Cuba 2008

Greetings from Cancun! My sister, Mary, her friend, Kathy and I flew to Havana from Cancun on Tuesday night, October 28, a week before the election. Some months ago, I decided I wanted to celebrate with the Cuban people. I will soon be writing our President-elect, suggesting that a great way to make a statement about a new approach internationally will be to summarily end the Cuban embargo.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/HavanaI#

Wed eve, Oct 29

Sitting on the edge of my bed at Casa Particular (Cuban "B&B") Abel, Centro Havana. My 3-prong power cord doesn't fit the wall plug in, so I may lose power soon, as I just downloaded today's pics. We found an internet cafe in the Hotel Florida today. 'Very nice guy runs it and he says I can bring my laptop and plug in there, so I'm hoping to be able to add to my blogspot and let you know. No spellcheck on this WordPad and in the help index I can't find "spell check" or "check spelling". Why is that? Anyway, my proofreading will miss some typos. 'Sorry about that.

Doug answered the phone at 3:40 am on Tuesday and got me to the airport in plenty of time (Lucy off on a quilters' retreat). I had my usual body scan after setting off the machine and, also as usual, left something at security--my passport and ticket. The pat-down guy caught up with me and gave them back to me. Smooth flight to Denver, napping some. Then on to Cancun, where I waited until the last checked item to get my suitcase. While waiting for Sister Mary and her friend and co-worker Kathy, I chatted with a tourist guy, Carlos, in the airport. What do you know? He's selling timeshares! I let him know I already have Club Regina, but that didn't dissuade him. When I asked about transport to Playa del Carmen, to catch the ferry to Cozemel, Carlos saw his opening. He will provide private transport to Playa (taxi will cost about $80), and round trip ferry tickets, in addition to the free breakfast, in exchange for Mary and me (parading as a couple) sitting thru the Mayan Place 90-minute spiel. Oh, and a margarita and kalua thrown in as well.

Just about the time I sealed that deal, knowing Mary will cooperate, she showed up, with her cart heaped high. And, a few minutes behind her, Kathy. We all got the "green light"--no baggage check at immigration. The guy from (Canadian) Nash Travel was waiting for us at the Mexicana counter, to give us our tickets (that I purchased on line) and Cuban Visas. The flight to Havana was smooth too, arriving before 11 pm. Again, NO customs scrutiny--they just opened the doors for us! The taxista only had to reverse directions a couple of times to find Casa Abel (111 Blanco, between Trocadero & Animas). Abel was waiting for us. He's got children age 50, but doesn't look it. He helped lug all our suitcases up a long, steep marble staircase to the lovely living room with tall ceiling, arches and stained glass (see pics). Two bedrooms, each with private bath (If a curtain qualifies as "private".) Hot water via a switch that can't be left on or it may burn the house down, but makes the temperature muy buena.

This morning we met Abel's wife, Idey, and one of his sons, Rigo. I was confident that our rooms would be waiting last night, because Rigo had emailed me, asking that I buy him a motherboard and memory stick for his computer. After a delicious breakfast here at Casa Abel, I went to the Casa do Cambio. I was disappointed to learn that the Canadian $ has fallen considerably. According to almost all sources, there is a substantial extra fee to change US $ in the new Cuban Convertible (CUC). But it now takes almost $1.50 Cdn. to buy one CUC. So, things will be more expensive this time.

Today we walked. Casa Abel is a couple of blocks from the Malecon, the avenue along the bay. It's about a 15-minute walk to the entrance to the Bay of Havana, across from the fort and the northern edge of Havana Antigua. Photogenic stroll, the breaking waves on our left, the old colonial buildings, many in severe disrepair, across the Malecon.

We started running in to art and artisan shops. 'Found deals on cigars, but held off, as Rigo told me Abel is the one to get cigars from. 'Stopped for mojitos at the Bodeguita del Medio, made famous by Hemmingway. The colorful bartender told me I have a striking resemblance to the old man. I said I should--my middle name is Ernest and I am a writer too! The bar walls are filled with guest signatures. I'll have to wait to see if anyone takes me up on mine and emails me about it--"john-at-large.blogspot.com" !

Kathy wanted to email home. While heading toward a recommended spot, we happened on to the Hotel Florida and were escorted to their internet room, where we chatted with the friendly guy who runs it. He offered to let me hook up my laptop there.

