It’s the last full day in Cuba. It seems like its gone by way, way too fast. But I guess it’s almost time to get back to real life. We had to make our way by bus back to Havana via Santa Clara where we’d see the memorial to “Che” Guevera – who was born Argentinian but a huge figure in the Cuban revolution. He was very close to both Fidel and Raul Castro but ended up being killed in an ambush in Bolivia when he was in his 40s. Cubans think very very highly of Che which was evident in the amount of tourists waiting to get into the memorial. It was deathly hot and very humid and almost an hour wait but as in the past, worth it. The memorial is so well done. You enter a lovely windowless room with thriving fauna and soft lighting. Che was killed with 29 other revolutionaries in 1967 in an attempt to spur an uprising in Bolivia. Although he was killed in 1967 his remains were not given to Cuba until 1997. Construction of the memorial, however, started in 1982.
Che Memorial, Santa Clara
There are small memorials to all of the fallen soldiers on one wall. Che sits in the middle. It was interesting to me that only their first names were affixed next to their memorials. There was also a red carnation next to each one. Apparently on their birthdays they hang a white carnation to signify the day. At the other end of the memorial is the eternal flame dedicated to Che. It was sad and moving. Then you proceed to an area of the memorial that houses many photos of Che, from birth through death, with his family and with his friends and soldiers. There are also artifacts that belonged to him – his machete, belt, journal, letters he wrote to his wife(s) and the Castros. An absolutely fascinating – and admittedly, a very handsome – man.
Back to the bus for the final 4-hour trip to Havana. At this point me and this bus are NOT friends so I was not looking forward to it. But again, it’s the only way to get to where I want to be so…Fortunately, Tony loaded a movie for us. The movie is titled Fresa y Chocolate – strawberry and chocolate. It opened in 1993 and apparently signified a shift in the ways Cubans think and deal with homosexuals. It was a very sweet movie about a severely heterosexual man who was also a member of the young Communist party and the deep friendship he makes with a young flamboyant homosexual man in Cuba in 1979. It was interesting to see the extreme discrimination of homosexuals in Cuba just a little over 30 years ago. According to Tony, the discrimination was extreme and included not just verbal abuse but also physical. He said, however, that no longer exists and homosexuals are treated the same as every other Cuban.
Fresa y Chocolate
La cena ultimato – our last dinner together – was at a local Havana paladar called el idilio. We sat as a group under the stars amidst a beautiful breeze. As per usual, we ate and drank like crazy people and laughed a lot. There were toasts to both Tony our driver and Tony our guide and it was sentimental. These are sad moments for me. I feel like I forge a bond with these people over 9 days and countless miles and stories and sicknesses. They become a temporary family and it is always hard to say goodbye. And even more so for the guide, who shares himself intimately with the group. He was vulnerable and honest with us and there are no words that can adequately thank someone who does that. And the driver – another Tony – spoke no English but was beyond kind in his (Spanish) words and actions when I was sick.
I know I’ve said it countless times but it’s because its so important – these people are the reason I travel. And in this case they are so extremely different from me – the way they grew up, their schooling, their jobs and salaries and families, their thoughts about their government and what they can actually say about the governent. It’s beyong special to me to know about that.
Hotel Nacional, Havana, CubaMalecon, Havana, Cuba
We ended an amazing night at the beautiful Hotel Nacionale for an over-priced mojito, some local Cuban music and views of the teeming Malecon in the background. A beautiful ending to a beautiful trip.
Today started out with a tour of Ernest Hemingway’s mansion. He spent a ton of time in Cuba – as in Key West – writing. I’ve never been a huge fan of Hemingway (don’t judge!) but his mansion was fascinating. Mostly because of the oppulence and wealth you could see there in relation to the rest of the houses in Cuba. He had private tennis courts and a pool. His furry friends are even resting there in their own graveyard.
