Havana May 2016 – Midnight Boxing, Smoking & Dancing

Having been unsuccessful in going to open air club El Sauce for some good live music and some dancing it being closed and Gato Tuerto being a/c and indoors, we decided it was finally time for some music action.

Alex, a Cuban friend of ours, proudly told me he had managed to reserve a table at the Hotel Inglaterra’s rooftop terrace where a “great band” was playing that night … hmm, never heard before that Hotels provided genuine Cuban music, but why not try it.

It was as I feared it would be – Jose, Jan and I arrived ahead of Alex & our Canadian friends to find the rooftop terrace empty except for some tourists listening to a horrendous crap band playing  fake/tired/old/loud and bad “Cuban” music for tourists. One beer, some pictures from the terrace ( only bonus point for Alex ) and I was aching to leave.

Besides – nobody knew about a table having been reserved, and really, they couldn’t care less …

It was while taking the rooftop shots that I knew where I could find a real spot with real music and real Cubans – just across the Parque Central, two minutes walking, at the Bar Monserrate, a popular drinking spot for the Aussies, the Irish and every other misfit creature visiting Havana. Good enough for me.

Jan and I walked over leaving Jose behind to inform David & the others who soon arrived and loved the joint.

It was fun from the get-go.

The band was superb and played genuine music, the atmosphere was brilliant, foreigners few, Cubatas and Mojitos were loaded ( we’d leave a 3-digit amount in cookies ) and we had prime seats. What more can you ask for …

Noticing a guy giving seriously superb boxing classes I had to go outside and try a few moves with him. Turns out he was a member of the Cuban national boxing team and won a few medals …

I invited him and the guys he was practising with inside to join us ( had to take his cheap “chispa” rum bottle away first as the Bar would not allow it ) and bought a few rounds for the team.

Great conversation on boxing and great dancing as well – plus laughter, tears, cigars, fun, music and moving hips all ’round. Helluva fun time !

And here’s the video to prove it.

Glorious night until the small hours of the morning !

Nino