In 2016, my family and some family friends decided it was the perfect time to go to Cuba. We had no idea what to expect but were ready to experience something entirely new.
We arrived in Cuba on a sunny day after a long flight from Canada and walked toward customs. As we stood in front of the customs officer, we could hear her muttering “Don’t stamp,” as she examined our American passports. We stayed in Havana for a few days, giving us the opportunity to explore the city and engross ourselves in the culture.
My family decided to stay in an apartment that a couple rented out to people vacationing in Cuba, called a Casa Particular. The exterior of the building was cyan, and when you walked in the entrance, you would come upon a great courtyard for all the residents of the building to share. We walked to the second floor where the owners of the apartment greeted us to explain the rules and give us a tour. As it turned out, we would get breakfast provided each morning of our stay. However, the person making breakfast was also the one who didn’t speak any English, making it harder for us to know what we were getting in the morning. He also cleaned the apartment every day, resulting in him folding my brother’s underwear he had left on the ground, an unexpected addition but one that resulted in many laughs.
Early on, we decided to visit the Hotel Nacional de Cuba or the National Hotel of Cuba. We took two convertible taxis around Havana, making us feel like movie stars as we whipped around the streets of Havana before ending up at the hotel. The hotel itself is a beautiful building situated in the center of the city that gives its guests views looking over the water and the surrounding city. It is a popular location for people of significance to visit, including Winston Churchill and Marlon Brando. From there, we went to Plaza de la Catedral, a beautiful plaza that has the Cathedral of Havana as the name says. We also visited Plaza Vieja, or Old Plaza, where a lot of shops, restaurants, and bars are now located. Originally, it was a place where wealthy people could watch bull fights, executions, and processions from their balconies surrounding the plaza.
Havana itself was like moving back in time. There were old cars everywhere, reminiscent of the Cold War, that felt like they could break down at any moment but looked like they were brand new. We took a long taxi ride to go on a little adventure outside of Havana. The cars were tiny and lacked any sort of safety precautions, making the ride much more exciting, especially for the two teenagers, not so much the adults on the trip. When the taxis arrived, we took a look inside to see what looked like the remnants of a steering wheel. With that in mind, we got in and headed toward our destination. The drivers drove fast, and that’s an understatement. For the size of the car, I never expected it would be able to go as fast as it did. However, the drivers handled the speed with ease, allowing for the tense adults to relax a little bit.
After our excursion, we came back to see our taxi drivers waiting for us, ready to take us back. They were a little intoxicated but that didn’t stop anyone from letting them take us back. On our way back, everyone was tired, including the drivers to the point that one driver fell asleep at the wheel resulting in someone grabbing the wheel. We still joke about that moment today, calling it a “Jesus take the wheel” moment.
To this day, it is still my favorite place I have ever been. I never thought I would have had the chance to go to Cuba, see so many old cars, and experience a country that has been limited by the United States. I highly recommend going to see the history, culture, and beauty that Cuba contains.
Cameron traveled around Cuba for a week.
