In February 2016, not long after American travel restrictions were lifted (partially) in Cuba, two girlfriends and I headed to Havana for six days. Lucky for me, my friend had extended family and friends living in Havana which allowed us to experience Cuba through the eyes (and mouths) of locals.
Instead of fancy and expensive hotels full of tourists, we stayed in two casas. Read: someone's home.
This is becoming more common in Cuba, people renting rooms to complete strangers. We paid 25-30 CUC (one CUC is nearly equal to the U.S. dollar) per night compared to the 200-300 CUC per night tourists pay for hotels.
We moved from one casa to another across the street because the first one didn't have long enough availability.
We returned to our first casa after lunch one day to pack and move to the next.
Instead, we found two complete strangers in our room and none of our things. Angelita came running over to us and said she didn't realize those folks were arriving early so she packed up our stuff and put it in her room (all in Spanish, of course).
Once the panic subsided and we realized our money and passports were all accounted for, we had a laugh and learned this is the way of Cuba. Even Angelita said, "Es Cuba!"
La Torre is a government-owned restaurant. The food was expensive ... and terrible.
The Malecón is a roadway and seawall that extends for 5 miles. You can also see the U.S. Embassy on the far left next to the empty flagpoles.
Streets of Havana
The Malecón
Dinner with friends
Our friends were kind enough to invite us into their home. We had dinner (Javier is slicing malanga below) plenty of beer and learned a lot about how they live, what the free health care is really like and how a proper cigar should look. What Raul wanted to understand? Uber. They don't have access to internet like we do so the concept of a "taxi app" was foreign.
We all spoke different levels of English and Spanish but were able to have great conversations in a combination of both languages, This was my favorite night 😍😍😍
Las Terrazas
We escaped from the city for a day to explore Las Terrazas which is about an hour outside of Havana. Our friend (and cab driver) Miguelito helped us out with rides.
It's a small community of locals but there's a nice hotel, too (we stopped for café con leche). Many locals sell goods from their homes including art, honey, cheese and fruit. We could hear music coming from the homes -- no different than Havana!
Also pictured, a produce cart. Many locals were buying produce and grains from the man who I assume comes to town regularly.
Street Food
I had to try the meringue cookies which were, of course, delicious. I handed the man 1 CUC and he piled cookies into my hands. I didn't know when he was going to stop.
Stray animals
We had a few encounters with the many stray dog and cats in Cuba. Most wanted nothing to do with us, one cat begged for food and one dog wanted to follow me home.
Out on the town!
We found a band we loved, Laurie danced with the singer. We went back on our last night and he told Laurie (through a translation app on his phone) that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
She later kissed him in a corner.
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Sights and sounds of the city
And of course.... tobacco
Cuba <3
Cuba, a forbidden land for Americans for some time, is far from paradise. I want people to know that behind the fancy hotels and lush landscapes are the real people. There are crumbling homes, food shortages and toilet paper is hard to find. The people make an average of 20 CUC per month. Our average cab ride was 10 CUC to give you some perspective.
We had no access to wifi or cell service which in the end was a blessing. I was forced to connect with the people and things around me. But yes, my mother worried the whole time I was away.
However hard, at times, the trip was, this was by far the best experience of my life. Cuba is so very different than home. The people were warm and welcoming, the city was full of energy and I learned so much about myself and about the world.
This trip and my friend (pictured below) will always, always have a special place in my heart.