Havana ooh na na... my Cuban adventure

I’ve been DYYYYIIIIINGGGG to go to Cuba ever since the ban on travel for American citizens has been lifted. I wanted to experience the authentic culture and meet the Cuban people before the wave of American tourism overtook the country. So when my friend Kayla asked if I wanted to go before the Wildflower Tours Tulum adventure, I 100% knew the answer. OF COURSE. I just had to figure out how to make it work financially.Lucky for me, I love travel credit cards, and had enough miles to get there and back at a very minimal cost! Woooo woooo, I was going to Cuba!!!!We took a red eye flight, just so we could get as much time in as possible. And just like that, after twelve hours of travel and a debatable amount of “decent sleep”, we arrived in Havana!  I kid you not, as the plane was landing an overwhelming sense of unbelief and gratitude washed over me. A tear rolled down my cheek, this was actually happening!!Fun fact: Cuba’s currency is considered a “closed currency” meaning it can only be exchanged in Cuba. So after some time changing over our money, and finding a taxi driver who wasn’t trying to rip us off, we were on our way to our Cuban Casa.I was wide eyed and my jaw was dropped the entire ride to our new home. The entire vibe of Cuba overtook me, and I was OBSESSED. The cars, the colors, the people, the music, YES. YES. YESSSSS.Once we arrived at our new home we were given fresh mango juice and a tour of the place, uhhhhh HOW CUTE IS THIS?!Once we were settled in, unpacked and refreshed, Kayla and I made our way to Old Havana for some much needed comida and bebida (Spanish for food and drink).Ate ropa Vieja and mojitos aimlessly wandered around alleys checking out local shops and the architecture. Everyone was asking us for rides, we finally took a spontaneous old car tour / taxi ride . Went to revolution square, John Lennon park and went for some mojitos. The tour guide got upset we wouldn’t pay for his bevs, which got awkward, he ended the tour and dropped us off. Even though it ended on a weird note, the day was amazing all in all.I swear we could have slept forever. But we didn’t. We woke up had breakfast and ran out of the house. We caught a taxi, surprisingly fast and made it to the Bacardi factory where our old car tour of Havana would begin.We met up with our guide for the day Josue. He was such a love from the very beginning! We were, of course, late to the party and he patiently waited for us, understanding how difficult navigating the streets could be. Once we made our formal introductions, he led us to his bright pink Chevy and we were on our way!!! We began in Centro Havana, exploring all the ins and outs of the old city streets.We went through Vedado, the central business district and urban neighborhood of Havana, onto Miramar (the Beverly Hills of Havana) and eventually making our way to Josue’s old stomping grounds and hometown , the beautiful city of Buena Vista. We also stopped to visit the iconic, Fusterlandia which was one of my favorites!Needless to say, cruising around a classic convertible, on a sunny day, all around Havana was unbelievably gorgeous!The tour was very informational, where we not only learned about then history of Cuba, but we were able to understand the local way of living as well. After 3 hours with Josue, it was time to say goodbye, where we made our way back to the house and changed for our cooking class.As they say in Cuba, love starts in the kitchen. Sooo needless to say, COOKING CLASS WAS AMAAAZING. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn inside a local Cuban home.  We began by preparing traditional Mojito’s!! Did you know that when you make a mojito, you re supposed to leave the stem on the mint?! Apparently, thats where the minty essence is kept... Once the drinks were made, we started working on the cuisine. We learned how to prepare rice, beans, chicken and pork, plantains and veggies! My mouth is watering just looking at this picture and thinking back to how that kitchen smelled.At cooking class, we made some friends, Dennis and Kristen, who are world travelers based out of Ohio. They were so much fun, we made plans to go out later that night. With places to go and so muhc more to see, we thanked our hosts and made our way back out to the streets of Havana to continue exploring.There are so many stray animals, it took every bit of willpower to not touch them... but when I came across a group of kittens well.... I held a kitten.While we walked the streets,  we stumbled across a music and arts festival, where a few local bands were playing for the people to come, shop and dance! Once we saw what we needed to see, we continued walking back to our place, and we came across a local soccer game! One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to just walk the streets and see what crosses my path. A little local living was exactly what I was looking for, and today, I had found it!From the minute Kayla and I walked off the plane, everyone was telling us to go to the "new club" Fabrica Dr Arte; and after going, I now see why... it was PHENOMENAL. Art, drinks, movies, comedy, relaxing and much more all in one! We met us with our friends Dennis and Kristen shared some strong drinks and danced the night away! Here's a few pictures from my night out there! We left after a while and eventually came across a hole in the wall sandwich shop which gave us the perfect ending to a great night out!The next day, let’s just call is the travel hiccup day. You know those days where the universe seems like it’s against you and everything you do is just not working...? Well, that’s how most of our third day went.Instead of reliving all those moments, I figured my energy and your time is better spent giving you some tips to hopefully avoid a frustrating day. Hahaha.

