Havana  "Coconut taxi"

Lets race

The Famous National Hotel where all the "famous politicians, actors and performers" have stayed.  Of course, the biggest picture in the lobby was Hugo's.

National hotel, Havana

"tourist"

The underground trenches built for the Bay of Pigs

Such sadness to see these beautiful historical buildings slowly deterioriate.  The STATE chooses a building or two a year to renovate. The World Heritage Organization and several nuetral countries have pitched in to help restore.  slowly but surely.  The building on the right...restored, the building on the left...not so lucky. People live in every building, so like everything here, luck is a major factor in your life.

Havana view from our balcony in "old havana"

Old Havana

The world famous Chocolate cafe.  Easy to stay up until midnight with one of these hot cocoas.

Hanging out on some old canons used as street guards for walking only streets

Strreet Mural, Havana at night

Salsa everywhere, everytime of the day or night



Xela in the action of the band



View of Old Havana from our balcony. Our second casa particular.

View from balcony

Flemenco dancers, New Years Eve, Havana

Just an old shoe shine seat, sitting on the sidewalk.  Probably 80 years old.

Stopped in for a Tu Kola and to watch a 9 piece female salsa band..10:00am. Found out it was one of Ernest Hemmingway's haunts.  First bar in Havana.

New year's Eve, Buena Vista Social Club is playing in the Plaza in the background.

New Year's Eve

yes, people live in this building.  How amazing this building would be if it were restored, but restoring buildings is the least of the people's worries.

Tourist

Living room in our casa particular.  chess, cuban pepto bismol, rum, and water

New year's eve

Cienfuegos and Trinidad in the BIG C

Garden area where we eat our meals at our first "casa particular"

Our first Mojito, fresh mint, picked from the garden and the famous rum that made this country famous

First, heat/light a piece of coal on the gas stove, then "FAN" the coals for the BBQ

No Coca Cola here on Tu Kola

viva la revolucion con CHE

Cienfuegos, established by the French when kicked out of Haiti

Cienfuegos

Local Artwork

Last cars from the USA, 1959

Need a lift, pedi cars....tourists are not aloud to hire them.  Only locals.  but a peso is a peso.

At the sugar cane plantation on top of the highest "slave watch" tower in all of the Americas.  she is smiling, but it was sad.

Isabella at the top of the Tower in the town of Trinidad at the sugar plantation

Original cook buildings on the plantation, now someone's home

Original Traiche from 1860.  The slaves would push around the top piece of wood and crush the sugar cane for the juice.  the girls actually made their own sugar cane/lime juice drinks.

Roasted pig....very common dish...especially during the holidays in honor of La Revolucion.

Our car for the day.  1954 plymouth

In front of our first casa particular

Heavy traffic

Girls making sugar cane juice

Sugar juice and lime....yum

Che is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere

Traffic jam in Trinidad

Trinidad

Sugar Cane Plantation

First restaurant was full, so we ended up in this person's backyard for lunch. It was beautiful

Everything is recyled and reused...hardly any garbage anywhere.

Xela waiting for lunch

Lobster at every meal if you want it.

Going home in our Plymouth from Trinidad back to Cienfuegos

Tiny little restaurant, of course with live music, Cienfuegos



The brother in law from the casa, who ended up driving us around all day and showing us around in his Plymouth