The Cuban Countryside

Thank God that my Dad taught me to drive a stick shift at the age of 12 because that meant Norm had to navigate (without a map) and ask directions in Spanish on our drive out of Havana.  It was a sight to see! Our first stop was Las Terrazas, a biosphere reserve in the Sierra Del Rosario Mountains, which everyone raves about.  The former French coffee plantation was lovely, but the river below was a bit disappointing.  It felt like a creek with a picnic area.  We didn't linger to swim and reached our final destination, the Parque Nacional Vinales, in an hour.

One of the oldest landscapes in Cuba, Vinales is magical.  There are large "mogotes" (hills) made of limestone covered in vegetation around the area.  They grow tabacco, coffee, and fruit in this picturesque setting.  Although there are plenty of casas (private homes with rooms to rent) in Vinales, we chose the Hotel La Ermita, a fun 50's style motel with a groovy pool and restaurant with an amazing view.  We were delighted to meet some interesting Aussies at the hotel to eat, drink and swap stories with.

Vinales was full of firsts for Norm.  It was his first time in a cave and on horseback.  The horseback ride was a fantastic way to see the national park and one of the trip highlights for both of us.  We rode past men plowing with oxen, serene lakes, banana groves, and stopped at our guides' family farm. It was truly special.

My second favorite experience was the tobacco tour. We sat with a farmer on his porch and Norm enjoyed Cuba's number one export.  We also visited a factory where the cigars are rolled. They still have someone read the newspaper and novels to the workers.  It sure was a shame not to be able to bring home a taste of Cuba to our friends!

Our next stop was Cayo Levisa.  It was island time!  We drove for a little over an hour through small towns to a ferry dock in the middle of nowhere.  This is where we ran into our first problem on the trip.  We were supposed to return our rental car here, but there was no Cuba car office.  So much for that plan.  We ended up keeping the car for another three days that we didn't need.

We forgot about the car immediately as the ferry transported us to an idyllic barrier island with one resort and an endless beach.  We spent three days lying in the sun, swimming, reading, eating fresh seafood and drinking rum cocktails.  It simply doesn't get much better.  We took one boat trip where I went for a dive on a lovely reef and Norm snorkeled above.

We left our bungalow on Cayo Levisa kicking and screaming.  But, we were excited to drive back to explore a little more of Habana before returning to reality.  Our trip gave Norm and me a real taste of life in Cuba from the cosmopolitan culture to the natural beauty of the country.  I look forward to the day that all Americans are allowed this experience!

Havana Day Dreamin'

After spending all day in Cancun waiting for our connection to Cuba, I was thrilled to see that the Hotel Florida was restored to its former splendor.  We were ideally located right in the middle of Havana's historic Vieja district.  I had arranged for a guide to meet us at the hotel on Saturday morning to take us on an all day walking tour of the city.  Diana Castellanos (dmca1983@gmail.com), a 27 year old English teacher at the local university, was a charming companion.  She not only showed us around the important historic sights, but also taught us about life in Havana today.

In addition to experiencing lovely places like the Plaza de Armas with its dripping Spanish moss and many of Hemmingway's haunts, we also saw the neighborhoods without running water and evidence of decades without access to goods.  From the old cars to the music pouring out of every doorway we were transported to another time and place.

One of our Havana highlights was enjoying mojitos in the lobbies and on the roofs of restored hotels like the Ambos Mundos, the Inglaterra, the Sevilla, the Santa Isabel (our favorite) and the Hotel Nacional (over in the Vedado). We loved learning about the history of Cuba in the former Presidents Palace-now the Museo de la Revolution, the Coleccion de Artes Cubano, and the Governor's Mansion.  We spent a lot of time strolling along El Prado, Obispo Street, and the Malecon.  Of course we also hit some nightclubs like Casa de Musica and the Havana Cafe at the Hotel Cohiba, and went to a painful operetta in the faded glory of the Gran Teatro de la Habana.  We had a grand time!

Havana is a sultry, colorful, intriguing and exotic city.  It was hard to pull ourselves away to see the countryside.  But, adventures awaited--like driving without a map...

Cuba Libre

My fascination with Cuba began as a child when I learned that I was born during the Cuban Missile Crisis. For years I've wanted to visit the island that's only 90 miles off Key West.  I'm happy to say that both the island and its people lived up to my dreams!

First of all, this trip was more difficult to plan that my journey around the globe.  Calculating (not my strong suit to start with) in four currencies with no access to credit cards to fall back on is a challenge. Unlike other countries, prices are higher if you walk up without a reservation, but you can't make a reservations with American credit cards... In the end I used a combination of working through "my man in Havana" Jorge (jorgeguide2004@gmail.com) for some reservations and figured others out on the fly.

Our 10 Day Itinerary

April 30 -- Fly to Cancun, transfer to Mexicana flight to Havana
May 1-2 -- Havana, Hotel Florida
May 3 -- Rent car and drive to Las Terrazas in Sierra del Rosario Mountains, on to Vinales National Park
May 4 -- Valley of Vinales, Hotel La Ermita
May 5 -- Drive to Cayo Levisa ferry to barrier island
May 6-7 -- Cayo Levisa Resort
May 8 -- Drive along coast to Havana, Hotel Florida
May 9 -- Fly to Cancun on Cubana airline, transfer to New York