Cuba has always been on my list of places to visit and I finally explored it in 4 full days. Read along for my travel recap to get inspired for your own trip to Havana, Cuba! Here is how I spent 4 amazing days in Cuba here we go:

Day 1 – Lunes (Monday)

We arrived at the Havana Airport around 1:30. The airport was so tiny! Right off of the plane we walked outside and into the building where we found customs–which was extremely short compared to what you may experience coming back into the US. It took so long to get our bags we began to worry if they were lost! But alas, they finally came and we were on our way 🙂 As we left the airport we found our driver se llama Orlando; Cuban native taxi driver. He helped us gather our bags, exchange our euros to pesos and then he drove us to our home for the week in Nuevo Vedado.

As we drove through the city I was in awe at the infrastructure, architecture and culture around me. It was truly as if I had gone back in time when bright colored classic cars were all the rage, but also when Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were in their prime. The propaganda was still there although faded with time.

Streets of Havana, Cuba

Views from our Airbnb

Airbnb Apartment

 

We made it to our casa and met our host Gretter! She was the cutest and so kind–bought us wifi cards, water, and even a local phone to use to communicate. The house isn’t close to the city of Havana, however its pretty authentic. We see the kids walking to and from school and the locals traveling to work and just hanging around.

Once settled in we headed to get lunch at “La Rosa Negra”! Me encantaba muchisimo!!! I had black beans and rice with plantains. The beans were incredible, filled with so much flavor. Afterwards we took a FAT nap. That night was a struggle as we couldn’t figure out how to communicate with taxis or even our driver. We ended up calling our Host Gretter and she was so kind and agreed to drive us to dinner. This time we went to “Habana 61” and let me tell you, the maduros (plantains) were BUSSIN. The best in all of Cuba I swear. I also ordered calmarones (shrimp) with Cuban salsa–que increíble.

Shrimp Dish from Habana 61

Once we got back, it hit me how disconnected I was from the world. In the past whenever I traveled, I would use my down time to catch up with family and friends, however in Cuba there isn’t much wifi or international service. The wifi that is available are in fancy hotels or places called “wifi parks” neither of which were close to our airbnb…so I decided to use this time to rest and journal my trip!

I absolutely love the culture of Cuba. It is insanely diverse. The range of race and looks from white to black to yellow and all in between. Regardless of any of that everyone is Cuban. It continues to remind me of the history of Cuba–slave trade, globalization, creolization and mas. Truly beautiful mix of culture and love.

Day 2 – Martes (Tuesday)

Today was INCREDIBLE. My mom set up a tour to Vinales, Cuba with Ras Leon Bermudez as our tour guide. In addition we met up with some fellow American friends from Florida; Christina, her young brother and god daughter. We planned to to be picked up at 8am..mind you we have absolutely no communication as our local phone didn’t have any credit AND our cell phones had no service lmao. So we wake up, get dressed, eat and…no one comes. Its about 8:15am when we realize no one is coming. So we walk on down to the Hotel Tulipan (a fancy hotel with wifi thank the Lord) and funny enough we immediately get a call from Gretter! She tells us the driver is looking for us and he found his way to the hotel. “Nana?! Nana?!” we look up to see Ras waving and motioning us to come on! This was the start to an amazing day:

Our trip took two hours! On the way there we stopped for lunch at this beautiful hotel! It had a cute pool, nice view, and delicious veggie pizza. I took some cute pics and used the wifi to catch up with some friends. Small world we found out Ras actually knows one of our family friends as they both have ties to Jamaica!

Next stop the Cigar Farm !

This was very very cool experience. We got to hear how the Cuban Cigars are made and I learned that they are organic and nicotine free! Interestingly enough, all cigars come from the same plant, the strength of the cigars are just based on where the leaves are located on the plant. The higher the leaves the stronger the taste. These leaves are picked, harvested and stored for months at a time. During this process the nicotine is concentrated in the spine of the leaves–which is then stripped out and the rest is rolled into cigars! After the history lesson, we got to try some on our own. The cigar was dipped in honey and it was very smooth, light and tasteful. No bitterness at all!

Next Destination (aka my favorite place): The Farm

This day was my absolute favorite. Ras’ brother owned an entire estate–well farm. We met his family, girlfriend and it was beautiful. He took us horseback riding tour that showed us all around the estate. He was super friendly and I enjoyed getting to know about his life. He’s lived on the farm since he was born and owned all of it. He grows tobacco, platano, papya, coffee and sugarcane! Speaking of sugarcane, we got to try some fresh sugarcane juice! They combine it with orange nectar concentrate + lime + white rum = D E L I C I O S O. To be honest, the best part was the tiny animals everywhere. When we rode back I decided to ride a horse and it was soooo scary because we were in some steep hills. But I prevailed! and I have to say it was a beautiful trip. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Viñales and meet amazing down to earth people.

De verdad, mi día favorito. La naturaleza, el sol, la familia, los campesinos…una vida simple y bella. Ojalá que vaya a Cuba otra vez y podría tener otra experencia bella como esta.

