Habana, Cuba 2012/13

Every year shortly after Christmas my family, which is my parents and my three younger siblings, go away to some warm country down south. For the last couple of years they've been asking me to come along with them. Since I'm a single mother of a nine year old girl it's not as easy to just pack and go, especially since her father didn't agree to let her go away with me five years before. Another issue would be the work flow, some crazy deadlines around New Years.

This year we didn't have anything clearing around that time so I decided to at least check with my daughter's father. To my surprise he was okay with me going away and him taking care of her for the week. So I was going.

My mother was the one who would take care of finding a place and booking it. I was trying to give her the hint of Havana, Cuba... or at least close to it. They have been in Varadero before and weren't too fond of it but she saw how badly I wanted to go there because of my passion for photography so she agreed. I was very excited.

The next couple of days I made sure to supply myself with enough rolls of film. Stocked up on some small toothpastes and deodorants for males and females as gifts as well. I packaged each individually in a zip lock bag. I heard there aren't that many necessities available in Cuba. I remember when living in communism the shelves in stores were empty. If anything became available the line ups at stores would be worse than when trying to get the front row seat to see the Beatles.

Friday, December 28th was the departure day. The flight was scheduled for around 5pm. I booked half the day off from work to make sure I'd get to the terminal on time since I was taking the city bus. It wasn't worth for me to take a cab and pay way more. My parents were taking their car and parking it at one of the Park 'n Fly parking lots. 

The flight has been delayed before I even left from work that day but not by much so I left as scheduled anyway. As I was getting ready at home my sister called me with further delay information. We have met at the terminal around 7pm. I was enjoying my beer at one of the cafes when they walked in.

We went to the long line up to drop off the luggage, it took way longer than I thought it would. Once that was done we headed to the gate area to sit and wait. Another delay was announced. This time for 11pm. The plane was stuck in Montreal thanks to the snow storm there. We ended up hanging out at the Toronto airport until around 1 am.

Flying at night was not bad. I really liked seeing some areas which were well lit at night. The best one was Miami. It looked really amazing with lots of lights on. As we were getting closer to our destination we got an announcement saying we can't land in Varadero due to heavy early morning fog. It must have been around 4 am at that time. We ended up landing in Havana. The couple of guys who were sitting beside me were actually staying in Havana for the week but they still had to go to Varadero and take the bus from there. That kind of sucked for them since we were already at their destination.

At first they were keeping us on the plane. We were hoping we'd just sit there for a short period of time and then take off for Varadero. After some time they announced for us to get off and step out into the airport waiting area. They gave us a big piece of paper which said we were just waiting on delayed flight. I think we were there for about five hours. I couldn't even tell. I am incapable to sleep on planes [or buses] or anywhere where I can't lie down so by that time I felt like I was completely intoxicated. Everything felt surreal to me. My whole family was upset with my pick of the destination. I found it rather adventurous. A completely different experience.

We didn't get called to board until around 11am. During those few hours most people were sleeping on the benches. I couldn't. Instead I loaded film into my camera and took a few photos. The flight from Havana to Varadero was shorter than the boarding of the plane. Once we got there we grabbed our luggage and were directed to the bus which would take us to the resort we were booked in. By now it was around noon.

At the resort we had to get our rooms. Somehow if you don't show up when scheduled they let someone else take the room you're booked for. We got three rooms on the ground floor. None of them right next to each other but close enough. At first we decided to go back and try to get them on higher floors but the only ones available were in a building far away from the main one, close to the beach but also in a more of a seniors area. So we decided to stick with the first group. I wasn't planning on spending much time in the room anyway.
 

As soon as I got to the room I changed into my bikini and headed for the beach hoping to find some food. It was around 2pm and we haven't had anything to eat since the flight except some small snack at the smoky airport in Havana. There was a buffet close to the beach but it was in between meals time so we just grabbed some pizzas at a snack bar right beside it. The first day is all blurry to me since I've been awake for over thirty some hours. I felt as if I was on something and that whole day felt very surreal.

