hola la habana!!

the crisp aroma of cuban cigar hit my nostril when i first set my foot at the airport after 6 hours flight from madrid (the pickeled artichoke and salted fish sucks!). the no smoking signage at the immigression point does not do justice to the town. well, people do smoke without guilt ignoring the sign. no big deal.. 30 minutes drive to the hotel makes me impatient. we stayed at the la nacional hotel, built in 1930 which makes me go nuts whenever i see odd & antique (to my definition) object surrounding the building.

talking about caribean, who could deny the breathtaking deep blue sea.. more so when you were having dinner facing the mysterios open sea in the backdrop of romantic spanish guitar. indeed, i'm in my lovvee mood. food is fantastic. i won't complaint if fresh grilled lobster, prawn and fish are my staple food throughout my stay here. i'm more than happy he..he..

on the my first night upon my arrival, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant, located near the beach. i had my lovely prawns with the view of la habana night at the echo of the caribean sea. next day lunch was equally amazing. we had in in town at the open garden with live local quartet playing latin and spanish songs. though the weather was a bit hot alomost 28 degrees celcius, it didn't stop us from strolling around the town, heading to the flea market where i bought my souvenirs.

Cuban cigars are a product that equates directly to quality. The very words evoke images of sophistication and glamour. indeed, it's "The Gentle Art of Smoking" . cigar smoking is an art form, that provides a sense of contemplation, peace and appreciated pleasure. in conjuction with all this hype, i am 'teruja' to have one my self.. ok not one but a dozens of them for my dust mite, friends and family too. after a crash course from my colleague of the different tastes, names and the process-making, i spent about 55 cuc, roughly 50 euros for cohiba siglo, a box of moste cristo and loose upmanh and fonseca. i had fonseca for myself as it's suits my liking, gentler taste than others, matches my personality. ha.hah.. but to finish off one it's a torture to me unfortunately.

sigh.. wish i could extend my stay and enjoy the complimentary pass to watch the cabaret near to our hotel... gosh! i do love my job. by the way, this is one of the painting i took at the hotel gallery. i bought some painting as well at the flea market. cheap, but the memories attached is priceless!