Havana: Day Two

Hotel Nacional, formerly run by American gangster Meyer Landsky.

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Jose Marti statue in Cuba.

Old Havana.

In front of the Museo de la Revolucion.

Old city wall.

The infamous Sloppy Joe's, featured in Graham Greene's novel and film version of Our Man in Havana.

Inside Sloppy Joe's.

Cafe stop.

Museo Belles Artes.

I really enjoyed this museum and discovered several Cuban artists that I's like to research in the future: Marecelo Pogolotti, Jorge Arche Silva, Antonio Gattorno, Rafel Blanco, Golberto Frometa, Pedro Alvarez, and Tomas Sanchez in particular.

 Hotel Seville-another setting for Our Man in Havana.

Inside Hotel Seville.

Capitolio Nacional.

Street sweets.

Hotel Ambos Mundos, where Hemingway was a resident on Obisdo Street.

Museo de la Ciudad.

Plaza de Armas.

Plaza Vieja.

The old armory.

Cuban pastry: cangrejito-deep fired and filled with cream.

A stylish restaurant near the Hotel Deauville.

Ran into a Tokyo friend, Charlie, by chance in the restaurant and we'd hang out when I was in Havana.

Chicken gorgons with dipping sauce.

Grilled fish with fried plantains.

Live music hall.

Some uninspired Cuban-fusion rap, I would have liked to have seen something more traditional.

Comments

[Kraig]

Pat, what are your overall thoughts on Cuba compared to all of your other travels? How was the way in and out?

[MC]

I was probably going to do a summing up once I had finished all my posts. But it's a bit of hard going with the lack of tourist infrastructure. The lack of internet and wifi also takes away a resource for arranging travel in advance as few places can be booked in advance through the internet. It's harder to plan things in advance, and travel has to be done by buses and taxis. Being American made it complicated getting in and out of the country and the embargo made it impossible for me to get money once I was in the country-I think I underestimated how much money I would need. Lots of public places didn't have working bathrooms or air conditioning. Some places I stayed didn't have hot water.

But once you get connected with local people they will set you up with casas to stay at or arrange for rides. My land lady in Trinidad got me a nice place to stay in Santa Clara and the taxi driver who picked me arranged for me to ride in a taxi to Havana instead of taking the bus. My Santa Clara land lady wanted to set me up with a casa in Havana as well, but I already had a hotel booked.

I felt it was safer than other Central/South American places I had visited (although my friend Charlie got mugged when I was in Trinidad..)

It was a bit challenging in some ways, but China was more difficult in my opinion.

[G Wagner]

great photos MC.

[MC]

Thanks!