I can't remember exactly when during that day but some time in the early afternoon I got to talk to some of the employees there about going for a day to Havana. My idea was to take a local bus which I've been researching and making notes before leaving for Cuba. The boys didn't seem to think that was a good idea. They told me they have some local people with cars who take tourists for private tours into the city. The price was about $120 for the day for up to four people.

I went back to the room and asked my sisters if they'd be interested to go, that way we could split up the cost. Only the younger one was. I went back and said to the guys who contacted the driver that if he lowers the price we'll go. He didn't so I said no thank you but as I was walking away I thought about it some more and decided to go with it. Couldn't miss an opportunity like that to save a few dollars. We scheduled to meet at the front entrance at around eight in the morning. We were told his name and the car he drives.

Got all excited about going to Havana. One of my dream destinations. Prepared all my cameras, four of them. My medium format Hasselblad, one 35mm for black and white film and one for colour film and my Lomography medium format Diana F+ for more artsy, cross process films plus of course my bags with all the different films.

Thanks to all the excitement I had no trouble getting up on time early in the morning, which is so unlike me. We went for a quick breakfast and then walked outside in front of the resort to meet with our driver. The man with the black Mercedes came up to us right away and confirmed my name. This was our driver. I was kind of hoping for him to have one of those bright coloured 50s cars but I guess not. To them the Mercedes is better but that is what we see back home.

The first stop was Bacunayagua Bridge, what the locals call "The Mother-in-law Bridge". It's one of the highest ones and the meaning behind it is that if you're tired of your mother-in-law then just drop her off this bridge. I think it's funny but some people might not feel that way. We drove up a small hill off the road into a parking lot and then went up into a small patio bar with some souvenir shops.

At the bar we ordered piña coladas, which cost about 2 Cuban pesos each and the best part is they serve them without rum but there are bottles of the Havana rum on the counter and we just pour it in ourselves without paying extra. Our driver had it without the rum. It's amazing. The atmosphere there is so different, people are very relaxed and enjoying their life. Cuban music is amazing too, you hear it everywhere. At the bar there was a band playing and the people in the audience were enjoying it, some even dancing to it.

As we were driving to Havana which was almost a two hour drive I started chatting with the driver. He is currently divorced with two daughters, one early teens and the younger one a pre-teen. Before we left Canada, I went to a local drug mart and got a whole bunch of deodorants and toothpastes to give out to the locals in Cuba. Every morning I have left a few things on my bed for the cleaning lady. I also brought a whole bunch to give out in Havana and for the driver and his family.

The first place which I researched and was on my "to see" list that was on our way to Havana was the house where Ernest Hemingway lived for a while. Our driver didn't really know much about it. This was the first time he was asked to go there. When we pulled up to the locked gate he got out to talk with the security guard. As it turns out it was closed to the public until January 9th because an American filmmaker was shooting a movie. I was really disappointed. It was one of the places I really wanted to see.

Our first stop in Havana was the Revolution plaza where the government buildings are with the faces of the few leaders. I definitely had to shoot them especially the one with Che Guevara's face, it's one of the most famous faces all over the world. The area was pretty much just tourists and local taxi drivers. Took some photos of them too especially with the classic cars.

Took a walk across the street to the tall staircase and tower where Fidel Castro gives his speeches. Couldn't get too close to it since there was a soldier on duty standing and there was a chain blocking the entrance. Didn't want to risk getting locked up, I have heard stories about that. I, myself, grew up in communism so I know how powerful government is in such a country.

After seeing the political part of Havana we have left for Habana Vieja [Old Havana]. The first thing on my list was to get a couple of good Cuban cigars I was asked to bring back home and one slim one for myself to try since I've never had one. The shop our driver took us to was packed with people, mostly tourists, stocking up on cigars. After waiting for a few minutes the driver came up to me and said he knows a better place so we left. Right outside the door there were a few local men trying to get us to go with them to buy some "good cigars", thanks to our driver who told us not to they weren't as pushy as they were to others.

He took us across the canal to the Morro Castle where we went into a nice cigar shop which wasn't as packed and it had the world's longest cigar wrapped around the room with a photo of the man who made it. It was really amazing. There were a few shorter ones too but they were still very long. So I picked a couple of cigars for friends and one skinny one for myself and left. Walked around a bit in that area where I was told the Americans lived before the revolution but after they left those houses were occupied by Cuban soldiers with their families.

