Cuban Blog Day #21 It's Nobody's Birthday

My alarm didn’t go off today, so I was lucky the Germans were their usual late. We ate breakfast quickly and piled into Dimitri’s car to drive the 1 ½ to 2 hour drive to Havana.  I was grateful to be in a car and not a bus and therefore get there much quicker. I slept most of the way there.

Dimitri took us to his cousin’s casa which was in the heart of Havana Vieja (Old Havana). The Germans had been to Havana in the beginning of their trip, and they were very excited about our location, as was I.  We were also quite happy with the price, which though it was the most expensive casa of my whole trip at $25 CUC with breakfast, was still quite cheap for the big city.

I said a sad goodbye to Dimitri and got a few pictures with him. I thanked him for his kind hospitality and all of his help. I told him I would tell the world about him and his casa. He called me sister and bid me farewell.

Inside, after settling in, Dimitri’s cousin welcomed us with a shot of rum elixir. None of us knew what it was exactly. We also were a little apprehensive about taking a shot at 10 in the morning, but we were in Havana and it would have been rude to say no, right? I was not too fond of it. It was quite strong and not at all like rum.

I made plans to meet up later with the Germans for dinner and took off toward Parque Central which was just around the corner from the casa.  From there I hopped on a hop-on hop-off bus. I am usually not a fan of these, but given my limited time in Havana I thought this would be the best way to see as much of the city as I could. I took a seat on the top of the open air double decker bus and was off.

We drove by the malecón (the boardwalk) which was much longer than I expected and seemed to go the length of the city. It was crowded with people playing music, walking, or simply sitting and people or wave watching. The ocean crashed against the wall of the malecón spraying passersby.  We passed by the famous Che building and took pictures. It was crazy to see all of the different buildings, some of them in a state of disrepair having been left to crumble, scaffolding still in its place from when the embargo took effect, trees growing up and around the building and its scaffolding. Time stopped.  Other buildings were grand and impressive. Each were scattered among one another. This is why you go to Cuba.

I came back to the park and stopped for lunch.  On my way to a restaurant, I was stopped by a curious couple and their baby.  They chatted with me and informed me that The Buena Vista Social Club was having a huge festival for their 15^th anniversary. I was super excited and wanted to know where it was.  They said they were going that way anyway and told me they would take me there. I thought I’d go find out where it was and then come back after lunch.  We walked and talked, and they convinced me to stop into a bar which they claimed had been one of Hemmingway’s old haunts.  We drank Cuba Libres and I was told it was the wife’s birthday. We celebrated; until the bill came.  It was $20 CUC for three drinks. I didn’t even know how that was possible. I knew Havana was more expensive than the rest of the country, but this was outrageous. I wouldn’t pay that much for drinks in the states.  To add to it all, the Cubans expected me to pay the entire thing!

I paid and got out of there as quickly as I could. I tried to wrap my head around such an elaborate hustle and just couldn’t see going to such lengths just to get a drink and bring folks to a particular bar.  When I told the Germans about this, their mouths hung open. They finished the story for me; the child, the birthday, The Buena Vista Social Club, every last detail was the same. It had happened to them the first time they were here.  Unbelievable!

After lunch, I got back on the bus and went to the place I had been dreaming about since planning my trip- The Havana Club Factory. I took a tour and learned all about the rum I’d coveted for years.  At the end we had shots of 7 year rum. I sat in the bar and had a Cuba Libre while listening to live salsa music. I hopped back on the bus, and we stopped at a giant craft market that I would return to the next day when I had more money.

I met the Germans back at the casa, and we drank Cuba Libres on our balcony until we walked to dinner. We ate a really nice meal in a fancy restaurant, but it was still very cheap. The Germans had been there before. After, we walked around Havana Vieja and took in the night scene.

Traveling Tip # 24 It’s nobody’s birthday- I generally pride myself on being especially keen at spotting the hustle. This one blew me away in its attention to detail and the fact that it had worked on at least two different unsuspecting travelers. So, if you are ever in Cuba and someone tells you 1) it’s their birthday and lets get shots at this great bar Hemmingway used to hang out in, and/or 2) The Buena Vista Social Club is in town, don’t buy it.