Time to reflect on this year’s travels, to appreciate the simple things, and to get ready for what’s next
It was a Saturday afternoon in April when I squeezed into the heaving Floridita in Old Havana, Cuba. I waited patiently with my bandidas - Davina, Debi and Hosnieh - for a table in the 1950’s style cocktail bar, which was immortalised by American journalist and writer Ernest Hemingway. He regularly used to travel 15 miles from his farm on the outskirts of Havana to sup a Floridita daiquiri – proclaiming it to be the best in the world. It is, actually.
The best daiquiri in the world
We shuffled towards an empty table in the middle of the bar and took the weight off our tired feet. The vibe of the party-going crowd, the shaking of the cocktail mixers, and the Cuban street band with their clave, saxophone and guitar and singing Guantanamera blended together symphonically with the cheer of smiling locals who danced and sang in celebration as if this Saturday was their last on earth. In that moment I realised that Cubans – who are poor in their possessions but rich in humanity - choose to live their lives simply, inspiring me to reflect on another year of riches beyond my physical possessions.
Old Moskvich
“But life isn't hard to manage when you've nothing to lose,” wrote Hemingway. I could see why he liked Cuba so much and made it his home for so many years. Its people live their lives authentically, riding the streets in old Chevrolets and Moskvitch cars, with little of any real value to lose but everything to gain from their health and their mutual respect each other.
Embodying humanism
From Floridita, we meandered through the old town and embarked on a sightseeing tour by bus. We drove past historical landmarks such as Revolution Square, the American embassy and the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
Walking through old Havanah
We ended the tour in the city centre, and went in search of an authentic eatery we read about in the guide books. The waiter welcomed us into a large communal dining hall where groups of people and families ate their evening meal. Davina and I enjoyed a lobster cocktail followed by a rich and meaty main course, heeding warnings to stick with fish and pork as the basic staples in Cuba. Debi and Hosnieh munched away at their potato-based dishes.
Once sated, we dragged our full bellies out of the restaurant with bag of leftovers which we gave to a homeless woman outside. Smiling, she thanked us and instantly shared it with another homeless man. We felt inspired by this generosity from someone who looked to have nothing but was rich in the soul.
Hosnieh summed it up beautifully when she said: “When I think of Cuba, I think of people who are retained in time from technology perspective but advanced in humanity.” Cubans live in a proverbial time warp when compared with the rest of the world. The cars are from the 1950s and the only place where you can get Wi-Fi is in the big hotels and a park in the centre of town.
Yet they are well ahead in terms of kindness, empathy and friendliness with genuine smiles to offer. They regularly tried to engage us in conversation with a good command of English far exceeding mine of Spanish, despite taking a few lessons beforehand.
“Every head is a world”
They also have a deep respect for the elderly, who are revered for their life stories and wisdom. An old woman with wrinkled and sun-kissed skin ambled through the streets of Havana buckled and bent over with a stick and attracting looks of admiration. Her face neatly personified a Spanish proverb, coda cabeza es un mundo, which translates as “every head is a world,” meaning every person is a new door to a different world.
And its’ not just people Cubans care about, sharing what they have with each other. In various cities, we also saw locals adopting stray dogs and cats and feeding them leftover food.
Having a laugh
Cubans’ quest to help others extends to business too as I discovered while searching for the Shangri-Li night club. The club, which received rave reviews and borrowed its name from a famous hotel chain, looked perfect for a night out in Havana.
Unbeknown to us, however, there was another club called the Sangri-La which our taxi driver proclaimed to be the place to go to as he knew the manager and wanted to support his business. So he took us there instead. When we arrived our expectations of a roof top bar and palm trees were instantly dashed as we entered a dingy basement bar in a neighbourhood hotel on the outskirts of the city.
Since we had already spent a lot of Cuban cuc (local currency) in taxi fares in search of the real Shangri-Li, we decided make the most of the Sangri-La, laughing at our folly while supping mojitos and dancing to reggaetton mixes and a questionable rendition of Snow’s Informa.
Appreciating unique moments
In Trinidad, we also enjoyed a festive carnival-like atmosphere in old colonial town that came alive at night. Tourists and locals filtered through the cobbled streets, balancing along uneven payments that were barely wide enough for one person to walk on. The streets lent their character to modest houses arranged side by side, each painted a different colour and exploding in pastels.
