The Dainty Traveller

Tarara is a resort town in the municipality of Habana del Este in Havana, Cuba. It is about 15 to 20 minutes outside of the Havana city centre. It is a very relaxed beautiful beach. There is a beach club located before you reach the beach where you can pay to use the pools and bar. The bathrooms are free to use, however there is usually no toilet paper or soap and one of the toilets did not flush. On the beach there is a hut style cafe that serves soft drinks, water, alcoholic beverages, and cafeteria food like burgers and french fries. Also there is a man that frequents the beach selling hot tamales. The day we went to the beach it was very windy, too windy to swim. There was a red flag posted in the sand and the life guard warned us to only dip our feet because the waves were so strong and the undercurrent was dangerous. Other than the wind and the fact we couldn't go in the water (the water was really cold that day) we had a very fun, relaxing, hot and sunny beach day! ...

This airport is alright. Just be patient because you are going to be waiting. Customer service is more or less non-existent in Cuba. The airport staff is very rude, slow and no one looks pleasant. Anyways, we got off our CUBANA flight and headed for our luggage. We waited over an hour for our luggage, the CUBANA airlines staff's luggage came out first. They would release the luggage, then stop and then 15 minutes later, more would come. Slow to say the least. After we got our luggage we headed to immigration. The immigration part didn't take too long. They ask you a series of questions, the first is if you speak or understand Spanish. If you "look Cuban" which in Cuba really means Black, Mulatto or very tanned, DO NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTION IN SPANISH. Even if you do speak and/or understand Spanish (like myself), just say "English" and proceed with the immigration process. If you answer "yes" they will then harass you with questions, because they wi...

May Day 2015 Renowned Poet and Author Nancy Morejon (middle) and award winning publisher Isaac Saney! That 1950s Cadillac Our driver! La Habana! Malecon La Habana

It is quite a fun way to see Havana. You go to parque Central (Central Park) which is located in Old Havana. The cars are all lined up beside each other. They are quite stunning, like a rainbow. The drivers will tell you it costs 35 CUC, but do not pay more than 30. Bargaining is the way of life for a tourist in Cuba. They will accept 30, because the drivers are very friendly and polite. We, like most people ended up paying more than 30 because we wanted to leave a tip. There are three different options you can choose for the tour. The first is around Old Havana. The second is a drive to the beautiful suburb of Miramar. The third is to Moro, a beautiful colonial military fortress. We choose the third option. On our way to Moro, we drove through old Havana, passed the fire station, the San Jose Craft Market, the sea port, the Malecon, the Jesus Statue and then we ended up at El Moro. 

This restaurant is just a five minute walk from Habana Libre Hotel or Hotel Nacional. It is in the neighbourhood of Vedado. We ate here almost every day. Clean, good service, and tasty food. Our favourite item on the menu were the tostones (fried green plantains) topped with shredded beef or tuna and cheese. Very yummy. 

No gun crime. Obviously crime happens everywhere, but Cuba is one of the safest places in the world and probably the safest country in all of the Americas. For sure the entire Latin America and the Caribbean. The regional violence that has plagues other islands and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean has not made it to Cuba, and hopefully it stays that way. I was walking on the Malecon, or through old Havana, Vedado, and other parts of the city and sometimes late at night. I usually had my iphone in my hand and a camera around my neck. I would never do that in other countries. There are no gangs in Cuba and the safety level of the country is just fantastic! There is such a vibrant, fun, and addictive energy about Havana. It is so alive and arts and culture are supported at an institutional level.