Our last days in Havana were filled with cultural tours. Several of the things we did has rules against photography so although the days were very active, I don’t have many photos. Cigars, arts, food, dancing…I hadn’t even left yet and I already couldn’t wait to come back. This is my final post from my FIRST trip to Cuba. 

Our daily breakfasts at the casa were simple but delicious – fresh juices (mango, pineapple, guava, papaya, etc.), fresh fruits, toast, and selections of sliced meats and cheeses. I enjoyed my chorizo and cheese toasts every morning.

Our first stop of day 4 was at a government shop selling rum and cigars to tourists. Sean and I set a budget and desired quantities and ended up with more for less money. 

1 Liter of Havana 3-year rum, 1 Liter of Havana 7-year rum, 1 750 ml bottle of Havana 6-year rum, 1 750 ml of Havana Anejo Blanco, 2 mini bottles of rum, 6 Cohiba cigars, 5 Monetcristo cigars, 6 Romeo y Julieta cigars and a small pack of Cohiba mini cigars – quite a bounty!

Fitting that our next stop was a cigar factory. They had a strict no-photograph policy (can’t let out the secret of Cuban cigars!) but I got a few in the lobby. It was HOT as heck in there and we were all completely dripping with sweat the entire time. However, the tour was awesome and NO ONE in our group complained. I think it’s the deep appreciation for finally getting to be here that had us putting up with just about anything. 😉

We saw multiple rooms on multiple levels (always taking hot, humid stairwells) and got to peek in to see a room full of women working the rolling material. We then saw rooms of people of all types – men, women, young, old, black, brown, white – rolling the cigars using what looked like ancient tools. Incredible. I wish I could describe it better but trust me when I say this is not something to be missed. Our guide at the factory was a thin, loud, high-energy Cuban woman with long dark hair who greeted us by lighting and puffing on a huge cigar. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!

Also – can we talk about this photo of Fidel? I know my photo of the banner photo isn’t great but I couldn’t stop staring at it while I was there. Not only handsome, but so captivating even in a simple photograph.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how happy we were all were to get on our new, Chinese-made, air-conditioned bus! LOL!

We headed over to Old Havana to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – the National Museum of Fine Arts. Sean and I love museums and had been looking forward to this tour all week. This was another place that allowed NO photography except for outside and in the lobby, so I don’t have many pictures. 

Our guide was a petit, gay Cuban man roughly in his 40s with no hair on his head and soft blue eyes that lit up warmly when he smiled. To say he was delightful would be an understatement. I want to tour every museum with him! After Ises, our guide at the organic farm, he was my favorite local guide. 

He possessed deep knowledge of the art in the museum and the cultural, historical and personal elements to bring it to life for us. Every painting we stopped to ponder held a unique and important part of Cuba. Even more fascinating was how hidden much of this was from the world – or at least the world according to the United States. Like seeing something forbidden and not being able to prove that we had – the thrill of being in on a beautiful secret.

We absolutely could have spent the entire day there – morning with a lunch break, then back again in the afternoon. Sean and I already planned to make this one of our first stops on a return visit.

Of course, we had to stop in the gift shop and buy a replica canvas of a painting we’d loved inside the museum. The original was huge and done without a paint brush – simply the tubes of paint and a palette knife. The texture on it was out of this world. We almost didn’t get this – we thought we could easily find it online for less money. Glad we realized that perhaps we might not be able to with this being Cuba! 60 CUCs was a small price to pay for this beauty now framed in our home.

It was rainy on our way to lunch as we drove along the Malecon and into Vedado, passing tall, newer buildings and hotels.

The casa where we had lunch greeted us with daiquiris and we chose a tuna tartlet to start that was very tasty.

We had mojitos as our second drink and Sean and I both had grilled lobster. Wowza. So fresh and so delicious. Most places had been serving us flan for dessert but here we had an option for a lemon pie which I think almost everyone ordered. The food wasn’t the most interesting or unique or adventurous that I’ve ever had and I would never recommend anyone to come here for the food, but when it’s SO hot outside a fresh, simple piece of grilled meat with a squeeze of fresh lime juice really hits the spot.

