| Thanks to a severe case of the Revenge of | | | | taxi.On the way in from the airport I noticed |
| Montezuma (or Ricky Ricardo?..,) I am sitting | | | | that there was a mixture of industrial |
| here in the Hotel Havana Libre and I finally | | | | developments and agricultural areas, right up |
| get around to create updates from my first | | | | until the centre of the city, which is |
| 4.5 days here in Cuba. The Internet | | | | strange compared to Toronto, where there is |
| connection is definitely the slowest I have | | | | no significant agriculture until way outside |
| ever seen in my entire life, (15 minutes to | | | | the city. The older gentleman driving the |
| access my messages at Yahoo..), but I am | | | | taxi was very friendly and explained a few |
| giving it a shot anyways.Friday morning I | | | | basic things to me, e.g. that most of the |
| arrived at the airport in Toronto at 5:30 am | | | | area is industrial and agricultural. He also |
| since my husband gave me a ride before work. | | | | showed the National Sports Centre to me. Of |
| The plane was scheduled to leave at 10:30 and | | | | course you see old cars from the 50s and |
| several transfers with public transport would | | | | earlier as well as beat-up Russian Ladas |
| have taken me 2.5 hours anyway, so I decided | | | | everywhere. Old sidecar motorcycles are also |
| to head there early and read a book.Air | | | | a popular way to get around.I finally arrived |
| Canada was delayed after all (due to a | | | | at my hotel at about 6 pm where my brand-new |
| problem with the water supply on the plane) | | | | friend Pedro (a connection through a friend |
| and we had to wait for a substitute plane | | | | in Canada) was waiting for me. I had told my |
| from Winnipeg and finally got off the ground | | | | friend that I wanted to really spend some |
| at about noon. 3.5 hours later we arrived at | | | | time with locals to learn about Cuba, its |
| the airport Jose Marti in Havana - a | | | | customs, its way of life etc.Pedro is a |
| reasonably modern airport. However, it took | | | | brown-skinned black man in his late thirties |
| me and the other travellers almost 2 hours to | | | | with a common-law wife and a young daughter. |
| collect our luggage and finally hop into a | | | | |