The room where Hemingway wrote
We then checked out Fusterlandia. Jose Fuster is a local Cuban artist. He is still alive and decided to start a community project in his neighborhood. He started adorning the neighborhood with tile mosaics. So all of the entrances to the houses on the streets are covered in tiny mosaic tiles, including the doctor’s office. The style pays homage to Barcelona’s Gaudi. It is remarkable! Eventually you come upon Fuster’s residence which literally looks like a playground done entirely in mosaics. It is 3 levels – indoor and outdoor – and every spot is covered in tile. He still lives and works there but there are very few areas of the residence that are restricted to visitors.
Me at Fusterlandia
We then visited another local community called Las Terrazas. This small, green village was built as part of a government reforestation project. This place was breathtakingly beautiful. It had a small man-made lake surrounded by walking paths and hiking trails and mini huts where people can spend time together out of the blazing sunshine. The “terraces” advance up the hill to where a stunning hotel – Hotel Moka – sits. It is all open air and cool breezes and amazing views. I imagine it’s just tourists who stay here as the cheapest room is 90 CUCs/night.
A view of Las TerrazasHotel Moka – Las Terrazas
Tony had been promising us some basic rice and beans for lunch. And that we’d stop along the way. I seriously thought that we’d stop and have a picnic lunch but we pulled off the highway and drove on a dirt road for less than a mile to Restaurant Don David. OMG, another amazing meal of “rice and beans”. Of course we did have rice and beans as well as fish, chicken, pork, lamb, vegetables, fruit…Anyone who says the food in Cuba is tasteless and boring is just plain wrong! The sauces are unique and flavorful, the meats rich and succulent and the fruits and vegetables fresh and ripe beyond words.
Restaurant Don David
We were back on the bus for a couple of hours on our way to Vinales where we’ll spend two nights. The bus rides – although not my favorite part of the trip for sure! – are where we get to pick Tony’s mind about life in Cuba.
We learned about how the people find loopholes to get around government restrictions in daily life. I’ve already written about how little salary even a highly educated person makes. So what the people do is search for jobs with “perks” – also called “side effects” in translated English and said with a grin. So there’s the receptionist who sells coffee to the patients that come to see the doctor. There’s the attorney that drives a taxi on the weekends. These people take any opportunity they see to make a better life for themselves. It’s admirable.
We learned Cubans still have ration cards given to them by the government for specific food staples like rice, eggs, milk, bread and meat. So they are only allowed to buy the food that the government chooses to sell to them. They are given additional rations for children, the elderly and pregnant. Every Cuban must register with a local supply store and obtain their rationed food from there. A family gets 1 ration card per year. 1 per family, not per person. It is difficult and expensive to buy food outside of the ration store and sometimes Cubans simply don’t have enough food.
All news transmitted to the Cubans is “good” news. They don’t ever get to hear – on local television – about anything negative happening in the country. It is either spun to take on a positive tone or not discussed. For example, last year President Obama negotiated a deal with Raul Castro to exchange 5 Cuban prisoners who were caught spying in America for 1 American prisoner held here. Apparently this was shown as a huge win for Cubans via the media. They weren’t given any back-information about the negotiations. On that same vein, advertising is not allowed in Cuba. The only billboards you see depict the strength and power of the government. You see Raul and Fidel Castro’s face everywhere. In fact, we got to see locals watching a baseball game at dinner. During game timeouts or inning changes, they show videos of past revolutionary events or current images of the regime. No ads and nothing negative.
We made our way to Valle de Vinales – which is in the Western part of Cuba and known for its dramatic landscape. The countryside consists of mogotes – which are craggy, flat-topped hills made of limestone. These hills are unlike anything I’ve seen. Not like mountains because of the lack of hard edges. They look more like someone dropped dirt and rocks onto the Earth and left it to figure itself out. The town itself consists of just 3 streets, 2 more than were here just a mere decade ago. The main drag contains multiple restaurants and souvenir stores in brightly colored buildings – each one boasting an outdoor terrace perfect for cocktails and people watching. Unfortunately, it is definitely a tourist town.
