Since learning about Cuba and Che Guevara in Year 11, I've been very interested in the country and excited to visit. My travel buddy Becca was desperate to visit Mexico, and so we decided to make this trip happen.
We booked everything and in February 2020 we set off on Becca's first-ever long-haul flight for Cancún. We had a connection in Philadelphia (which we had to get an ESTA for despite not leaving the airport) and I was quite underwhelmed by the city. Admittedly, you can't experience the city from above but it was a lot more industrial than I'd expected and very 'concrete jungle-esque'. Nonetheless, we got a free upgrade to First Class for our second flight, leaving us excited for the rest of the trip. On arriving at Cancún airport, a security manager told us that following several kidnappings of tourists, the system had changed and we weren't allowed to go with our pre-arranged hotel transfer, instead having to use an official transfer service. We thought this was a bit odd (especially as the driver stopped at a gas station to buy something halfway through our 20 minute drive) but we arrived safe and sound at the resort.
What we hadn't realised was that our resort was actually all-inclusive, meaning that all food and (more importantly) drinks were included in the price. This was a game changer for us, but meant that at mealtimes (especially breakfast) the restaurants were often packed and it was hard to find a seat. The food was good and the black beans at every meal reminded me of Brazil. Our resort was right by the sea, with bars serving drinks from 11am, and free inflatables that we could use, so me and Becs were very content. Unfortunately, the sea wasn't as warm as I'd remembered it from previous trips to the Caribbean, but being accustomed to the Atlantic, we couldn't complain.
We booked a couple of day-trips from Cancún, allowing us to see as much as possible in the limited time we had, and both tours had Mayan tour guides who taught us a lot about Mayan and Mexican culture (as well as the discrimination faced by the Mayans in Mexico). I had been most excited about the cenotes (beautiful sinkholes which you can swim in) and the Chichen Itza (a modern wonder of the World), and granted, both were incredible, but I was pleasantly surprised by many other areas too. Valladolid was beautiful and offered typical Spanish architecture, Tulum was naturally stunning, Coba allowed us to climb a pyramid and cycle across the ruins, and we watched a lively performance as the sun set at Playa del Carmen. I'd definitely recommend doing these tours as they allow you to see the most important sights whilst teaching you about the culture all in a few days.
Mexico was definitely on my bucket list but I wasn't expecting to love it as I imagined that it would just be full of American and British tourists. In fact, almost all of the tourists on our day trips and at our resort were South American, which I loved as it meant I could practice my Spanish. My aunt had her honeymoon in Cancún and loved it, and now I can definitely see why.
Our last day in Mexico was spent relaxing on the beach with a cocktail in one hand and book in the other. Come dinner time, we opened a complementary bottle of wine, showered and got ready to enjoy typical Mexican cuisine at one of the restaurants, followed by some live music, before packing our suitcases and heading to bed early for our 6am departure. This is where (in hindsight) we went wrong. After dinner, we decided to have just one shot, but we really enjoyed it and the waiter brought out a new rainbow shot for us, followed by others. We were having a great time and went to watch the live entertainment, where the Cuban band (including a beautiful man named Diego) played some of my favourite Brazilian songs. There was a bar here and since it was all-inclusive, we decided to complement the music with drinks too. The vibe was great, with everyone dancing to the music as South Americans tend to do and we were on Cloud 9. This was one of my favourite nights and we got to practice our Spanish with some of the band members. The next morning, however, was not so fun as we found out that we were actually leaving at 5am, and now we were both unpacked and hungover.
