Havana, the details

Havana feels like you've gone back in time to the 1950's. The meticulously maintained classic cars, colonial architecture, and lack of internet combined with the smell of diesel gasoline and a generally slower pace of life. I haven't been to such a visually stimulating city in awhile, it's full of color everywhere, from the pastel buildings to the vibrant culture!

It really reminded me of Beijing in the late 90's, right around the time when the internet arrived in China. For starters, the high ceilings and light fixtures were just like my grandmother's house where I would spend almost every summer as a child. The roads were dusty and even the airport smelled the same. It had a similar energy, where everything was a bit old and dusty and everyone was so poor but at the same time you could see sense how hard working and talented the people are. However, the biggest difference was the people's attitude of the government.

Growing up in the US, I arrived in Cuba with a preconceived notion of Fidel Castro and his regime, sort of like reverse propaganda. Visiting Havana completely changed my mind. The people seemed to be really happy with the government and the changes it brought, especially free high quality education. Even though Cuba has been slow to adopt the digital world, my tour guide said that if the people talk it about it enough, soon the government will hear and changes will be made according to the people's request. 

While you can spend weeks in Havana, I squeeze everything into 4 days and it was just enough time to get to know the city :

• Malecon is the seaside boulevard/"walking path" that runs about 6km from the port in Habana Vieja through to Miramar. It's highly rated on Trip Advisor but I didn't think it was particularly special. Be careful! When it's hightide, the waves crash over the wall and will drench you. Local Cuban teens make a game out of it, standing on the wall and waiting to get soaked. You get a nice view of the Malecon at Hotel Nacional.
• Habana Vieja translates to Old Havana, this is where you will find all your perfect picture ops of doors, vintage cars, art, and of course, the famous ladies dressed in colonial costume (they'll charge you!). We spent a couple hours walking through the different streets and alleyways, some buildings are completely destroyed while others have been refurbished into expensive hotels. You'll find most of the historic sites in this area, if you do a walking tour, it will likely start around here. Right in front of The Capitol building is the iconic pastel buildings, as pictured at the top of this post. This is also where the Museo de la Revolucion and Museo de Bellas Artes are. We opted for the Museo de Bellas Artes, there are 2 buildings (5 cuc for one, 8 cuc for both). We opted for the Cuban art building and were thoroughly impressed with the collection. We also tried to go to the Museo de la Revolucion, but decided to grab a glass of wine - there's really only so much time you can spend on your feet in a museum before it all feels the same! I've heard from friends that the Museo de la Revolucion isn't a great museum, but it's interesting to see how the revolution and UC-Cuba relationship is presented. It costs 8 cuc. 

• Clandestina (in Habana Vieja) is a local design store looking to build a community around design in Havana. I'm not normally one for souvenirs, but I definitely picked up a cute tote and curated map.
• Centro Habana connects Habana Vieja with Vedado. It's totally walkable and there are some other notable sites but I mainly came here for some Chinese food in Chinatown. It was somewhat bland, but I'll take what I can get! I learned that Cubans only really use onions, garlic, and salt to season, so if you are accustomed to food with a kick, you might want to keep some hot sauce in your bag a la Beyonce. Friends have also recommended an awesome gallery space called Continua that features international artists and is associated with other continua galleries in Beijing, Italy, etc. So definitely check that out if it's your thing!
• Vedado is where the Cubans live. This is where the nightlife is and Hotel Nacional, which has an awesome pool and bar.  It's worth going out to see the Revolutionary Square. There's a really cool street called Callejon de Hamel in Vedado where a local artist has filled it with street art. On Sunday afternoons, the Latin-African cultural center hosts a fun street concert there.
• Fabrica de Artes is a MUST. It's a factory converted into an art gallery, that also has live music and bars, and dance floors. It's only open Thurs - Sunday. This was one of my favorites. If you come, make reservations to eat a El Cocinero!

The 'know before you go'. 

• Visas! This is probably the most important thing. As an American, you can now get a Cuban tourist visa at the gate, it will cost you $75. If you fly to Cuba from a different country, such as Mexico, the same visa will cost you $20. If you're flying direct from the US, the airlines might ask you what the purpose of your trip is when you're booking the flight tickets. I used Educational Purchases as my reason, specifically People to People, and had no problem. Once you get to Cuba, you can actually just put Tourismo, which is what your actual visa will say. The Cuban government doesn't care, they actually like tourists. It's the American government that makes it difficult.  

• Currency: there are 2 currencies, CUC (coo-ks) convertible pesos and CUPs normal cuban pesos. This is because there are 2 economies in Cuba, the local economy that operates in CUPs, and the tourist economy that operates in CUCs. You'll only really need CUCs.

  • 1 CUC = 1 USD, 1 CUC = 24 CUPs. If you want to explore the shops locals frequent, you may want a few CUPs handy. 

• Exchanging money: You exchange USD or EUR for CUCs upon arrival at the airport. I'd recommend bringing Euros. The Cuban government charges an additional 10% tax on USD, so you get less bang for your buck. You can exchange money at the airport when you arrive and at specific money exchange locations within Havana. Pro tip: ask your host for your neighborhood exchange. We stayed in Vedado and our local currency exchange never had a line, unlike the ones in Habana Vieja. 

• WIFI: Internet access is super limited, you need to buy a special card, go to a specific wifi area, and pay $1.50 CUC per hour. 

• General: Cuba has essentially been closed off to many countries since the 1950's, so everything is really run down and old. The roads are dusty, the vintage cars emit strong diesel and gas fumes, but if you arrive with an open mind, you will fall in love with Havana. 

TL:DR Havana was incredible, go before it get's too crowded, and do your research on where to eat (ahem - here) and it will be delicious.