We got to Vinales just in time for the sunset – one of the best I’ve ever seen! And I’ve seen quite a few. To watch God at work, we went to a local eco-farm called Finca Agroecologica. There were rows and rows of fresh-growing vegetables in every direction you looked. It was so impressive. I got to watch the beautiful sun drop behind the random, oddly cool mogotes. It was outstanding! These are the moments I live for. These are the places I find peach and religion…
Beautiful sunset – Finca AgroecologicaA view of the restaurant – Finca AgroecologicaFinca Agroecologica – see the little lookout hut in the top left of the photo?Me on the farm
The farmer who owns the land also has a restaurant where he serves the food he grows and the animals he raises. Here you are surrounded by all of the beauty I just described while you bask in the smells and tastes of fresh vegetables and meat. We all sat down at a table on the terrace and were immediately brought what Tony called “Stress relievers”. Let me just say, none of us are stressed but even less so after having this drink! It is a mixture of coconut milk, fresh coconut and herbs – all from the garden. Then they set down a full bottle of rum. You can add as much or as little to the drink as you like. Very dangerous and very, very tasty. Can I just say that our table when through 3 full bottles of rum!
Shortly after that, I had to move out of the way as 2 of the farmers brought us our main protein. A full pig who had been roasting for 4 hours. It was awesome! He had a big ‘ole knife stuck right out of the center of him and looked delicious! Tony had the pleasure of carving him. Talk about fresh right?! They also brought fresh raw vegetables and fresh cooked vegetables and fish and chicken and soup and rice and beans. That was the most packed table I’ve seen table for all of the food and drink! Tony told us to not feel bad about not eating everything as it’s just their custom to keep bringing food to the guests. It was so delicious! Again, I don’t know why multiple people have said not to have high expectations for the food in Cuba but I have to say that what I’ve had has been scrumptious. YUM!
OMG!Tony excited to carve the pig
What a lovely night so far! We really have a good group of all ages and stages of life. We all seem to be getting along like long lost friends and just having a fantastic time together. This is one of those nights that I live for! Beauty in the land surrounding me and, more importantly, in the PEOPLE surrounding me!
A few of us wanted to take advantage of the nightlife in Vinales. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t call it that. It is a sweet, SMALL tourist town filled with restaurants but there’s only 1 dance club 🙂 Who cares as long as it’s a good one? And I was ready to DANCE!
Off we went to the lone dance club in Vinales and I loved every moment. It was all open air with a large dance floor surrounded by tables and a long bar at one end. When we went in there was an amazing Cuban band playing salsa and bachata music. Unfortunately none of the men in the group were ready – i.e. drunk – enough to dance but Tony, our group leader, came back shortly after that so I got to dance with him. Which was amazing! Again, again, again, I need to dance. On a very regular basis! One of the guys on our tour said “Aimee, this is the happiest I’ve seen you!” Yes, that’s the truth. We danced for quite a while, in between a Cuban singing some bad music and some worse American music and a bunch of teenagers showing off their dance skills to the crowd for tips. But it was all worth it to dance with Tony – so, so, so fun!
Day 2 started with the yummiest juice I’ve ever had – a frothy mixture of guava and papaya made by my guesthouse. Then we were off on our first planned excursion – a walking tour of Old Havana. This was something I’ve been looking forward to for months! Old Havana is the city center and the former positions of the city walls form it’s outline.
Alejandro was our local guide during the tour. He was fascinating to talk to. By education – which, it should be noted – is free in a communist country – he is a criminal attorney. He has a wife who also practices law and a 7 year old son. When the country embraced more tourism, he was finally able to use his entrepreneurial spirit to earn some more money. So he leads tours one day a week and drives cars for the tourists. In his “normal” job he makes 20 CUCs a month. That’s 20 American dollars! A MONTH! He says he makes more money during these tours than he ever could make working as an attorney. Interesting…I know for a fact that he made over 20 CUCs just in tips from our tour alone. Because he can supplement his income so considerably, he loves doing tours and he loves the throngs of tourists entering Cuba. He’s also looking forward to the cruise ships that will be starting to come to Havana in just months.
