From Jan 7th-14th I spent my days basking in the Cuban sun, enjoying the beautiful people, and embracing the lifestyle and culture. This was the trip of a lifetime once forbidden to US citizens Cuba is now open for travel with special exceptions please visit US Passport & International Travel for details.
Havana, cuba
Havana which is actually pronounced "Habana" is the largest Cuban City, home to over 2 Million people. It is the epicenter of life in Cuba, full of markets, events, historic structures, culture, amazing food, and vibrant people. Honestly you can't say you've been to Cuba without going to Habana.
#{Money} If you're thinking of traveling to Cuba in the near future, it's very important to understand that the country operates with two currencies. The CUC which is the convertible tourist money and the CUP national citizen money, as a tourist the CUP is not available for use. The US dollar has strong value in the country and is 1 to 1 with the CUC, in CUP it converts to about 1 to 25. Prices are noted in both CUC and in CUP, they do not accept foreigner currency. It's mandatory to convert your money prior to use. For details on currency exchange it's best to use a Currency Converter
{Historic Site} Hotel Ambos Mundos stands in Old Habana. It was built in 1924 and was once home to Ernest Hemingway for seven years during the 1930's . It is often noted that the writer would sit by his bedroom window and compose his poetry and novels in the nude. Hemingway rented apartment #511 for $1.50 a night when he wasn't writing he often spent his time local bars and fishing. Today the structure stands as a very active tourist site.
{Historic Site} La Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana, is one of the oldest churches in Cuba built in 1748 the structure stands in excellent condition. Also now a very popular tourist site and for a fee you can take a tour inside.
El Capitolio, the national building in Havana was constructed during the 1920's during America's occupation of the country. It serves as a reminder of American influence in Cuban culture. For more information about the structure please visit >>> LINK . Unfortunately I was unable to take a look inside the building but from my understanding it houses one of the largest statues in the world, and is very details in it's overall design with lavished gold accents and fine art throughout the structure.
Santa clara, cuba
Ernesto Che Guevara, also known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, military theorist, and very close friends with Fidel Castro. His body is housed in Santa Clara, Cuba. Apparently following his death Fidel had his remains found and buried in the that city. There you can visit the Museum of Che Guevara, Santa Clara is noted as the last battle site of the Cuban Revolution. The battle of 1958 was lead by Che and his partner Camilo, that battle crippled Batista (the president) and helped Fidel gain power of the country.
Below are some photo's of Santa Clara, the capital city of the Cuban province Villa Clara. This is the 5th largest city in Cuba with a population of about 250,000.
Playas de Cuba