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30th May- Don't know if it is jet lag, heat or just lazy but struggled to get out of bed this morning. Enjoyed another fruit and bread roll breakfast at the casa before checking out and taking a taxi to the hotel I will stay at tonight as part of my tour. Left my bags at the hotel and then headed over to the Havana university. Walked around the grounds and then made way up to the anthropology museum. This was just the one large open room. It contains artifacts about the local native population and artifacts from central America also including a shrunken skull, tobacco idol and a peace pipe used by the native Cuban people as a way of communicating with the gods. There was a master student in the museum so he explain much of the collection in broken English and Spanish mixed together. Then headed to the museum of Flora and fauna at the at university. It was am impressive collection of stuffed animal, insects and birds from Cuna and around the world. Cuba is home to giant turtles and giant snakes. Then spent a little more time looking around the grounds of the university, it was there study week so fairly quiet. Walked along to coppelia, it is the square where locals go for ice cream. It is terrible ice cream, they water it down so it has ice chucks in it but that also makes it cheap. Walked along past the old Hilton hotel which was one of the first place taken over during the revolution. Came too the Hotel National. This is one of the grandest hotel in Havana. Went inside and enjoyed a drink and seat in the shade overlooking the ocean, just spent some time people watching before heading off to find some late lunch at one of local stops... It was another ham and cheese sandwich, this seems to be the local lunch staple. Walked along to the hotel, it was just staring it's afternoon rain again ( it is the start of the wet season so should expect rain everyday I guess) and checked into the room for an afternoon siesta. Have a room to myself for the tour due to uneven number which is a nice surprise. Made my way back to hotel national to use the wifi. Was very excited to be able to connect to the Internet as wifi is hard to find, brought am hour connection but after 3 minutes it started experience technical difficulties that lasted for the rest of my hour. Tired to explain to the cashier that I hadn't been able to use it but said not there fault to just left and changed money over. Had our first meeting and group dinner with the tour. Headed out to restaurant near the hotel. Was very touristy... No locals eating there, and after seeing the prices I understood why. I am traveling with Cuban adventures for 8 days around Cuba... There are 3 brits and 2 other aussies girls in the van with me... Am excited to get out of Havana and see what the rest of the country is like. After dinner we brought a bottle of local rum and soft drink and headed down to the malecon sea wall and sat there and had drinks with the locals... Was a fun way to finish the night in Havana talking with local characters and enjoying watching the locals in there relaxed environment.
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