Old Havana is what I pictured it to be – quaint, eye-droppingly beautiful, sad, in varying stages of decay and bustling. But, I had no idea how many tourists would already be here. I can’t even imagine how it will be when Americans really start to come here.
Immediately upon entering the city, I got to see Cuban children and teens dressed up in dresses and suits practicing their dances. Apparently they do this every weekend and it is similar to what you’d see in the states – children not at all focused on what they’re supposed to do as their parents rile them in. And then there are the teens fully made up and looking like someone forced them to be there. It was nice for me to see that this section of the city is filled with Cuban life – it doesn’t just serve the tourists.
Old Havana
The buildings in Old Havana are simply lovely – built in the baroque and neoclassic style. The buildings fell into severe disrepair in the late 20th century because of a lack of funds for upkeep during the revolution. Some of them continue to be very shabby but in 1982, Unesco declared this area a world heritage site and the money for restoration began. We wandered around the cobblestone streets and squares learning tidbits for Alejandro. One of the interesting things and perhaps it should have been obvious but weapons are illegal here unless you’re part of the police or military. You will go to prison if you have them. And unlike other areas of Cuban law where the people “find a way” around it, people simply do not have weapons here. He actually said that even if you’re a member of the police, you are not legally allowed to shoot anyone – even in self defense – unless whoever is trying to hurt you also has a gun. So if you’re police and someone attacks you with a machete, you’d better be prepared to run!
This little guy “belongs” to the government. They take care of him – making sure he gets food and meds
The government has embraced tourism in Cuba. They pay to have entertainers in the streets. We saw bands and individuals playing instruments. There were dancers and a group on stilts. Apparently the government pays these individuals to entertain but, of course, they make the majority of their income in tips. And Cubans come to old town as well. Alejandro said he brings his son here. Not often, because he can’t afford it, but because his son loves it.
Stiltwalkers in Old Havana
We got to go into the train that the president used to ride in during his very long term. A friend in the group called it “Air Force One for Cubans”. An appropriate name. But it was cool to see where the “first family” ate and slept and made decisions back in the revolutionary days.
The tour ended with a cocktail on a rooftop bar in one of the beautiful old hotels in Old Havana. There’s a room in the hotel where Ernest Hemingway used to stay. I’m getting used to these rum drinks. This one was called Ambros Mundos and was what? Rum and juices of course!
After our tour of Old Havana we took the bus to see different parts of the city. For those that know me, this is not the way I like to see things. But, per my pre-trip intentions, I’m going with the flow and staying present and appreciating things 🙂 We drove by the U.S. Embassy where the American flag recently started flying. This building has been around for decades but until last year didn’t even have a sign on it. The drive toward the building is interesting. In front of the building are 150 massive flag poles. The story behind these flag poles is fascinating: when the embassy was closed, it was demoted to only an interests section, and the diplomats remaining there were forbidden to issue public statements or communicate with Cubans in general. To get around this, in 2006 they set up an electronic billboard across 25 windows near the top of the building on which “subversive” messages were posted. One of which included Abraham Lincoln’s quote: “No man is good enough to govern another without his consent.” In response, Fidel and his regime raised 150 black flags to obscure the billboard from view from any angle. They no longer raise the flags and the electronic billboard is gone , but it’s interesting to see how the government works to keep its people under it’s thumb.
We went to the Plaza de la Revolution next. This square is Havana’s largest and is the scene of important public events and political rallies. On the two ugly buildings housing the offices of the Ministries of the Interior and Communications are steel memorials of two of the most important, deceased heroes of the revolution – Ernesto “Che” Guevera and Camilo Cienfuegos. Across the street sits a humongous memorial to Jose Marti who is a national hero in Cuba for dedicating his life to the promotion of liberty and political independence for Cuba from the Spanish in the 19th century. It is the tallest structure in Havana and features Marti in the famous Thinker pose. Fidel Castro is not yet memorialized in the square because he is still alive.
