Havana bursts with a kaleidoscope of color, sound and texture. Whether it be outside the Café de Paris, where freeloader fans rock to the Latin rhythms from the band inside the cafe, or in La Bodeguita del Medio, a haunt of Hemingway, which drips mojitos and pulsates with Caribbean beats …. the city is alive with music and laughter.

The reporting staff of PartnersInAdventure.com were sent by the publishers of PartnersInAdventure.com to report on the state of the culture, architecture and cuisine of Havana and her surrounds. Traveling on our own as your trusty journalists–eager to report the truth in all things–we’ve learned a lot. The people are friendly; the music is magical; the rum drinks are divine; and the food–especially the ropa vieja and pescado fresco–is excellent.

Four days in Havana made us converts. We enjoyed our hotel, Hotel Marques de Prado Ameno, even though the taxi driver had to ask two different bystanders for directions to get us there, and our “suite” had no windows. But, hey, the shower worked and the bed was comfy! We tolerated the cold scrambled eggs on the buffet for the first two days, but on the third day, we opted to pay for breakfast at a café nearby where the cappuccino is hot–but even though there were eggs on the menu, there were none available–neither hot nor cold. (Not a great decision.)

Live music is everywhere. Each band is eager to sell their CD and/or accept contributions from delighted fans. We purchased two different CDs and donated to countless other groups.

Vintage cars abound, and they run with expert care from local mechanics. This two-tone Oldsmobile was directly out of Jan’s childhood.

At the beginning of the trip, we wanted to snap photos of each ’48 Plymouth, ’52 Studebaker or ’56 Cadillac, but they soon became commonplace. We even saw a ’57 Rambler, which we figured was the last remaining Rambler on earth! When we told the driver this, he laughed and said that it was verdad (true!)

When we get online again, we’ll post more. Stay tuned.