If navigating through this town’s uneven paving was tricky then anything requiring a quicker pace was nigh on impossible. This worried me somewhat as I had a week to go before running the London marathon and I was keen to complete at least one training run while in Cuba. So I decided to go for a run along the road to the seaside village of La Boca, accompanied by my co-pilot Debi who had hired a bike to ride alongside me and offer moral support.
Sunset run from Trinidad to La Boca
With insect repellent and suntan lotion layered on thick, we headed into the Cuban sunset and 30-degree heat. My bright pink trainers and sweat clothes attracted confused looks and laughter from Cubans passing by on their scooters and in their vans. On that pot-holed Calle Desengano road we probably gave them every reason to believe that we were loco chicas for exercising at this time of day. We laughed with them, appreciating that there were more relaxing things we could be doing in this slowed down pace of life.
Eight miles later, we reached La Boca and were greeted by villagers as the sun began to disappear into an idyllic blue sea. We passed beach huts and fisherman heading to the watering holes on the beach. Feeling thirsty, I stopped at an outside bar to ask for water. But my request was met with ‘sin agua sólo cerveza’ (‘no water, only beer). So I took up their offer of half a pint of beer, taking a gulp before giving it to Debi.
Co-pilot Debi enjoys a beer
We reached another bar further along the beach where the manager sold us water and regaled us with tales of his time in Germany where he met a woman and married before ending up back in Cuba some years ago.
Watered and rested, I ran off into set off into the sunset again. We reached a dead end on the ocean path, finding that our only way to the hotel where we planned to meet Davina and Hosnieh was through a footpath running alongside a mosquito-infested pond. Half an hour later, we eventually got to the hotel, riddled with mosquito bites but still laughing at what was the most memorable training session I have ever had.
Enjoying every moment
One week later, I found myself at London’s Blackheath at the start line of the London marathon. It was a moment I was building up towards since February, when I began training: two 10km sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays and long runs on Saturday morning, culminating in a 20-mile race at the end of March before the Cuban holiday.
Still inspired from the Road to La Boca run (I’ve given it a name should you feel the urge to try it one day - I hope you do!), I vowed to give the marathon my best effort but to enjoy it all the same. Soon after crossing the start line, I began to absorb the energy of the cheering crowds, realising soon that my aspiration of a personal best was going to be drowned out by the amount of people and the noise. So I let go and enjoyed the run.
I passed steel drum players and high-fived volunteers who provided oranges and sweets to keep me going when I needed it most at the 20-mile mark. I was proud to finish in four hours and four minutes and to have raised £750 for charity with the help of family and friends.
Family at the finish line
But the highlight of the marathon was seeing the family - sister Claire, brother-in-law Dougal, niece Grace and nephew Josh - at the finish line. We celebrated over lunch with my cousins Hayley and Graham. It was in fact Graham who prodded me to enter the marathon in December 2018 and joined me on many training runs through South East London. Our shared enthusiasm for daft endeavours – including a half marathon around the Lee Value velopark and a 20-mile race six times around a Bedford Aerodrome circuit were exactly the endurance tests I needed before the marathon!
Celebrating success
A day at the Duomo
After the marathon I was fortunate to visit a couple of great cities in Europe and the UK with fellow citizen of the world Kristina. Milan’s imposing Duomo cathedral evoked a feeling of awe in a place where centuries of history stood still and the La Rinascente collection of high end stores in the piazza enticed us toward the best brands Italy has to offer. After a spot of shopping we drank cocktails and headed to McDonald’s for a tasty Big Mac and fries served with beer.
A Titanic pose outside the Titanic museum, Belfast
In Belfast we enjoyed a friendly city, and architectural wonders such as the majestic City Hall and the striking Grand Opera House, where we watched the sensational theatre production of Calendar Girls. A visit to Edinburgh a few months later presented us with the fringe festival and South Afreakins, a pop-up show with one actress playing multiple parts in this cringe-worthy comedy about a South African family reunion in New Zealand.
I was also lucky to visit Nice for the wedding of long-time pal Geoff to his angel Cecile in the Hotel Negresco, which overlooked the beautiful French Rivera and the Promenade des Anglais. From Louis XIII style to modern art, five centuries of history are exhibited throughout the hotel.
I’ll end it here in the same way that I started, with another quote from Hemingway: “You must be prepared to work always without applause”. That said, my last blog of the year is about reflection and is dedicated to family and friends for their love, support and riches beyond what money can buy. Here’s to more invaluable experiences in the New Year.
Celebrating the wedding of Cecile and Geoff at Hotel Negresco, Nice (it was rather nice, actually)