The entry into Havana is dreamlike, both literally and figuratively. We drop down through the clouds into a land I can see is both flat and mountainous, forested and surrounded by sea. All is serene from that altitude but changes upon arrival at Jose Marti airport.
Things are chaotic. Hundreds of items are bubble wrapped and stacked on the floor. People stand around waiting for their luggage. We wait about 3 hours and finally see it come around on the carousel. Relief! We grab our bags and rush out past the guard into the sunlight.
The first image I see is a surging crowd, waiting for relatives to pop out of the doors. Whistles and cheers greet them. Then old cars come into view, a few at first, then more and more as we ride through the streets to our hotel. We read that there were originally about 500,000 old cars from the 30s, 40s, and 50s and that about 400,000 remain.
We are staying at the Comodoro hotel in the Miramar district of Havana. It was once a very elite area, but today it is somewhat rundown, though it still has lovely architecture just in need of some TLC. The hotel is the same: a beautiful facade but worn inside the rooms. The location is majestic. We face the water and watch as waves splash up 25 feet high against the seawall.
Things are chaotic. Hundreds of items are bubble wrapped and stacked on the floor. People stand around waiting for their luggage. We wait about 3 hours and finally see it come around on the carousel. Relief! We grab our bags and rush out past the guard into the sunlight.
The first image I see is a surging crowd, waiting for relatives to pop out of the doors. Whistles and cheers greet them. Then old cars come into view, a few at first, then more and more as we ride through the streets to our hotel. We read that there were originally about 500,000 old cars from the 30s, 40s, and 50s and that about 400,000 remain.
We are staying at the Comodoro hotel in the Miramar district of Havana. It was once a very elite area, but today it is somewhat rundown, though it still has lovely architecture just in need of some TLC. The hotel is the same: a beautiful facade but worn inside the rooms. The location is majestic. We face the water and watch as waves splash up 25 feet high against the seawall.
