| Written by Travis McDaniel on Thursday, 23 April 2009 00:00
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| I
travel a lot each year. Traveling the globe in search of adventure is one of
the things I am most passionate about. We live on an incredibly diverse planet
filled with so many amazing places. Last year, I was fortunate enough to pay
visit to a country that although very close in proximity to the United States
hold its own deep mystique - Cuba.
| I travel a lot each year. Traveling the globe in search of
adventure is one of the things I am most passionate about. We live on an
incredibly diverse planet filled with so many amazing places. Last year, I was
fortunate enough to pay visit to a country that although very close in
proximity to the United States hold its own deep mystique - Cuba. Rather than
sneak into the country like many Americans do each year, I filed the necessary
paperwork and waited patiently for permitted access. Six months later, I was
legally permitted to visit the country. My trip provided me with a fascinating
look into one of the last few Communist countries and a small island stuck in
the past. Not every trip has to have climbing or kayaking to be an adventure.
In this entry, I had just gotten to the island the night before and was staying
with a close friend. The next morning we slept in until John woke us up to a
huge spread in his kitchen of local fruits, muffins, locally grown coffee, and
oatmeal. After which we showered quickly (rationing the water as it only comes
every other day) and made our way to the local market. About the size of an
AM/PM, the selection of groceries was about as limited. Nevertheless, they had
plenty of spatula’s and frozen chickens. Go figure. We picked up lots of drinks
for our fishing trip planned for the next day (cokes for $1USD!) and exite |
| Everywhere you
go, there are old Cuban men in the parking lots directing you where to
park. The understanding is they will watch and protect your car while
you shop. When you get back, a small tip (about a quarter) is
customary. John and Susan then took us to the best open air fruit
market in Havana. The fruit selection was awesome and extensive and the
open meat market was equally disgusting and fascinating. One purveyor
attempted to sell me a beef loin at the same time that he leaned on it
to shoo the flies away and let some of his cigarette ash fall between
the fat layers. I refused politely. Off to the Umbrella market where
you can find some pretty amazing art prints, carved wooden statues,
communist caps, Che shirts, the usual. One man sold me a book for $2USD
that “held the truth.” It’s title -- “History Will Absolve Me” by Fidel
Castro. I'm not sure if it held the truth, but amusing reading at the
very least. We walked around Old Havana, visited Hemingway’s old
haunts, ate Ropa Vieja on the roof of the Ambos Mundos while listening
to a guitar player sing about the revolution. As we cruised through the
side streets of Old Havana and avoided any stray dog encounters, we
found ourselves on the main promenade looking at the old Capitol
building. Unused since the revolution and change of regime in the
’50’s, it now operates as a place to sell art pieces. Built to
replicate Versaille, it’s an impressive and beautifully kept building.
A rest outside on the Capitol steps gave the best perspective of Cuban
life so far as we watched the cars and people go about their lives.
Easy to imagine what it was like during the heyday’s in the 40’s &
50’s. Now, it’s all too common to spot repair scaffolding grown over by
vines and a crumbling infrastructure. We made a pit stop for Red Bull’s
and water and set out on a mission to discover Barrio Chino - Chinatown
Cuba style. We definitely saw the back alleys as we passed by cauldrons
of bubbling stew in the middle of streets, but no one seemed to give us
a second look. We found part of Chinatown, but never located the main
drag and gave up after about fifteen minutes. We hopped into a nearby
taxi and took a madcap ride back to our car. We decided it was time for
afternoon drinks and headed to the Hotel National in the heart of
Havana. By far the nicest hotel in Havana and definitely the best view
of the water, we drank mojitos for over an hour while watching the sun
set over the ocean. We talked about just doing that every day as all
the charm and romanticism of Havana & Cuba seemed to exist exactly
in that spot. |
| In need of an early evening rest, we went back to the house to catch up
on Sports, Hurricanes, and E-mails. We had two choices for dinner - the
fancy place or the not-fancy place. Preferring not to change, we
decided on the latter. An amazingly great restaurant, and according to
the guidebook the best in Havana, El Aljibe is worth a second visit.
Not the best service in the world and the power did go out at the end
of the meal, but the food is exceptional. We got the house special
which is the roasted chicken, all you can eat for $10USD. Served with
fried plantains, a spicy slaw, tomatoes, avocado, rice, black beans,
you can just sit there and eat it for days. Afterwards, content and
grotesquely full, we stopped into a cigar and rum shop to check out the
selection before heading back home. The cigars in the shop bear the
official seal versus the ones you find on the street that are
completely blank. Street cigars are more often banana leaves than
tobacco so unless you trust your luck, it’s better to pay full price in
the shops. We were all tired and headed back home for a restless night
in a dictator controlled third world country within sight of the United
States. This was only the beginning of an amazing adventure... |
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