 Cuba
has long been a source of fascination for me. I fell in love with
the music years ago and the idea of visiting this most famous of Caribbean
islands was something I simply had to do. After the small matter of
four years learning Spanish I was finally ready to live my dream.
The
connecting flight between Paris and Havana took ten hours. On arrival
I was pleasantly surprised to find the airport an altogether modern
and quite spacious affair. But once outside those first impressions
faded rather quickly. En route to the hotel the buildings and streets
looked desperately neglected. I was amazed to see lots of vintage
American cars plying the streets as taxis. Many of them seemed to
be held together by faith alone, with more than one tyre in the
grave. The air was thick with blue fumes, the result of countless
geriatric engines labouring with great stoicism on low grade, imported
petrol.
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The
view from Pete's Hotel came as a bit of a shock
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After
checking into the Hotel Lido I went straight up to my room. Facilities
were basic but comfortable, and within half an hour I was soundly
asleep. The following day I took breakfast on the top floor of the
hotel. The view before me came as something of a shock. Looking
out on Old Havana, I was sadly reminded of Sarajevo mid conflict.
Countless buildings were literally crumbling into the sea. The area
was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and is home to
some remarkable and truly beautiful buildings, some dating as far
back as the 16th Century. But the harsh reality is that only a handful
of these will ever be restored to former glories.
With
breakfast out of the way I left the hotel, full of excitement. The
dark, narrow streets were filled with people, loud music, dogs and
endless balconies fluttering with freshly washed laundry. The first
thing to hit me was the smell, Havana having a scent all of its
own-somewhere between petrol, old refuse, cigar smoke and people.
Funnily enough it’s not a bad smell; more of a quirky, endearing
characteristic.
They
say Havana has two souls, the old that still believes in the revolution
and a new soul, hungry for modernity and US dollars. As I walked
I seemed to attract curious stares from many of the elderly residents
who sat impassively, watching the world go by. Later I found myself
being stopped here and there by many of Havana’s infamous Jintero’s
(Street Hustlers). Young men  relentless
in their quest to offer foreigners like me taxis, girls and guided
tours. As the day continued the two souls theory began to make more
sense.
The
views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the
opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC.
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