Looking for Valentín

Cuba – December 2018

After 6 weeks at the Spanish school in México, I am excited to finally start travelling down south. But my first stop actually leads me east to Havana, Cuba. The short flight from Cancún takes me on a journey through time. Arriving at the airport you can tell that things are handled differently here. Luggage distribution takes 1.5 hours and there are as many people queueing in front of the ATM as for the taxis. I share a cab with a girl I met while waiting for my backpack and am dropped off at my hostel in “Centro Habana”.

The streets of Centro Habana look like a more rundown version of the colorful, historical neighborhood “Habana La Vieja”. I was taken a little aback by that, but once I walked up and down Calle Neptuno, I appreciated the raw and authentic view on life in Cuba away from the tourist crowds. On my first night, I meet a girl in my dorm who introduces me to “La Zorra y el Cuervo” jazz club which is my number 1 recommendation for a great night out in Havana. Also located in Centro Habana, this makes me even happier to be staying there. 

The following days I mainly spend strolling around the historical old town by myself, or with the fun group of business school graduates from the US. By day we visit pristine beaches, try to hunt down internet cards and ATMs actually containing money. At night we listen to jazz and buy horrible hot dogs and burgers from a sketchy corner store next to the hostel. Then their grad trip comes to an end and a bunch of new people arrive at the hostel. That night Thillini from England and Sara who’s Mexican but lives in Germany invite me to go out with them. Thillini has met a Chilean guy called Valentín while sightseeing this morning and they made plans to visit a rooftop bar in Habana La Vieja for drinks.

Already having adjusted to the Cuban lifestyle, we leave the hotel 10 minutes after we were supposed to meet up with Valentín. We rush to the Malecón, flag down a tuk-tuk, and race along the sea wall. The driver drops us off at the Capitol where the vintage cars are lined up, waiting to take visitors on a drive around town. Thillini guides us to the address she saved on her maps app. But once we arrive there is no fancy bar – just a regular old apartment building – and no Valentín. The three of us look up and down the street and around the corner, but nothing. Finally, a couple selling handmade bracelets on the street asks us what we’re looking for. Sara explains the situation and they tell us that there has never been a bar in that alley. However, they do recognize the name Thillini gives them and they point us in the right direction. We thank them and quickly walk to the luxurious hotel where the bar is actually located.

When we get there, we are expecting Valentín to be waiting for us with a couple of drinks. But again, he’s not there. As neither of us has any access card for the public wifi, there is no way we can contact him. We show a picture of Valentín to the waiters but they haven’t seen him either. So what do we do? As the place is quite expensive, we walk back to the address we went to before. On the way, we see a pretty bar and decide to grab some drinks there. By now, no one really believes that we will see Valentín ever again. Nevertheless, we quickly inform the couple from before that they should tell Valentín to come to the other bar – in case he drops by.

A little exhausted from the running and the warm humid air, we finally sit down and order margaritas and a plate of baked mozzarella sticks. Thillini, Sara, and I chat about our different travel experiences, our plans for Cuba, and so on. Then, the girl I met on my first night in Havana arrives on the deck. She’s told that there is no table available – but as it’s still only the 3 of us, we invite her to sit with us. We order more drinks and she tells us about her trip to Viñales. Suddenly, Thillini jumps up and runs towards the staircase. There stands Valentín. We all start screaming and can’t quite believe this just happened.

Valentín was late too but first went to the correct bar at the hotel. When he didn’t see us there, he went back to his Airbnb and using the wifi, checked the location Thillini sent him. When he got to the address, the couple on the street asked him if he’s Valentín. Surprised, he said yes and they showed him the way to our bar. What followed was a great night at different clubs and an invitation for me to stay at Valentín’s apartment in Santiago when I’d eventually get there a couple months later.