Havana Rematch

Jan. 30, 2018- Havana Rematch

And then there was the dirty sock I found in the corner of our room.  What a dump. I realize there are different levels of rooms depending on what you pay, but sloppy housekeeping doesn't change. The coup de gras was when David found out the plug near his CPAP only worked when the overhead light was on. That meant getting his extension cord out and running it across the headboard to another plug. And, BTW, the carpeting in the halls and rooms is ripped indoor-outdoor felt. In fairness, we spoke to the desk & Manuel got our room changed. We declined. I'm only going to re-pack once and that's when we leave. They did give us a new floor lamp and blanket that covered us both. Oh yes, the sock was removed.

Our lecture at 8:30 AM was by architect Pedro Vasquez. He gave an architectural and historical overview of Havana. When Columbus arrived in 1492, he realized it was the key to the world. It's equidistant from Canada, the South Americas, and Spain. And it has a protected natural deep-water port. 

Havana has been sought after by many countries who left their mark architecturally and culturally. Between 1898 and 1902, the US presence influenced expansion of the city and contributed to its infrastructure. Our hotel, the Nacional, was built by a US firm, but never was privately owned. It has always been a government hotel. In 1959, laws were reformed to equalize the people. Eviction was illegal, property couldn't be privately owned or sold. Everyone had a place to live and didn't pay rent. The results was there was no pride in ownership. Even when allowed to buy their own apartments in recent years, it is like having a condo complex with no association. If the roof leaks, that's the problem of those on the top floor. The ever-increasing floods are the problem of those at street level. After six decades, and with no central interest in property maintenance, buildings are falling apart.

Money is short. Salaries are low. The population is aging. People aren't having babies. The burden of caring for elderly and the infrastructure is falling on a shrinking group. Foreign investment is pouring in although only Cubans can own property. Foreigners pay rent and taxes. The world is coming here for economic opportunity. The US is missing the party.

We hopped on our bus for the short ride to San Francisco Port and Plaza. Cruise ships were moving in and out and we contended with those crowds as we made our way to Plaza Vieja. Somehow the money was found to restore the ornate pastel buildings around that square. The old glamor is apparent.  

We found the Museum of Chocolate and settled in for a thick cup of bitter hot cocoa seasoned with pepper and nutmeg. It was too bitter for David, so I drained my cup and half of his. The thin cookies served with the cocoa literally stood up in the brew. We could have sat all day and sipped at $0.55 a cup.

Lunch was at Acuzar above the square. It's a modern cafe serving sandwiches. That hit the spot after the heavy meals we'd been eating.

I napped on the 25-minute ride to Hemingway's farm, Quinta Vigia, where he lived with 60 cats. We couldn't enter the house, but it was easy to walk on the loggia and peer into open doors and windows. It's a tranquil tropical oasis that provided the solitude in which he could work. Unfortunately, peace of mind was never his. 

After touring the property we prepared to re-board the bu.The man from Minnesota was sprinting towards us. They'd found hippos, lots of them. We had our choice of 3 sizes! They were almost as thrilled as we. The group was amazed. We did it!

Dinner was on our own. We went to a hotel bar to redeem our free mojitos & met up with some people from our group. They wanted to stay at the bar and have Cuban sandwiches. We ended up in a hotel cafe eating pizza. I know. It's our fallback.

Toby

Waking up to Storm

Plaza Vieja

Hemingway's House

Hemingway's Boat

Elusive Hippo

Cocotaxis