And To search for a missing bandana
A girl needs a car in La Habana
While the cost may be heavy
She would like an Old Chevy
The color of a ripe Banana
A girl needs a car in La Habana
While the cost may be heavy
She would like an Old Chevy
The color of a ripe Banana
Thankfully - still no Nantucket
So as the lyric foretells,
the Cuban Lady needs a proper carriage to get around to all the spots she yearns
to revisit. Shouldn't be too complicated - there seems to be
only a couple of choices for Car Rental vendors in Cuba
After exhaustive research
online, we found that our “Travel Provider” can save us the 10% $USD tax by booking Havanautos with her and paying for it here. Of course had we booked it in
January when first we started the quest, we would have saved the $100 bump incurred by waiting until last
week, which pretty much negated the savings and then some. At least her rates included the daily insurance. Oh welllll.
And...of course there is that $200 deposit that must be paid in CUC at the rental counter which means hitting the CADECA [Casas de Cambio SA ] at the Airport thus incurring an unfavorable exchange rate.
And...of course there is that $200 deposit that must be paid in CUC at the rental counter which means hitting the CADECA [Casas de Cambio SA ] at the Airport thus incurring an unfavorable exchange rate.
Unfortunately for the
Young Girl from Habana, there will be no Banana Colored Chevy [or "Giello Chebby" as it’s
pronounced in Habana] they're actually too expensive and scarce to rent, so her chariot for the
trip will be a “Hyundai Accent” [or Similar].
Then there's the issue of where our Heroine will rest her Ever-Lovely head after all this running to and fro - so comes the matter of accommodations.
As previously mentioned – we are a party of 8- [2 married couples, a single woman, 2 post
teen boys and a wheelchair-bound Tia . With rates at a {minimum} 3 star hotel [if there is such a thing in Habana] we're talkin' around
$300 + per room/per night. Not
gonna work for this budget conscious group so the search for a Casa Particular,
a private home that rents rooms for around $35 per night got kicked off back in
October. Boy was that Fun! [NOT].
As previously mentioned – we are a party of 8
Again... Google
led us to several Casas Particular Agencies who are all apparently handling the same properties,
give or take a few. Some
are whole house rentals, others with a couple rooms here, and a couple there. Getting the right combination with
wheelchair access and secure parking for 2 cars… wellllll that was a real project. We even got the Prima [CUZ in
Habana] involved running around checking out potentials and coming up with a few
alternatives herself. Then it got even more complicated because Plan A [we’re now on Plan F] was to
spend 4 nights in Habana and 3 nights at the Beach in Varadero. That Plan got scrapped when I
advised everyone that:
- Varadero is 3 hours from the Airport depending on traffic.
- The 10:30AM flight to
Plan B was to spend 4
nights in Habana – 2 nights in Vardero, return to Habana for 1 night so it
would only be ½ hour to the airport. Again…
not happening – Tia isn't up to all the tumult.
Plans C, D & E?... let's NOT go THERE now.
Sooooo, the search continued until early this month when we
were finally able to secure the right combination of the rooms we need at
a little place right off the Malecon behind the Hotel Nacional recommended by one of Chucky's golf buddy, an Irish Yacht captain that stays there several times a year. It took a bit of negotiating
since Plans A & B didn't appeal to her but locking in 5 rooms for 6 days rental did. A fairly modern place [by Cuban Standards], she will provide breakfast for an added fee, with clean sheets and
towels changed daily.
This is a great
location since the Hotel Nacional has Internet access which is critical to CUZ
of Tampa’s Husband Doug’s business. Although we’re told that while it ain't High Speed - it's better than dial-up and may make it easier to post NOWAT as long as the Great Firewall of CUBA doesn't interfere and or it's not too slow. Otherwise,
we'll be composing NOWAT on the Fly and posting it in increments upon our return.
Well now...that should have your
eyes glazing over for now so we'll get to more of the Chaos in the next post.
HASTA LUEGO,
Uncle Chuck & The
Upset There's no Giello Chebby
Cuban Lady
Gettin' Ready for Hot Salsa, Sweet
Plantains, & Fine Aged Rum
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