So I went to Cuba, and I am still having trouble believing it was not all a dream. Every now and then I would turn to Hildon and ask “Did we really go to Cuba, or…?” And he would turn to me and say, “….for the last time, woman. Yes, we went to Cuba and it was epic.” Damn straight we did! Cuba has been at the top of our bucket list for so long that we did not ever think it would become a reality. Then some things happened that made it all possible (read: easier). I don’t want to get all political so let’s dive right in.

Getting There

We booked our flights on the Jet Blue website. There is a special page dedicated to Cuba. It was so easy and during the booking process they ask you to pick from about 12 categories to let them know why you want to visit Cuba. We picked “support of the Cuban people” because we intended to stay in a local’s home (casa particulars) and eat at paladares, which are restaurants that are owned by locals. I just want to add that getting to Cuba was easy AF. You just purchase the visas ($50 each) at the JetBlue Ask Desk near your departing gate. You have to get the visas at the gate from which you are departing the US. We connected in Fort Lauderdale so we had to buy the visas there. All you need is your passport, boarding pass, and a debit/credit card. They do not take cash. We thought US citizens would have to fill out additional paperwork while on the plane, but it was the same paperwork as everyone else. When you arrive in Havana, do no take a yellow taxi. These are government run and can be expensive as many of the drivers take longer routes to run up the meter. Ask your casa particular hosts to have a car pick you up. Depending on where you stay, it could be around $20-$35.

Where we stayed

We spent seven peaceful nights at Casa Mokongo, which we reserved on Airbnb. Our casa particular was in the Vedado district of Havana, which is about a 15 minute ride from Central Havana. When we first got there, we were a bit concerned about being away from all the action, but after spending a couple days sightseeing in Old and Central Havana, we were thankful to have a quiet neighborhood to retreat to and relax before another day of adventure. A lot of the casas in the city are in questionable neighborhoods, so if you want to stay in the city I suggest you do a lot of research about the surrounding areas if you’re finicky about location. After walking about our hood we gained an appreciation for it. We were right around the corner from John Lennon Park, which Fidel named after the slain Beatle because he admired his revolutionary spirit.

Our hosts Carlos and Hermina were very nice and made us a breakfast of toast, deliciously cheesy eggs, fruit and coffee whenever we asked for it for a fee of 5CUC. Cuban coffee is delicious. First time I drank coffee without milk and it did not taste like a cup of cigarette ash. The Hermina even made Hildon dried toast and tea one night when he got stomach trouble from eating chicken on the beach (DO NOT EAT CHICKEN ON THE BEACH. Matter of fact, try to avoid chicken altogether). Carlos offered to call us cabs whenever we had to go anywhere out of Havana. Very sweet and helpful couple.

Below are shots of Mokongo and Vedado.

A view of the sea from the rooftop.

John Lennon Park

Saturdays in Vedado is market day. Vendors come to sell locals produce.

Transportation

The best way to get around is by collectivo taxis. You’re basically sharing the cabs with locals. If you are from the Caribbean like us and live in East Flatbush, Brooklyn like me, you should already be familiar with this set-up. Lots of locals get around this way. On any given day or night you would see locals on the side of the streets flagging down taxis and we joined their ranks and tried to fit in as best we could, but drivers always knew we were tourists and some of them would try to jack up the prices on us. Before you get into any taxi please haggle, because they will shaft you if you give them the chance. DO NOT ask cabbies how much. They will quote you an insane price for a five minute drop. Tell them what you will pay and if they give you a hard time walk away and say you will find someone for that price. Often times they would come around because they are not getting jobs. My haggling game was A1 by the time I left Cuba.

The money in Cuba is a bit confusing. They have two types of currencies: Cuban Peso (CUP) for the locals and Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) for tourists. Usually, it’s 25 CUP for 1 CUC. I suggest you change some of your money to CUP to pay cabbies or buy food at small paladars where many locals eat.

