La Habana, Cuba

Check in - Check out - Check in - Check out - Check in - Check out, aaaaaaghhhhh!

It´s with an enormous Jet-Lag after 3 different flights and 22 hours of travelling from Puerto Rico I walk through customs in Havana, Cuba. Who would of thought that it would take so long when the islands are practically next to each other. If it wasn´t so damn expensive to fly a direct flight, I would. Please Cuba and USA, try to get a long sometime so we can open up the possibilities between the countries, like come on, it was 50 years ago, let it go!

But I try not to think about that now, because I´m in Cuba! I walk through ceveral security controls and 20 questions later I´m out. Grabs the first cab and head for mi casa, where my good friend Mikael is waiting. The first thing I do when I get to the house is taking zip of real Cuban rum. I take a deep breath and yeah, the trip was totally worth it!

We remained in Havanna for three nights at Casa Yolanda y Roberto. A great place with very nice staff and good service and clean, nice rooms, close to the city and a little dog, Dodo, who chewed on everything. I did´t try any other casas and I won´t have to, this place is the best and I recommend it to everyone going to Havanna.

The days in Havanna consisted of hanging by a pool, walking the streets, eating Cuban food, drinking Cuban rum, exploring the nightlife, a concert with Los Van Van at casa de Musica, and lots of other special experiences that I will never forget. Besides Mikael, another friend of mine, Umberto, was also in Havanna at the moment with his Cuban girlfriend Mayelin and their baby, Laura. Umberto is also a skydiver sicnce like forever, he´s acually the guy I did my first tandem jump with and now, 4 years later, I´m here in Havanna, drinking Havanna Club with the man, you never know how things end up in life....

The thing that got to me the most was the way the country looked, acted and how everything works. It´s so different from rest of the world. You wont find another country like Cuba, I promise. The revolution and Castro has really left it´s mark, everywhere! And the gouverment wants to control everything, and they do, thoroughly. Here´s some examples.

• If you own a house in Cuba and move to another counrty, the house goes to the gouverment, and you don´t get one peso, it´s their property then
• The cars in Cuba are very popular, if you have a car, you can´t sell it, but you can let it run in the family. If you would be able to buy a car, a model, for example a little Fiat from 1970-80 will cost you about minimum 4000 CUC (4500 USD)
• Prostitution & drugs are highly illegal and are very strictly controlled. It occurs but you don´t see it much
• Cuba is one of the worlds most poorest countries, and you notice this right away. The buildings hasn´t been refurbished since the revolution, the streets are bad and broken. A normal monthly work fee is 20 CUC, a beer costs 1 CUC, you do the math.

Visit the follow adress to read more about Cuba: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuba

But despite all the hard life in Cuba you can´t help to be inpressed and moved by the peoples daily good attidud and their joy for life. It´s like they somehow accepted they way they have to life and just do it and makes the best of the situation, I think thats why I liked it so much.

So now, enjoy the pictures. I only have a few ones right now, more will apper later at the website.

Next stop, Holguin... Adios...