Hopefully you read the prelude to our fateful Cuba adventure. If not, you should. Those who didn’t are clamoring for it: https://www.thecutestcoupleever.com/post/havana-adventure-or-chaos .
All the agony, the whipsaw decision making, the go-or-no-go, was decided, as such things sometimes are, by circumstance and reluctance to “throw good money after bad.”
Once we got to Cuba, the electricity was on, there was no huge storm surge destroying the countryside, our hotel was beautiful and modern as it was only two years old, and everyone we met was delightful. Nothing we read was true in Havana. Granted, there had been no electricity for the previous two days which led to overflowing trash bins which were (mostly) cleaned up while we were there. However, people there are very used to rolling black-outs but two full days was unusual. They soldiered on as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.
Cuba is a fascinating country, full of contradictions. You probably know you must go with a tour group from the U.S. as we are not allowed to enter the country unless we are on an educational tour – a rule relaxation created by the Obama administration. All this stems from the Cuban missile crisis back in 60s and America has not forgiven Cuba for its allegiance to, and missiles from, the Russians. This history is fascinating – we forgave the Germans and the Japanese practically immediately but . . . Anyway, we were two of 21 people on our Gate One Tour, most of whom had been on five to thirty previous tours all around the world.
Our few days were packed.
We went to a Cuban cigar factory where we watched cigars being rolled. This is a good job for Cubans, although it seemed to me carpal tunnel was unavoidable and the music so loud one could go deaf. The average wage in Cuba is $60 to $90 a month (think about that and American tipping!) and these workers could make more than this if they made 1,200 cigars a day. Twice a day for one-half hour, in a nod to the past, they were read stories or the news. Included at the factory was a small art studio where one artist painted on tobacco leaves, a difficult accomplishment as they are so thin and fragile.
We saw a Cuban dance troop, who did a combination of flamenco, Cuban, and African music accompanied by drums and a cd player and lights. Beautiful and lithe young women (and two men) performed.
We went to a guitar performance by school kids aged from about 4 (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Frère Jacques) to 18 which was charming and excellent. All education is free in Cuba (a Castro contribution along with lifetime health care) and the arts have their own schools which those with talent are allowed to attend.
We walked a couple miles one day and saw the city, its architecture and its people. The city is definitely not rich and we saw many examples of that. When the largely white upper class fled the revolution and went to Florida mostly (500,000 still in Miami of about 700,000 Cubans in the U.S.), they left behind gorgeous homes which now upper government officials mostly live in. The architecture ranged from classic to tropical to brutalist (that, courtesy of the Russians) and we saw deserted or partially torn down buildings everywhere. Our hotel row, along the shore, was an exception because there was still on-going, new construction happening there.
We went to a couple of very good restaurants Including one that was farm-to-table and the owners had also built a non-profit daycare center for the elderly there. The co-owner, who taught us how to make a proper mojito, also hitched a ride with us to his second job.
We went to Hemingway's estate which was beautiful and slowly falling into disrepair. There is apparently no money for maintenance or renovation despite the fees being charged. His home in Key West, smaller and more pristine, did not prepare us exactly for his life in Cuba. (That last picture on the right is of Pilar, his famous fishing boat and his pet "cemetery" for four favorite dogs.)
We saw the tile work of a fabulous artist, José Fuster, who had converted his entire part of the city into a fantasy land of tile work (Fusterlandia), including animals on top of roofs. He completely changed that part of the city into a more lucrative tourist area and the work continues. View the video first for a very short walking tour and then when you look at the slide show below, I hope you can see the intricacy as well as the fantasy.
Another highlight of the trip was the cars. Cute, of course, was truly enamored, even though they made more noise than speed – most had Russian engines. It is also key to have good speakers which are important so really loud music can entertain any passers-by. We rode in one to dinner one night and remembered the glory of a bench seat. These cars are treasured investments – sometimes used as trade-ins for homes.
We hope you visit Cuba, sans hurricane now on its way there again. Find a tour. It’s very safe (huge penalties for crimes) and although America is not a favored nation there, Americans are welcomed and so are our dollars – but not our credit cards. Bring a lot of cash, in small bills especially if you want to help some people who may approach and truly seem to need money and who are very polite, and your own toilet paper for any place other than hotels and good restaurants. The people are lovely. Visiting there is truly an educational experience – and definitely not just another Caribbean beachy island.
Finally, and I know - and Cute tells me - this is too long but I can't seem to stop writing, some of the dogs have name tags. Of the hundreds of lean and prowling mutts, the one below is lucky as he has been adopted by some workers in the square and thus, despite his hopeful following us for an hour, is fed, watered, and semi-sheltered. Adios, Canelo.
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