On to the art and artisan market near the Plaza de Armas. I found Mary Gill's painting there, very similar to the ones I bought in 2003 and only recently had framed. Mary and Kathy got a few items, I found places to rest. We all walked back along the Malecon at sunset, with some time to relax before the lobster dinner here at Casa Abel that we had agreed to. Wonderful, but too much food. After dinner we chatted for an hour or more, over drinks and chocolate that Mary pulled out of her bags. A daughter, Sonia, and the gal that helps with the place also joined us. Lots of laughs about the remainder of a bag of jerky we still had--it would likely have been confiscated if Mary had been checked at either Mexican or Cuban Customs. Abel, after a couple of drinks, began lamenting the state of things in Cuba. Before the revolution, lots of cattle. Now few. He claimed he hasn't been able to get beef for 16 years, which prompted Mary to give him the jerky. He acted like it was too precious to share with the rest of his family, but eventually he did. They speak little English, but that didn't dampen the spirited exchanges.

'Tired. 'Hope I sleep as soundly as I did last night. After breakfast, the Zamora family are coming over--Mary has brought clothing and money for them, from a family member, Claudia. Kathy and Mary work with Claudia in Oregon (Developmental Disabilities).

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Thursday night. After another hearty breakfast with Abel and his family, we walked to the Parque Central, where we caught a tour bus to Playa del Este, not far out of Havana. No masseuse, like Mary found on our last visit in 2003. We walked in the surf, that had some undertow. 'Didn't see anyone out in the ocean and there were red flags along the beach--enough to keep me from going father than knee deep.

After that bus returned us to the Parque Central, we had mojitos at one of the hotels. We told the band that it's Kathy's birthday, so, of course, they sang to her. We next caught another bus that made a circuit around Centro Havana and Havana Vieja. It had an open upper deck, which gave us a great view of the many historic buildings and monuments.

After getting off that bus we made for Havana Club. In 2003 the lead singer, David, had befriended Mary and me. He's still there and quickly remembered us. Kathy again was serenaded. It didn't take much prodding from Mary to get Kathy up, playing the Guido with the band--as Mary had done in '03. We have a couple of pictures we took of David last visit, but they were back here in the room. We promised to bring them in a week, after we return from our Cuban road trip.

Rigo accompanied me to rent the car. It took longer than expected, but Rigo tells me we got a free upgrade to a medium sized car. Abel doesn't approve of my intended route tomorrow, along the less traveled north shore, on the way to the Vinales Valley. He warns that the recent hurricanes (Gustavo and/or Ike) have damaged roads. We'll see. I'm still inclined to try the north shore, since we'll travel the Carretera Central on our return from Vinales.

Kathy found a lovely bouquet of flowers waiting for her on our return to the casa, a gift from Abel. After dinner she was also treated to a yummy cake.

We didn't make it back to the internet cafe today. 'Not sure if we'll get any access in Vinales or Bay of Pigs (I'm still getting ridicule here at Casa Abel about saying our destinations include Bahia do los Cohones, meaning to say Cochinos). Understandable mistake, verdad?

Buenas noches.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Vinales#

It's now Saturday night. We had less trouble driving out of Havana yesterday than we did on our first visit. I began following the north coast route, but somehow got turned around. Fortunately, we hadn't gone too many kilometers before we realized my error. We were close to the Carretera Central (central highway), so we got turned around and proceeded west. We visited Terrazas, up in the hills, swam in Rio San Juan, a pretty location with a series of falls. We next turned up to Soroa, where we took in mineral baths (alas, they weren't very warm) and each had a massage from the affable Pedro. We also met a Cuban guide there, very fluent in English. Seeing my Obama/Bidon button, he asked 2 questions, : 1) Will there be a manipulated error in ballot counting? 2) Will enough people, in the privacy of the ballot box, vote against a black man? I told him I timed this visit to be here next Tuesday, to rejoice with the Cuban people, as I look forward to Obama doing away with the blockage early in his presidency. It will be an opportunity for Fidel, Raul and the regime to
take steps toward more openness here, in exchange.

