Jet lag plus heavy downpour in Havana forced us to sleep from 5 pm to 6 am. We woke up several times in the middle of the night wondering when it will be dawn and finally at 6 am we decided to just take a walk around. We had no idea where we will end up or what we'd see but that ended up being an eye-opening and entertaining 7k walk.

Here are three things I noticed that morning and during the rest of my stay:

Cubans are very affectionate! I mean from school kids to grandparents, couples walked about hand in hand. I saw young men carrying their love interest in the front of their bikes, some even had love songs playing. They are so sweet.

Cuban school girls have the funkiest school uniforms ever! Not just that, their hair, nails and makeup are always on fleek. 

They have a strong sense of family. From the father kissing his son goodbye as he went off to school to the mother placing a cold bottle of drink on her son's face after boxing practice, they have that bond that is rare to find now in a world where everyone is busy and rushing off to some place.

Never seen a school girl this hot!

After two hours spent walking, we went to a peso store around the corner from our casa for breakfast.

We got those and fresh lemon juice for a dollar. Sat at the entrance of the casa to have breakfast and for some more people watching.

We had people walk up to us to say hello and sometimes ask to have their photos taken. Yeah, they are friendly like that! and photogenic too.

Tip: The best way to get to know a place is on foot, preferably away from the regular tourist sites. Pack a pair of suitable shoes and get walking! 

xxx