1. download google maps before you land in Cuba. (When they say there is no internet, it’s not a joke, there is NONE). These maps will save yourself a LOT of time trying to navigate the streets.2. When you get in a taxi, pull up your own google maps and make sure the taxi driver is driving the right way, because 9 times out of 10, the driver has no clue where he is actually going.3. Decide how much you want to pay for a taxi and stick with it. They are going to try and swindle you for as much money as they can. Barter, barter, barter. And if you don’t like the price they are offering, just walk away, there will be another taxi or they will give you what you want.4. Accept that shopping in Cuba isn’t really “a thing”. If you stumble across a market or storefront, AWESOME, you’re in luck, but don’t go looking for them.5. If you meet a local, pick their brain, because everyone has their own “Havana experience” .

Now that you have some advice to help avoid a travelers headache, let’s get back to my Cuban adventure!!After a whirlwind of a day, we got some drinks, found a taxi, and made it to our salsa class!! Woooh!Our dance instructor, Millie, was teaching five of us how to dance Salsa properly before heading out to a well known salsa club, Club 1830.This night was exactly what we needed! It was so much fun!! We drank mojito after mojito and danced into the early hours of the night. At the outdoor club, there were two shows before the live band came on and everyone was invited to dance.  It did not matter what skill level you were, everyone was there to just have a great time! There were a few locals who came up to Kayla and I and became our "dirty dancing in Havana" partners, hahaha.  There were some songs, where the performers would come out and teach the rest of us certain dances to certain songs! I have to say it again, it was soooo much fun! Once we were too sweaty to dance any more, we said our goodbyes and stopped at our sandwich spot on the way home! Our last day in Havana was bittersweet, on one hand, we felt like we had so much more to do and see and on the other hand we couldn't wait to get to Tulum and explore yet another new city. Instead of hitting the ground running like we usually did, we  decided to see where the day took us. We started out at Hotel Capri, where we bought the infamous Cuban cigars and relaxed poolside with drinks on hand. What a way to spend the afternoon!!  Once we were more than relaxed, we decided to walk around the city streets one last time! As I have said before, this is one of my favorite things to do while traveling, you never know what you'll run into! Check out some of the places we saw along the way!Time flew by just walking the streets and talking about the new adventure that was ahead. Kayla and I grabbed some dinner and called it an early night. We had to be up and out the door by 4am and at the airport by 6am. We had one last mojito, said our goodbyes to our Cuba Casa and our host, and made our way to the airport.I still can't believe I had the opportunity to go and explore Cuba. It was a beautiful country, with extraordinary people and so much culture to offer! Every time I tell someone I went to Cuba I get one of three reactions... the first, they can't believe I actually was able to go, but trust me, it is not as hard as it is said to be! If you ever want to know how, please ask me and I will be more than happy to help you! The second, people are nervous and scared, these are mainly the older generations that can not believe I have entered the "Communist Zone", just so you know... times have changed! There is no need to be afraid. And lastly, there are those who want to know it all, every single detail and the name of every place I went, if that is YOU, meaning you want even more details about my time in Cuba, reach out!! I LOVE sharing anything I can.Anyways, thanks for taking this little trip to Havana with me :) Until Next time!!Now off to Tulum!Much love xxChristina