The whole next day was full of small annoyances that were not at all aided by our hangovers. At the airport the queue for check-in at the airport took an hour, and a large group decided to push in front of us which didn't help our irritable states. Cuban currency is forbidden outside of Cuba so you are forced to exchange your money within the country, but when we finally found an exchange bureau, it was closed. Some locals standing outside the bureau kept offering to trade the money themselves for us, showing wallets with large wads of cash, however Cuba has two currencies (one for tourists and one for locals) and we didn't want to get scammed. WiFi isn't easily accessible for tourists, requiring 1-hour Wi-Fi cards, meaning that it can be hard to navigate the city, so we opted for a city sightseeing bus. The bus ended up being very irregular, we couldn't hear any of the commentary, and it predominantly stopped at hotels rather than sights. A museum in Revolution Square tuned out to not be about the revolution and all of its exhibits were in Spanish so Becca couldn't understand any of it. We hadn't eaten since 7am and by the time we got back to the city centre to eat it was already 5pm and most of the menu wasn't available. After dinner, we did enjoy a cocktail at a bar with live music, but on returning to the the AirBnb at 11pm, the family husky jumped up at Becca, scratching her hand. We had been advised to seek medical treatment within 24 hours if scratched or bitten by a dog, and although we knew it was probably fine we didn't want to take our chances and so off we went to the hospital. The hospital was unlike anything we'd seen, empty and with low lighting and just a cleaner and three security guards to be seen. Between my failing Spanish and the four workers we managed to see a nurse, and were sent home feeling a lot happier and excited for this painful day to be over.
The next morning we woke up in completely different circumstances; we had bought the Wi-Fi cards so could google what sights to see and how to get to them, we now had the correct currency, and we were no longer hungover and irritable. The AirBnb hosts made us the most incredible breakfast and we got to know the grandparents a lot better. We then went on a free 3 hour walking tour of Old Havana, run by university students, and learnt a lot about Cuba's history, culture, and landmarks. Unfortunately, I started feeling very sick towards the end and we had to cut it short to go home, but after throwing up I felt brand new. We were stopped by the AirBnb grandpa, who had written down Cuba's entire history in bullet points for us as this is what we had said we wanted to learn about in the morning. He suggested his favourite restaurants for authentic cuisine, and after waiting in the queue we ate the best meal we'd had that holiday (and received flowers as it was Valentine's day). We walked around Old and New Havana, which I'd 100% recommend over taking the city sightseeing bus, and soon fell in love with the city.
There were many things about Havana that I noticed; firstly there are artists everywhere, whether this be pianists in cafés, musicians in squares, bands in bars, or dancers on stilts through on the streets, there is passion and spirit all over the city. More interestingly, people appreciate the music a lot more than in other countries, with large tips being common and given often. Secondly, the city was rife with bars, but the most famous ones (e.g. La Floridita and La Bodeguita) were always completely packed and not recommended by the locals. Instead, we found many great rooftop bars with live music on Calle Obispo and lively atmosphere. Thirdly, the vivid colours and unique style of the old cars were a lot more abundant than I'd anticipated and made the city feel even more alive. The last things I noticed were about the people. Despite being a stereotype of Mexican culture, in Havana more than any other city I've visited, locals were constantly sat on the street outside their houses just relaxing and chatting to their neighbours. When we'd pass, we'd always get a lot of stares (Becca is blonde and we're both pale), which initially made us feel a bit on edge but once we spoke to more locals and became accustomed to it we forgot why we ever felt on edge. The main thing I noticed was the omnipresent kindness of the people. From the university students offering free walking tours, to the AirBnb hosts making us breakfast and teaching us about the history of the country, the Cubans' kindness was unmistakeable. Strangers on the street would want to know where we were from and practice their English, telling us about the half price cigars on Valentine's day or the most important sights to see. One man even gave us a little tour and a history lesson, explaining to us the importance of each figurehead on the coins, and detailing the effects of the recession and poverty in the country. Despite the turbulent start, we ended up loving Cuba, wishing only that we'd spent longer there to see more of the country. I'd strongly recommend visiting in February as the weather is perfect but there aren't any mosquitoes.
This holiday ended up being in my top 5 holidays, as we had the perfect balance between culture and relaxation. I had the opportunity to brush up on my Spanish and I reconfirmed my love for Latin American culture and people.
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