This was our first glance at the city of Havana under the auspicious watch of the tour group. We planned to tour the cities of Havana, CienFuego and Trinidad. We landed in an airport and were then shuttled to a hotel. Driving through the streets one could really see how old and isolated this country has been.

Almost all the cars were old, but they had painted them and used them as cabs. Our first meal was brought by and enjoyed with local fisherman. Their boats sat out on the sea while they dinned with us on the shore and regaled us with stories of their lives. About how they only saw their wives and families three times a year. Of life on the sea and how they enjoyed their beer.

The fishermen were one of the most interesting experiences of our trip. We got to interact with some of the locals, most of whom spoke English so we got a feel for the community. They were jovial and laughed a lot. We met this group in a small town on the outskirts of Havana, it was a very homey and wonderful experience.

We enjoyed seeing the classic buildings and colors of this culture. We learned they have to repaint them every year because of the harsh weather of both moisture and salt, and extreme heat.

The town had musician street preforms, this guitarist played classic Cuban music and had a container next to him for tips, hoping that there would be enough there for dinner that night. The average person lived off of $6 a day here.

This was a glimpse into mostly Havana, more to come!..

Special thanks to Mike and Carol who took most of the photos and made them into a video:

“Hi There, 

         Visiting Cuba was very eye-opening for me. I’ve gained a whole new understanding and deep appreciation of Cuba and it’s people.  

         I put some snapshots together of our trip to Cuba last month. The pictures are basically in chronological order and put to music from local musicians that we visited. I don’t know what the lyrics are saying but I like the music.

I hope you enjoy the slide show.”

Here is a link to the video: https://youtu.be/MUP8jd2Kr6Q