Night fell as we resumed our journey toward Vinales. We debated about stopping sooner, but we continued, again noting all the bikes and carts without lights or reflectors (I brought a bunch of reflectors to pass out). On arriving in Vinales, we found that Abel had called Marguerita 3 times, asking if we had arrived yet. He had recommended her casa particular to us and it's a good thing we persevered through the dark night on roads without lines and few signposts, as Abel has become something of a mother hen to us. Margarita and family proceeded to cook us a wonderful dinner

After a hearty breakfast, we went for a drive through the Vinales Valley, famous for its mogotes--mounds rising from the valley floor. Tobacco growing area, along with other crops. We stopped at Hotel Rancho San Vicente, reportedly site of hot mineral baths and internet. Internet, following recent hurricanes, still not working. Mineral baths cold (like yesterday). That makes 2 strikes (Did the Rays pull off a miracle? I don't have a clue). The 3rd strike?--I left our only car key in the ignition and locked all the doors. Locals worked for an hour, with what slim jim equipment they could rig up, without success. We finally called Cubacar (rental company) and they sent someone in another hour. No master key. No slim jim. You'll never guess--a balloon! He slid a bag in along side the window, that he inflated enough to reach in a bar that unlocked the door from inside! I need a new type of mishap in the future, after losing the key 5 years ago here and getting an electronic key wet in Oaxaca in 2004.

After a rainy day, we got some color at sunset. Mary and Kathy handed out bracelets, pens, tablets and other gifts to the kids in the house. Another superb dinner here at Margarita's tonight. The fish, Pargo, was wonderful. Mary was ready to go out (It's Saturday night), but Kathy and I outvoted her. I'm fighting a cold--I forget to take Airborne before getting on those planes!

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Greetings again. It's now Saturday night--No, scratch that--it's Sunday night, in Bay of Pigs, southern shore of Cuba. You youngsters may not know that a US-backed landing here in 1961, of Cuban exiles, with the intent of overthrowing Castro and his Communist regime, failed miserably. After dinner (another huge, tasty one*) at Dayami's casa particular, \she took us to a friend's house, so Kathy and I could check our email. I took along my laptop, hoping I could plug in to his server, but he explained it's dial-up. And, or course, slow. I scanned new emails and sent Lucy a brief one. I may get lucky in Trinidad. If not there, during the last couple of days in Havana I'll get to the email room at the Florida Hotel.

This morning Mary and I watched a colorful sunrise on Margarita's roof in Vinales. Some clouds, but the sun rose, after a mostly rainy day yesterday, although there was some color at sunset last night. The 5-6 hour drive to Bay of Pigs was fairly smooth, except for the Havana. You'd think the "Autopista National" would be clearly marked and swing around the capitol, right? Mary and I still are dumbfounded by the difficulty we had in 2003, finding the autopista. So, we were not reticent to ask, including one of the gals we gave a ride to (Lots of people gather at underpasses on the freeway, many waving money, in hopes of hitching a ride). No way. We kept asking more people and believed we were almost there when a couple of guys hailed us and talked there way in to the back seat. Since they were out there with the other hitchers, we figured we'd drop them closer to where they were going and they could show us the on-ramp. Many turns and kilometers later, we were indeed on the autopista. Before getting out, they informed us they needed cab money to get to where they were going. We said no, we hadn't agreed to take them out of their way, they could have gotten out closer to where they waned to go and given us what advice they could at that point. Reluctantly, we gave them some Cuban pesos (it takes 24 Cuban pesos to make one CUK (Convertible--the tourist currency now) and they unhappily got out. Another jinterismo ("hustling") experience that we'd rather have avoided.

Arriving in Playa Larga around 3 pm, we made our casa particular choices. Abel's choice was away, so we were introduced to Dayami, next door. She has only one room, but took us around back, to the next street, also with one room, which is where I am staying.

We got in a nice late afternoon snorkel nearby, then watched a fabulous sunset.

* Usually I lose several pounds on my Latin American jaunts. At this rate, I don't see it happening this trip.

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Election morn! Kathy and Mary will be here soon for breakfast at Damara's casa particular (Playa Larga, Bay of Pigs) and we will head toward Trinidad, stopping in Cienfeugos to see if we can find Javier. We have a couple of photos from last trip for him, and his special necklace he insisted Mary take as a gift from him, that she now feels he should have.

