10 Days in Cuba: Playa Larga to Havana and parting thoughts
Playa Larga to Havana
I once went on a date with a guy who said he’d been to Cuba and didn’t enjoy it. It was too basic, the showers were cold, the food wasn’t great.
Safe to say I didn’t see him again. If you are that guy I’m sorry if you ever read this. I figured from that statement we wouldn’t make good travel buddies. And you miss the magic of a country if you judge it by the showers.
Day 6: We’re off to play in Playa Larga, which is back past Havana in the opposite direction so 5 hours in another rickety taxi. We love them by this point. We’re figured it’s the easiest way around the island, it would have been longer by coach and the taxis are pretty inexpensive. We arrive and go bake ourselves on the beach with cocktails. Considering this is a girls holiday we haven’t had half as many cocktails as I think we deserve.
Our Playa Larga hosts are lovely. The best way to experience Cuba is in home stays which aren’t as scary as they sound. We always had our own bathroom and they really do look after you. Get a good host and they’ll sort you breakfasts, dinners and book any taxis you need. Cuban hospitality has been second to none and slightly restored my faith in mankind, but travelling always does.
Day 7:
We take a guided hike through the Zapata Peninsula. Roxanne got her fix of birds, bats and all things in between. I don’t think our Tour Guide was as enamored. He was showing us a rather large spider on a leaf until it jumped on him and he screamed (in perfect English) “OHMYGOD”. I think this proves English is the language you go to when it all goes wrong?
The highlight was a trip into a cave full of bats. Roxanne points out that at home this would be totally illegal (because of how protected they are). But it was incredible. A totally silent void, aside from the sound of flapping wings around your head with tiny little bat eyes looking at us. It was incredible.
Tour finished with a dip in a natural lake carved into caves. Did you even backpack if you didn’t end up in a rock pool?
Day 8: Back to Havana 😰 Time is flying! We wander up to Revolution Square. It’s a little eerie and very Soviet feeling. We had amazing pizza in La Mimosa, even though it involved an hour queue. Basically, if the locals are queuing, go there because it’s worth it. I rounded Havana off with my final night out, which didn’t disappoint. It’s everything Cuban: drunk salsa and cheaaap rum which is all a basic girl could ask for.
Day 9: I’m a tad hungover after said night on the rum. We visit the Museum of the Revolution. It was a little oddly laid out and I felt like complaining a lot about that because I was hungover. We come back and nap, partly because I’m dying.
Day 10: The last day in Cuba. We explored Havana for a final time. Roxanne flew home. I tried to perfect this bloody blog post while eating crackers in the bed.
Parting thoughts? Cuba is like nowhere I’ve ever been before, so it’s just impossible to compare. Like, how can a place be glamorous and rustic and crumbling? It’s a photographers dream, beautiful ornate buildings complete with a tree growing out of it. Like if civilisation evaporated one day and nature took the world back. That alongside some of the warmest people we’ve ever encountered. It’s like entering a time warp but in the best way. I’m leaving with more questions than I came with, but that’s what google is for. Once I have some WiFi.