Where to eat

I want to start by saying that Cuba has not been well-known for its fine cuisine for some time now due to lack of food. However, Raul Castro made it possible for locals to run private businesses, which is why many locals are now able to open their homes to tourists as places to stay and eat for ridiculously cheap prices. Mokongo was $30 a night and food at paladares usually started at around 5CUC.

Café Laurent

This is one of the nicest paladares at which you will ever eat. It is located on the top floor of an apartment building in Vedado (many paladres are in apartment buildings). Laurent is not as cheap as the other paladares. Hildon and I came upon it on our first day in Havana. We were walking around our neighborhood and we were hungry so we indulged. I had ropa vieja, my first of a few in Cuba, and Hildon had chicken breast stuffed with cheese and ham. It was delicious and the place is nicely designed.

Everything on this plate was delicious.

Van Van

One of the best restaurants in Havana. The food and drinks are cheap and so delicious. Please try the daiquiris. Of course we had the ropa vieja, we are creatures of habit. LOL! The place is cozy and the decor is cool. Even the bathroom is cool. And they have live entertainment.

La Isla de la Pasta

This is an Italian restaurant in Vedado, just up the street from where we stayed. We had the tomato basil mozzarella salad, followed by pasta bolegnese and carbonara with daiquiris. The tiramisu is great to. This place is affordable and cozy and the staff is friendly and welcoming.

The portions are generous too.

El Vampirito

The pizza here is so good. One night we were hanging out and drinking rum with the two other guests at Mokongo. They were a young couple from Holland. I got hungry so Hildon and the guy made a late night run to this place. I’m sorry I don’t have a pic of my Hawaiian pizza. It smelled so good I just dove right in. But anytime we walked by this place there was a crowd of locals outside. It seemed like the local hangout spot near our block in Vedado, and after eating the pizza I see why. They also deliver. So if you stay in Vedado and are too lazy to get out, just order.

Atelier

Another great paladar in Vedado. Carlos told us about this place and this is how: “Obama ate there.” SOLD! We ate our last dinner here and I am so glad we saved it, because I had one of the best salads of my life here. It was the coastal salad and it had warm chunks of lobster and octopus with juicy shrimp. We followed that with filet mignon, which was served with delicious smokey beans and white rice (16 CUC each). The daiquiris here are good too. The atmosphere is romantic, in terms of lighting. It’s a great place for a date night.

The filet mignon was very good.

Honorable Mention

El Floridita and La Bodeguita Del Medio

Both Ernest Hemingway hangouts. The former is well-known for its daiquiris, although Hildon would argue that Van Van’s is better. I tried not to get pulled into Floridita because it is always crowded by tourists. But one day we were walking by and heard live music and decided to take a peak. We were lucky to get stools at the counter and ordered two daiquiris. They were delish and exactly what was needed on that hot day.

La Bodeguita is famous for its mojitos. The first time we walked by there we could not even get in the door, because there was no room. People were spilling out of the place. I believe it was a Friday. The following Tuesday we got lucky. The mojitos are great. A mojito was always my go-to cocktail so I was excited to have Havana’s take on it because that’s its birthplace. But I gained a new appreciation for the daiquiri, a drink named after a beach in Cuba.

And please try the ice cream. I love Cuban ice cream because it’s not as sweet as the ice cream in the US. And Cubans love ice cream too. In Vedado, there is a popular ice cream shop called Coppelia where you can find many locals waiting in ridiculously long lines. There are even guards who act like bouncers. No one gets in unless someone comes out. Hildon and I got in that line one night and we stood there for 20 minutes. The line did not budge.

As much as I wanted to try the ice cream, I did not think it was worth all that waiting, especially since there are other ice cream shops. Every where I looked Cubans were eating ice cream. I have never seen so many grown men eat ice cream cones in my life. Even cabbies ate ice cream while they drove. So if you see an ice cream shop, please indulge.

Things to see and do

The Malecon

Locals hang here. We walked along it on most days we were in Havana. We even drank rum and watched the sun set.

