Manchester to Havana via Varadero, Cuba

Back Blipping, as I've found my journal from before my blip days:

Up at 4:45 is not normally a good idea but when your destination is Cuba you can't really complain. A quick blast up the M6 and we seemed to be there in no time. Drop off parking was so convenient as we could get straight in the airport and relax with a bacon baguette and cup of tea although Claire suggested we should start the holiday with a beer (we didnt). Priority boarding got us quickly on the A330 to our premium seats, which were plenty big enough and had lots of leg room for my long legs. 2 meals, 2 teas and two films saw the 9 and a half hour flight eventually come to an end. Flying into Varadero meant there was a two hour transfer to Havana, but first dreading  the immigration procedure wasn't made easier by a couple telling us it would take forever to get through but to our surprise we went single file through the doors quickly and efficiently, taking maybe 4 minutes per person. 

We were directed straight to our bus on the other side of the airport doors, we now felt the true Cuban heat hit us but only briefly before jumping on the air conditioned transport. The two hour journey was so fascinating getting a full on guide during the route we took along the North coast. Cuba's culture soon became apparent as we past through many villages and towns on route. Shanty towns were followed by eastern block style apartments dating back to the 70's when Russia supported Cuba so heavily. It was during these first few miles of seeing such a different culture I knew I was going to enjoy what Cuba and especially Havana had to offer. The coach guide was fantastic giving a balanced view of Cuba's past, present and possible future. Other highlights on the two hour journey included passing over Cuba's highest bridge, seeing huge vultures and getting caught in one hell of a rain storm.

After travelling through rural, palm treed landscapes for a little while we moved on to the outskirts of Havana with its large multi storey buildings and busy streets. Before even getting to Havana we got to see a taster of the old classic cars on the roads but on entering the Capital it was quite an amazing sight, Hundreds and thousands of 50's and 60's Americana rolling the streets.

Pulling up to the Iberostar Parque Central hotel we knew we had made a good choice. Just on the edge of old Havana and just one block from Central Havana we couldn't have been in a better location. The hotel itself was an impressive sight too upon entering, a beautiful lobby area in front of the main restaurant/bar area. The hotel comprises of an old and a new section, it is a lottery when booking as a package to which side you stay in but we were delighted to find we were on the old side, our room was on the 7th floor looking out to one of the side streets of Parque Central.
Although very tired after travelling and with the time difference we decided to have a quick shower and venture out a little bit to see the streets on foot. As it was dark and raining we didn't get far but got to see the local hustlers looking to sell you something or offer you their services. Fearing getting lost in the dark without getting our bearings we headed back to the hotels top bar restaurant for a sandwich, pizza and a beer. The local Cuban beer is rather nice:
It was now nearly 24 hours since we started our travels from Stourton so headed to bed for a well deserved rest. 


Extra is the view from our room, a beautiful derelict building which I'm sure will relive with the changes to come with America.


Mr Bo Hingles