Cuba Si

I am now into the second week of my Cuban journey.

Internet here or any other computer interface are very difficult to access because of the price, 6 euros per hour, and the computers which are very old and slow by our standards. The hotels owned by foreign companies are extraterritorial entities in many ways and have their own internet account but things are different in Havana where most hotels are locally operated. Internet access here is more tricky; few posts, access regulated by internet cards that come with I.D. and password numbers and can be used everywhere. They are scarce most of the time. There are private cybercafes in the city but those are less user friendly than the computers operated by the hotels.

I used my internet time to communicate with my children and especially with my son working on a distance with him to help him prepare his exam in philosophy for his first session in college and to send a daily account of the trip to my children. This daily account will be edited and published later on this blog.

Santiago area is impressive for the natural beauty of the surroundings, a confluence of Sierra Maestra, the Caribbean and the Atlantic ocean. However Havana is The city of Cuba. It is a fascinating city and I am still discovering. In old Havana for example time suspends itself and trumps our perception of the space, old Spanish monasteries and eclectic colonial architecture. Most of the buildings are renovated or undergoing renovations.

If you ever plan to visit Havana, a visit I strongly recommend, I advice you to ask your hotel how many computers they have for their clients and if they can reserve for you tarjetas de navigacion before arriving. Upon my own arrival to Havana these tarjetas were very scarce, my hotel did not have them and I had to offer a monetary incentive to the doorman who was able to find 5 of them for me within half an hour and after making few phone calls.

This will be my only post from Cuba.