Last summer, a colleague invited me to go to Cuba with her. Having no idea what this trip entailed, I agreed. What I didn’t realize was that this trip required a visa and that Cuba banned tourists from entering the country. As a result, I ordered my visa the day before the trip and we were interrogated by border patrol before hopping on the (very small) plane. When we landed, all the passengers cheered and clapped. Were they not expecting to land?

Being an ignorant tourist who did absolutely no research beforehand… Here’s some culture shocks, unexpected moments & events from the trip.

Vintage Cars… Everywhere!

70% of the cars on the road are vintage – so we rode in style the entire trip

Our Epic Tour Guide

We spent the first couple of days with a tour guide who was my age. She gave us an eye-opening glimpse of what life was like for someone in Cuba in their 20s.

A Cuban Massage

We booked massages and facials in our AirBnb. The sweet duo who came to do the services understood very little english. This became ever so apparent when they started playing english “meditation” music with lyrics that were actually seductive. It was so hard to fight the urge to laugh hysterically. A memorable experience indeed.

FAC – A MUST

Our tour guide ended up inviting us for a night out at FAC. This epic spot was partly an art gallery, a live music venue, a dance-off space, and a food hall.

My favorite BEACH

Varadero Beach- a scenic drive from Havana, crystal clear water, and beach service with cute drinks.

Speaking of drinks

This self-pour piña colada station… You order a virgin piña colada at the bar but all the alcohol is sitting on your table. So how strong do you like it? Pour up!

Interesting fruits

Mamoncillo! You crack it open, suck the fruit and toss the pit.

A great place for a diet

It was very difficult to find food near us. The majority of restaurants were only open for a limited number of hours.

A friendly hairless dog

I used to hate on furless pets… Until I met this one. Some tell me that he was probably diseased. Poor guy. He was so sweet though.

IN CONCLUSION

Sometimes the best destinations aren’t on your bucket list. Just say “yes!”