Kate and I buzzed down to Habana for a week over New Years.
Certainly we were anxious to leave the two months of brutal winter we were suffering But we were also keen to visit because this was to be the big kahuna of Cuban celebrations; the 50th aniversary of Fulgencio Batista's abandonment of Habana with Fidel's subordinate Commandante Camilo Cienfuegos on the outskirts of the City.
We stayed in Miramar for a couple of days at the Oasis which is more modern than most city hotels. It even promoted its wireless internet which, of course, never seemed to work.
We'd booked late and the downtown hotels were sold out, given that there were such huge celebrations to be held.
As I always do when I'm visiting a place we got up early and went for a walk about. Wandered south to see if a paladar I knew about was open (it wasn't) and to get our bearings.
Walking by the Russian Embassy a dramatic illustration of how Cuba always works and always doesn't work was presented to us.
There was a guy sweeping the parking lot of the visitor parking lot with the most threadbare home-made broom you can imagine.
It would definitely take at least a full day to sweep up the lot.
Which is the guts behind this specific example of the Cuban economic paradox.
A high quality push broom could be bought for a dollar, and the job could be done in, say an hour.
But in this case, the sweeper would only get an hour's work and he would not be able to make an extra $10 a month and his family would starve.
Cuban economics.
We stopped into the Canadian Embassy. In my travels I've often found that diplomatic posts will commonly have a levee or open house for ther ex-pats on significant holidays. But not the Canadian Embassy and not in Cuba. It was closed for the New Year's long weekend. Good thing we didn't need a passport.
Paladar la Cocina was also closed.
Bought provisions - including cervesa and ron - at a supermarket and stocked up our room with necessities in the event of a new revolution.
Cabbed into Vieja, caught up with old friend Manuel at Escabeche. Over the years I've decided that my award of best place to waste a day in a bar is awarded to Cafe Escabeche. Music and service is good and Aries and other staff know me and treat me well. Met a new friend - Antoine, from France - who is marrying a Cuban girl who agrees that Escabeche is the best bar on Obispo. Gave Manuel a watch to give to my friend Osvaldo who I learned had moved to Spain (with a girl). He'd given me his watch a couple of years ago when I needed one. Also met a friend of Antoines, Joel. Was cool, cause I had met Joel 8 or 9 years ago and I invented a life for him and put him in Mojito as one of the main Cuban characters. The real Joel got quite a kick out of this.
Went to Dominica for New Years Eve - was absolutely delicious. For once Langosta was everywhere. $45 got a five course dinner, two cocktails and a bottle of wine. This was the first of a series of fantastic dinners. La Guarida was spectacular and the Italian restaurant Prado y Neptuno was excellent.
We discovered that Fidel's taxes had changed the equation for restaurants in Cuba. Before, paladares would undercut government owned restaurants and deliver much better service and quality. Since Fidel raised the Paladar licenses to as much as $1500/mo, the government restaurants are undercutting the private restaurants and quality is better. The paladar I write about in Mojito, on San Rafael - which in reality was operated by a guy named Alledo has closed. Another place with a great reputation, Don Lorenzo's, was very expensive and not very good.
Manuel dropped us off at Don Lorenzo's. En route he came to a sudden stop, a guy ran out of the shadows and passed a heavy object which Manuel throw on the floor. Made a sound hitting the floorboards like a head. Asked Manuel what it was - learned it was a gallon of gasoline and the guy who gave it to Manuel is a cop. He drains his police car's gas tank and sells to Manuel. Cuban cops have to eat too.
Manuel invited us to his birthday party which was above a bar. We showed up at about 4 pm with a bottle of Habana Club and a package of cigarettes along with some gifts for Manuel and his son. I'll post a video.
Moved to the Hotel Sevilla on the Prado - Great old hotel. Beds not the best, leaky shower, but overall not too bad.
Oh yeah. What was my point of this story... The 50th anniversary party.
There wasn't. Much of a party that is.
While Fidel et al did sponsor an event at an outdoor auditorium below the Hotel Nacional, it was hardly worth noticing. We drove by, there was a big salsa band, but we just went back to Vieja and parties at Monserrate. My buddy Vasili the Super Heavyweight was there, we traded cigars. His little boy was there (will post a video) and I had some presents for him. Vasili later gave me as a gift a silver medal he had won at the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg (I had worked on the bid for those games). I was stunned. Also was very cool to meet Yoani Sanchez - the heroic Cuban Anti-Castr
Oh yeah, back to the 50th celebration. Suppose Fidel through a party and nobody came. Outside of the official celebration on the Malecon, we did not come across a single Cuban family that celebrated Cuba's liberation from the imperialists. Not one.
When I was in Habana two years before, I had been invited to have Christmas Dinner with Osvaldo at a friends house just off of Obispo. His friend (who used to dance at the Tropicana) had the cutest little daughter I'd ever seen and the scariest looking brother. A picture of this duo is elsewhere on the Mojito website. Kate and I stopped in, gave the little girl and her Mom the pictures taken two years before and a good collection of school supplies and cosmetics. We'll make sure to see them again next time in town.
Biggest surprise of the trip was the quality of the food (at least for turistas).
Biggest disappointment is that Habana is pricing itself out of business. With the exchange rate they charge against Canbucks and the cost of everything, Habana charges like a five star resort which it definitely is not.
Will probably cross post this on Trip Advisor
