Cuba

After a week on the beach in Cancun it was time to get out of the comfort zone and try something completely different. I had done a lot of research about entering Cuba with as few hassles as possible so I felt well prepared but I was worried I had forgotten something. I had plenty of cash on me (USD and Mexican Peso's) because the few ATMs in the country can be unreliable. I'm glad I took the money I did because I didn't see any ATMs during our time there.

Goodbye's were exchanged with Sara and Seb as they headed back to Dallas while Lily and I headed for the Cubana check-in desk at a different terminal at Cancun airport. We were super early because I was expecting long lines and a confusing check-in process. To my surprise there was almost no line and instead of trying to find the visa desk, the man selling the Cuban visas was wandering up and down the line filling out visas for anyone with USD$25. Within 10 minutes we had our visas, checked our bag, paid departure tax and we're all set for our date with Cuba. We had so much time to kill at the airport that we sat down for guacamole, beer (me) and milkshakes (Lily)

There were no issues entering Cuba. The immigration officer was extremely friendly; one of the perks of traveling with a six year old. Neither passport was stamped so there would be no evidence of us arriving in Cuba. The same would happen on exit as well.

My original plan was to rent a car and drive straight to Vinales but I wasn't able to book a rental car from the airport or any other Havana city location. It was holiday time and apparently all the rental cars were in use. Just in case things had changed I stopped by the Rex rental car booth since it was on the way to the taxi stand and the man inside confirmed that nothing was available. "Try again tomorrow", was the response, but I had no intention of trying again. Outside at the Cambio I met a couple from New York who had already secured a taxi to their casa. The driver asked me where I was going - Park View Hotel - he offered us one car for 15CUC per couple which seemed like a decent deal. The other couple agreed.

Cuba has two official currencies; the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) is pegged to the US dollar 1:1, while the other currency, called the Cuban Peso (CP) is around 25 to the dollar. The CUC is the main currency, used by tourists and pervasive everywhere. The CP is the peoples currency, used mainly in the rural areas, as a tourist you could get by without ever seeing these - but I wanted to collect some.

Cuban Pesos

Park View was an okay option - it was one of the few places left when I searched on line so I didn't have much of a choice. The doormen were amazing. When I asked if there was a decent place to eat and grab a mojito nearby one of the doormen walked Lily and I out around the square, past the revolution museum and down a side street to a wonderful little place called Cafe Vieja. It was a great example of the hospitality that would follow.

In the morning Lily and I took an hour long drive around Havana in the back of a 1948 Chevy. It was a great opportunity to put the city in perspective mainly staying in the old town and Verdado districts. We didn't have a lot if time set aside for Havana but we crammed in a lot that morning while the weather was good.
There's a bus station at a place called Viazul in Havana. It's out from the central city it's where buses leave for destinations further afield. We were headed for Vinales to see the mogotes and visit more caves. As I was negotiating a taxi to Viazul the conversation quickly turned to where I really want to get to and before I new it I'd agreed to take a taxi all the way to Vinales for CUC50. It meant no waiting and potentially a quicker journey (the buses are pretty efficient though and only make one short stop along the way). The taxi was a 1950's Chevy, in poor condition, but the driver was very safe so Lily and I were able to play go-fish in the back seat as we watched the countryside pass by. As we approached Vinales the driver stopped to ask for directions from random locals, even giving one a lift, and by 3pm we were checked in at La Ermita with Lily quickly in the pool.
Vinales is a stunning location and La Ermita is perched on the side of a hill overlooking the valley below. There are only two other places in the world with limestone pinnacles like those around Vinales - Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and around Guilin in China. Sara and I went through Guilin in 2002 but sadly Ha Long Bay still remains unconquered.

We took a day long tour around the limestone pinnacles which included a couple of excellent caves and the huge Mural de la Prehistoria - a 120m long painting on a cliff at the foot of the Sierra de Vinales which took 18 people four years to complete. The highlight of the tour was a stop at a tobacco farm where we watched cigars being rolled and of course I smoked one as we wandered around the grounds. It was interesting to find out about the different types of leaf - the tripa & capote used for the inside of the cigar and the gapa used for the wrapper. Most farms only grow two of the three types of leaf so to roll their own they have to exchange with other nearby farms. Much of what these farms grow goes directly back to the government leaving them with about 10% of their harvest to either sell, smoke or trade.

La Ermita Hotel

Mural de la Prehistoria

Vinales Valley

Lily and I explored the Santo Tomas caves on our last morning in Vinales - a huge system stretching 46km but we only saw about 1km of it during the 90 minutes we had. It was a treacherous journey but Lily equipped herself brilliantly - the only fall of the morning was an Italian woman who slipped on the very last step as we were leaving the caves. Comically we were in such a rush to get ready that I wore Lily's child sized helmet and she wore mine - which explained why I had a headache by the time the tour was over.

At 2pm the Havana bound bus picked us up right outside the hotel and within 3 hours we were back in the capital. I booked the bus a couple of days earlier (12CUC each) but there were only two other passengers who slept the entire trip while Lily played on the iPad and I read up about the Vieja district in Havana.
The bus deposited all four of us at San Francisco Plaza beside the waterfront and we made our way on foot through the narrow pedestrian streets to the beautiful Conde du Villenueva hotel - the one with three peacocks in the courtyard and only nine meticulously restored rooms. Compared to the Park View this was a real treat - a vibrant part of the city with plenty of restaurants, shops and music coming from all over the place.

Plaza de la Cathedral

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de San Francisco de Asis

Plaza Vieja

We spent our last morning exploring the four squares in Havana Vieja as the city woke up around us. It had rained the night before but now the sun was out, the air was clear and the city looked amazing. Vieja is a superb area undergone much renovation in the past 20 years. To quote Neutral Milk Hotel, "What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all round the sun." Being here in Havana with Lily is such a treat. She is an excellent travel companion and she often encourages me to slow down and appreciate what we are experiencing around us.

There was no bargaining anyone down - a taxi back to Havana airport from Vieja was 25CUC but it was an interesting ride through colorful neighborhoods in various stages of decrepitude. In many ways Cuba is a nation lost in time and for a few short days Lily and I were lost with it. The taxi ride with Lily was very quiet - I'll never know if she was thinking the same thing as I. Would we ever be back here?