Livin' Like the Locals

(That's raw meat hanging in the
window - which may explain why
cooked meat always has the
texture of shoe leather.)

Viernes, el 31 del Marzo…

Good sleep (although Greg will tell you he knows the exact location of every mattress spring). We had an apple and some cheese left from our flight, so that sufficed as breakfast. (Have I mentioned that I lost 4 pounds on the trip?) Then it was back to the Internet hotel (Greg was trying to download a translation app, which never materialized), and then to a local bank because one of us had only changed about half our cash at the airport and yesterday’s little financial setback necessitated más dinero Cubano. Like the post office, there was a line outside. Actually, part line and part people hanging around. One local custom we had learned was that you don’t have to stay in line as long as you know who’s just before you. A quick “¿Eres último?” determined that. Once we got inside, there were maybe 25 folks waiting on chairs.

Actually changing the money was another story. The gal held each twenty up to the light and scrutinized it for dirt, rips (even minute) or who-knows-what. Five or six bills were politely but firmly rejected. And the exchange rate was about double what it had been at the airport. The whole process probably took an hour overall, but we learned a lot. 

Bici-cabs... handy and cheap.

Somewhat frustrated, we took a bici-taxi (pedicab) to El Parque Central (where the expensive hotels are). This gave us a chance to check out some beautiful buildings as well as the Prado (Paseo de Martí), a lovely tree-lined boulevard running south from the Malecón to the capitol building. We also booked a day trip to Viῆales, with stops at rum and tobacco factories. Lunch came from a neighborhood shop, where I discovered that ropa vieja (literally old clothing) is shredded beef in tomato sauce that makes a pretty decent sandwich. Later I took a cool shower while Greg checked out a nearby liquor vendor and talked politics w/ an English-speaking local. Dinner at Casa Miglis, a Swedish-Cuban venue. Good food. (I especially enjoyed the rum raisin ice cream we shared for dessert.)

El Capitolio: opened in 1929, seat of govt until 1959...
now used by the Cuban Academy of Sciences.
(Yes, it does look familiar. 😃)

Cuba is... CALIENTE. I have no idea what the temp or humidity actually are, but I do know our clothes are damp-to-wet by early afternoon and we need that second shower to recharge.

Suspended Imagination
(more on this later)

BlogThoughts... Casa Miglis was fun. After the fact, we learned it's one of top-rated spots in Havana -- and that their (Swedish) meatballs (which neither of us ordered) are to die for. My favorite memory, though, is of the the whimsical bar decor. (One reviewer described it as Ikea-influenced.)

(lots more crumbling)