Adventures in Cuba Journal- Day 2
Buenos Dias
After I awake, Arneri greets me with coffee on the balcony and we talk in length about life. Although she speaks very little English, her communication is amazing.
Shower Time
Once I have had my morning coffee, it’s time to take a shower so I can begin my day. While in the shower, I notice that there is no hot water and, I forgot my body wash and towel but, I had my sponge and no hot water. Now, I know George clearly explained the water to me during his introduction, but on day 1 I was so excited to begin exploring the country, that I unintentionally ignored him, but it came back to bite me. Well…cold shower it is!! I was given a hand towel, so I got creative. I used half of the towel to bathe and the other half to dry off. This was my bath experience for the next two days. Completely hilarious!
Hop on, Hop Off Bus Tour- 1st Attempt
I’m off to the Hop on, Hop off Bus Tour. I pay for my tour and this lady tells me that we depart in 15 minutes. So I stepped off the bus to meander around for a few minutes and take a picture in a convertible taxi. Of course, I get hustled for $10 from the driver to just snap pictures of me in his car which is parked…damn! So I mosey on, not to get far from the bus and I’m approached by a Cuban man who obviously is attracted to me, as he thinks I’m Cuban. He offers to take me on a tour and tells me I can catch the tour bus later. Coincidently, the bike taxi driver is his friend and away we go!!! I completely forgot his name so we will call him Mr. Spikes because he had a perfect Mohawk which is a common male style in Cuba.
We Got a Flat!
Shortly into our trip, the bike gets a flat tire and I proceed to jump out. Mr. Spikes stops me and the bicyclist gets out and pushes us to the bike repair shop…. WOW. While we wait, we grab a mojito across the street and in 10 minutes we are off on our journey. He takes me all over Havana. During the tour, the bikes have music and we sang to: Ja Rule…lots of Ja Rule, R. Kelly, Ashanti, Eve, Backstreet-Don’t leave, Usher, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, And many more American R and B artist. (see my videos).
Our first stop was the Casa Particular (I think) to buy a box of Cohibas at a cheap price (approx. 20 cigars). I was hesitant to give them $150 as I wasn’t 100% confident with this purchase. To my surprise, Mr. Spikes gives me 5 additional Cohibas as a gift. The most wonderful part of the day was when we went to his father’s house. The genuine hospitality truly warmed my heart as he lit a new cigar and brewed a fresh pot of coffee for me! I was not allowed to drink their crisp, cold, refreshing water due to the parasites. Mr.Spikes explained that I could become very sick, like hospital sick….Thanks for that heads up. I was already stockpiling bottled water in my tote. lol
Mr. Spikes explained to me that this man is not his biological father but raised him and his siblings from small and married his mom with 3 kids that weren’t biologically his. My best friend’s husband Darrin immediately came to mind as these type of men is hard to find but, thank God they exist. We journeyed on to Revolution square and several other historical places in Havana.
Hora de comer……Time for Lunch
We took a break from our tour and sat down for my first meal of the day! Yes, at 2pm… hey, mojitos are food too in Cuba! lol We went to this Italian restaurant which was packed and spoke volumes to my stomach. Mr. Spikes negotiated a table for us and we dined on the following: Fried banana chips, fried potato chips, Latin bread rounds with garlic butter. That was just the appetizers!! Entrees were: Beef Saltimbaca- prosciutto ham and cheese wrapped in beef tenderloin…amazing! Braised lamb shank with veggies, similar to a stew…delicious!
Siesta time!!
Mr. Spikes had the taxi take me home. The whole day only cost me a $30 taxi fare and a kiss on the cheek for Mr. Spikes. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. I tossed and turned listening to the non-stop conversations on the street below my window.
And when the night falls…
After “waking” from my nap, I hit the streets headed back to the Hotel Iglatera. Before arriving to my planned destination, I stop at the Wi-Fi park to check in with family and friends. When I arrived to the hotel, the same band is performing. I close my eyes, feel the breeze and allowed the music move through my soul. I was briefly disturbed by a cat that was hovering around the guest waiting for food and what was most disturbing was, it was missing a chunk from its arm and was bleeding! That broke my heart, so I had to order two more mojitos and kept looking away (mojitos cure everything). At this point, I’m very tipsy…which is just fine as I slowly glide home down the streets of Havana.
