One night in Viñales Cuba

Central Habana

We did not know we needed to show passports to book into a Cuban B&B, a Casa Particulares, and landlords were unprepared to break the rules.

As it was now late afternoon, I suggested we have a beer. We made for the lively outdoor drinking establishment over the road.

We quickly got chatting with a group of young guys who needed an extra chair for their group. Felix, the smiley extrovert of the group, came over to take it and then cheekily asked for a cigarette.

Not being smokers, he then, riding his luck, suggested we buy him a pack. As we were readily exchanging banter and laughter, we went along with this, bought beers, and pulled our chairs to join them.

We told them about our predicament, and after another couple of rounds, Felix disappeared for a few minutes.

He had phoned his wife, on a nearby public phone, and persuaded her we could stay at their flat where he lived with his parents, his wife and young daughter.

When we left, we could not be seen us walking with Felix. Informers were everywhere, he told us.

We negotiated a few blocks, with Felix whistling from street corners a hundred yards from where we were, to point out our shadow route discreetly.

Once at their modest two-bedroom apartment in a grey concrete block, Felix introduced us to the family, and Maria, his wife, began preparing an evening meal.

Felix then explained his plan for the evening’s entertainment. His parents had agreed to babysit (if I provided dad with a few beers). He would arrange a friend with a car to drive us out of town, where a musical extravaganza was being staged.

We were obviously going to fund the night out, but he assured us it would not cost much (for us) and would be good fun.

A large old American car subsequently turned up, and we quickly got in and were off.

Paying the very modest admission fee, they showed us to our front row table like VIPs. A bottle of Havana Club, mixers ice and glasses were already in place.

Within minutes, the show started. They introduced the spectacular with some fabulous dancers who then left the stage for, in turn, two male and one female vocalist to entertain us.

It was a top-class show; Servers replenished the rum as necessary, and then to top it all off when the show finished, two of the beautiful dancers who happened to be Felix’s cousins joined us. A fabulous and memorable night out in rural Cuba.