Take a tour in a classic car

For 40 CUC our tour guide took to Callejon de Hamel, a colorful alley in Central Havana that is dedicated to Afro Cubans and their art and religion.

Hotel Nacional, a historic hotel in Vedado with breathtaking views of the water.

And Plaza de la Revolución.

Puff on cigars

Just do it! You can’t come to Cuba and not puff on Cubans.

Visit Habana Vieja, where you will find

Catedral de San Cristobal in Plaza de la Catedral

Plaza de Armas with the statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes and the famous ceiba tree next to El Templete. El Templete was built in 1827 to commemorate the first mass of San Cristobal de La Habana, which took place on November 16th, 1519. When we first saw the the temple, it was November 16th (its 499th anniversary) so naturally there was a long line of people waiting to get in and circle the ceiba tree to make a wish. Ceiba trees are considered sacred for many religions like the Yoruba, for instance. I refused to wait in that line, but I was able to take the below photos a few days later.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza, a bastion fort just across from Armas

Plaza Vieja

 

And Plaza de San Francisco

Visit El Capitolio, the capital building just on the broader of Old and Central Havana

Experience Calle Obispo

This is a narrow roadway connecting Plaza de Armas with Central Havana. It’s busy with hotels, museums, restaurants, shops and street entertainmers. El Floridita is just to the top of the street, so start there and work your way down to the Plaza.

Take the Havana Tunnel

This tunnel connects Old Havana with the east. You have to take this tunnel to visit Faro Castillo del Morro or, as the locals call it, El Morro, a 16th century fortress guarding Havana Bay

Local boys playing baseball in the fortress.

Hildon enjoying a refreshing daiquiri across from El Morro

Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana, known as La Cabana, an 18th century fortress

Cristo de la Habana, a 20 foot, 320 ton statue of Jesus carved out of Carrara marble by Cuban sculpture Jilma Madera that overlooks Havana Bay from the suburb of Casablanca

A view of Havana Harbor from Casablanca.

And Che Guevara’s residence is located across the street from the statue.

Go to the beach

Cuba has gorgeous waters. We spent a few hours at Santa Maria del Mar. The waters were rough but clear. The food left much to desire. As I said before, Hildon got sick after eating the chicken on the beach. We got back and went to dinner and he did not touch his food. I ate both plates. When we got home that night he had a fever. I prayed, “Lawd, please don’t let me have to go to Cuban ER!” Nothing against Cuba. I know they have great medical. Some of the best in the world. I just did not come all that way to go to the hospital. Seriously though, I was worried. As much as I hate emergency rooms, I wanted to take him but Hildon was not too keen on going. I put all the blankets on top of him and he sweated it out within a couple hours after he drank the tea Hermina made for him. He asked me how come I didn’t get sick. I only ate the chicken skin because that’s where the little bit of flavor was. Then I put hotsauce on it, which actually made it worse. I said hell nah! The sauce tasted so bad I had to flip the bottle to see where it was made. I gently placed the rest of my chicken in the mouth of a stray. Hildon ate half his chicken because he was hungry. His stomach was not the same for the rest of the trip. DON’T EAT THE CHICKEN ON THE BEACH! We had fun riding (fighting) the waves though.

Take a day trip to Vinales.

Vinales is a beautiful valley two and a half hours away from Havana said to be Fidel Castro’s favorite place in Cuba. We took a horseback riding tour by Yunietxi, which we booked on Airbnb for $98, minus the cost of food. We visited the Cueva del Indio, where we took a boat through the caves. It costs 5CUC to get in, which is also not included in the price of the trip.

A tobacco farm, where we learned about how the best tobacco becomes the best cigars in the world, puffed on freshly rolled cigars, and sipped on Cuban coffee spiked with Cuban rum with Benito, the owner of the plantation.

We then got on our horses and rode through Mogotes Valley to another farm, where we drank cane juice with lime and rum.

Literally, “Oh shit!”

 

After which we stopped for pics in front of the Prehistoric Mural, which is located on the side of the Mogote Pita. It was designed in 1961 by Leovigildo González Morillo, a student of Mexican artist Diego Rivera. It is 120m long and took four years to complete.