We drove back to the Old Havana part again. It was around 1pm or so. The driver told us that if we want to hang out there he will have to let us walk alone since it's not a safe area to leave his car unattended. Not that it's not safe overall. A couple of hours is the most I could get out of my sister. Our meeting spot would be in front of Havana's "White House" Capitolio Nacional.

The first place we stopped at was La Floridita where Hemingway used to hang out. His sculpture is still standing there in his regular spot. The place though was packed, mostly tourists of course. Not only were there no tables available but there was barely any floor space left as well. I finally somehow squeezed through to the bar where it was all packed, like a Berlin Wall all around it. After a few minutes of patient waiting I finally got my cerveza. Drank it pretty quick, out of thirst and irritation from the people elbowing me constantly, and left.

Walked east on one of the small streets and just kept on shooting my cameras. Everything I was seeing I just wanted to capture and bring back with me. I never wanted those two hours to end. As I was walking and shooting, a local man spotted me with my Hasselblad and brought me over to a man who had his very old camera standing on a tripod with the black fabric hanging over the back where he would put his head to shoot. Then he would pull out the photo that was reverse black and white, like a negative but on photo paper, and then he'd shoot a photo of that to have the correct version. 

I got both of those to keep, for which I had to pay of course, and kept on walking. The streets are very narrow but very colourful and full of life. The buildings are all different, lively, bright colours but some, if not most, in very bad shape. Took photos of everything and everyone I could. Black and white to capture the feelings and colour for the culture.

The two hours definitely flew by. All we had time for was walk down one street then cross to another street and come back up to the parking area in the middle of a street in front of the Capitolio Nacional building. Waited there for a few minutes and then our driver showed up.

About half an hour after leaving Havana, because we haven't eaten anything since breakfast, we have decided to stop at a small eatery by the highway. Our driver ordered a couple of sandwiches for me and my sister which were made fresh on the spot while we were waiting and of course a cerveza for me. The food was delicious and the beer even better. All of that came to less than 5 CUC. I paid with a 10 CUC bill and left the rest as a tip. The man who was on cash seemed shocked but was very thankful. It felt really great to be appreciated for the tip, unlike at the resort where it's expected and not appreciated as much.

On our way back to the resort we stopped in a small town we were passing through. I saw three kids playing on a cart in front of a nice church. Definitely something worth capturing. In the western culture all kids do nowadays is sit in front of TV or computers and play video games. Across the street from the church was a bus stop with a few ladies waiting for a bus. Got them too.
 

After this town we stopped at a bar in the middle of nowhere, our driver needed to use the men's room so I used that opportunity to shoot some more photos. The people seemed to be very happy and were waving at me when I was taking photos. I'm glad they were not the opposite.

We got back to the resort some time around 5:30 I believe. I paid the driver what we agreed on and took out some of the deodorants and toothpastes I brought to give away in the city, which I didn't, and gave him a few for his family. The one thing I didn't think of bringing which he mentioned was floss. Next time I'll bring some of that too. It's amazing the things we have that we take for granted.

That night after dinner we just hung out in the lobby with the full family. Had a few drinks, had some laughs, made funny faces and took lots of photos of ourselves with a regular point and shoot camera. We all went to bed at a decent hour to get up in the morning and not waste any of the sun time.

The next day it was New Year's Eve. I couldn't believe I was on a beach sweating on December 31st. This is the first time ever my New Years wasn't going to be below zero [Celsius that is]. Spent most of the day on the beach drinking cervezas and a few piña coladas. Brought my cameras with me but it wasn't anything like the city. All tourists and that's nothing interesting. Did take a few shots with my Diana of the beach, palm trees and the bar on the beach but nothing that fascinating.

