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Oh Cuba how you have my heart...
I fell in love with Cuba....the history, the art, the people, the dancing- everything! Cubans are amazing people and I think Fidel actually saved them. They have a lack of wifi and artificial food which I think is GREAT. Living with the average salary of $35 a month, Cubans do not value materialistic items . Outside looking in, to live that kind of life style was extremely humbling and eye opening.
So what do they value? Well the important things in life that modern society has made us come out of touch with.
For example, WiFi is a fucking mission. To connect one must:
1:Buy WiFi card to connect. Scratch carefully!
2: Find hotspot or WiFi Park -usually it’s the only place you see groups of Cubans sitting on their phones.
3: Attempt to connect your 1 hour session you paid $2 for. Good luck because even when WiFi was “available”, it wasn’t. At this point it’s like FUCK IT, I don’t NEED wifi. Go forth with exploring. So back to values. YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THAT SHIT TO CONNECT WITH OTHER PEOPLE DIGITALLY, therefore Cubans actually connect with people mentally and physically.
Cubans party without their phones, they converse without being distracted by a text or social media. It was so nice to go out and actually be present in the moment. And that is why I went back. I loved not being connected to WiFi all the time, and of course I love me some mojitos and sun. Also, the fun Cuban company was a plus because I was able to explore a side the tourist are afraid to do.
I made friends with the locals and I’m so happy I did.
The first day, my flight was delayed for 2 hours so by the time I got to settle in it was late in the day, but in Cuba the early night is just the beginning.
I was recommended to stay at a casa particular in Vedado which is only a 10 minute taxi from Habana Vieja. Vedado is more of a residential and relaxing environment compared to the touristy chaos of Old Havana. The local bars were more relaxed and fun. It was much quieter on this side, quite peaceful actually.
I got invited to a bar for drinks and dancing with the locals the first night and it was so much fun! Everyone dances, no one is sitting unless they’re drunk or really tired. Mojitos were only $1-2, and they were dangerously good. I also enjoyed a live Cuban band which was fun. I went to bed fairly early because I knew I wanted to explore the next day.
Walk around and people watch-make sure you have comfy shoes!
Barbeparque and the Arte Corte Museo on the Callejeron de los Peluqueros de la Habana.It is a street for hairstylist, and a non profit cultural project that helps reunite barbers and hair stylist.
Icecream on Opisbo is a must
Visited Habana 1791 Colonias sells natural Cuban fragrances
Museo de Ceramica
Casa De Africa
Museo de la Farmacia Habanera
Ate at La Vitrola and of course had a mojito…this was a fun place to people watch and the food/service was great.
Drank a yummy mojito in Vedado at Casa de Balear
I also watched a group of Cubans sing and do Capoaida which was quite mesmerizing. I explored 12.1 miles of Havana Vieja and walked around until it was time to sit on the malecon and watch the sunset. I honestly love people watching, the energy in Cuba is just as magical as their sunset.
What I learned at this moment while watching the sunset is…money can help you value your time, but time does not value money. Cuba helped me learn to value every moment, como los Cubanos viven.
Where to stay when you go to Cuba?
There are a bunch of casa particulars available all throughout Cuba. I stayed at a cute little air bnb in the heart of Habana Vieja on Calle Villegas. They served fresh breakfast with fruits, coffee, toast, eggs, and a yummy smoothie for only $7.
If you want to get the local experience, here is the site info in case you wanted to book in Old Havana:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14059126
I deciced to hit up the country side and get away from Havana for a day.
There are multiple ways to get to Vinales from Havana. I recommend asking the casa particular or a local for help getting a taxi. I heard prices ranging from $80 to $200.
Jess of course befriended a Cuban local and got to ride for $80 one way to Vinales.
I was told it was a 2 hour drive….that’s 2 hours Cuban time. IT TOOK ABOUT 3 hours. I’m glad I peed before going, and I am also glad I had headphones because the taxi did not have a radio….or A.C. Good thing I love driving with the windows down.
Upon arrival to Vinales, the air was totally different than Havana. It was not as polluted or congested. It was nice and relaxing, the way I expected the country side to be.
I visited the Cueva De los Indios. It was a cool, but creepy and dark cave. At the end of the path, you get on a boat that takes you thru the river in the cave and out on the other side is a cute little farm.
As soon as I got off the boat, locals were making fresh Guarapo- it is a drink made with freshly cut sugar cane, it’s sweet and super refreshing. Here, you can also serve yourself rum and make yourself a mojito with the freshly made Guarapo for only $3.
Once I chugged this yummy drink because I was hot AF and thirtsy.
Then, as the rum started to kick in I realized I was starving. I was told there was a restaurant on premise, so I decided to go there. At first I was a little hesitant on eating here because it looked closed, then a cute little old man came from the kitchen and told me to have a seat.
Mark my words, this was the BEST FOOD I HAD IN ALL OF CUBA.
It was all farm fresh food. The meal started with fresh fruits like guava and watermelon. Then, homeboy made some farm raised meat, yucca with a garlic sauce, arroz morro (a mix of rice and beans) a vegetable salad, and a juice for only $11 CUC!
I died and went to heaven. There were also puppies running around on the farm, the weather was beautiful, the sun was slowly starting to get ready to set, it honestly felt magical and this was such a peaceful moment for me.
I walked around and explored a bit more before heading back to Havana.
Instead of paying $80 to go back to Havana, I took a $20 taxi from Vinales to Pinar Del Rio. From there I took a taxi collectivo (which is like Uber pool) and paid only $5 to get back to Havana. I watched the stars as I sat in the last row of the taxi van, I have never seen that many stars before. It was a beautiful day.
I am excited to share that I will be helping out with the Arte Corte Proyecto.
The hair museum was filled with antique hair tools and eccentric hair art. I absolutely loved it, as an artist it is a must see. Here I volunteered to spread education for the local hair stylist. This was such an amazing and humbling experience. I feel like I found my purpose, helping other stylist spread the love of beauty. I recommened bringing tools you do not mind leaving behind. I showed them how to do some waves and curls with a curling iron and I left my tools behind for them to practice. Because of sanctions it is extremely difficult to receive the proper tools to educate cosmetology.
I will be setting up some dates for 2019 with the school to help provide tools and further educate the students. If you are a hairstlist interested in volunteering and helping me with this project please email me and we can all work on this together. Cubans make an average salary of $35 a month. If you choose to be a barber or hair stylist here, it is because they truly love it and are passionate about it. I have been to many hair shows, and this is by far the most passion I have ever felt amongst other stylist. I cannot wait to go back and spread some more love and beauty.