Let me tell you something before to start.. this below was written yesterday and at the moment I was loading it.. it started to rain here in Havana and guess what? The hotelier comes to me saying “Sorry it’s raining so we need to shout down the WIFI”.. Well I’ve thought, ok. I am sure that it will be back on 1 hour.. I was wrong! WIFI’s just back now, in the morning! Well, this is the good and bad to be in Cuba 😊 but ..I don’t complaint!
Anyway, yesterday after a long stroll through Havana Old Town I had to sit in a bar and enjoy a fresh Havana and coke: I could not resist writing something to catch the moment.
A guy yesterday told me one thing “Lo Que Pasa in Cuba se queda in Cuba”.. what happens in Cuba stays in Cuba.. hang on a second, wasn’t this valid only for Vegas??! Nah.. I am going to tell you all what it will happen instead!.. well, almost!
Day 2 in Habana and feels like I have been here for weeks already: it’s a good feeling and most of all people around here it’s amazing!
I have read so many articles about Cuba and Cubans and very sadly some of them mentioned that people in Cuba are too pushy trying to oversell to tourists and sometimes men are a little too “kind” to women. You know what?… People in Habana it’s just amazing! Not even for once, I have felt here unsafe and not even for once I have got lost, because people would simply help me out, trying their very best.
Ok, I guess that the key point here is to remember where we are right. Cuba = Communism.
People cannot get out of this country so either they love it or.. they love it! I am sure that as European or Americans we kind of forget how important is for us to be free to be whatever we want to be and to go wherever we want to go.. think about: if someone will tell you “ No.. you cannot really leave your home mate”.. doesn’t sound good, does it? So yes, not sure if I can blame some Habanero if they try to be over nice sometimes with Europeans or Americans, all you need here is just a very good smile and carry on!
For me, so far.. so good. But one thing: just learn some Spanish before you step in Cuba.
Being able to speak Spanish it is really helping a lot, and I honestly do not quite understand how no Spanish speaker can cope sometimes here.. as people do not much speak English, although they try to understand and make themselves understood as much as possible. But hey.. you wanna be a traveler right? So read a dictionary on your way to work whilst you are on your train 😊
Sorry.. one sip of Havana and coke for me now.. 😊 here it’s just too hot!
Talking about the heat: guys, we are talking about 28-32 degrees.. and 78/85% of humidity.. so whether you are thinking to come over to Cuba just get ready and most of all if you come from a very cold country.. do not complain about the heat.. as you need it sometimes!
On top of this.. the heat it’s a good trick for habanero to sell more Mojitos.. 😊 and ..it’s good stuff!
You must know that I am very curious, so whilst I was on the main road of Havana Vieja I have thought.. “what about if I change route and I go there where there are no tourists”… yeah right there!
And here I come.. real Habaneros standing in front of me, kids playing in the middle of the road having fun with the little that they have and grown up women smoking their cigars. I wish you could have smelt what I was smelling.
I have met a guy, Raul, .. a real nice guy (can I say that he was also very cute…?) .. Raul very kindly offered to show me the very top of a 4th-floor building 120 years old …almost collapsing! We’ve walked up and here was she, his auntie Matilde, a lovely woman in her late fifties with some health problem.. we’ve sat down for a little bit and we chit chatted an about Matilde’s heritage. She is actually half Spanish from her mother and half Cuban from her father.. her mother was a beautiful very light skin blondie.. amazing eh.. And this reminds to the fact it is astonishing on the many diversity in people here..(we will go back to this later maybe..). Anyway, Matilde does not smoke cigarettes.. cigarettes are too light! She smokes instead cigar 😉 Let me show you a little bit of Matilde house’s view..
lovely view of Havana Vieja from a building that could crush down every minute, but unfortunately, Matilde has no elsewhere to stay.
I want to stop with this sad story: it was just to remind to all my readers and to myself most of all how lucky we are for being born on a free country!
Well, my drink has finished and it is time for me to go now… Havana Vieja by night is waiting for me!
Ciao My Wonderful Friends