I was missing Havana so much that I decided to try and find another trip to go and see it. After asking around the resort I was finally informed of a tourist guide who sets up those kind of trips. After finding her she told me I will need 110 CUC and my passport to sign up. I hurried to my room grabbed what I needed, asked my sisters if they wanted to go, the older one didn't eve want to think about it and the younger one after a few minutes of debating decided not to go either. I quickly ran back to make sure the lady hasn't left yet and I was lucky, she was still there. 

I booked the bus trip for 7am with a stay over night in Havana and then 1:30pm return bus the next day. I was hoping for an evening return but there was none. At least I was going to see the city at night. I was also told there were three other people going from our resort so hopefully that would prevent me from getting lost. I was really excited about the next day, first day of the year to spend in Havana.

In the evening we all went to wash up and dress nice for the official New Years celebration. Got a table to sit outside in the patio area. There was an inside club but when it's not freezing and there's no snow why would i want to miss out on sitting outside. We all had a few drinks, enjoyed the music, even "Gangnam Style" seemed like fun at that time. At midnight we did the countdown and champagne, hung out for a little bit longer and then headed back to the room. I had to get up really early to catch the bus and I didn't want to be too tired to enjoy the trip.

Woke up to the alarm clock no problem but it was a bit harder this time to get out of bed thanks to those few drinks the night before. Somehow I managed to get ready and go for my usual two boiled eggs breakfast before heading for the bus waiting area. I'm glad I prepared all my bags the day before. Had all my cameras and films ready plus of course some clothes, pj's and personal things. I did take some of the toothpastes and deodorants for the locals as well to give out.

When I got to the waiting area there were only three more people so I figured they were the ones the travel agent told me about. We waited a few more minutes until the bus arrived. Got on and took a seat by the window close to the front. Wasn't feeling too well still so I just rested my head by the window and was dozing off every little bit.

The tour guy was great. Quite funny at times and as he said himself the early new year morning was a bit tough for most of us but promised for it to be fun. He must have been in his twenties otherwise he wouldn't be able to pull it off after a late night and on a hangover. 

We did stop at a bar by the highway for the traditional piña coladas. I did get one with the Havana rum hoping it would help me feel better. It didn't. Not yet. Got back on the bus and kept on dozing off. Didn't really want to since our tour guide was telling us interesting stories about the history of Cuba. Explained how Cuban music is a combination of Spanish music with African rhythm and instruments. He told us about the locals dancing every night. How revolution has kept the country's health care expenses free and never having to pay for education. 

As we were passing by a town closer to Havana he told us it was built for the Russians who were affected by Chernobyl. The architecture was very Russian, it actually reminded me of my childhood when I was growing up in Poland. A lot of the "newer" buildings back home were built during communism so it was to their style. 

After Russia collapsed and the people moved back home that town was turned over to locals, this is where our tour guide lived while at university in Havana. It was a student area. The funny story he has told us about this town is that because it was built by Russians it was to their structure. The buildings were not numbered in order. On his first day there he couldn't find the building he was staying at. It was done this way so only the local Russians would know where to go and if at any time they'd find someone confused and lost they'd know it wasn't one of them.

Another thing that has happened after Russia collapsed is Cuba lost the importer for their sugar. We drove by an abandoned sugar factory. That was a big loss for them. We did see quite a bit of East European cars from the 80s in Havana on the first day. That was another reason I felt like I went back in time to my childhood. I was finally starting to feel a bit better. Maybe it was all those interesting stories that helped me keep my mind off how crappy I was feeling.

After we got dropped off at an Old Havana area I got more involved with the three Canadian tourists since we were all staying at the same hotel. We weren't sure what time our stay started at so we decided to start walking there and make stops wherever we felt like it. I was the one making most of the stops to take photos. I have been in some of the areas with my sister but this time I had the time to stop and really look at it. Look at the architecture, the history, the culture, the people, the lifestyle. I loved every single thing about it. If I could I would definitely move there. Even without all the technology, no wi-fi, I enjoyed it all to the fullest.

We have also stopped at a very local, not targeted towards tourists at all kind of food market. It was indoors. In the centre there were a few tables and all around the walls there were booths to buy food from. We walked all around first to see who was selling what and then decided to buy something. I don't even remember what I ended up ordering but I know I got a cerveza as well. We sat down at one of the tables and I put my camera bags with some of my cameras under the chair. Right away a lady came running to me and trying to explain to keep my equipment on my lap or someone might steal it. I was very surprised to hear that.

