Short Stay In Cuba

May 6, 2021

by Elliott Collins View profile

Arriving At José Martí International Airport

On arrival to Jose Martí International Airport, we were greeted by a line of happy individuals in vibrant garms pointing us in the direction of a Taxi, however we wasn't going to get far without exchanging our English Pounds for their local currency. With Cuba being a communist country there is no way of changing your money anywhere else but in Cuba.

During our stay we noticed many differences that a communist country adhere to compared to our capitalist way of functioning. With that said spending 6 days without barely any Wifi connection was truly a blessing in disguise.

Tour Of Havana

I guess Havana is one place we can appreciate having zero Ubers, although we can't say they care much for zero emissions. haha!

Touring the City of Havana was awesome. We got to choose which colourful vehicle to hop in and with the weather on our side what better idea than being chauffeured around in a pink 1930's Ford soft top.

Our tour driver was full of energy and had great enthusiasm throughout the whole trip. He drove us to the home of Che Guevara, the courageous freedom fighter whose face is seen planted on t-shirts everywhere.

As a child i remember wearing a t-shirt with his iconic portrait printed on the front, but i never knew who or what he stood for, so it was great learning more about him and understanding what he meant to the people of Cuba.

Homestays

We mainly stayed in homestays and sourced a location on arrival as you're unable to book accommodation through booking.com and other websites when out of the country. So keep that in mind.

We slept at a few homestays whilst visiting Cuba and each had their own personality and story to tell. The buildings were either covered with meaningful graffiti, or the walls painted in bright Cuban colours expressing the energy the Cubans resonate. Many times we passed people painting their homes showing pride with each stroke.

This quaint homestay in Viñales had so much charm which matched the owners perfectly. They offered us a superb breakfast and lunch which we gracefully excepted and for dinner we ventured to one of many restaurants in the local area. All the restaurants offered Wifi to entice you in, yet they rarely mentioned the tasty food they had to serve up.

This was another wake up call on how much we rely on our phones for a good time and not live for the special moments we're in.

Horseback Riding in Viñales

This was truly our favourite part of the trip! After a few days spent touring Havana we took a 3 hour bus journey to the stunning town of Viñales.

Welcomed by Frederic, a local farmer with 15 years of horseback riding experience, we were saddled up and ready to ride our horses, along what can only be described as a walking route you'd take your pet dog, but with spectacular views either side you could only vision in your dreams.

The highlight for us was when Frederic cried "gasolina gasolina" then, in that instant, our horses suddenly found more gears and began galloping like there was a finish line to be crossed. Enjoyable we must say!

We Visited A Cuban Tobacco Farm

What an interesting place! We personally don't smoke cigars, but this seemed like the perfect setting to indulge in a puff puff pass. We was so surprised how smooth the cigars were until the owners of the farm led us into a secret - This family run business grow their tobaccco on protected land, so no chemicals were allowed to be sprayed on the crops at all.

Also, once harvested, the government take 80% of the crop and leave 20% for the farmers. The Farmers aren't silly though. They make sure they keep the best part of the plant. Smart move!

Plaza de la Revolución

Overall Cuba was a unique and very interesting place to visit. It truly was a fascinating experience and felt like you were thrown into a time portal reliving a past life.

This image above was shot from a building at the Plaza de la Revolución, translated to 'The Revolution Square'. This area was an awesome place to sit back, relax and take in all of Havana's surroundings.

Many tours of the city begin here and also some of the best well looked after classic cars park up for all tourists to gaze at. We wish you all a safe and happy trip to Cuba.

Elliott & Anna.

Go To Cuba

Mistaking Cuba for a nothing more than a pretty insta-worthy beach resort is utter madness. The island is awash with a soulful energy. Saunter through culture-soaked streets of Trinidad and Old Havana for your fill of rum and dancing (a perfect duo).

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Elliott Collins View profile