I was lucky enough to locate a pretty fantastic private home on Airbnb, the Havana Green Home, with our host, Elida. This was by far my best Airbnb experience yet. Elida was a helpful and supportive host who helped us with everything from a driver, breakfast and even a Cuban phone. The 2 bedroom home with a sprawling rooftop deck was a phenomenal find! We really enjoyed starting each day by talking with Elida (who lives across the street) about our experiences from the previous day and planning what was in store for the hours ahead. we discussed food, culture, politics, current events, her background, etc. She could not have been more kind and welcoming. We left feeling like we had made a lifelong friend in Cuba. We even had the opportunity to meet some of her neighbors, who were also very helpful. But that's a story for a future post. :)
We of course did the touristy things like riding in a vintage car and walking ALL over Old Habana, but we also took some opportunities to experience some "day in the life" type activities. We went to a baseball game between the home team Industriales and Granma. The tickets were just 1 peso and we had a wild time! The crowds were incredible - it was like being at the World Cup! They were constantly shouting and playing all sorts of musical instruments to show their appreciation for their teams. Their enthusiasm was infectious! We ate some interesting ball park food, including a simple doughy pizza and churros.
On the other end of the spectrum, we also went to the ballet one night and saw 3 amazing performances, two classical and 1 modern. The Gran Teatro, which is right beside the capitol building, is a magnificent and opulent beauty. This too is quite an affordable outing for the locals, a bit less so for the tourists, but still well worth the experience to see Alicia Alonso's work. Our seats were close to center stage and we just soaked it all in. The choreography, the costumes, the theater and our fellow guests. A memory I will have for a lifetime...
As we were there for a week, we not only had a chance to see a lot of Habana, but also some of the outlying areas. We made a stop in Cojimar, the tiny fishing village where Hemingway placed "The Old Man and the Sea" -- and also went to Hemingway's home, Finca Vigia. Both were gorgeous slices of life, although quite different. The people of Cojimar so loved Papa that they melted down their metals from fish hooks, anchors, and such to provide materials for a bust to be created and erected in his honor in their town square. We also took a long road trip out to the Bay of Pigs where the signs proclaiming the Cuban victory are large and plentiful and the visibility in the water is astounding. We of course enjoyed our time in the water -the sea and the dream-like lagoon, but also the long trip into the countryside. We saw the more remote and agrarian areas of the country, saw people hailing rides, and people selling produce roadside. Our travel companions took advantage of this and purchased what seemed like a 50 lb bag of green oranges and threw them in to the truck. They gave us a handful to eat in the back of the car (cut open with a dive knife of course!) and they were DELICIOUS!
While each of these sights were fantastic, the memories that I will truly carry with me are those of the people we met: Elida, Miguel, Yanni, Redelio, Miguel, Josue, Raquel, Amed, Marian, Ana, Felix, and those whose names we don't know. Each of these people showed us their Cuba. The Cuba we discovered through their eyes was beautiful, bountiful, generous, communal and proud. It was a different Cuba than the one I expected, but one I can't wait to go back to immerse myself in again. This trip moved me in a meaningful way. I didn't just see their country through new eyes, but my own country as well. I can't possibly cover Cuba in just one post, so I will be writing more about this trip in the coming months.
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