Cuba Havana En Vivo Salsa Tour 2014 - Adiós Havana! | Saturday, March 15

The Cuba itinerary is free this morning for you to spend as you wish; you may opt to do some last-minute sightseeing around Havana, or shop for gifts and souvenirs to remind you of your trip. In the afternoon, we will visit the Patio de la Rumba, the centre of the "Conjunto Folklorico Nacional" – a folkloristic national dance organization. Here, you will be treated to a special live show of Afro-Cuban music. Later, you may depart for your flight back home or you continue with another one of our Havana tours or your own holiday arrangements (breakfast). - Trip Notes

I tried to sleep in but still woke up at 6 and turned on CNN for the latest update on Malaysia Flight MH370. Very mysterious... I hit the buffet breakfast around 7.45. No cups, no glasses but plenty of unappealing food. Settled on a couple of small “pastries” and some papaya and eventually got a cup of coffee and a glass of juice.

After catching some sun for an hour or so, I showered, finished packing and checked out at noon. I finished off my internet card by paying a few bills and sending Telstra an email to reconnect my office number which they disconnected on 13 March despite me renewing it before I left Melbourne. ! Given past performance, I’m not holding my breath. [Ed note: Number remained disconnected until I returned on 31 March and handled personally!]

I went down to the “seashore” and lay in the sun for an hour then headed to the café for a scoop of icecream.

Yorelis was supposed to collect us at 2.45 but arrived at 3. We caught a taxi to Vedado to see the Afro-Cuban music performance led by a few old guys who looked straight out of Buena Vista Social Club. 

 

 

 

 

 

I parted ways with Yorelis and Stephan and cabbed back to Commodoro to  collect my luggage and catch a taxi (20CUC) to the domestic airport. I clearly arrived too early as nobody was there. Although the flight to Holguin was scheduled for 8.30pm, they didn’t start check in until around 7.30 and even after 8.30 the monitor was still showing “On Time” although people were still checking in! I had a packet of strawberry wafers for dinner. Maybe I was being a bit of a hog...

 

Bye Yorelis!

 

 

 

 

At 9ish the monitor changed to show a new departure time of 1050… We boarded at 1020 with several passengers having been allocated the same seat number! Fortunately there were sufficient seats for all. The Antonov took off at 1045 and arrived in Holguin at 1145.

 

 

 

My bag was first off the plane, a nice end to the day, and I negotiated a taxi ride to Villa El Bosque, home for two nights. The bike tour starts tomorrow.