Day 9 March 4th 2017 - Havana

As our flight wasn't until the evening we were going to spend our last few hours wandering about Havana. We booked a taxi through the housekeeper so as to be sure to be at the airport on time. All Jim and I had to do was step out our bedroom window to get to the breakfast area. The others in the group were earlier than us and, as we waited for breakfast, we began to think that we had been forgotten about and, indeed, when I went to check if the housekeeper was about, there was nobody there. However, she finally arrived. After breakfast I went to wash my teeth in the bathroom . I didn't lock the door but when I went to come out I couldn't get the door opened - getting locked in or locked out seems to have been a feature of this trip! And I did not even have my book or candy crush to pass time with! Jim went in search of the housekeeper to help and I was entertained to peals of laughter from them both. So much for sympathy for my predicament! Anyway she couldn't get the door open so went in search of someone of greater importance in the establishment. This lady was much more considerate of my feelings and tried thousands of keys in her efforts until finally I was released. The problem was that the door knob on my side was not connecting to the door knob on the outside. And I am sure I won't have been the last person to get locked in because when things are broken in Cuba they stay broken for a long time!

Out on Obispo they were still selling pups out of cages. Cubans seem to be besotted with dogs! There are thousands of stray dogs in Havana. We noticed that some of them have identification tags around their necks. These dogs are immune from the dog catcher and have been "adopted" by various institutions and businesses. The dogs with identification tags have state sponsored accommodation and health care. During our wanderings we saw 2 young women giving some of the dogs drops or medication.

Interesting English on this menu!

While we were eating (or not eating!) our rather vile lunch we were entertained by street performers on stilts.

And so it was time to make our way back to the hostel to collect our luggage and await our taxi. The lady in the hostel told us that she could not get a large taxi but - Relax, no problem! she kept saying - but there was a taxi there that would take 2 of us. So off Sarah and Charlotte went. Then I understood her to say that the taxi would come back for Jim and me after leaving Charlotte and Sarah at the airport - that would be in an hour's time as it is half an hour there and half an hour back. I explained that that would be too late - Relax, no problem! To me it was a problem! Then she and another woman gathered up our luggage and ushered us downstairs to wait, as I thought, for a taxi. Then she beckoned us up the street and into a car and there were Charlotte and Sarah in the car! It was the same taxi that had driven round the block and then come back for us. We have no idea what was going on but we got to the airport in good time. There, being sensible and conscious of the long flight we took a trip to the loos to discover there was no water and it was yuk, yuk, yuk!!

Cuba was very interesting and we had great fun but it is not number1 or even near it in the travels that we have made since we retired!