Kuba, simply cool!

HAVANNA

What do many people think of when they think of Havana? Cigars, Cuba Libre, and these incredibly beautiful colorful American classic cars, most of which have been lovingly restored. I'm not really a car fanatic, but these cars have really captivated me. You can't help but be amazed, because there's nowhere else on earth where you can see so many classic cars like here in Cuba!

Most of them are used as taxis and tourists love to be chauffeured around in them.

Everywhere, things are being repaired, tinkered with, and renovated, because these aging vehicles require a lot of love, care, and mechanical know-how to continue serving their purpose.

Havana is a beautiful city - everywhere you can find impressive colonial-style buildings, although some of them are very rundown and already supported, but still often inhabited.

The cheapest means of transportation in the city is the public bus, which is usually completely overcrowded, but that doesn't bother anyone, because the locals use it very relaxed and considerate. Perhaps this is because the journey is always accompanied by rhythmic Cuban music.

And music is in the blood and in the air of the Cubans. Whether young or old, everyone here dances or at least moves to the rhythm - and they do it very skillfully! Even children dance on the streets with a naturalness that we are (unfortunately) not used to.

The Cubans seem very self-confident and proud. The traces of Fidel and Che are omnipresent, images and messages of both can be found on many walls. Their revolutionary spirit obviously continues to live on in their people. Quite impressive, but we can see in our own countries that material values alone do not mean happiness and contentment.

What is completely natural for us, such as internet access, is only possible here after purchasing a prepaid card and only at certain few places in the city, sometimes in the lobbies of larger hotels. You can recognize these Wi-Fi zones by the fact that you will find mainly young people and tourists crowded together with their mobile phones. Only a few individuals have internet access in their own homes. The network is also quite unstable, so at least you are not tempted to waste more time than necessary and instead prefer to use your precious time exploring the city.

The old town of Havana is simply breathtakingly beautiful! In the countless bars, you can enjoy not only the typical live rhythms of Cuba, but also the best mojitos (second only to the very best ones made by Alex, of course😉). It's funny that everywhere it is assumed that only three drinks are in question: Mojito, Cuba Libre, and Cerveza (beer) - and this is regardless of the time of day. If you order a lemonade, you will definitely be looked at with surprise.

The atmosphere in the bars is really great, as Hemingway already knew, who used to hang out regularly in the "Bodeguita del Medio".

TRINIDAD

After a six-hour bus ride to the south, this time we looked for accommodation on site and fortunately found one quickly. In one of the colonial gems, we found a cozy room with a large terrace and a beautiful view with an older couple.

You feel like you've been transported back decades in a sympathetic way. In the narrow cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages meet American vintage cars from the 1950s.

About 6 km away is Playa de Ancon, a less frequented white sandy beach, very picturesque and located on the turquoise blue sea.

We made a little detour there with a taxi colectivo (shared taxi). Unfortunately, an architect immortalized himself there with a rather uncharming prefabricated building, which is run as an all-inclusive hotel. In the associated beach restaurant, we enjoyed delicious fish and then took a walk on the beach in a pre-storm atmosphere.

The Cubans know very well how to enjoy life even with very limited means.

On the beach, families and friends, as well as curious faces like mine, are kindly offered self-made goodies even in the water.

SANTA CLARA

This city is famous primarily because of Che Guevara. 30 years after his execution in Bolivia, his mortal remains were brought here and buried. The "Monumento Che Guevara" is accompanied by a very informative museum about his relatively short life. For me, the many unknown photos from his childhood and with his family were very touching. The myth of this unusual, very charismatic man does not leave visitors unaffected.

In Santa Clara, there are also the historic railway cars that Che and his comrades captured, thus initiating the beginning of the revolution.

Not far from there, we stumbled upon the charming "Cafe Revolucion", which houses many photos and props collected by a Spanish artist who was also fascinated by the charm of the Cubans and their special history. The atmosphere of this place inspired me so much that one could think that Che and Fidel are somehow still present there.

Afterwards, I dreamed at night that I would meet Che again at another visit to the cafe and learn very personal things from him, which I will not reveal at this point😉. If someone should wonder about me now, I can only say that at this moment I was slightly feverish from a cold ... alcohol was not involved😉! Anyway, it was exciting!

Age is no reason to sit still!!!

With the shared taxi to Varadero ...

VARADERO

In fact, it had been agreed with the driver of our shared taxi the day before to pick us up from our accommodation the next morning and drive us to Matanzas. In the morning, we were informed of a "small change of plans" - namely, a new destination, Varadero - from there it's only about 40km away anyway. Since Varadero is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and also for being a popular tourist destination with high-priced hotels, we had decided to avoid this place. As is usually the case in Cuba, the driver (not entirely selflessly) immediately suggested private accommodations for various passengers. Previously, I had received a tip for a nice place to stay from a fellow traveler. In fact, we really liked this private accommodation, so we decided - as flexible as we are😉 - to give Varadero a chance.

The beach is truly fantastic, the sea shines in an almost artificially turquoise blue and there are also places that are not so touristy. As we learned, alcoholic beverages are included in the hotel services for all-inclusive hotel guests, which is sometimes enthusiastically taken advantage of by the often very young guests. At the beach bars, the price difference between a mojito or something similar and a soft drink is only one euro, so many apparently opt for the cheap alcohol - even in the morning. This lifts the mood and lowers inhibitions😉. The supply of refreshments is almost endless, because it's hot and no one has to be thirsty here. Nevertheless, the mood is good and lively and largely without embarrassing incidents.

However, if you think that Varadero is typical for Cuba, you are mistaken - from my point of view - fortunately. Here, everything is geared towards tourism one hundred percent and this is done very professionally. Most people here make a living from tourism, but unfortunately, this means that some of the unique and typical aspects of the country are lost.

The beach vacation at the end of our first leg of the journey is still a good fit for both of us. In a few days, we will return to Havana, from where we will be heading home to Vienna via Amsterdam on May 7th and spend three weeks there. On May 29th, we will continue our journey to Asia, starting with India.