Welcome to Cuba

Welcome to Havana
Raise your hand if you’ve been spontaneous and booked a trip to a communist country!!

Known for their sugar-white beaches, gorgeous pastel houses and colorful old school cars, Cuba is a culture filled Caribbean Island, located near Miami. Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week exploring the island in celebration of my father in laws 70th birthday! Not only did we enjoy every second of the trip, we tried to soak up as much of the culture as we could. Thank God for my Spanish and google translate. We found ourselves feeling as if we had traveled back in time as we danced In front of the Spanish embassy and rode in our “ Ferrari” horse drawn carriage while on the island.

Our trip to Cuba this past weekend was amazing! The people were extremely friendly & helpful. In order to travel to Cuba you need a Cuban visa which we purchased at the Delta airlines counter for $50 (I also hear some travel agency’s sell them for $85)
We booked our flight from Aus to Fll for $21.40 Less than a tank of gas!
Walk up to the spirit counter ask them dates and cheapest price not including seats or baggage and make plans that’s exactly what we did!
From FLL we got a lyft over to MIA to meet up with the birthday boy and take our flight out to Cuba!
During boarding a US Marshall stopped us and asked us various questions on why we were visiting, how much cash we had on us as a group etc, after answering all his questions we were clear to board!
Delta flight: $196 rt
Upon landing in Cuba everyone clapped, I didn’t understand why until I looked up and noticed how short the runway was!
When I stepped off of the plane and took my first breath in Cuba, I felt something I have never felt before. The air smelled like home. A country that embraced my blackness. It was like I belonged there not physically, but spirituality and emotionally especially after the racial turmoil America has been suffering.
The people were extremely friendly & helpful. The locals didn’t bother you at all unless they were trying to sell you something, tell you how much they LOVED Obama or get you to ride in their Ferrari (horse drawn carriage) Yes, we had a full day adventure drinking, buying cubans and getting hustled but I felt very safe at all times.
The biggest reason Cubans love Americans is due to the embargo being lifted under President Obamas term in office. Before the embargo was lifted it meant that no goods from the U.S. could be sent to Cuba, and likewise, neither could any tourists.No corporate companies are in Cuba meaning you won’t see a Starbucks or McDonalds which in my opinion is a good thing. This also means the Cuban people weren’t getting any U.S. goods or supplies which has a negative impact.
The buildings in Cuba are crumbling and the structure of these beautiful buildings need architecture and help with restoring the Infrastructure. Imagine having to pump your water in daily to use for a shower.
Cuba is like a time-capsule. For some that seems intriguing however for the natives it’s terribly sad due to their homes crumbing right before their eyes.
The U.S. Embassy in Cuba is closed under the current administration.
Museum of the Revolution
Castro had promised to make the people proud of this building, which as the presidential palace had been viewed as anything but, so turned it into a museum to the revolution.

It truly is a beautiful building which you get to see the best of – the museum exhibits are set in a way that ensures the building isn’t spoiled. You will get a very good understanding of the revolution from here, and there are a number of the vehicles used detailing their history – this is home to the Granma yacht which Castro and Comrades landed in.

There are great views from the balcony taking in the Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro across the water, and the monuments to Jose Marti and Maximo Gomes in the park in front of the museum.
It also give you insight as to how Cubans viewed Americans during this era. If you love history I’d definitely recommend spending the time and money at this museum.

During the night we’d walk to the sea wall to enjoy fresh air, mingle with the locals and engulf ourselves in the culture. At nine o’clock every night we’d hear the cannon go off at the fortress and watch as other tourist flocked to the sea wall to experience what we’d been enjoying for days.
*Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress is located in a hill in the eastern side of the port of Havana. This vast fortress was erected in the 18th century, between 1763 and 1774, as way of protecting the weakest spot of the city’s defense system.

– We visited John Lennons home and The revolutionary Che Guvera’s home with they’ve since turned into a party house! Let’s not talk about the strongest and cheapest drinks I’ve ever had. We had to have the driver help us get Señor Mojito back into the buggie when leaving!

After dinner at Habana61 there were nights that we’d grabbed ice cream and I danced in front of the Spanish Consulate and felt happy and free as a bird.

Here are some tips
•Cuba does NOT accept USD at all. Make sure you have enough money for your stay, I didn’t see not one ATM in sight. And please don’t think you’re going to use a credit or debt card on your trip! American cards are banned. Cubans use two different currencies CUC & CUP. CUP is no good.
$1 USD = $1 CUC, the CUC currency is colorful with statues be on the lookout or you will get scammed. Yes some taxi gave us back fake money that we ended up bringing home as a souvenir!
•We stayed three nights in an Airbnb, the host Roberto was extremely nice and even came to cook an authentic breakfast daily for $5 CUC a day pp. He also gave us great insight and made us feel like family Details Airbnb
We choose to stay in an Airbnb to get the experience and the fact this is one of the only ways for Cubans to make more money than they do at their jobs. They are allowed to profit from renting their homes, as long as they pay about 20% tax to the government.

The other two nights we stayed at The Four Points by Sheraton Havana. The only American hotel on the entire island and only place you can use an American issued debit/credit card!
•Pack washcloth, towels, comfortable walking shoes (lots of walking), light clothing, hand soap & tissue. Public restroom does not have tissue or soap.
Extra info:
We walked about 5 miles every day. Cubans walk everywhere so bring comfortable shoes. Don’t try to bring those Air Forces Child your feet will be barking!
– Most of the public bathrooms don’t have toilet paper so bring flushable wipes with you everywhere! You’ll thank me later.
– Cuba has a different kind of heat so WEAR SUNSCREEN and start hydrating ahead of your trip.
– If you don’t speak Spanish, download the Google translate app. If you need help, your best bet is a security guard or someone in a uniform. Some people may know some English, but don’t have that expectation. If you’re from Texas the Spanglish won’t cut it!
If you’re traveling from the US – turn your phone on airplane mode before land and keep it on airlplane mode for the whole trip! Thank Goodness for the T-Mobile agent that saved me $171 in roaming fees as a Courtesy!
– WiFi is limited but you can buy a WiFi card $1/1 hour. They sell WiFi cards near WiFi parks. Just find places where you see a bunch of people sitting and using their phones. If you don’t wanna wait in the long lines you can also buy them at certain hotels such as Hotel Plaza (though they don’t always have them) or go to the flee market! Often times your airbnb host sells them as well if you notify them in advance.
– There are a few kinds of taxis and basically anyone with a car can be a “taxi” kinda like Lyft. The yellow taxis were more expensive than the regular cars with a taxi sign. Catching a taxi can be complicated but the locals are helpful so just ask for help. *be careful we got ripped off with fake money
– You can bring back up to 50 cigars per person.
Don’t drink the tap water — buy bottled water! I made that accident while brushing my teeth snd needless to say I had an accident on my way to the beach! Thank goodness I brought my book bag I literally changed clothes in the middle of the street!
Overall I enjoyed my trip and I think everyone should experience Cuba! The culture there is rich and it’s one of the places where African heritage is openly celebrated. I’m almost fluent in Spanish so the locals thought I was Cuban. They treat everyone like family and I felt like I was home .
Cost: We roughly spent $1000 total on this trip. It could’ve cost less though as there’s some things I splurged on.

•Cuba is definitely a must see! If you need a guide I have a full breakdown available.