Day 1 Havana

Armed with ear plugs, we crashed into bed and managed a pretty good full night's sleep. It's lively, atmospheric and noisy; an assault on the senses but entirely full of charm. 

Good morning Cuba!

This morning we had organised a walking tour for a couple of hours with a local guide. Mighty smart, speaking fluent English, Italian and also teaching Russian, is Betty - earning around £40 per month.

We've had a fascinating morning, yes, acquainting ourselves with the city, but more, discovering how life works in communist Cuba: Russian books (ration tokens), queuing hours for food, taxes and the impact coronovirus would/will? have on this almost entirely tourist-dependent country. 

We thought Cuba would be the first to turn people away. Now we're not so sure - their economy will nose-dive. The anxiety of it is here already and we were conscious not to offer our hands to shake but Betty was very warm in her handshake welcome. She did, however, tell us today that her mum told her to shower as soon as she got home last night! 

We stopped for coffee and we were introduced to a tostones snack - deep fried plantain which, when it's 11am and your stomach tells you it's dinner time, goes down perfectly with a coffee or tea! With a reality check, we also visited four sparsely stocked shops with our guide before finding one that had bottled water left.

We had lunch in the cafe outside our Casa and headed out in the afternoon to explore more. A butterfly gave me a little grounding in the hustle and bustle of it all and later Rich spotted a museum he was keen to explore.

We went our separate ways for a couple of hours and I was in my element people watching and car spotting. Before we left England, I looked up how to say, 'can I take your photo, please? I have saved a photo every day for six years and you are very interesting and charming' (I figured that was sure to work!) - and, by the end of my outing, it was almost tripping off my tongue - I actually had a couple modelling for me before even asking!

Amongst others, I met this wonderful lady sitting on a piece of cardboard, a man polishing the deep red metalwork on his car bonnet, a mechanic underneath his own old blue Chrysler and Nina, the rather lumpy street dog. 

I've managed to ask for a post office instead of a stamp but I've been in my element having a go at interacting. I'm now in need of a power nap and a bit of solitude before dinner.

Eating old clothes for dinner was a superb choice - la ropa vieja, a classic Cuban dish. After eating on the windy rooftop terrace, we walked back towards La Plaza Vieja, stopping at the famous Hemingway bar for a mojito to live music. They know how to fiesta, these people. Despite or perhaps because of their limited resources, they seen to make the most of life and living.