In Havana

Arriving in Havana a very exciting day. Started at 5 am in Santiago Chile to a very cool morning, and a long flight north. (least said about that the better!) Flight path was off the coast in international airspace rather than cutting straight over land. We veered east and crossed over the panama canal (saw it below with shipping traffic) then on into the caribean, decending towards Cuba. Great excitment stepping out into the airport where being white gringos we were sped through customs no inspection absolutely nothing except being waved through. We were met then by Louis a cuban guide who mopped us up and soon we were speeding into the city.(hotel transfers are good stuff). Louis settled us in then departed. We lay down for a while or perhaps were flattened by the heat and humidity, then not being there to lie around it was time to head out into the late afternoon. Careful prep in the room with copy of passport to carry and the right amount of cash but no card, we walked out the door and almost immediately into a large plaza, surrounded by magnificent buildings and music from at least two directions. We parked up at one, inside (air con of sorts, drank a beer and looked cautiously around. The street music is definitely everywhere, pretty much like buena vista social club led us to expect. Often quite large groups, unamplified music which sound wonderful live. Emboldened we walked a short loop in the streets around the plaza oggling at the incredible buildings and the people, not to mention the trickle of old cars - yank tanks - which rumbled around. We had dinner (lobster!) back at the hotel then tried to rouse ourselves to head out into the night. But shanti was reporting being dizzy and i thought i was on a spaceship somewhere so we realized we were past tired and didnt have the capacity for anything further so in bed by 8pm. Next we were woken and it was 9 am 9the next day)- our guide was back to walk us into towm.

We must have looked a fright with only a few minutes preparation, but Louis didnt mention it and we were off on foot for a 4 hour wander. It was a chance to take some photos and be introduced by a knowledgeable person. The old section of Havana was a bastion of wealth and spanish colonial riches, and it shows in the endless narrow streets of remarkable two storey ornate stone and timber buildings with high, hardwood doors opening into generous spaces and an inner courtyard further in. Most of these are now completely deteriorated and lived in by locals who peer at you from second floor balconies. In the main town centres huge grandiose buildings very spaciously located form splendid avenues and open spaces - parks and plazas. Down on the harbour front the original spanish fortifications line the harbour. There are so many canons and cannonballs lying around that they poke them into the ground anywhere traffic is to be resticted, and line the walkways in places with the cannonballs.
The locals are of spanish or negro ancestry from colonisation and slave trading. Very striking, varied and often unusual looking people- exotic. They live in a socialist state with very resticted freedoms, with all the wealth being in governement hands. However they are cheerful, engaging peiople and full of colour which comes through in their music, dance and dress. Some of the females are the most exquisite immaginable, like slivers of coal with black hair and dark eyes. There are children everywhere invariably playing baseball or some other game that involves running everywhere.
Those are some thoughts for now, we are going to hole up for a couple of hours in our cooler room, then heading out to eat and to see live flaminco guitar and dancing. Will try to stay up later this time for the inevitible exotica that will turn up in the evening. During the day its the oldies dancing beside the bands but that could all change later? I will try and drop a couple of photos in flickr although dont feel my photography is settled I felt a bit conspicuous aiming a camera at people. I should mention the cigar shop- Louis took us to one. The proprietor was a stunning looking black man smoking a cigar in a fragrant shop. I bought several cohiba to keep us going but more on that later. sSffice to say it was a thrill to walk into the shop and buy from source. Sx