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Havana Oh Nana
We arrived in Havana first thing in the morning because we took a midnight flight from Phoenix with a layover in Miami. We chose this particular flight because it allowed us an extra full day in Cuba. While in Miami, we selected and paid for our Visa (support for the Cuban people) at the departure gate (about $100 per person). I had been having extra anxiety about this process; I was reading blogs, reading the embassy website, had a dossier of documents that I was prepared to present to whoever needed to see to show that we had a well planned trip and were indeed ready to show Support for the Cuban People. After paying for the visa, we boarded our flight, and relaxed for the surprisingly short flight. It’s a weird feeling to know that a country is closer than Jamaica, literally a hop-skip-and-jump away, but feels like you’re going to a different world. It SHOULD take more than 2 hours to go to a different world, right?
Arrival at José Martí airport was similar to other tropical, smaller Caribbean countries… bright, hot, and humid. We loved it. We changed money at the airport, and had a driver waiting for us. We had arranged Taxi pick up with the help of our AirBnB host (definitely do this). We arrived at our AirBnB which was at an old, colonial, white building, facing the ocean along the Malecon. Our host made us our first of many Mojitos (breakfast mojitos are a thing, right?). We showered, ate, drank, and set off to explore Old Havana. We took in the architecture, the people, and ate at a restaurant with live music.
Cuba, like many other Caribbean and central/South American countries, is a child of mixed heritage. In talking with people in Havana, we learned of the pride they have in their African, European, and Native heritages. We visited an apothecary, learned about old medicine treatments with plants, herbs, and spices, and even learned about religions and dances that have travelled with the people from West Africa. There is so much culture in just one city.
Following a few days in Havana and a delicious dinner at La Guarida, we went to Playa Giron, which had the most beautiful blue/green waters. We ate locally in the area, food composed of fresh fish, crabs, rice and beans. Our final stop was the town of Trinidad, a picturesque colonial town where live music filled the streets, locals danced, and we rode bikes through the villages and around the surrounding beaches. Cuba was a truly magical experience for me, for many reasons. So I say, “Havana oh nana. Half of my heart is in Havana oh nana”.
