Day 1 in Cuba did not disappoint and I already feel like I’ve made some amazing new friends.

There was a significant amount of time spent in airports today – combined with some panic when my bag didn’t appear for 90 minutes – I won’t go into those inconsequential things. But, in true traveling Aimee fashion (man, I like her so much more than non-traveling Aimee!), I met some amazing people on the flight from Miami as well as in the airport. Perhaps that just happens over sweat and lost-bag panic but I love it just the same. I met Michael Chinnici who runs a tour group called Photo Workshop Adventures that specializes in worldwide tours where the group focuses on arts and photograpy. He’s been to Cuba many times and was sweet enough to offer his wisdom on the place. And of course I peppered him with questions because…what an amazing job he has! He said he started this company about 8 years ago because he had a passion for travel and for photography. So this is one of those “follow your passion and the money will come” stories. And he has been to some incredible places and…gotten paid for it! I asked him for a job 🙂 I also got to meet his coworker Ena and some of the Americans on his tour – one of which did the amazing job of finding my almost long-lost bag. We exchanged information in the hopes that I’d hook up with their group on my free night in Havana. It was a wonderful beginning to the trip and made me SO hopeful that I’ll meet similarly fascinating people here.

The smells and sounds assault you when you leave the arrivals terminal. Throngs of people make more noise than you ever thought they could – all speaking so rapidly in Spanish that I could only catch one or two words here and there. And it is HOT. And sweaty. And either Cubans wear a lot of cologne or my nose is becoming as sensitive as Candace’s. Luckily I easily found my taxi and we were on the road to my guesthouse. Immediately I saw the countless classic American cars Cuba is known for. And the smell of exhaust is overpowering. On the road fresh air was not to be found. But the cars??? AMAZING.

After just a short trip I was brought to my guesthouse. I am staying with a family here in Cuba. When tourism became big in Cuba – about 20 years ago (it’s been open to American for only a hear and a half) – families – if they had a big enough house and a private bathroom for guests – were given the opportunity to open their homes up to tourists as a way to make some additional money. I actually prefer to travel this way as it gives me a chance to learn more about the Cuban way of life. And, of course, practicar me Espanol. The homes in the neighborhood I’m staying in are absolutely massive. And in varying stages of decay. The have gorgeous architecture and huge picturesque balconies but they have just not been kept up. Cubans have not been able to buy or sell real estate until 3 and a half years ago. They have acquired their homes by any number of previous generations and since you couldn’t buy a home, children live with parents and grandparents. It’s certainly a different way of life. And the home that I’m staying in is one of the massive one that haven’t been kept up. It’s perfectly fine – there’s a bed and a shower with hot water but, again, it’s interesting to see the way of life here.

I didn’t expect my roommate to already be here but Sallie was just getting ready to head out. Sallie is from New York and just recently purchased a brownstone in Brooklyn. Just tying that sounds cool! She works as a grant writer for the performing arts – in NY! Totally cool. Anyway, one of my first questions to her was, “Can I join you”? We wandered the neighborhood of Vedado which is a mile + away from Old Havana. We were on the lookout for a CADECA (a money exchange) and some traditional Cuban food.

Sallie is also a petite redhead so we had to get used to “piropos” – which is what Americans call flirting. Linda hermosa – pretty lady – with a couple of kissy faces and a lot of stares. Me? I like it! All flattery is good flattery and when you don’t speak the language and therefore don’t know if they’re saying something inappropriate, I’m all good! It was just fascinating – I guess the two of us are just so different from what Cubans see on a day-to-day basis…

We found a sweet outdoor paladar where we had some lunch. Paladares are privately owned restaurants; not run by the govenment. The have been legal in Cuba since the early 1990s but only in 2010 were goverment restrictions on the restaurants removed. Until then they were only allowed to seat 12 people and had to be run out of a Cuban house and all of the workers were required to be family members.

I ordered whatever sounded good in Spanish – cerado was the only descriptive word I knew – and ended up with a lovely plate of grilled pork on the bone. And of course I had my first local beer – it’s called Crystal and tasted like heaven on a hot and humid day in a beautiful new country.

After a nice siesta, we met up with the rest of our tour group for a brief introduction. Our local guide, Tony, gave us a restaurant recommendation and Sallie’s friend, Anne, had heard about another place we should go called Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC). We decided to hit FAC first. FAC an avant-garde art co-op that opened in 2014 to promote the interchange of artistic ideas and happenings.

OMG what an amazing place! Of course the first thing we did was get the typical Cuban cocktail () made by a beautiful Cuban man who spoke no English. Who needs it, right? This was an amazing drink! It tasted like the best Kool-Aid ever and went down way too quickly. We retreated to an outdoor area that was decorated with tires that served as cocktail tables and a shipping container as the bar.

The gallery itself was phenomenal. It was room after room after room after theater after rooftop gallery filled with local Cuban art. Every space – and artist – was so radically different and beautiful and creepy and touching and happy and scary. There were religious-themed photos depicting locals with angel’s wings. There were nude photos depicting all sizes, colors and backgrounds of Cuban women. There were photos depicting a historical Havana overlaid with modern Havana. There were abstract paintings and fashion. I loved and hated everything I saw! We got to meet one of the artists and just wandered around being inundated with the arts scene here in Havana.

We then moved to a restaurant recommended by our guide called El Cocinero. It has 2 levels of outdoor seating in a beautifully landscaped setting. We sat on the rooftop deck and started with some Chilean white wine and appetizers. Dinner included more wine, gossip and wonderful food. I told Sallie and Anne that I felt like one of the cool kids. We had an evening of wine and food and art and shared stories in such lovely and fascinating place filled with beautiful people. Being one of the cool kids might be as nice as it’s cracked up to be!