Cuba and Habaneros

Cuba is indescribable. Driving into Havana from the airport, the streets are full of huge classic America cars, the buildings remind me of Soviet era Russia with enormous murals of revolutionary heroes plastered on the walls. Habana is beautiful, old Colonial buildings, salsa music pumping, Cuba Libres flowing. I wandered down from my hotel the first night, met some Habaneros (locals) who adopted me and guided me around the city at night. We stopped at The Hotel National where US mobsters held a huge convention in the 50s under the guise of a Frank Sinatra concert! The next day we caught up and walked through Old Havana and took an old 50s Chevy taxi to Havana Central, caught a ferry across to Regla, ate a hotdog at Parque Guanicanamar, then back to cheer on the Industriales at Stadium LatinAmerica (Cuban baseball champions). Got a lesson in (and bracelet from) the Afro-Caribbean religion Santeria. That night we went to see the firing of the canon at Parque Historico Militar Morro-Cabana - then more salsa. The people are so very poor but so very generous and open their homes so freely. Amazing place.