Day 3 – Miercoles (Wednesday)

Today we had a traditional Cuban breakfast: fresh fruit (piña, papaya, watermelon, y guayabana), croissant, eggs, cheese, mixed fruit drink and coffee! It was pretty good. So today we planned to explore Havana Viejo, but first we had to deliver some medical supplies to someone named Angel.

We finally meet Angel and he invites us to his home/office which is smack in the middle of Havana Viejo. Turns out, he is a huge international Cuban Artist!!! His full name is Angel Norniella. (You can find more about him in the link). He and his wife own a ceramics store where they sell their beautiful art. His wife, Amelia Carballo, is a well established artist as well and many of her installation pieces can be found all around Havana Viejo. Angel gave us a wonderful and informative impromptu tour of Havana! 

Cool Random Things I learned:

• Cuba has these museum type places called House of [insert country] like Casa de Africa etc. Each casa has a mini museum and even offers classes to teach about the culture! All students attend a casa once a month to learn about other countries. HOW COOL IS THAT. Lol our education system needs to step it up.

• Cuba has cures and medicine that could cure certain ailments like cancer of the lung, brain and lastly diabetes. However, such treatments aren’t accepted by our FDA in the states due to political reasons.

• The Cuban government does random car checks!!! Mostly because it’s illegal to for Cubans to give tours without a license. Once on our ride we were pulled over and Ras has to explain that we’re just friends so he wouldn’t get fined.

• Cuban houses are subsidized!

• 1 CUC (Cuban currency for tourists) = 25 CUP (Cuban currency for local Cubans)

• Collectiva = similar to uber, cheaper than a taxi and are usually in old traditional cars.

• Every month the government gives people about 12 CUP. So the allowance is very poor. Also people don’t have jobs unless its a private (establishment ran by the government or your personal business, like a family restaurant, thats recognized by the government. Therefore support of the Cuban people is a very important movement.

Day 4 – Jueves (Thursday)

This was our last day and I was so sad but determined to make the most of it! We of course had a full day planned: 9am beach, 1:30 Old Havana for lunch, 2-5 meet Ras and go shopping, 6pm salsa dance classes and finally dinner at 8! L O L we woke up at 11 and the whole plan was thrown off. We tried to catch a taxi or collectiva but decided that the bus route would be easiest…well. that was a whole L. We took the WRONG route and ended up far away, but alas we found a collectiva and made our way to Havana Viejo.

 After lunch we went to Museo Nacional de Bella Arte – The Cuban side. We only had 45 minutes and there were 2 levels, each with 4 rooms of art. I have never rushed through a beautiful museum before. I recommend going to this museum and having at least 2 hours of time for review. Look up these artists Tomas Sanchez, Jose Bedia, Roberto Fabelo , Zaida del rio, Waldo Luis Rodriguez, and Carlos Enriquez! You wont regret it.

Next up Santa María Beach woohoooo!!! The water was SO BLUE I loved it. Here are some fun flicks:

Shrimp Dish from Habana 61

Full day of fun wasn’t even close to being over. Now it was time for Shopping and Salsa lessons!!! We had our own personal dance teachers and we learned so many techniques. I probably couldn’t reproduce them on my own BUT I have video proof that I can follow my partner 😉 . For dinner we went on to our favorite from night one–Habana 61. <—- if you’re ever in the area, make sure you eat there!

Our final destination for the night: F.A.C. = Fabrica de Arte Cubano. This is one of the highlights of my entire trip. This place is unbelievable!!! The FAC is a famous tourist destination, but also somewhere Cubans can go to enjoy art of all kind. You can get a drink, or a small bite to eat, watch a Rocky horror film, enjoy the works of international photographers and artists, maybe even dance along to your favorite artist or DJ. This place has it ALL. Four giant floors with beautiful surprises around each and every corner. What I loved was the diversity of the crowd; ages ranging from 16-60, races of every color and everyone was enjoying their time.

When I first walked in, I came across a gallery of photos on the wall, followed by a cafe/bar on my right, passed that an outdoor terrace with music and dancing! Turn back around and theres another gallery with art installations. Next i’m all of a sudden in a club! When I didn’t think things could get any cooler, we make our way down the stairs and I run into a live concert. LIVE CONCERT. Through the concert room my mom and I keep exploring to find ourselves in an outdoor theatre. I was flabbergasted and ecstatic. More and More galleries and installations were coming to life and I have never been so happy before. Oh did I forget to mention it only cost 3 CUC == $3. THREE! WIL and amazing. Visit their website to see more of what they do (its in Spanish so you may need to translate)–> http://www.fac.cu/

We stayed out til about 3am and my goodness I got no sleep due to our 6am flight! The next morning I got on my flight and sadly said goodbye to Cuba. I will say it was by far one of my most exciting international trips I have ever taken. I will most definitely be going back in the next few years.

xoxo,

Nylah

P.S. This dream of a trip would never ever HAVE been possible without my loving parents! Especially my mom who figured out all of the logistics and daily travel adventures. I love you mom and dad !!! Some mom and daughter flicks enjoy: