the capital part 1

July 28th/29TH – Part 1

Havana

I set out to walk around town using this walking tour that was in my guidebook, but after a few minutes I decided to just wing it. I spent my time just randomly walking around Havana and taking it all in. Wow, Havana really is a beautiful city. Lots of really old and cool looking colonial architecture everywhere. You could really tell that so many of these buildings were incredibly fancy in their heyday, yet now so many of them had crumbling walls and chipped paint. But somehow the fact that so many of these buildings were falling apart, just added to their charm and gave them a special feel. There were tons of monuments, statues, etc to look at, but the thing that struck me the most about Havana is just how many plazas and squares it has.

Almost every four or five streets, there is another park of some sort. Even though it was midday on a Friday, there were tons of people out and about hanging out in the parks. Old men sitting on benches while puffing cigars, teenagers hanging out and talking to each other, and other people having animated conversation. Especially since the days here are so hot, it’s super nice to just chill and relax in these plazas. It’s really cool, that unlike many other capital cities, Havana isn’t a concrete jungle filled with office buildings, but instead is a city where it’s pleasant to live and spend time.

When I wasn’t sitting around in parks, I spent time just exploring different neighborhoods around Havana. The Casa that I was staying at had a perfect location, just two blocks from the main promenade in the center of town, and a great place for people watching. From what I can tell the people here are super outgoing and everyone seems really cheerful… this is definitely not a country where the people are somber or serious. Pretty much everyone around is usually laughing and socializing…

Havana at night

The people here stay out till all hours of the night. It’s crazy, even at 2 am in the morning, there are still tons of people hanging out outside, chatting away, or drinking. It really does seem like people never sleep here. There is a 9km long boulevard called the Malecon that runs along the beach and ever night it’s jam packed with people walking around or chilling.

The other thing that I’ve noticed is that Havana is remarkably safe. The neighborhood that I’m staying in looks pretty sketchy. The buildings are all worn down, it’s super dark, and there are small groups of people hanging out on their porches and not wearing shirts. If I was back home and saw a neighborhood like that, I’d be totally sketched out, but here this is the norm. All of Havana is dark, and all of Havana is crumbling (the guide book says 300 buildings per year collapse in this town)… neither of these things indicate a sketchy neighborhood. Actually, from what I’ve read, Cuba is one of the safest countries in Latin America. There’s cops *everywhere* around here, and from what I’ve seen so far, they’re incredibly nice. Every time that I’ve asked for directions or needed help of any kind, they tried to help me as much as they could, despite the fact that I couldn’t speak Spanish worth crap.

the music

Music plays a very important role here in Cuba. Other than the fact that there are tons of people out and about, the other thing I’ve noticed about Cuba at night is that there is music playing everywhere. So many of the buildings have music blaring out of them. People sit on their steps listening to boomboxes, or the stereos in their houses. It seems like no matter where you walk, you’ll always have a soundtrack to listen to.

One night, I went out looking for this nightclub, but wasn’t able to find it. I walked down this one street, and randomly heard some really loud music coming from some house, so I went over to investigate. When I walked up, the people quickly ushered me inside. Inside, there was a group of people playing musical instruments and singing, and the music was super good. The place was basically just some empty garage with a bunch of wooden chairs around for people to sit on. The musicians in the middle of the room played their hearts out. The thing that was so cool about it was that the whole experience was just so raw. These people weren’t playing some crap for tourists (there were only 2 or 3 other tourists there), in fact, it didn’t even seem like they were playing for the audience at all… they were playing just for the enjoyment of it all and were just so into it. Every 2 or 3 songs, the audience would chime in and sing along, and everyone just seemed to be having the best time ever. The musicians and singers would swap in and out, and some of them were dressed up in old schools 1950’s outfits. I dunno, I really can’t even put into words how cool this was, kicking it in this tiny ramshackle room illuminated by just one sad fluorescent light, drinking Cuba Libres, and watching these people work their magic. I felt like I was in some underground speakeasy or something. So cool.

the Casa

The casa I’m staying in is pretty basic. My room is decent sized and has a fan. When I wake up in the morning, Yuri’s wife (can’t recall her name) makes me this massive breakfast: coffee, bread, yogurt, eggs, juice, and TONS of fruit. I get to eat it on their balcony while looking down on Havana street life below. Totally perfect way to start the day. Trying to communicate w/ Yuri and his wife has been pretty tough. They know very little English, and my Spanish skills, which weren’t ever that good to begin with, are now pretty rusty. Still, unlike many other countries, at least I can communicate a little, and it’s been really fun trying to practice the little Spanish that I know. I’m really wishing that I had spent some time studying before I came on this trip, but I guess it’s a bit late for that.

Still, Yuri and his wife try to talk to me daily and I do my best to speak back. Yuri’s wife keeps giving me advice on where I should go, what to see, and how to avoid hustlers on the street. Both of them are incredibly nice.

…I’ll write more soon…