After eating and finishing the beer, us, the two ladies, decided it would be a good idea to empty the bladder before going out on the street. Who knows how soon we will reach our hotel and public washrooms don't seem to be easy to find. After walking around the whole place we saw the "washroom" in a corner. I used the quotations on the word washroom because I wouldn't call it that. It was a small walk-in with swinging two-half doors which didn't even have a lock on them and no toilet seat. I have also heard there's no toilet papers in those places unless you buy a few pieces from the person by the door, except at this place there wasn't anybody by the "washroom" "door". I'm glad I brought some from the resort. 

As I was trying to hold the doors closed with one hand and pulling my pants down with the other a lady came to the door and was offering to hold it while speaking Spanish. I had no idea what she was saying. I just did what I had to do and got out. As I was walking out she was giving me some toilet paper and asking for money but since I didn't need any I didn't take it or pay. It was a little too late for that offer.

We got back out onto the streets of Old Havana. There were quite a few tourists in some areas. One of the companions had to go to the bank to withdraw some more Cuban pesos. After walking for a bit we found a bank. The line up was huge. As I always say: it was as long as the line up for the brown toilet paper back in Poland during communism. This is where I ran into the two guys who were sitting beside me on the airplane. We chatted for a while. They really like Havana. From what they were telling me I really wish my whole stay was in Old Havana. Back to the line up at the bank. It was so long that we decided it wasn't worth using up a lot of what little time we had and we walked away.

One of Hemingway's usual spots in Habana, Cuba

It took us a bit to walk to our hotel which was right on the shore by the water. I was hoping it would be an old Hispanic building but it was a taller, bright blue one built by the Russians after the revolution. I didn't know I had to have my passport to check in. I left it at the resort not wanting to risk losing it. It has happened to me before on my NYC Nº2 trip, except there I could have gone back where I left it and take a later bus back. In Havana I wouldn't be able to do that. Good thing they had no problem accepting my drivers licence instead.

I got the key to my room which was on the seventh floor. The rest of our group got their rooms on the sixth. Since I got the key last they went upstairs before me. We just gave each other our room numbers and scheduled to meet outside in about an hour to go back into the deeper area. The elevator was tiny. Only two of us could fit in comfortably, and that's without any luggage except for my backpack and camera bag. I am so glad I was the one to get off first. When we got to my floor the elevator door wouldn't open. It's a good thing the other woman in the elevator was an employee at that hotel. She just banged on the door a few times and a cleaning lady pulled the door open from the other side. If I was in the elevator by myself I wouldn't have known what to do. From then on I didn't take the elevator anymore. Going up seven floors made me feel way safer.

After a quick shower and change of clothes I called one of the other tourist's room to check if they were ready to meet outside. It was around four o'clock by that time. They weren't ready yet but I didn't come to Havana to sit in the room. I grabbed my cameras, bag with films, and went outside to shoot while waiting for them. There were a lot of locals hanging around across the street right by the shore. Took a few photos of them and the old cars driving by. Some of the buildings in that area too.

After a few minutes of my shooting around on my own the group came out. We just walked back into the deeper parts of Old Havana and I kept on taking photos of the surroundings and the local people. I loved it just as much as the first day I was there if not more. The tourist areas were not my favourite but it was good to see how well maintained, compared to other areas, they have kept them.

We stopped at a restaurant for a bite and a beer in one of the open squares. A lot of people there do speak some English so it wasn't too complicated to communicate. The food was good, better than what most people have told me about Cuban food, but maybe it was just resort food they have tried. Sitting outside on a patio on the night of January 1st wearing short sleeves and hearing Cuban music was way better than I ever would have thought. 

After dinner we walked a bit more in the dark but colourful Havana. The city was still full of life. People everywhere, hanging out, talking, singing, dancing, living to its fullest. I never wanted that night to end. Towards the end of the night two people from our group of four have gone back to the hotel. The remaining two of us walked around a bit more on the smaller side streets where it was really dark without any street lights at all. It seemed a bit scary at first but then I realized it felt safer than in some areas of Toronto.

