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a Trip to Havana (part 2) The Tropicana!

After our busy day, we returned to the ship for dinner and got ready to go partying at the Tropicana. It is interesting to note, once we went through the security into Cuba the first time, there was no one watching us go back off the ship a second time.

Getting into our chariot for the evening!
The cars are lined up to go!
On the way, we saw a beautiful sunset

In any event, our four antique American cars showed up. They were all convertibles and the drivers were very handsome men. We all found a car and went on our way to the Tropicana. Once we got there, we couldn’t find some of our group. Turned out one of the cars lost its clutch and they had to replace it on the fly. Those engines are basically held together with scotch tape and gum but somehow, everyone arrived at the Tropicana.

The entrance to the Tropicana
There is a building that you walk through but you are directed to the seats and the stage that are all in open air.

The Tropicana is really awesome. It is a throwback to pre-Castro days. I was surprised that it was outdoors. You walk into a doorway and then are led to tables that faced an outdoor stage with lots of walkways along side the stage. Launched in 1939 on the outskirts of Havana, it provides a mix of flash and feathers, song and statuesque dancers under the stars. You could almost imagine what Havana was in its heyday.

The stage area. You will see the Tropicana is 80 years old.
The musicians started the show. It became much more animated after their performance.
Just the start and pretty dressed for this song.

The show was fast paced and the music highlighted the rhythms of Cuba – rumba, mambo, danzonete, Latin jazz, cha-cha-cha and pulsating drums and featured so many singers, acrobats and lots of dancers, everywhere you looked. The show was electric! It went on for 2 hours.

These dancers are on narrow aisles alongside the main stage
oops, a bit more scantily dressed but still big headdresses
I call her lettuce woman
After the show, the girls came up the aisles by our seats. The headdress is really heavy.

Nothing needed here.

Along with our tickets, was a 325 ml bottle of rum and a bottle of coke between two of us. Too much rum, really!

Fortunately, the cars returned for us and took us back to the ship. What a wonderful day! It is too bad more people won’t have the awesome experience. I would love to go back and spend more time in that beautiful city.