I didn't think I would ever be back in Havana. My last few trips here I was enjoying it less and less and decided to travel to other areas of Cuba. With the power situation, Havana really is the only option for independent travellers. Being away for so long has given me a fresh perspective on Havana and I am really enjoying the city so far. Mostly been re-discovering some old haunts and finding new places to hang out. I was fortunate to be able to spend a few days with CubanWaters and explore the city one beer at a time. I will add new posts to this thread throughout my stay.

Has it been almost 10 years since your last Havana stay? Yeah not so interesting here at the beach but it is relaxing. You are a walker and discoverer similar to me. Keep us posted on what is happening in la ciudad de Habana.

Si. My last trip to Havana was in January of either 2016 or 2017. Walking is the best way to discover Havana (or any city really). I walk (or stagger) for between 4-6 hours everyday. Power outage was brutal Sunday. Out in the early morning (around 7), back on for a couple of hours in the mid afternoon and then off again. I left my casa around 17:30 and returned around 21:00 and the power was off again. Not sure if it came on while I was out. Just came back on around 03:30. Hence my posting at this strange time.

I still can't believe how absolutely disgusting the garbage problem is here. Piles upon piles of waste throughout Havana and particularly in my neighbourhood of Centro. I guess the government has too much on its plate to address this issue. I am enjoying Centro though in spite of the garbage. I see very few obvious tourists around here and it's just the hustle and bustle of everyday Cuban life. There is a new USD store on Galliano that is quite large and always busy. I peek my head into most storefronts to see what is on offer. I did my weekly grocery shopping trip today. Bananas, water and rum.

And back to normal today in regards to power outages. Out for about 6 hours today.

Thanks for the updates, keep them coming. It is interesting to hear a firsthand perspective on what is going on.

Power was out for 12 straight hours today. Man, I'm getting too old for this. The good news is that the annual Havana Jazz Festival begins on the 25th. I'll be checking out a few events I'm sure. Would love to see my favourite jazz pianist, Alejandro Falcon, at this year's event. That dude can play. Last saw him in Matanzas in 2017.

Forgot to mention I had a stroll through Chinatown today. They used to have pretty decent food at the Tien Tan. I'll probably eat there over the next few weeks. I tried a few of the others in that area and they weren't nearly as good. Also went to the Carlos III shopping mall today. Not nearly as busy as it used to be. There used to be a shop in there that sold whole rotisserie chickens. Not any more. I plan to check out more of the USD only stores soon. Especially the big one in the Grand Muthu Habana hotel in Miramar. I'll probably go there after El Ajibe for chicken and before Espacios. One of my old kinda hippie joints I used to frequent several years ago.

I am almost certain that I took a look in the Carlos III shopping mall on one of my walks one day. Avendida Salvador Allende is an interesting stroll.

Will you walk all the way to Miramar? I did a nice bike tour around Miramar but I a not very familiar with that part of town in general.

Enjoy your time there Simon. I wish I was still in Cuba. The winter here is really getting on my nerves.

An interesting multi-lane street in Havana.

Part of me wishes that I was still in Cuba too. And then the other more practical part of me whispers... are you out of your freaking mind?? Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed my time there in Cuba over the holidays, but despite the crazy cold here now back in Canada, at least I can rely on having electricity 24/7 - WITHOUT the need of a generator.

Simon, I feel your pain there whenever there's no electricity for you in Havana. At least you don't have to worry about the -20 Celsius temperature we're experiencing here in the GTA now. Mega new snow coming tomorrow too. Brutal! Es Canada! Terry

Decent day for electricity. The last few days have been difficult. My new hang out is Michifu. It's a higher end piano bar on Concordia just down the street from the famous La Guardia paladar. They have had some smokin' bands playing the last few nights. The music is worth the exhorbitant price of 1600 pesos for my 8 year Santiago de Cuba rum. Exchanged some USD for pesos today on Neptuno close to Prado. ElToque rate says 490. I asked for 485 and settled at 475. Sat on the malecon and had my first beer since CubanWaters left town. Beautiful day to sit there and do nothing. As to my situation, some days have been very frustrating. I have been sick a few times from food and/or water. If I stay in Havana I will have to move to a casa that has 24/7 power generation or even just leave and fly to Mexico or somewhere else. Just taking things one day at a time.

Also had a nice lobster dinner at the Monguito recently. Think it was around 3300 pesos. Also picked up another bottle of my 8 year old Santiago de Cuba rum today for 5000 pesos. Produce prices today were bananas at 250 per lb. Pineapples 200 each. Green peppers at 350 per lb. Lots of imported beer brands for between 200-300 pesos. Crystal and Buccanero are around 350. 5L jug of water I've seen between 600-800. 1.5L bottles around 250.

Those exchange rates are amazing.

I wish that I experienced Michifu. Sounds like my kind of place.

I was very sick for one day as well when at the beach. It’s usually the water. I remember drinking a beer that tasted kind of funny.

Hope you find a better casa.

I am really missing Cuba. It sukks here 🥶

It certainly does! We are really itching to go somewhere warm. It has been a rough winter month in both Montreal and Toronto.

I have been much more careful about what I eat and have been healthy for the last 10 days or so. Had a nice walk through Vedado today. I had my jacket and toque on again. I must be turning Cuban. In Toronto I wouldn't find 16 degrees cold. Had a few beers at my previous sanctuary from the old days, the Melia Cohiba. You know those days when you're stinky, sweaty, tired from walking around, tired from hearing "hey where you from" and just want to sit in a comfortable lounge with a cold beer and chill out for awhile. They also used to have what I believed at the time to have the best hotel restaurant in Havana. The Italian one (their Mediterranean restaurant was very expensive, never tried it) was excellent back in the day. I assume it's still there. Will check it out next time I'm in the area. Did some shopping at the dollar store on Galiano (oat milk and sparkling water) yesterday and bought some fruits and veggies from street vendors on the way home. Waiting for the warmer weather to arrive soon.

Hey there, Simon. Glad you're still sticking to your guns on being in Havana and you're having a good time there too. YEA! It's COLD there! Apparently yesterday, Cuba set a new low temperature record of 0 degrees Celsius in Matanzas. Now that's definitely toque weather! Simon, I'd say... "stay cool, amigo!" But I know you're hoping for warmer temps. Hope the temperature gets back up into the 20's for you soon. Stay WARM, amigo mio! Terry

Some positive things to report. First of all, the power in my area has been on since around 19:00 last night. I am expecting it to go off any minute though. Also, over the last week or so I have seen heavy equipment on various streets in my neighbourhood cleaning up the massive piles of trash that are everywhere. Of course they need some long term solutions to fix this problem, but it's a start.

Thanks for the update Simon and good to hear some positives amongst all the negative debris that has been blowing our way.

Went and saw my old friend John Lennon today and he was still sitting in his usual spot. Ended up having a few beers at Submarino Amarillo. I was enjoying the old music videos too much and couldn't leave. Can't recall when I was there last. But just like last time I was there, my body had a shock when leaving that dark underground basement for the beaming sun outside. Stopped in Cuba Libra for a quick walk through. Just spent a few hours walking around checking out some old places that I used to hang out at and a few casas. Ended up at El Biky on the way home and had a delicious grilled fish dinner. Yesterday I had my first meal in Barrio Chino this trip. Went to my usual restaurant the Tien Tan. The quality was still very good and the prices are still reasonable. I had a plate of vegetable chop suey for 850 pesos and the Shanghai chicken for 2100. Ate about half and brought the rest home.