MUSIC
JOHN ROWLANDS
Adventure in
Havana By JOHN ROWLANDS If you’re thinking of escaping the Fall/
Winter climate of our home and native land this year, don’t forget about Cuba. Inhabited for 4,000 years, this island, 93
miles off the coast of Florida, has beautiful beaches, comfortable resorts and historical Havana as its capital city. I wanted to go to Cuba this year because of
the American interest in lifting their trade and tourism embargos – and what might happen to the people in this transition. That, and my interest in the cars – the pre-
revolution American cars that have survived, most of them with hand crafted replacement parts, for 55 or more years. I had heard that some of these cars, used every day as taxis, are already being bought up and shipped to the U.S., destined to show up in themed restaurants or private collections as historical reminders of Cuba and its revolution.
60 BOUNDER MAGAZINE I called Jessie Newbigging at Trip Central
and asked about travel packages for my adventure to Havana. She booked me into the 4.5-star, newly-constructed Quinta Avenida Hotel with all the amenities and inclusive breakfasts. I’m rarely at the hotel for lunch or dinner anyway, so this was perfect. I joined my two friends, Dick Cooper
(Singer-songwriter for Ottawa’s The Cooper Brothers) and Derek Nicholson (noted Ottawa lawyer). As Los Tres Amigos, we were ready to live a day and a half every day in Old Havana. Each morning we’d catch the hotel
shuttle to Old Havana and spend the day there checking out the historical sites, enjoying the restaurants and bars (The Floridita) and the music scene at places like Casa de la Musica. Walking block-by-block on Dick-
Cooper-guided-tours, we’d see an interesting photograph waiting to happen every 50 feet.
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