Throughout the whole day, walking along these streets seeing the life style of Cubans, I was amazed how small some of the living spaces were. I could see the people sitting inside right by the entrance door which was the living room area. A lot of the times it was almost the whole apartment. At first I was amazed but then as I was thinking about it I remember growing up in Eastern Europe. We had a three "room" apartment. I call it "rooms" since at night they were bedrooms but during the day they were the living areas. None of us had real beds, they were all futons or sofa beds. There were five of us living there. Myself and my mother had one room and we slept in the same bed, I was a young kid at that time so I liked sleeping with her, had someone to hug. My grandparents were in the other room where they slept on two separate sofa beds. The third one was the smallest room I think I have ever seen. It was literally the size of a walk-in closet, if not smaller. That one belonged to my youngest uncle, my mother's brother, who sometimes I felt was my older brother with nine years of difference between us. He had this wall unit which during the day was just shelves with pull up tables to create a desk, and at nighttime a pull down bed. Once the bed part was open there was only enough space for a skinny set of legs to walk by bruising the ankles. And it definitely wasn't a king size bed, not even queen either. But enough about my old place. Let's get back to Havana.

After walking for a bit in the dark we went back to the hotel. After my first experience with the elevator there I definitely wasn't going to risk getting stuck in it at eleven o'clock at night. Walked all the way up to the seventh floor. A whole day of walking definitely made it harder by the time I reached the fourth floor. Once I got into the room the thought of a shower made me feel better about the night in Havana being almost over. Once in bed I turned on the TV. I can't even remember what was on but I think I found an older movie in English so I watched it for a bit until I got tired and started falling asleep.

Got a good night sleep. Woke up well rested to my smart phone's alarm clock at around eight o'clock in the morning. The bed at this not-so-high-class hotel was actually more comfortable than the one I was sleeping on at the resort. Took a quick shower, got dressed, packed, left some toothpastes and deodorants on the bed with a thank you note for the maid and went downstairs. Not by elevator of course. Our breakfast was included in the hotel stay so I had a couple of boiled eggs with some toast and juice with the rest of our group.

It took us a while to check out. They actually had to have the maids check the rooms we were staying in to make sure everything was there in the same condition as when we arrived. For the time being I just chilled on the couch in the lobby organizing my equipment, sorting my exposed films and loading cameras with fresh ones. While I was doing that, the bartender on shift came up to me and we started chatting about my Hasselblad. As it turns out he also does photography for fun. He brought out his Yashica and some of his large silver prints to show me. Silver prints are the old style dark room prints, nothing digital. I asked him where was the store he gets his films and paper from located in Havana hoping to get some at a good price. Unfortunately there was no stores like that in Cuba at all. He gets his through connections from other countries. The lady from my group offered to mail him some but right away he said that wouldn't work since Cuba opens all packages being sent and that would expose the paper to light which ruins it right away. 

After some time of waiting we finally got the okays. I really liked the bartender and felt sorry for him not having the access to analogue photography products like we do in North America. I grabbed one of my 120 TMax 400 rolls and gave it to him. It was nice seeing him really appreciate it, I think he liked it better than a money tip.

Since we had until around one o'clock to walk around we didn't want to carry all our bags with us. The hotel was nice enough to let us leave them in a storage area until we came back to catch the bus back to the resort. I didn't even want to think about that. For now I just wanted to live in the moment, the moment of life in Old Havana.

We didn't have a long day in the city ahead of us so we just went deep into the Old Havana. Walked along the tight streets making stops at the plazas. One of them had a bunch of vendors selling different things. Paintings, drawings, hats, scarfs, bags and tons of books about Cuba and the politics. Of course I stopped and took a few photos of that scenery. I have seen this on TV a few times when watching documentaries on Cuba so it was nice to be there in person.

The plazas are not far apart, every few blocks we'd find another one. At one point we were close to the Capitolio Nacional where I bought a bag with Che on it from a vendor. How can you walk the streets of Havana and not bring its icon back from the original place? Hopefully it wasn't made in China.

