The guide gave us a history and pointed out a few things - like the first ever hotel called The England (or Hotel Inglaterra) and the bar where Ernest Hemmingway used to frequent.  It had started raining by this point - it was still really hot - but also really wet!

There were loads of the old American cars about too - and not in a gimmicky way - they were genuinely still being used and there were loads!

When we got of the coach we walked up a long road and back down again because there wasn't really much to do - its not like you could go shopping because the shops were basic food shops or....I have no idea - all I know is that there wasn't anywhere to go - so we made our way to the bar that Ernest Hemmingway used to go - and we all had a cocktail!!

I am sure we were told so much more about Havanna - but I honestly don't remember what! I know there were pieces of what used to be an old fortress...and erm... a church - okay I'm rubbish - I just remember the cocktails in the bar!!

We then headed to our hotel - and after the last one we had stayed at I was a bit nervous - when we pulled up outside - we were all thinking YIPEE it looked great - and it was pretty good!!
We had nice clean, insect free rooms - it was big and modern - phew! so we went and got showered - then went down to the restaurant - which was included - and that was good (for Cuba - by now we were realising that all the food was basically the same in Cuba and none of it was exciting).

We had got dressed up for the evening as we were going to Tropicana - where there would be dancers and food and drink!

We got on the coach again and went about 10 minutes or so to the Tropicana.  We were lucky in that we got our own table rather than having to share - and as it was a quarter bottle rum each - we got a whole bottle and a glass of coke! we ordered a round of drinks earlier in the evening and just before the end of the night when they wanted paying - Lissa got what she ordered!

I took a picture of the food so that when the flash went off we could see what was on our plates because it was dark. As you can imagine - as the flash went off we were quite disappointed! lol

The dancers were good - and half naked most of the time - but it was quite repetitive - there were 4 guys that came on at one point and sang and it was such a relief that there was something different - and they were really good - they woke the whole place up!  All in all it was a fun night out - but I had expected more variety and it to be a bigger production - but hey!

This is one of my favourite holiday pictures! Its the bottle of rum we got and the girls all got a flower which we put on Andy - and this is back on the coach about to return to the hotel!  I love pictures like this because you can see we are having fun and being silly - which is what we did a lot of the time, and it shows how much we were relaxing and just having a good time.

The next day we got back on the coach and headed for old Havanna

Again there were the old American cars everywhere - and the houses that people lived in were all so small and run down - it was the same all over Cuba

Again we had a wander - at first with the guide who told us lots of interesting stuff - as you can see Andy was very interested - Connor had zoned out - Lissa was posing and I was taking pictures!! lol

One of the things that we were told about - that I remember and we all took notice of was the fact that there was a chocolate museum - when he finished talking and gave us our free time - we questioned him about this chocolate museum and got directions!  We found it and there was nothing museumy about it - it was a cafe that sold chocolate in many different shapes!  So it would have been rude not to buy some!

I think the picture below is when Andy started to lose interest because they mentioned the chocolate shop!  Connor obviously hadn't been listening and Lissa was thinking - we are SO going to go there!!

Oh yeah we loved the chocolate!!

We then went to the rum museum! We were looking forward to it - thought we were going to get free samples (we didn't) and get to buy some rum (we didn't) and get squiffy (we didn't)

I was a short talk with a few props telling us how rum was made with the sugar they can grow loads of in Cuba - it wasn't boring - it was interesting - but it was really hot!

At the rum place

we then went to a cigar shop - which Andy had been really looking forward to - and I bought some coffee and coffee liquer.

At some point we also went to a market - I actually think this was earlier in the day - and we bought a painting, and did as the tour guide told us and got a certificate and got it stamped or we would have a problem at customs - I'll have to put a picture up of that when I get it out of the cardboard tube and get it put on canvas.  We also bought little bracelets which is something of a holiday tradition - but I think I left mine in the restaurant when we went for lunch!!

after lunch we piled back on the coach and headed back to our usual hotel!