And ended our tour with a late lunch at Balcon Valle overlooking the valley. The views are stunning.

This was easily by favorite experience in Cuba.

Visit Museums

We visited Museo de la Revolución, which is located in Old Havana and is housed in what used to be the Presidential Palace. We learned all about the three revolutionaries: Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos and of course Fidel.

This guitar belonged to Coco Peredo, a Bolivian revolutionary who fought alongside Che.

Camilo and Che and their signature hats.

Three revolutionaries!

Behind the museum is Pabellón Granma, a memorial to the yacht that carried Fidel Castro and other revolutionaries from Tuxpán, Mexico, to Cuba in December 1956 to launch the Revolution. The yacht is surrounded by some of the vehicles and weapons used in their battles against Batista and during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by the CIA.

The infamous yacht is kept behind glass.

We also took a tour of Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso. Originally, it was the Tacon Theater and it was world renowned for its elegance. It has gone through some refurbishments during the years and as the name suggests, it is named for Cuban Prima Ballerina Alicia Alonso, who at 19 went partially blind but still managed to go on and become one of the greatest ballerinas. And at 97 she still choreographs for Ballet Nacional de Cuba, which is housed in the theater. Along with theaters, the building is also comprised of concert halls, rehearsal halls and conference rooms. President Obama gave his speech there when he visited in 2016. During the tour we were able to watch opera singers rehearse for their upcoming shows. Their are shows during the weekend.

 

This was cool.

Statue of Alicia

The above paintings indicated that Cuba is much more progressive than I was led to believe. I was pleasantly surprised

Alicia at 75, during one of her last performances

Alicia’s slippers.

We also stopped by Museo del Ron Habana Club. Admittedly, we went there for rum, but we stayed for the entertainment.

 

Stroll down Paseo de Prado

Paseo de Prado is a beautiful and historic palm tree lined boulevard that dates back to 1772. On this boulevard you will find the hotels Inglaterra and Sevilla, El Capitolio, Parque de Central, Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso and so much more. Just walk about and take in the scenery and the sounds.

Enjoy the Nightlife….if you have the energy.

We went to Havana expecting to go to a club every night. I packed an outfit for EVERY. NIGHT. But after all that walking during the day we could NOT. However, we made an exception on Saturday when we went to La Fabrica de Arte Cubano. If you have to spend one night out, I suggest FAC. It used to be a cooking oil factory, now it houses all things arte. Fashion, paintings, sculptures, music, theater, dance, architecture, food and drink. We had 20oz mojitos that we nursed all night as we took in the vibe. Damn near all of Cuba was there that night. The lines bent around corners. The place was packed with mostly locals. Best of all, it’s only 2 CUC to get in. It is huge and every room has something different to offer. In one room there was visual art, another industrial design, another graphic design, another a mini concert, another a dance floor, another a photography exhibit by Argentine artist Enrique Rottenberg, who has been living in Cuba since 1993. I could go on and on about what there is to see in FAC, but it seemed endless. It reminded me a lot of Brooklyn with the way the factory was repurposed for the sake of art. It displayed an edgier side of Havana. If you are an art enthusiast, I suggest you check it out.

I’ve included some of Mr. Rottenberg’s work below. Many of his works feature nude people, including a nude portrait of himself. I am not including those. But all of his pieces are provocative, to say the least.

And he also has portraits giving a glimpse into the rooms in homes in Havana.

They were my favorite because I can’t tell you how many time while sightseeing in Havana that I’d wondered what was going on behind the walls of those homes. Rottenberg gave me a much appreciated peek.

Or you can just walk around Havana and take it all in.

Because you never know what you will run into in Havana. Our second night there we were about to walk on the Malecon but learned it was closed because of a party. We went and learned that it was a music video shoot for a Colombian band.

