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Cuba 2019

November - December 2019
Two weeks in Cuba with Dean. Read more
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  • TravelerCuba 2019
    Day 11

    Enigma de las rocas

    December 3, 2019 in Cuba ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had originally planned to stay in the are for two night, but we ended up extending our stay one extra night because we wanted to check out the Ciénaga de Zapata. We were thinking about going to the west of Playa Larga, but our host convinced us to go to the Enigma de las rocas instead. Price was 25CUC a person, in a shared car. Dean was a bit skeptical because he had been meaning to go to a farther place, with more birds, and also because this one was more popular and crowded, but we both ended up enjoying it a lot.

    Our guide, Mario, was savvy and showed us the plants, the rocks formed out of coral fossils, the alligators, the fish, the birds, and the crabs. We stopped at a little pond to swim and went to a cave with transparent water and tons of bats. It was a lot of fun.

    After this visit, a German couple we were sharing a car with suggested going to the Cueva de los Peces to do snorkeling. A group of Spanish women joined as well. We ate at a bar there and rented the gear (5 CUC/person). The sea was lovely and we saw lots of fish. I enjoyed the cave itself less. There were less fish there, you could feel cold currents, and the holes and cracks were kind of scary. We went back to the sea, but I stayed chatting with the Spaniards.

    We weren't very sure how we would get back, but I wasn't too worried. By then we had learned that you can't stand in Cuba for five minutes without someone walking to you and offering you a ride. Instead of that, however, we saw a bus that was going to Playa Larga and jumped in (1 CUC/person). It left us in the center and we walked back with an ice cream.    Read more

  • TravelerCuba 2019
    Day 12

    Back to Havana

    December 4, 2019 in Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I had a pretty bad night between the bug bites and some weird nightmares. I had planned to get up early to see the sunrise in Playa Larga, but I couldn't do it.

    This was the day we were getting back to Havana. After the Viazul experience, we had decided that we didn't want to repeat, so we took a fairly rundown shared taxi for 20 CUC/person.

    Our new place was in the center, near Vedado. It was a bit older than the previous one, but our hosts were extremely nice and helpful. We spent some time chatting with them and then we left to explore the city again.

    We grabbed food at El Biky, a pretty good and affordable place. It didn't look particularly special but both our guidebook and our hosts praised it, and it was definitely worth it.

    After eating, we went to the Callejón de Hamel, a highlight in every tourist guide that we hadn't had the chance to check out yet. It's a quite peculiar street, with murals, art and sculptures.

    We walked towards the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. The bug bites were killing me and I was hoping to be able to find some aloe lotion there. The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a government-run hotel, and therefore one of the places you're not allowed to stay in under the "support for the Cuban people" travel requirement. Not that we would have wanted to stay there instead of locals anyway... They do, however, have a little store with a selection of skin and hair products that would be hard to find somewhere else, and quite nice views from the patio.

    After stopping for a bit at a square to check internet, we went back home to rest and change. We had a dinner at a place called TOKE that was simple but offered pretty decent food. This is a LGBT-friendly bar and you can see rainbows everywhere.    Read more

  • TravelerCuba 2019
    Day 13

    Fusterlandia

    December 5, 2019 in Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Fusterlandia
    Capitolio
    Chanchullero
    taller de graphics'
    sitio del pulled pork delicioso
    quedamos con Luis que nos trajeron y algo para su hermana
    museo de las Orishas
    festival afrocubano
    museo en el parque cervantes
    paseo por el malecónpor la noche fuimos a la fabrica de arte cubano    Read more

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  • TravelerCuba 2019
    Day 13

    Fabrica de Arte Cubano

    December 5, 2019 in Cuba ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    When you go to Havana and try to figure out where to get out at night, every person and every guide you'll find will tell you to check out Fabrica de Arte Cubano. You'll get there, see a bunch of tourists standing in line, and think it's a tourist trap.

    It's not.

    Sure, there are a lot of tourists who go there. There are also a lot of Cubans. It's just because this is arguably the best night club you can find. For real. New York, Berlin, or London wish they had something like this venue.

    Night club is not even an accurate term to describe it. It's more like a giant art center, a performance venue, a bar and a restaurant, and a hip store, all at once. Getting in is 50CUP or 2CUC, and food and drinks are not expensive.

    I'm sure I'll forget some of the things we saw there, but they include the Orquesta de Cámara de La Habana playing Hollywood soundtracks, some jazz shows, a cover band playing 90s rock hits, and a French documentary about a group of Mali musicians in Cuba (Africa Mia). The director was there and ended up DJing after the showing.

    The space also included several art exhibits, but not of the kind where your cousin has convinced the owner of a bar to hang their watercolors. They were amazing.

    If I had a place like that nearby, I would be going every week. By the way, if you're reading this and considering going, one tip: get there before they open. The lines can get very long.    Read more

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