Ant & Lori go back to Cuba

After 9 years, we finally decided it was time to go back before Castro died. For part of the time, we stayed with Julia Delgado in her small but lovely residence in Havana which included a refrigerator made prior to 1959 but still worked.

We took in the sights of old Havana, which included several hotels that the rich & famous had stayed in up to 1959 when Cuba was a gambling haven. There were also a lot of artisans displaying their crafts in the streets. We purchased a clave, guiro and maracas, all traditional percussion music instruments.

…And beautiful Cuban dancers. Cuban women have an outstanding sense of fashion that is spandex-inspired and has remained stylish in spite of the US embargo and tough economic conditions that leave people with no disposable income.

Some of the buildings are completely falling apart, but some are being slowly renovated, and they look beautiful. For an extra fee you can get a tour of author Ernest Hemingway’s hotel room when he stayed here.

Notice the contrast between buildings that have been renovated and those that have not.

Where Hemmingway stayed