After lunch, we headed further west from Vedado to watch the rehearsal of Habana Compas Dance.

This is a group of mostly female dancers who dance Flamenco and play all sorts of percussion instruments. Believe me when I tell you it was as passionate, interesting, vibrant and moving as it sounds. Their director is a very artistic man who has really elevated the program – they’ve even started touring. Beautiful Cuban woman dancing Flamenco and playing percussion? Yeah, I think that’s a recipe for success. 

I’ve got videos below of some of the dances – please take the time to watch!

 

The studio itself was colorful and beautiful and covered in photographs the director had done of the dancers that were just incredible.

I had wanted to stroll along the Malecon once we got back to the casa but it was pouring down rain. We rested instead, did some packing of all of our goodies and then headed to lobby to drink our bubbly and talk with others before dinner.

Dinner was back in Vedado, on a very pretty street with beautiful, well-kept mansions. 

We sat out on the balcony and got to watch the sun set over the lush trees. Dinner was a sampler of different meat dishes including ropa vieja and roast pork, along with congris (rice and black beans mixed together). It was not very good. I had the sneaking suspicion that many of these restaurants had plenty of other things to offer but we were on a “pre-fixe” course and in this case there was no choice at all. Too bad. While I loved the tour, the inability to order anything different at lunch like a salad or a sandwich kinda stunk. But that’s the downside of a tour group.

We had live music on the balcony and the singers also taught a few of our group members some dance moves. We’d had higher expectations for our farewell dinner but ultimately felt it was lackluster and even a little cheesy. Don’t worry, I made sure Friendly Planet got that feedback. 😉 And we couldn’t help being silly – of course!

We were back from dinner fairly early and so we continued our tradition of walking the Malecon at night.

We stopped at two different spots for drinks, the first a bar of a small hotel where the very friendly bartender assured us we would love his mojitos even though we were feeling a little mojito’d out. They were good. 

The next stop was an outdoor spot we’d passed every night that had steel, cathedral-shaped open doors. Very cool. We talked in Spanish to our waitress because she spoke no English and I had a delicious aged rum on the rocks. The perfect Cuban nightcap.

The morning was ours on our final day and we enjoyed our last Cuban breakfast before strolling around the neighborhood and watching the children file into their small, cramped school rooms.

A woman in our group was asking a young boy if she could take a picture of him – he was only too happy to oblige and then began asking her for money. Giving kids money for things like that is not allowed as it can incentivize them and their parents to keep them out of school. I could see she didn’t know what to do and couldn’t communicate with him so I stepped in. Hola, tengo chicle para usted. (Hi, I have gum for you). I handed him a small package with four pieces remaining in it. He proceeded to take them all out and chew them at once. Typical kid!

I then watched him throw the packaging on the street and turn to head into school. I wanted to scold him and say something like “La tierra no es una basura” – the earth is not a waste basket. But it kind of is, and so I didn’t.

After our morning walk and observations, it was time to head to the airport. We of course had to get pictures with our Cuban guides. Joaquin was our driver who performed magic on the crazy streets of Havana. When I hugged him goodbye and said “muchas gracias por todo, Joaquin” he responded “no, muchas gracias para ustedes.” It made me tear up because it was so heartfelt. Our being there meant they had these jobs, and our tips were life-changing for them. In these United States, among our relative privilege, it’s often hard to see or fully understand the impact we can have. In Cuba, it is crystal clear. And his words of thanks were deeply moving and unforgettable.

Our Cuban guide, Gretel. A rockstar, plain and simple. Kind, generous, knowledgeable, funny – couldn’t have had a better guide in Cuba. 

Our group, out in Regla with the city of Havana behind us. Check out Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 to get the full scoop.

I go a lot. I see a lot. I do a lot. I have experiences, all the time. Cuba is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, for many reasons that I’ve tried to name here in these posts for you. If you have a curious disposition, this place will enchant you, entice you and leave you wanting more. 

Viva Cuba. Viva la Revolucion. Hasta la vista.