I
got up at about 10 which meant I slept for about 12 hours. This past week has
really taken it out of me! At breakfast I met a Chinese girl (Lulu) and we
chatted a bit before I got walking again. I was making my way to the bus
station to get a ticket to Santiago de Cuba and came across revolution square
and the local bus station. Here they were not interested in helping me so
decided I would need to head to the tourist bus terminal and pay the hefty
prices.

I
took a little moto taxi to the Viazul Bus terminal where I spent about 2 hours
trying to figure out the bus system and times. Due to availability I decided to
take the early morning bus which meant I would spend the whole day on the bus
but that just meant I needed to party tonight so I can sleep on the bus.

I
got a taxi to Plaza Cadenas which I was expecting to walk around but it is
actually a university and I wasn't able to enter the premises. I took a walk
back towards my casa instead and just enjoyed all the hubbub and happenings
going on around me. At my casa I booked another night and relaxed a little
before heading out again. I went walking towards the old town and just enjoyed
losing myself in the streets.

One
thing that has stuck out for me is how poor the people are but I don't see a
large rich population. I know it's because of the political policies of Cuba. I
have noticed that every second house or so is selling something like food,
beer, water or kola. I assume these are second jobs that they get in order to
supplement their income.

While
walking I hit the Malicon again but this time I was in the Havana bay next to
an old fort. I continued walking back into the old town before deciding to make
my way back to my casa particular for another rest before seeking dinner and a
few drinks. At the hostel I met a Chinese girl and a Scottish guy and we went
to Rolandos for a few drinks and dinner.

Here
we met a few other travelers and ended up drinking the night away before
grabbing an old car as a cab to Espacios where we had a few Cuba libres (lots
of rum with a dash of Tucola) before taking to the dance floor for a bit of
salsa. After the dance we grabbed
another cab home but this time squashed 6 of us in. The driver took back roads
so not to get caught and dropped us a little walk away from the hostel which
was actually a good thing as we grabbed some fried chicken along the way. We
eventually got back to the hostel and called it a night at 4am.