La Havane (1/2)

#Day 1 The accommodation is an apartment stuck between two apartments. There is not much light inside at any time of the day. There is no sound from the streets but a lot from the different apartments all around. The day starts with a walk on the Malecón, just a couple of blocks down the street. No much wind but the sidewalk is wet because the waves splash from time to time… and I get showered. A fisherman comes to me and talks about cigars. Blahblahblah. Continuing on the Malecón, another fisherman comes and talks about music, etc, writes down places where to listen to live music then asks for milk. Blahblahblah. Talking with Martha later, she says that the government is paying for milk for children until they are 7 years old. Crossing central Havana, I find a shop that sells rum with a citation from the Pope. The owner declares afterwards that the pope only drinks wine, not rum. Is he? I get the ticket for the transfer to Viñales at an hotel in Parque Central. It costs 14 CUC with Cubanacan, which is an hotel-to-hotel transfer. One more person asking for money in a square. Near the citadel, another person comes and says that France and Cuba are friends, but when refusing to give money, it looks like the friendship isn’t so strong. In the old town, someone comes up asking why I'm taking a picture of a graffiti… then asks for milk! Going to a bar in a street that looks nice but when asking if it's possible to eat, I am redirected to a paladar, which is most likely hold by a family member or a friend. It's much more expensive than what I was expecting but the view on the street & roofs is worthwhile and the first mojito in Cuba makes things nicer. In central Habana, when wanting to take a picture I'm asked why. After talking with the owner - who gets me a *free* orange - I take the picture. Near the Capitol, someone asks if I'm interested in Salsa. After declining, I am again asked for milk. After declining once more, looks like she's fine with it. The train station building is being renovated. The station is open though. Lots of people and bicycle-taxis (bicitaxis) as a train has just arrived. From there, walking along the waterfront, I stop at a bar which has good mojitos and ice creams: the mojito tastes very sour after the ice cream! Overall, after a day filled with walks and no visits in Havana, the city - from Central Havana to Havana Vieja - almost looks the same everywhere When coming from Central Havana, a large road has to be crossed to enter *vieja Havana*. While the streets change from perpendicular intersections to a messier layout, buildings look almost the same. Everything is crumbling. Areas are really dense. It is very oppressing. Despite the rant on the milk-people, Cubans are nice. One last shower on the Malecón before going back home right after sunset. [+ de photos](https://www.flickr.com/search/?tags=cuj1)

Cuba, prologue

Leaving home at 4.20 am for the S-Bahn but misses the train by 1 minute. It is snowing lightly outside and therefore not very cold. In 20 hours it will be 30°C. The plane for Paris is on time despite the snow. In Paris, getting out of the plane followed by a fast border crossing. The agent asks me to think of him when I'll be smoking a cigar. The plane for Havana is delayed. No exciting movies to watch nevertheless, I choose * Self/less* with Ben Kingsley. An hour before arriving in Cuba, we fly over the Bahamas. It looks like a nice place to go to... The plane arrives on time. The queue for the immigration goes well even though there isn’t much indication. The visa document that I stapled on the passport is removed so the immigration agent can take the non-stapled part. I'll staple it back on the passport… more than a week later! Right after immigration, there is a hand luggage check! I Pick up the luggage and pass the customs handling the paper filled in the plane : first and last names are switched but no one cares. Outside, there is a queue to withdraw money. It takes about thirty minutes to reach the counter. 1 CUC being almost equals to 1 Euro, I end up with 153 CUC. The cab to Havana is 25 CUC flat rate. On arrival, the driver has – of course – no change, ending up giving 30 CUC for the ride. Getting the keys for the accommodation (casa particular), going for dinner (7 CUC) and talking schedule with Martha (a friend’s friend). Though I'm not staying at Martha's she helps me build my 3-week schedule.