Editor’s Note: Freeline Media editor Michael Freeman reports back from his recent visit to Cuba, and has some advice to his fellow Americans: Book your flight to Havana as soon as possible! Here is Part 3 is his recent trip to that beautiful island nation.

HAVANA, CUBA — On Saturday, we enjoyed sampling the breakfast buffet at our hotel — a delightful mix of fresh fruit, sliced ham and cheese, pastries, and a plate of eggs any way you like them. Plus – lots of strong Cuban coffee. (I also got offered the option of American coffee, but – no way!)

Shortly after we arrived, a flock of those wild and zany Kentucky teenagers staying at our hotel flooded into the room. Boy can those kids eat! Remember the days when you could have multiple plates at a buffet and you still look thin as a rail? Sigh. These kids also love staring at their smart phone and not making conversation.

At 9 a.m., our tour guide Abel and cab driver Carlos were waiting to take us on today’s tour. We had a much shorter drive this morning, an hour-long trip to a nature preserve, which happily was also located in the mountains. You have to wait in line in your car outside the main gate as the security guards checks your ID and credentials; Abel jokes that he wanted us to get the “full” Cuba experience, including this line.

What Are Cuba’s Nature Preserves Like?

But we got through it quickly, and then we were off to some of the beautiful historic areas in the park, including a hill you could climb to observe where slaves brought over from Africa would spend their day turning a thick, heavy wooden lever in order to grind up coffee beans that would be made into that exceptionally rich Cuban coffee. As with the rest of the history of slavery, this was an appalling use of indentured servants.

Our journey took us to a nearby town along a beautiful flowing river, which on this day was filled with people in canoes sailing away. It was another mild day and the perfect morning to be sailing on this stunning and picturesque river, right past apartment buildings for the locals and hotels for the tourists, in a location that’s a far cry from the big city life in Havana. This area is small and cozy, the homes tightly congested, and it’s blissfully quiet and serene. Abel introduced us two local homes where artists live, small two-floor houses where the first floor had been transformed into an art studio — including one with a spectacular bay window looking out onto the river.

We also found some impressive artwork for sale, which these artists sell at quite reasonable prices to the visiting tourists (us included, since we bought some of their paintings.)

Our lunch was at a cozy restaurant with seating at an outdoor patio overlooking the river, which on this afternoon was jam-packed with families swimming in the cool refreshing waters, or having a cookout there. It was obvious this was a popular getaway spot with locals, and I sure couldn’t blame them. Abel also showed us a row of nearby one room huts (with actual straw roofs!) that visitors can rent if they wanted to stay the night. But be careful, he cautioned us: the huts have no electricity and at night the bugs come out in force looking for their prey. “What do these people do to protect themselves from the bugs?” I asked, to which Abel smiled and replied, “Pray.” Yes, it was a far cry from the Disney World hotels.

We had a relaxing lunch of chicken with rice and black beans, a staple dish here. Surprisingly, the food is rarely spicy, which Abel noted is a part of Cuban culture, since Cubans generally don’t like consuming hot and spicy foods, he noted.

Not that it mattered, this meal was anything but bland and it tasted delicious. And by the way, this time it was two stray dogs that stopped by our table to see if their sad expressions would generate some tasty treats. They were successful.

This was a truly sublime place to enjoy a fine meal. Looking at the people taking advantage of the river, I was amazed again at what a good looking people the Cubans are, both men and women. While you can spot the occasional overweight person (men more than women), there was very little in the way of obesity among this crowd. The Cuban people take very good care of themselves, it seems.

What Was in Store At Night in Havana?

We made the quick drive back to our hotel and said goodbye to Carlos and Abel; it was now 3 in the afternoon, far too early for dinner, so we took a stroll along the charming boulevard that runs parallel to the ocean. Happily, there was a strong breeze coming in from the ocean which felt wonderful.

We stopped again at Saint Francis of Assisi Plaza to have a seat next to our buddy Frederic Chopin, and this being a Saturday afternoon, the cobblestone streets of that plaza were filled with families with kids enjoying the day.

Also out in force, unfortunately, were the panhandlers. Some of them sure are aggressive. But unlike the ones in Orlando who just walk up to you and ask for money, these folks try to politely (if firmly) sell you things like Cuban cigars, or they come over and act friendly and want to be your friend. One older man came up to us and said he remembers us, do we remember him.

No.

“You know my brother in Miami,” he smiled.

Sigh. We kept moving.

It’s interesting to see how many horse-drawn carriages there are in the historic section of Havana. Some of the horses were quite friendly. But it also strikes me as a charming way to see Old Havana.

After strolling around for a while longer, we gravitated to a restaurant right across the street from the ocean. Once again, this one had outdoor seating, and it was the perfect day for that, especially with the view of the ocean.

As it turned out, our waitress didn’t know a word of English, and Mel and I spoke wobbly Spanish at best, so we decided to just take a guess at what to order — and hope for the best!

What we got was a Tuna Salad plate as the appetizer, and then I got served a Fried Fish with rice and beans — notice the trend here? Delicious meal! I also ordered a glass of red wine and got white wine instead, but oh well, it’s all good.

A lone stray cat dropped by for fish and some of Mel’s beef, but more troublesome were the panhandlers who would walk right up to your table and try to sell you something. If you ignored them (which we did), they would simply move on to the next table. They were nothing if not persistent, but this was something you likely would never see at most restaurants in the U.S.

I have noticed that a lot of restaurants in the area have mainly outdoor seating, and I’m guessing they don’t have air conditioning inside, so it can actually be cooler to be sitting outdoors, especially with that strong ocean breeze cooling you off. Still, this was April, and I have no idea what July and August are like.

We walked back to our hotel, then went up onto the outdoor patio on the top floor, complete with a swimming pool, a bar, and a spectacular view of the city around us. While we were relaxing at a table there, I used this as an opportunity to sample another glass of Cuban Rum (so good!) as we relaxed and watched the city below us on the move. Sitting there and watching the sun setting over the ocean, it really did feel like paradise.

Michael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.

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