 

Tips and things to expect

The people

Friendly, but more intrigued, I would say. They are especially interested in American tourists, since this is something they are still getting acquainted with. We would be walking and then hear a group of locals screaming “AMERICAN!” If you are a black American you will be approached by Afro Cubans. One of them in particular spoke to us about race relations in Cuba and the fact that it is more covert and that the white Cubans get more opportunities for growth. He explained that when he was an English teacher he did not make much, so now he works per diem as a translator for tours and random tourists. For the most part, we were met with excitement from Afro Cubans and for two reasons. Some of them told us they like seeing blacks from other countries to learn about their experiences, since many Cubans are unable to travel abroad. Others appeared to be too helpful, offering to do things for us that we can do for ourselves and then they ask for money. I’m used to people asking for money, because on the subway in NYC it is almost an every day occurrence. Cubans have a different approach though. They would say things like “my daughter needs a birthday cake” or “my baby or grandchild needs milk.” We heard the latter so much we were beginning to think it was code for something. I kept CUP with me in case that happened and just gave them one or two pesos if I had it on me. Everyone who was asking for money looked like me. And I get to thinking, damn no matter where we go black people are the ones struggling the most. And they are coming to us because they figure as blacks we are more likely to help, and we did the best we could, as I felt we should. But all the while, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking they are looking at us as just AMERICANS when we are BLACK Americans, but when we get back to the US WE are the disenfranchised. But I consider myself fortunate to have the freedom of travel and so I still helped a brotha or sista out if/when I could. Despite the fact that many Cubans are struggling, crime is low. I felt safe walking through the streets of Havana at all hours of the night. At no point did I feel like I was in danger.

Hildon and Rafael, a friendly local.

Money

As I said earlier in the post, the money situation takes a while to get used to in Cuba because of the dual currency. Please bring enough money with you for your trip. It would even be wise to bring much more than what you think you will need, because sometimes things come up. After our third day in Havana, Hildon and I realized that we might run out of money, so we had relatives send us money via Western Union, because as Americans we were unable to withdraw money or use our cards in Cuba. Before we took our trip, we were advised to change our US to Euros in order to get a good exchange rate in Cuba due to people changing US being charged an extra 10% tax. But you have to pay a fee when changing to Euros too. Either way, you lose money. We realized that Western Union did not charge us much to get the money. For every $200 we paid $6. I say all that to say this: maybe you will come out better if you send yourself money from the US to Havana. You end up with more money that way. The only thing you need is your hosts name and ID card number when sending the money and your host will go with you to WU to get the money the way Carlos accompanied Hildon. Just a suggestion

The Food

Was okay for the most part. Cubans do not use a lot of spices, so if you like your food with a lot of….taste, I suggest you bring some hot sauce with you….and a couple bottles of Pepto. Thank me later.

Internet (or lack thereof)

Our casa had internet, though it was not the best. I was grateful to our hosts for providing us with the password to somebody’s wifi. 👀 Internet is a struggle in Cuba. Sometimes we would be walking around Habana or Vedado and see a group of locals huddled in one area with their eyes glued to their phones and it would hit us that it was a hotspot. Of course it never lasts, but they are grateful for every bit of access. Although it was odd to not be able to post all that I was seeing in Habana on social media in real time, not having internet access allowed me to be more present in my experiences. Side note: I read an article a couple weeks ago that stated Cuba now has 3G.

The Facilities

Some Cuban establishments have restrooms but do not have seats on the toilets or toilet paper…or soap. We ate at a couple restaurants where we had to pay for toilet paper and soap to wash our hands after. Those restaurants are not listed above. LOL! Please walk with tissue and soap/hand sanitizer and pray you don’t have to do a number two. DON’T HAVE CHICKEN! I cannot stress this enough.

If you plan on going to Cuba, please do so with an open mind. Cubans don’t make a lot of money and they are working with what they have and what they can afford or have access to. Yes, with the old cars and buildings it can feel like it is frozen in time.

Hello, motorcycle with sidecar!

But once you stop romanticizing Cuba and take it for what it is, a beautiful place with  so much culture and friendly people, you will enjoy your visit.