 Paul parked our VW van near Cancun and flew to Cuba for a few days with Bert and a mystery woman. |
 Here's Paul with "El Dandy", a dapper fixture in Old Havana. In his heyday he was quite the musician. He told us about Havana's great past. |
 Streetlife in front of restaurant/bar Oro in Old Havana. Cuba Libre's and grill cheeses. |
 Typical crumbling Havana building being restored, its grandeur still evident. |
 Havana street scene in a not too touristy area after a fresh rain. |
 This grand old "casa particular" (B&B) is where we enjoyed many fine meals. The inside is totally renovated, they are still working on the 2nd floor outside. |
 A rainbow of colors on Havana streets. |
 Paul admiring central Havana. The policeman on the corner is a typical fixture all over the city keeping everyone safe. |
 Paseo del Prado, a grand old boulevard from days gone by. |
 More Paseo Del Prado. |
 Floridita, the restaurant/bar where the Daquerie was invented. The house special is "Papa Hemmingway" an icy, grapefruity glass of heaven. Where wasn't Hemmingway? |
 Hotel Inglaterra. A grand old European-style hotel in the heart of Havana that retains it's original stateliness. |
 Paul liked the 3-wheeled "coconut" taxis they have in Havana. |
 Cuba's capital building looks surprisingly familiar. |
 Europe or Cuba? You make the call. |
 We couldn't resist the "Telegrafo Hotel" next door to the Inglaterra. The Telegrafo has no telegraph service but has a swanky Internet bar. |
 Old American cars in front of a cigar factory. A familiar site in Havana. |
 A cigar, a coconut, or what's behind curtain number 3? |
 One of Havana's "Camel buses". They cram up to 300 people in these contraptions and they are pulled around town by semi tractor trucks. |
 They're called "camel buses" because they have two humps. |
 A preserved building keeps Paul from falling over. |
 A vintage VW bus in old Havana. We wanted the license plate as a souvenir but decided it wasn't worth a trip to jail. |
 All kinds of vehicles welcome on Havana's streets. |
 The beautiful balconies and details stand out on an "average" Havana street. |
 Pretty protestant church. |
 The newly restored artists district in Old Havana, this is a street of galleries and fine cafes. |
 Public square in Old Havana. |
 Bucanero Beer has more than 5% alcohol and makes you feel fine in the sunshine. |
 Another exquisite building and someone who is a dead ringer for someone fun we know (who shouldn't travel to Cuba according to her government). |
 Paul and Bert pose for a "before" picture on the way into the Havana Club Rum museum tour. |
 Bert challanges Paul to a drink-off. |
 The lush atrium of Hotel Valencia in Old Havana. |
 Funny cars on a funky street. |
 Sunday afternoon at "Casa de Musica," the whole audience gets into it. |
 A former mega hotel/apartment building now closed for massive renovation. If you look closely you can see the middle is already finished. |
 The Capri Hotel, it was a crushing disappointment when we found out we were unable to visit the famous roof-top pool because the whole hotel was closed for renovations. |
 Yes, Havana has a Chinatown. |
 Old cars on an even older street. The good news is if you're lucky enough to have a car, parking is no problemo! |
 A tourist square near a daily market. Music and happy people. |
 Three Three-wheeled, three seat, coconuts. Say it three times. |
 A coconut's eye-view. |
 Paul is digging his coconut ride. |
 Notice the seat belts, air bags, roll bars, anti-lock brakes, and other safety precautions NOT on this vehicle. |
 Have coconut, will travel. |
 In addition to old American cars, Havana has lots of "Ladas," the cars they imported from the Ruskies during the Cold War. |
 One of the many Cuban bands playing Cuban music at a Cuban cafe/bar. |
 The band asked this mystery woman and "Joe Natural" to join them onstage. |
 The jive is jumpin. |
 The Russian built "YAK" that Paul and friends flew back to Cancun on. Smoke poured up through the floors on takeoff and the whole plane shook and rattled. We loved it! |