Wednesday, 12 February 2020: flight to Havana

On the road and headed to Merida.  Drop the car off at Sandra's house and then a cab to the airport.  Need to be there three hours ahead.  Here we go.  

The money thing in Cuba is quite confusing.  There are two currencies.  I don’t have them figured out yet, but I’ll get there.  CUC I think is the international currency and CUP are the local currency.  CUC are about 1:1 with the dollar and CUP are about 25:1 with CUC. Sandra’s mom had exchanged dollars for CUC for us prior to our arrival so I think we got a better exchange rate.  To say thank you to her, we brought a few things for her — shorts, perfume, cologne, chiclets.  I think she will sell these items later or have them as gifts. Sandra and Peter keep telling us that the local people have nothing... as in nothing.  This claim was underscored when we were waiting for our flight.  I was still concerned that the perfume would be confiscated since I didn’t have it in a zip lock baggie with my cosmetic items.  You know three ounces, one ziplock baggie, one person... the rules don’t apply in and out of Cuba.  Why you ask?  Because the people have no bolsas.  

So, we are going to Cuba with Sandra and Peter.  Sandra is Cuban.  Cuban nationals can go to Cuba. Peter is German, more recently from Canada and  is now a permantent Mexican resident.  Justin is a permanent resident in Mexico.  Permanent residents can go to Cuba.  I am an American who is on a ourist visa to Mexico.  Sandra and Peter will go for five days; Justin and I will be in Cuba for 12 days.  When I booked our flight, three months ago, i bokked us at "ultra-light".  That means 10 kilos -- a backpack and a carry on, no checked luggage and they weigh your purse too.  Me, 12 days?  10 kilos?    And just a bit over 2kg is stuff for Sandra's mom!  What ever was I thinking?  Me.. the one who used to have the org=ange "HEAVY" tag on my suitcases when I came home for the summer.  Goodness!


After we dropped off stuff for Sandra's mom and got our money, now we headed to our hotels.  Peter and Sandra are on one side of the Old Town Square and we are on the other.  The taxi dropped us off a few blocks away since this is a pedestrian only area. Thankfully we didnt have too much luggage as we looked for the address.  Successful and easy check in at our lodging in la Habana.  I’d booked through booking.com but it was actually more air BnB like.  You walk through these good people's living room to get to our private quarters. Our room is adequate; it is clean and tidy and, the clincher here is that we have a private bathroom.  The water is hot and the location, right on the square, is ideal.  

Our taxi from the airport

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“The internet in Cuba is quite complicated,” one of our waitresses reported as we enjoyed another mojito.  I knew to leave my phone on airplane mode but now I see that this trip will be like a blast from the past in that we will need to first, obtain, and then rely on a paper map.  We will not have the benefit of the walking tour apps I’ve grown to enjoy. We will not be texting to our travel partners and I’ll not be answering the phone at all.  Hmmm... 

We’ve found it necessary either to have a beverage or meal in a restaurant that has wi-fi ( and has it turned on) or you need to by a card.  The standard rate 1CUC/hour.  Justin and I can zip through that in well, about an hour.

We meandered through the old town and began our search for the perfect mojito.  At dinner, Sandra and Peter enjoyed a “Mojito Victrola”; the drink had a beer turned upside down into a mojito.  I stayed with the more traditional preparation.