{"id":736,"date":"2014-07-31T08:46:31","date_gmt":"2014-07-31T05:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/?p=736"},"modified":"2014-11-01T13:55:54","modified_gmt":"2014-11-01T11:55:54","slug":"mahi-cuba-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/mahi-cuba-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Salsa and daiquiris at the \u2018chameleon\u2019 island"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"[cml_media_alt
Fort and City Photo: Polys Pulcherios<\/figcaption><\/figure>I had read once that \u2018Cuba is like a chameleon in a time capsule.\u2019 It was not long before I could see why. This tropical island incessantly changes colors, yet it manages to stay still in time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me now rewind my time to January 2003 when I randomly select an intensive salsa workshop in Havana and travel solo to join a Danish group. At the time, this decision seemed quite bizarre to my circle of friends, yet I raise a glass of mojito to it and smile 11 years later!<\/p>\n

Immersed in history and legend, Havana is filled with colonial castles and cobbled plazas. It is a charming city of contrasts- serenity and vivacity; poverty and smiling faces. And, salsa rhythms everywhere.<\/p>\n

On my first day there, I walk across the Malec\u00f3n, a 7 km beach front, which bears signs of the war with the Spaniards. I follow El Morro, a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay. Untouched and pristine, it somehow takes me back to another era.<\/p>\n

\"[cml_media_alt
Open book Market Photo: Polys Pulcherios<\/figcaption><\/figure>I then wander through the streets of Habana Vieja (Old Havana).\u00a0 While at the Plaza de Armas\u00a0 (the site of the city\u2019s foundation) I am allured by the sound of Afro-Cuban tunes. I soon feel the pulsating rhythms of bongos and tambores. Within seconds, I feel someone brushing against my shoulder, and, before long, we are dancing in the middle of the plaza. \u2018Gracias \u00a0se\u00f1orita!\u2019 he smiles as he slides smoothly to another partner. That\u2019s what I call Rumba on the street. With gusto!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for a Coco Loco (rum and coconut cream) at the historic Hotel Nacional\u00a0(www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com<\/a>). \u201cDid you know that Al Capone used to come here for drinks, se\u00f1orita?\u201d the waiter tries to impress me.<\/p>\n

I sip my drink on the terrace, gazing at the seagulls chasing the most magical sunset across the Malec\u00d3n. Time stands still for the next hour, and so do I.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuenas tardes!\u201d I hear my friends\u2019 euphoric cry. \u201cBienvenido!\u201d (Good evening; welcome).<\/p>\n

We have 40 minutes till dinner and they say we must go to Floridita, (www.floridita-cuba.com<\/a>) a cocktail bar\/restaurant.\u00a0 Otherwise known as la cuna del daiquiri (the cradle of the daiquiri), Floridita was frequented by Ernest Hemingway amongst other personalities. \u201cCome on, Mahi! Shake it (daiquiri) like Hemingway!\u201d Leonardo chuckles.<\/p>\n

I feel a little woozy and I know it\u2019s dinner time. We walk to La Mina (La Habana Vieja, T: +53 7 8620216 ). A traditional Cuban restaurant, La Mina (mine) used to be a governor\u2019s house. We sit in the courtyard under the stars in the company of three peacocks. We relish an array of authentic Cuban flavors, yet, the ma\u00edz, pollo and pl\u00e1tano (corn, chicken and plantains) will forever stay in my memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cA round of Cuba Libre (rum and coke) por favor (please)!\u201d Rosy calls out and I snap out of a delirium.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalsa class starts at 8am sharp tomorrow!\u201d I remind them, and I order a herbal tea instead.<\/p>\n

This wraps my first day in Havana. In one word? Mesmerized.<\/p>\n

\"[cml_media_alt
A red lady in Havana Photo: Polys Pulcherios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"[cml_media_altMahi Solomou<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is the community manager for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Fit to Inspire<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>, an online and offline community inspiring women to greater fitness and well-being regardless of their age, shape or current fitness level. She is a blogger and also writes for The Elephant Journal and Mind Body Green. \u00a0\u0391\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0keen follower of yoga, a regular runner who finds inspiration in nature and a believer that life is all about creating memorable experiences, Mahi is the author of an international collabora<\/span>tive project \u2013 a recipe book with easy, quick and delicious recipes from women around the globe, \u201c<\/span>A Squirrel in Your Kitchen<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>,\u201d available on Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had read once that \u2018Cuba is like a chameleon in a time capsule.\u2019 It was not long before I could see why. This tropical island incessantly changes colors, yet it manages to stay still in time – by Mahi Solomou<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[233],"tags":[347,348,349,350,351,352],"class_list":{"0":"post-736","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-the-guest-list-en","8":"tag-cuba-en","9":"tag-el-morro-en","10":"tag-floridita-en","11":"tag-malecon-en","12":"tag-plaza-de-armas-en","13":"tag--en","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thewandernotes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Cuban-Car-on-Road.jpg?fit=1000%2C579&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79uXd-bS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":748,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736\/revisions\/748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewandernotes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}