Day 24: Havana the magnificent.

March 14, 2022

I get up around 6:30 after a good night's sleep. Yesterday, when I was lying on the beach, my thighs gave me a message with nasty cramps. I may have pushed my body too fast in great distances. My body has to get used to it slowly. I'm walking down the streets of Guanamo and spot a great pork special. I decided to take a souvenir photo. Always interesting to see this... It demonstrates the importance of cooking meat well before eating it.

After this nice little walk I go back to my room to prepare my luggage and have my breakfast.

I take the road to Havana. It's nice to ride with music in your ears. All is well, the road is beautiful. I discover a stadium that seems deserted.

The stadium is in a sorry state, but athletes are in training.

After this visit I head towards the fortress and I see the city in the distance. I take a small path on the edge of the sea. It's great.

The view of the city is magnificent. In the bay there is a tunnel that allows vehicles to get to the center of the city quickly. Unfortunately, the tunnel is not accessible to bicycles and pedestrians. So I have to make a big detour, but that doesn't bother me, because I'm going to discover new places. I visit an open-air museum of remnants of the missile crisis in October 1962 which involved the former USSR installing missiles on the island of Cuba that could reach major cities in the United States.

The crisis had lasted 13 days. The conflict ended with the withdrawal of missiles in Cuba in exchange for missiles located in Turkey aimed at Soviet cities by the Americans.

A crisis that almost triggered World War III.

I then visit a giant statue of Jesus.

Then a little break with an excellent ham and cheese sandwich for 20 Cup ($1 Cad) and a little refreshment at 3 Cup ($0.15 Cad)

I drive and I drive to reach Havana and I take the opportunity to eat a good ice cream at 3 Cup ($0.15 Cad). It's hot...

I also let myself be tempted by a corn on the cob with butter, salt and hot sauce for 10 Cup ($0.50 Cad)

I then decide to change some money. I exchange 600 Canadian dollars.

Or 454 CUC (convertible pesos)
Or 10,896 Cup (Cuban pesos)

The exchange rate is much better than when I first exchanged at the airport. A little reminder 1$ Usd = 1 Cuc = 24 Cup In the street the two systems coexist. To eat in the street the prices are indicated in Cup. You can easily find hamburgers at 8 cups ($0.40 Cad) in the streets of Havana. I was telling the German guy I met yesterday that I often eat 20 Cup or sometimes even 5 Cup pizza. He replied that he had paid 22 CUC, so he paid 26 times more for his pizza than mine. You have to choose the right restaurant according to your budget. I often see gigantic housing, I wonder how many thousands of people live in these buildings.

I finally arrive in Habana Vieja. The streets are narrow, life is omnipresent, children play in the streets. The colonial buildings are magnificent and sometimes in disrepair.