 We walked back to the Capitolio Nacional area where we took one of those 50s cabs, which was pink, for a ride to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. It was fun riding in such a classic vehicle even though it was quite tight for three people in the back seat. Once we got to the hotel we walked inside with no problems, nobody stopping us. It felt just like The Plaza Hotel in New York City in Home Alone 2 movie except it was more gorgeous.

We walked through it to the outside. It was a beautiful scenery. Very different from the rest of the city. Definitely well taken care of. We sat down at one of the tables on the outside and I had a beer of course. I couldn't say I was there and didn't have a cerveza. After hanging out for a while shooting photos and enjoying cerveza we left and we took a different 50s cab back.




The day was going way too fast. At the last plaza we sat down in a restaurant on the patio where we had a lunch and a cerveza of course. We chatted a bit too although I did more photo shooting than talking. I was just trying to capture Havana in my mind. I never want to forget it.

On our way back to the hotel I was capturing the life on the streets, the old cars driving by, the destroyed walls. At one point when we stopped and I was changing film in my Diana the exposed roll slipped out of my hands, exposing quite a bit to the light. I was very upset. I couldn't go back and reshoot what was on it. This was the X-Pro roll which makes the colours very vibrant and since it was shot on my toy camera with a plastic lens it adds character. I shot mostly bright coloured, classic cars on that roll which now I lost. No matter how upset I'd get it wouldn't undo it so I just swore at myself, loaded another roll and moved on.

Once we got back to the hotel, I sat down at the bar and chatted with the photographer waiter while enjoying my last cerveza in Habana. For now. The bus was late, at first we got worried we were supposed to meet it at the spot where we got dropped off the day before. Thanks to the nice people there someone told us we were in the right spot but sometimes it comes later. I finished my beer and was thinking of maybe ordering another one but didn't want to risk it if the bus would come soon. After a few minutes it finally came so I went outside and just when I was about to get on it I realized I left my bags in the storage. That is me. It seems like everywhere I go I either forget something and I have to go back to get it or I lose something. But it always makes it back to me. Just like it happened in New York. See my NYC Nº3 story.

The bus ride back to Varaderos was not as fun as it was to Havana. Maybe it was because I was sad leaving Havana and not as excited about returning to Varaderos but I think the tour guide was also a big part of it. The stories were not as exciting or detailed as on the way there. We did make a stop at the same bar as before for a piña colada, which of course I did have, and then continued back to the resort. We got back at around four o'clock while it was still sunny. When I got back to my room my sister was there getting ready to go eat. I told her as many of my exciting stories in as little time as I could.

Since we were leaving to go back home on the fifth of January, I had a couple more days to hang out on the beach. The next two days were nowhere as fascinating as the days in Havana. Most of the day I'd be hanging out on the beach, which of course was beautiful, drinking cerveza after cerveza. Having all tourists around was the non-exciting part. The time definitely flew by. Before I knew it was Friday and we had to take the bus back to the airport to catch the evening flight back home. We left the resort at around six o'clock in the afternoon. At the airport we had to stand in a long line up to pay $20 or $25 to fly out of Cuba. I ran into my Havana gang there and we chatted for a bit.

It's a good thing Varadero airport has only only three or four gates. For the last hour before boarding we kept on being told to switch gates back and forth. In a way I'm glad since that's the only time I finally found some kind of a Cuba shot glass which I bought. I have been looking for one since the first day I went to Havana but had no luck finding any. That is something I do, which is buy a shot glass from a city I have visited. Chicago is the only city I have not bought one at. I hope I will still go back there one day and I will definitely buy one then. Once on the plane I also found my seat partners from the flight to Cuba. They said they really loved Havana. I really wish I could have stayed there the whole time.

We arrived in Toronto at around three o'clock in the morning. The public transportation wasn't available at that hour. Since I'm not a big person and my luggage was only the size of a carry on my parents gave me a lift home. Thankfully my place is on the way to theirs so it wasn't too much out of he way. 

As they say, nothing is as good as your own bed. I definitely missed it. But I still miss Habana.