And so it begins
After breakfast, and a walk to the coast to see the ocean, we departed for Havana. It was about 10:30, the skies were blue with white puffy clouds, and the temperature was a steamy 83 degrees already! And me, yeah, riding in a convertible, bald, without a hat. Not a good combo. On other hand, I wasn’t going to purchase the tourist “Fidel, green hat with red star” hat. I saw more than a few of those on this journey.
We were off, and these cars were pushing it at 18-20mph. People were riding by us taking pictures of the cars we were riding in. Stacey wore the big hat in our car. Alanna was rocking the Austin City Limits hat in the other car. All of the girls were wearing the fashionable sunglasses. Me. I’ve got nothing here.
It took about 20-25 minutes to get into town. We rode by hundreds of people waiting for the buses, old cars, crazy dump trucks converted into buses and a few official vehicles stopping cars. I wasn’t sure what they were looking for. Once getting into town, we rode past Old Havana, and then cruised down the Malecón (the ocean road along the seawall) heading to Revolution Square. We rode by Havana’s version of River Oaks/Embassy Row. No poverty here. Plenty of nice cars, fashionable people and beautiful manicured lawns were seen everywhere in this part of town.
Revolution Square
We parked in the Havana version of the theater district, across from an opera/entertainment facility. We then crossed a street to the huge plaza, known as Revolution Square. On one building you can see an image mural of Che,’ the other, of Fidel Castro. This was the true symbol of socialism in North America. I can only image the speeches Fidel gave here to millions of people. Needless to say, I wasn’t posing for photos but just capturing the moment. We crossed the street to the one of the tallest buildings in Havana, a museum and observation point. Usually free, this time they were charging. I’m not sure anyone in the group want to pay to climb 7-8 stories to look down on the city. We moved on to the next stop, the Havana National Forest. Back at the parking lot, we noticed one of the two cars was missing. Claudia’s father, drove the tan Model A. He’d driven off to get gas. After a few minutes, and a conversation with a man driving a 1957 DeSoto, we departed for the forest.
On to the National Forest
This drive was interesting. One thing Sonia noticed; the people in this area being connected to technology. You could see plenty of pedestrians equipped with headphones, phones, and other modern devices. This was an upper middle class community in Havana. We rode through several streets as we slowly began seeing more trees. The National Forest wasn’t far away. Crossing a bridge, you could see the area to our right. It’s lush and green, the water clear and rapidly flowing. We pulled in, where other tourists have already gathered and began to wander. While beautiful, other things take place here. We learned this beautiful wilderness was also a place for animal sacrifice. The Afro-Cuban religious community sacrifice birds and other animals. You could see feathers, and the occasional “clawed foot” all around the park, and who knows what else had gone on here. I was a bit anxious, but soldiered on to capture more photos.
On to Old Havana
We left after about an hour, needing to connect with Harold to exchange more Dollars for CUCs. Riding back along the Malecón we spotted a 1926 Cadillac Convertible in mint condition! By now, I’ve seen enough classic cars in Havana to shame anything in America. Still, taking pictures though. Who knows if I’ll ever get back again. Heading back to Old Havana, we parked and wandered for a while, waiting for Harold. Oddly enough we had a lunch at a Harley Davidson themed restaurant. The owner, a Harley rider himself, traveled the world. His eatery was a testament to his love of the bike and of his travels.
We split up and wandered old Havana. Unlike our last trip here, the sun was bright and the colors were popping. Each street was stepping back in history, moments in time being peeled back like the skin of a grape. One street was probably the most memorable. Two people stopped Stacey, Sonia and Alanna. While the girls and the men talked and Sonia shared a Texas T-shirt or two, 
I saw a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. Having been to Miami a few times I already knew the Cuban people were a handsome group. She was unique. I asked to take her photo and her response, “if you must,” was classic. She told me her name was Mirabella. I guessed her to be in her early 30s. We chatted for a bit, the picture was pretty cool for natural lighting in a doorway. I thanked her and moved of. So much more to see, so little time (a cliché) .
Back at the restaurant, all shared appetizers and enjoyed cocktails. Harold appeared, unable to convert our funds to CUCs. Doing it at the bank would be expensive, but we were now short of cash. Claudia and Sonia went to the bank and we relaxed at the eatery.
With funds now in hand, we drove over to an area of Old Havana with shops for tourists. I picked up a few items for the kids and my parents. Each member of the group had someone back home to purchase items for.
The drive back was uneventful, except one of the two old Fords had to pull over because the radiator cap blew off (these things happen to 95 year old cars). Once back home, a visit to the home of our travel host, Harold, and then a walk along the coast.
From on Accidental Tourist to another, be careful out there and tell someone how much you love them.
Glenn, The “Accidental Tourist”
The prices start at $59.99 for a 20-page book...
