Finally arrived in Cuba ! The trip to get here has been amazingly long. We left the Madrid “Barajas” airport on the 3rd of October and made our first pit-stop in Mexico. There, in the Terminal 2 of Mexico City airport, we spent a long night waiting for the last flight to Havana… trying to “sleep” how we could. Some sections of the Terminal are still fenced due to the recent earthquake and therefore shops and places to eat were just the necessary, nothing more nothing less. Plot-twist, even the seats have been reduced to the minimum number; sleeping bags out and there we were making a little “chill-lounge” next to the check-in counters of the flight company Aeromexico, ready to embark our luggages (since luggages could be embarked minimum 6hrs before the flight we had to wait till 4am of the day after due to our flight leaving at 10am). In the end, long waiting and plenty of patience were definitely fine negative sides in relationship to the cheap plane price. As the good ol’ backpackers quote says, in our luggages we have more time than money !
And so here we are, in the small terminal of Havana airport. Luckily enough, two Italian girls we met on the plance are planning to take a taxi to the same place as we are and for only 10CUC per couple we made our first deal. Tired, sweaty and with our home-backpack saying its own, we’re running around the back-alleys of Havana Vieja trying yo find our Casa Particular. Well, our first impression of Cuba its not the greatest, perhaps the “wanting to leave the bags down” is stronger than the “wanting to explore” but the constant offers for a cheap casa/taxi/tour/restaurant/justnameitandtheyhadit etc… are not helping. “Calle Rayo num. 2?”, we keep asking to those “best-offer” chaps at pretty much every block. Although the taxi left us kind of far from our casa (at the casa of the other italians due to some misunderstanding), we persist in finding our own way without spending more money on bici-taxi or similar. Three floors up of a colonial building, elevator not working and with a hole in the roof: yours truly, cuba. On the doorstep, Eduardo and his old sweet granny are waiting to show us the room where we gonna spend the first night of our adventure.
It’s true of what they say about Havana: the old 50s Chevrolet are everywhere, there are bright coloured houses, chaos, guaguas (aka buses), funny movie-like cuban accents, salsa at every corner, love for the Che in every house and people of thousands colours gifting smiles left to right. For the rest of the afternoon, we set off to discover Cuba but especially to try get the Viazul tickets for the bus leaving tomorrow for Viñales. During this sweat-walk (this city is so big, warm and dusty), we loose ourselves more than a couple of times ending up in a very laid-back barrio (quarter). Here people are more friendly, they ask us where we are from and where we are going. Some kids play football in the middle of the road and other challenge each other with short running competitions. We observe, laugh, take pictures and videos.
By arriving at the huge Revolution Plaza, we finally realise how much we walked, how tired we are and how much (a lot) is missing to reach the bus station from where to get the tickets. Luckily, it is here that we meet Mavy: the best, most amazing and incredible coco-taxi driver of all Havana. Every day she wakes up at 5am and starts roaming the streets of Havana with her yellow round taxi in search for tired walkers like us. Soon its time to go back home for her, so she offers to bring us to the bus station and then onto the Malecón (seaside of Havana) until sunset; all of this for just 20CUC !!! The seaside is wild. At every second, huge waves hit the roadside with an incredible power making so that all pass-byres get to taste the sea on their faces. “You will go back home salty salty !”, says Mavy. “But this is nothing! When the hurricane Irma was here just a couple of weeks ago, the road was flooded. Today is the first day we can drive through here without having to worry”. The cannons of an old monument are laying on the opposite sides of the sidewalks, the shops on the seaside are all closed / being repaired and you can still clearly see sand here and there… Thanks god we weren’t here !
Mavy has never left Cuba. She was once invited to the USA but she can’t get the visa for there and to go to closer countries such as Panama, the requirements are for her to be rich. Similarly to all cubans, she cannot do that since they momney she get daily is just enough to make out a living. It’s very difficult to live here but she laughs, makes jokes, explains us what we see from the coco-taxi and tells us stories about dolphins & sharks. After this super enjoyable co-conversation, Mavy drive us to the only open restaurant on the seaside that offers a simple buffet for 10CUC per person. Tomorrow we’re going to see her again ! She will come a pick us up at our casa and drive us to the bus station to continue our adventure. Maybe when we’ll be back in 20 days, we could meet again. Who knows…
PLANNING A TRIP TO CUBA? CHECK MORE POSTS BELOW!
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