Tag Archives: havana

2005 cuba trip

In 2005, my spouse and I sneaked over to Cuba from the USA via Cancun. I always wanted to see it, plus it was kind of a forbidden-fruit type of trip. Everything went great.

Once we got back home, we discovered that my cousin had been over there at the same time with her husband on their honeymoon. Like us, they had been low-key about it, so none of us knew about the others beforehand.

While there. We walked by plenty of portraits, and sometimes a bust, of people like José Martí, Fidel Castro, and Lenin. Not a single one of them rolled its eyes, hissed, or tried to touch us inappropriately.

In the pic below, we went to a book fair in Havana. We were so disappointed that the one in the pic kept blocking our camera view of the books. 😁

saratoga hotel explosion havana cuba

The hotel explosion yesterday in Havana was the Saratoga. In 2005, we spent an afternoon exploring that area.

Our 2005 pic shows the green Saratoga as seen from the steps of the Capitolio (Capitol Building). The other pic is a recent news one from granma.cu moments after the explosion.

When I heard of the explosion today, the first thing I thought was that Miami did it. Probably not true. It looks to have been a liquefied natural gas explosion.

I’ll be waiting to see what happens to the building. You know it will break hearts to see it come down.

thinking of cuba

Visiting in Havana, Cuba, 2005.

filme / cine eeuu

Here is a photo of a cinema marquee 1970’s Mexico City. Source: https://www.facebook.com/laciudaddemexicoeneltiempo/photos/a.195987210423307/4113208842034438/

To it I add two pics I took in 2005 in Havana Cuba at the Yara cinema. Gringo movies, lol. “Filme Nortemericano” or “cine norteamericano” or I guess could be “cine estadounidense.”

on the malecón, havana, cuba, 2005

Going through the drawer of old photo prints today.

This is 2005, so a mere 15 years ago. I regret that I took a disposable film camera out there that night when we already had a digital one. At least I have these prints.

Hanging out on the expansive Malecón. (Wikipedia definition of the Malecón: a broad esplanade, roadway, and seawall that stretches for 8 km (5 miles) along the coast in Havana, Cuba.)

There are hundreds of people, maybe thousands socializing out there all the time. At night, it’s especially good, just packed with people.

The photos below: many stories were traded that night, music was made, rum was consumed.

I’m still in touch with some in the picture: Delvis, Reinier, and Alex. Brian and I are in the pics. You can guess.

I didn’t know it while we were there, but my cousin and her husband were in the fancy hotel district of Havana celebrating their honeymoon at the same time. They snuk (sneaked) over like us.

That was the summer Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” song was popular. It was blasting out of many a car passing by.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malec%C3%B3n%2C_Havana

morning reading

I spent the morning of Jan. 1 reading about Haiti and Cuba. ❤️
 
#cuba #callehabana

ceramic street sign in havana cuba "calle habana"

ceramic street sign in havana cuba “calle habana”

buzludzha monument – bulgaria

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licking cuba

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whole lot of ladas

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