In front of the memorial to “Che” Guavera – Plaza de la Revolution
We continued on to the wacky and slightly perverse Callejon de Hamil which is an alley where local artist Salvador Gonzalez has adorned every space with murals and sculptures inspired by the religion called Santeria. Santeria resulted from African Americans slaves in Cuba combining their religion with Roman Catholicism. Their customs include a trance and divination system for communicating with their ancestors, animal sacrifice, and sacred drumming and dance…you can see how the art of such a religion would be a bit crazy. Let’s just say one of the places to rest your weary bones is in a former bathtub now called art. I loved this little avenue – it had a wild and no-one-cares attitude! The art was al-encompassing, the music was blaring and Cubans were perched carelessly over brilliant pieces of art. Freakin’ cool.
Callejon de HamilCallejon de Hamil
Our evening ended with a wonderful dinner at a local Paladar called Karma. Perhaps obviously, the paladar focuses on the meaning behind the word and has some Indian tendencies. The restaurant is owned by a local WOMAN. Apparently this is pretty rare and people have really tried to support and grow women-owned businesses. It was packed so they were definitely succeeding. In fact, according to Tony, there was a famous Cuban producer waiting for a table when we left.
We were off to the famous canon ceremony that takes place in the The Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña. The fort was built around 1774 by the Spaniards to control the access of the Havana Port. The canon ceremony takes place every single night at 9 pm. There is some pomp and circumstance performed by Cuban soldiers with guns and fire and a huge canon! At about 10 minutes after 9, they light the canon and the sky lights up and the people in the crowd – including me – jump! The ceremony symbolizes the times when the Cubans had a curfew and prior to that – when the gates to Old Havana was to be closed. The curfew was at 9 pm so when they heard the canon blast, Cubans knew that it was time to return to their homes. Obviously there is no longer a curfew but the ceremony remains and even locals come out to it. There were many, many families with children vying for a spot to see the canon blow!
Day 1 in Cuba did not disappoint and I already feel like I’ve made some amazing new friends.
There was a significant amount of time spent in airports today – combined with some panic when my bag didn’t appear for 90 minutes – I won’t go into those inconsequential things. But, in true traveling Aimee fashion (man, I like her so much more than non-traveling Aimee!), I met some amazing people on the flight from Miami as well as in the airport. Perhaps that just happens over sweat and lost-bag panic but I love it just the same. I met Michael Chinnici who runs a tour group called Photo Workshop Adventures that specializes in worldwide tours where the group focuses on arts and photograpy. He’s been to Cuba many times and was sweet enough to offer his wisdom on the place. And of course I peppered him with questions because…what an amazing job he has! He said he started this company about 8 years ago because he had a passion for travel and for photography. So this is one of those “follow your passion and the money will come” stories. And he has been to some incredible places and…gotten paid for it! I asked him for a job 🙂 I also got to meet his coworker Ena and some of the Americans on his tour – one of which did the amazing job of finding my almost long-lost bag. We exchanged information in the hopes that I’d hook up with their group on my free night in Havana. It was a wonderful beginning to the trip and made me SO hopeful that I’ll meet similarly fascinating people here.
The smells and sounds assault you when you leave the arrivals terminal. Throngs of people make more noise than you ever thought they could – all speaking so rapidly in Spanish that I could only catch one or two words here and there. And it is HOT. And sweaty. And either Cubans wear a lot of cologne or my nose is becoming as sensitive as Candace’s. Luckily I easily found my taxi and we were on the road to my guesthouse. Immediately I saw the countless classic American cars Cuba is known for. And the smell of exhaust is overpowering. On the road fresh air was not to be found. But the cars??? AMAZING.
