TRINIDAD – HAVANA 7.5.11
Today we leave Trinidad and although it was a quaint place I was looking forward to the big city again of Havana
I was also concerned for Kerries eye which I now find out is conjunctivitis with an allergic reaction to some of the medicine she had been using.
We pop into the clinic on our way home and get her eyes checked and they say all is ok., continue with the mediation.
Again while waiting outside the clinic there is more happening for me I see all these ladies with little round baskets with flowers ,mainly yellow sunflowers in the centre and chrysanthemums surrounding .
It is Mothers Day and they are all going to the cemetery to commemorate the day. They looked so pretty
Now we head off on our 4.5 hr journey to Havana which Im not looking forward too.
Long journey
Un confortable
Traffic
Trucks converted to people movers
Horse and cart with a canopy on top, carrying 8 people. Reminded me of Oklahoma!!
Tricycles carrying 2 people
Hitch hikers who are legal as I have said before as lack of transport here.
Its all go go on the highway
One stop for coffee and we head off again
Eventually get to Havana and Saratoga Hotel
The rooms aren’t ready
I want t go to Tabacco Factory so Kerrie waits for room
And Igo to factory across the road - Factory closed!!! What a bummer 2nd time and it did look interesting as it dated back to 1830
Back to hotel
Im getting pretty pissed off with Alberto as very few things that have been organized have happened.
Is it Cuba or Cuba Travels or Alberto????? This wasn’t the factory we were meant to go too anyway and this is across the road from us!!!!! Why could he not told us about it days ago. I read about it in the Hotel.
Eventually I go for a wander down the Prado as I saw art exhibition on our way back to the hotel. (The PRADO is the continuation of the road the hotel is on but has a wonderful wide promenade down the middle of the road with huge trees and big lions statues, could be in Paris !
I walk the Prado and view the art, which is gorgeous, and yes I do purchase a painting for 40.00 US from an art student. It is called Dolce Habana! With a burnt orange background.
Then I purchase from a guy who does miniatures from all the workings of clocks and watches the tiniest things you have seen, amazing. A miniature canon about the size of ½ little finger nail on a mount.
Meanwhile I am filming like there is no tomorrow as I just cant get over the old cars zooming down the street and they even stop and wave when I photo them! What A great nation of people, they are just so gentle honest and nice!
I take so many shots of buildings and scenes so boring for everyone except me. Just cant get enough of the cars!
Kerrie and I organize to meet at the bar and then we head off to the Hotel Nationale an historic hotel of the 1890S
Stunning huge hotel on the foreshore . we could have stayed there but we were told our hotel was completely refurbished ,and central which is good.
No complaints about the Saratogo
Nationale is gorgeous and steeped again in history famous for corruption and casions of the 30’ .It is still being refurbished but has grace and style to fit the era. We have a drink outside looking at the sunset and watching the people siting on the fence taking the wind of the ocean! Hundreds of them!
A gorgeous scene with perfect temperature
We get a cab to 309 The prado to have diner and see the Buena Vista Club. Alberto booked it at 1.30ish today
Again no bloody booking lot of talking in Spanish and mine is zero but I get the gist.
Alberto tells us we have a booking for 8.00p.for dinner and music plus drinks and we are going to see the last member of the Buena Vista Social Club Amadito Valdes the timbales player.
Anyway we go to the second floor and we have dinner at Le Terrace, which is fabulous overlooks the Prado it’s a grill which is a change to state run hotels, again it is Paladas private.
Grilled octopus and grilled lamb and me, which is lamb shanks, yummy. Now we are panicking how much money do we have as Alberto has told us 30.Cud each. We have a fab
Bottle of wine, thank God for Kerrie as she is totting it up!! Im thinking I’m going to be doing the dishes or making a quick dash back to the hotel for money.
As luck would have it we have enough money! Phewww so down to 2nd floor for the music
Go down grab a table and we are told its 45CUD!!!
So I try to explain to the guy what Alberto has organized. He then says speak to the manager
Lucky break Manager gorgeous
But I’m still telling him I’m pissed off with Cuba Tours and will get no more business from Australia and I told it wasn’t his problem
He insisted we go in and enjoy and where would we like to go. I point ahead to rather lovely bar with ambience and we pulled the right place!!
No [punters or tourist they are where were should have been!
He buys us drinks and the only other people who are with us are the band!!!
Drinks provided by Rotham who’s Engish is perfect as he has travelled with his work as manager of hotels and we have the ambience and where the musos take their breaks. Amadito Valdés who I might add is 80 enters and Rotham organizes for us to have photos with him. Yippee!!
Rothman he is such a sweetie and gentleman. Midnight comes and Kerrie the Ray Charles female version appears from the loo and says time to go home!!
Well done Kerrie as it may have been difficult to leave as the drinks just kept coming!!
A quick farewell and thank you and a lovely promenade down the road to the hotel, balmy evening no wind and friendly people surround us.
This is such a fabulous place I’m sad to leave it
Havana has a fabulous soul, hard to describe it but just a special gorgeous place with such gorgeous divine people who are trying to make a go of it. The rhythm of the salsa is quite hypnotic.
No poverty here so maybe Castro has something to offer. No graffi, no tattoos, little crime, no burkas, a very happy nation of people of different shades of colour, from white to honey to deep black, mainly from the Yoruba tribe from Nigeria who came here as slaves. Funny as I knew them well in Nigeria!
A fabulous last night for us in Havana!
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