The plane was an old Russian plane:
Jeff, after three bong hits, ha ha, this was the woeful air conditioning system on the plane
we ate previously prepared sandwiches for lunch, dazzling other passengers with our appetites and attention to vegetables
We weren´t on the island long before El Che made his first of thousands of appearances:
Of course, La Habana is famous for its insane array of beautiful old American cars from the 40´s, 50´s and 60´s...
a neighborhood fruit and vegetable market near Plaza de la Revolución, near to the Casa Particular in which we stayed several days
Cuban heroes...
these people are heading to line-up at the nearby embassy, trying to get permission to go abroad
these slogans are seen all over La Habana
classic downtown scene, on El Prado
We visited the Museo de la Revolución in Habana Vieja, and one of the first and most striking visuals was the following...
painting of the scene in which Fidel took power after Batista's flight from the island
Revolutionary war heroes:
Camilo Cienfuegos
El Che
tank constructed by farmers from a tractor during the revolution, never used, but fantastic!
The monument to Jose Martí, known as the father of Cuban independence and a key figure in Latin American solidarity
An enormous monument to Camilo Cienfuegos in the Plaza de la Revolución
Jeff in line for a batido de mamey, or a smoothie made from mamey, a tropical fruit found all over the island. Cost: pennies.
The central fruit and veg market of La Habana, dark and busy:
We passed a few days in the streets with our camera ready. More classic cars seen on the streets of La Habana:
this one in the pouring rain (which we waited out in a lively crowd)
Image of a young El Che, when he toured around Northern Argentina on a bicycle when he was about 20 y.o.:
Scenes of Habana Vieja, the old part of the city which is very striking and photogenic:
if you look closely at this late afternoon photo, you will see a man playing trumpet on the second floor of this old building... he was belting out The Girl From Ipanema over the streets! amazing...
While the above guy played the trumpet, these fishermen plied their lines backed by a gorgeous rainbow on the malecón:
The following images are of Jeff´s healing wounds (see previous post), which would be a recurring theme during our time on the island:
deep thigh bruising
the tore up nipple
From La Habana, we headed east along the Via Blanca towards Las Playas del Este, first stopping at Playa Santa Maria:
parked at Playa Santa Maria
This is a Cuban favorite: fire-roasted whole pig. We first encountered this at Playa Jibacoa:
Jason tests out the snorkel gear we purchased in Cancún before the flight. Playa Jibacoa
the first of many gorgeous sunsets we witnessed on the isle
Next we headed to well-known Varadero Beach:
our favorite Cuban beer: Bucanero
we stealth camped across from the giant Barceló Hotel:
Jeff took this opportunity to convert his visor:
before:
after:
!!!!
A quote from Fidel himself, seen in Varadero. It says: "I fight on the side of the impatient ones. I fight on the side of the hurried ones, those that always make sure that things get done, the ones that more often than not try to do more than what is believed to be possible."
Revolutionary slogans seen on the streets of Varadero:
¨Revolution is defined as the feeling of a historic moment¨". One of the most popular slogans
Fidel and Camilo, image from the revolutionary war campaign
Fatherland or Death. Also a very common slogan seen on the island.
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