After just a short trip I was brought to my guesthouse. I am staying with a family here in Cuba. When tourism became big in Cuba – about 20 years ago (it’s been open to American for only a hear and a half) – families – if they had a big enough house and a private bathroom for guests – were given the opportunity to open their homes up to tourists as a way to make some additional money. I actually prefer to travel this way as it gives me a chance to learn more about the Cuban way of life. And, of course, practicar me Espanol. The homes in the neighborhood I’m staying in are absolutely massive. And in varying stages of decay. The have gorgeous architecture and huge picturesque balconies but they have just not been kept up. Cubans have not been able to buy or sell real estate until 3 and a half years ago. They have acquired their homes by any number of previous generations and since you couldn’t buy a home, children live with parents and grandparents. It’s certainly a different way of life. And the home that I’m staying in is one of the massive one that haven’t been kept up. It’s perfectly fine – there’s a bed and a shower with hot water but, again, it’s interesting to see the way of life here.
I didn’t expect my roommate to already be here but Sallie was just getting ready to head out. Sallie is from New York and just recently purchased a brownstone in Brooklyn. Just tying that sounds cool! She works as a grant writer for the performing arts – in NY! Totally cool. Anyway, one of my first questions to her was, “Can I join you”? We wandered the neighborhood of Vedado which is a mile + away from Old Havana. We were on the lookout for a CADECA (a money exchange) and some traditional Cuban food.
Havana’s Neighborhoods
Sallie is also a petite redhead so we had to get used to “piropos” – which is what Americans call flirting. Linda hermosa – pretty lady – with a couple of kissy faces and a lot of stares. Me? I like it! All flattery is good flattery and when you don’t speak the language and therefore don’t know if they’re saying something inappropriate, I’m all good! It was just fascinating – I guess the two of us are just so different from what Cubans see on a day-to-day basis…
We found a sweet outdoor paladar where we had some lunch. Paladares are privately owned restaurants; not run by the govenment. The have been legal in Cuba since the early 1990s but only in 2010 were goverment restrictions on the restaurants removed. Until then they were only allowed to seat 12 people and had to be run out of a Cuban house and all of the workers were required to be family members.
My first paladar
I ordered whatever sounded good in Spanish – cerado was the only descriptive word I knew – and ended up with a lovely plate of grilled pork on the bone. And of course I had my first local beer – it’s called Crystal and tasted like heaven on a hot and humid day in a beautiful new country.
After a nice siesta, we met up with the rest of our tour group for a brief introduction. Our local guide, Tony, gave us a restaurant recommendation and Sallie’s friend, Anne, had heard about another place we should go called Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC). We decided to hit FAC first. FAC an avant-garde art co-op that opened in 2014 to promote the interchange of artistic ideas and happenings.
Fabrica de Arte Cubano
OMG what an amazing place! Of course the first thing we did was get the typical Cuban cocktail () made by a beautiful Cuban man who spoke no English. Who needs it, right? This was an amazing drink! It tasted like the best Kool-Aid ever and went down way too quickly. We retreated to an outdoor area that was decorated with tires that served as cocktail tables and a shipping container as the bar.
Sallie, Anne and Me – first rum drink at FAC
The gallery itself was phenomenal. It was room after room after room after theater after rooftop gallery filled with local Cuban art. Every space – and artist – was so radically different and beautiful and creepy and touching and happy and scary. There were religious-themed photos depicting locals with angel’s wings. There were nude photos depicting all sizes, colors and backgrounds of Cuban women. There were photos depicting a historical Havana overlaid with modern Havana. There were abstract paintings and fashion. I loved and hated everything I saw! We got to meet one of the artists and just wandered around being inundated with the arts scene here in Havana.
We then moved to a restaurant recommended by our guide called El Cocinero. It has 2 levels of outdoor seating in a beautifully landscaped setting. We sat on the rooftop deck and started with some Chilean white wine and appetizers. Dinner included more wine, gossip and wonderful food. I told Sallie and Anne that I felt like one of the cool kids. We had an evening of wine and food and art and shared stories in such lovely and fascinating place filled with beautiful people. Being one of the cool kids might be as nice as it’s cracked up to be!
El Cocinero
Stories from a newly married, adventure seeking woman looking to see the world.
