Incredibly lively and large, beautiful and at the same time half-ruined, and insanely exciting and at the same time relaxing 😀 Havana is the capital of Cuba and the place where, I suspect, most tourists and locals arrive by plane.
Before flying to Havana, I had heard all kinds of stories about Cuba from all sides. Whether it was about the two currencies, how expensive or cheap Cuba is, that you have to be careful because everyone wants to rip you off, that time stands still in Cuba, the cars, the internet, and so on and so forth. All I know is that from the very first second, I felt at home in Havana. And I didn’t feel that way anywhere else in Central America and Mexico – except for Guanajuato.

To clean up with a few preconceptions and stereotypes: the two currencies are quite easy to tell apart, both visually and by touch. Cuba is incredibly cheap if you don’t spend all your time at the tourist hotspots and take a short time to get to know the Cuban currency CUP (24 CUP was worth 1 dollar when I was there), and not just the CUC (1 to 1 with the dollar). Furthermore, Cubans are incredibly nice and friendly people. Of course, you have to haggle a bit (and it helps if you speak Spanish), but you have to haggle everywhere in Latin America. In terms of cars, Cuba actually really has mostly cars from ages ago – very cute and very pretty cars. However, most of the ones you see on photos are only found in tourist areas for tourist trips. Otherwise, they look just like any other car in Latin America – except that they come from a bygone era. Which, of course, doesn’t take away anything from their coolness factor. And the internet situation isn’t quite as dramatic as it’s often portrayed. Because, yes, it’s not quite as easy to connect as in the rest of the world, that’s true, but you can connect. There are just a few hurdles. But hey, free detox 😀 The only stereotype that I personally found to be 100% true is that time seems to stand still in Cuba. Cuba is a world in itself, and I won’t claim to be able to describe this vibe because, in my opinion, it’s impossible. I even think that only those who have been there can understand it. But it’s really crazy, fascinating and, to be honest, extremely relaxing 😀

So, now let’s talk about the streets of Havana. I wandered around Havana Centro, Casco Viejo – yes, these are different neighbourhoods – and other neighbourhoods more than once and soaked up the vibe. Firstly, because Havana is incredibly big and also because I felt incredibly safe even at 4 a.m in the morning. And that’s despite the fact that Havana is full of areas where not everything is intact. Large rubbish bins on the streets, half-ruins, holes in the ground… except in the tourist district of Casco Viejo. There, everything is clean and shiny for the tourists. It doesn’t make Havana ugly though, because it has this ‘vintage’ touch, is a bit edgy and at the same time so incredibly genuine, authentic and real that it doesn’t need gloss to be beautiful. Apart from that, you can constantly hear music somewhere – mostly Salsa Cubana – see people on the streets, often playing dominoes, children playing in the streets and, especially towards evening, people dancing. And above all, there is an incredible joy for and of life and a relaxed attitude that is contagious. Havana is simply… I hadn’t seen anything yet and still fell in love instantly.
Just a quick note about dominoes… It’s like Cuba’s national board game. It’s played by four people, with two players always playing towards each other. All four sit together – often on the street – place a board, usually the size of a small table, between them on their thighs and play. And salsa and dancing: Cubans are gifted dancers. I had a great time learning a few dance steps 😀

Go or not? Absolutely one hundred thousand per cent. Havana is… absolutely fantastic and a great place where you can experience, do and see an incredible amount, switch off and let yourself be carried away by the Cuban vibe.