Yesterday was stay close to the casa for Kathy, suffering a bout of turista. Mary and I snorkeled at Punta Perdida. Nice. Broken clouds, so the sun was bright on the coral and fish some of the time. Some wind, but the waves and current were manageable. We stopped and looked at the cenote--a salt-water pool. It had lots of swimmers and we agreed the ocean was cleaner and more inviting.

Even though the gas gauge was a bit above empty, the car began acting like it might be running out of fuel. We were informed there is no gas station in Playa Larga (Mary and I agreed--with future rentals south of the border, gas up more often, avoiding "E" anxiety) and we had to drive to a nearby town for fuel. We made it. Along the way, we listened to a variety of birds and took pictures of the swamplands. We are next to the Bosque de Zapata--a nature reserve. Entrance is permitted only with a guide. We met a guide yesterday. He agreed to take us to look for pink flamingos and tiny hummingbirds this morning, but we decided we want to get to Trinidad earlier in the day.

After another huge and tasty dinner, including lobster AND crocodile, we were joined by Negro, a 20-year old, trying to sell us necklaces of black coral. He spoke some English and was a nice guy. The necklaces were pretty, but we had to tell him we can't buy black coral, as it is endangered.

Breakfast time.

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Election night, Trinidad

We don't know. We watched some early evening Cuban TV and saw a US map with lots of blue states, including Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado, but we weren't sure if they were simply projected as Obama. About 10:30 pm (We are on Eastern time here) we chatted with a Cuban employee at a local music place. He said Obama had 53% of the returns. Nice guy. Spoke fairly good English. I gave him my Obama/Bidon button. We will know in the morning.

We stopped in Cienfuegos, had a mojito at the same bar on the plaza that we visited in 2003. Live band. A band member recognized Javier from his photo--said he lives near him. Mary and I wrote a note on the back of the photo and asked the band member to give it to Javier.

Not much traffic on the narrow road to Trinidad. As we entered the outskirts, we were accosted by a guy who told us the road was under repair and there is a detour--that he could help us around it. 'Struck me as a jinitero (hustle) move. Not seeing signs of a detour, I continued on. A few blocks later, there he was again--on a bicycle.. I showed him the business card for the casa particular recommended by Abel and immediately he produced a card from his pocket (Kathy and Mary later remarked they saw he had a stack of cards he pulled from his pocket) for the same casa, saying it was owned by his mother and we should follow him there. A few blocks later, along Trinidad's cobblestone streets, we arrived at a door with no signage as a casa particular. I asked where his mother was. He said her casa was full and therefore we were going to stay at this location. The jinterismo was becoming increasingly obvious. I told him so. Mary cautioned me against making him mad, which could provoke some kind of retaliation. I proceeded to ask others for directions to the casa on the card and found it a few blocks away. In fact, it didn't have room for us, but the real son of the owner of the casa, Jose Ricardo, took us down the block to his casa (Antonio Maceo # 382, tel. 0053-41-994702). Wonderful place, not far from the historic center.

After arriving this afternoon, Mary and Kathy took siestas and I walked 3 blocks to the internet cafe. I though the attendant looked familiar. When I asked if she was working there 5 years ago, she quickly remembered I had given her a baseball cap. No chance of hooking up my laptop, so my only Cuban hope to paste this in to my on-line blog will be Hotel Florida in Havana.

Before and after dinner (Here at the casa--delicious, including Pargo, the fish I so liked in Vinales), we took in live music. Some talented dancers at the Casa de Musica, where we had hooked up with our young dance troop friends last time.

I'm tired enough I expect to sleep well, even though I don't have knowledge of the election results.

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Wed night, 11/5

Obama, Obama, Obama. Singers. Artisan vendors. European travelers. Parking lot attendant. We all rejoice.

We did some street shopping in Trinidad today, mostly hand-made clothing, It's a joy to find things for Juliet, my 13-month old granddaughter. After a mid-day siesta, we got in the car to make our way to the old church above town. I passed an unmanned gate and got in to a poor barrio of hilly, narrow cobblestone streets. Mary voiced reservations about continuing. Catcalls from some stoops were especially unnerving, But, we made it to the old church and the disco in a cave. We had heard that the young dancers we befriended in 2003 perform there, but the guy on duty couldn't tell us much.

We proceeded to Playa Ancon, to swim and walk the beach. Sunset was less colorful than last night. We returned to Trinidad after dark and again had to avoid bikes and carts without reflectors (We've managed to give away most of the stash I brought).

After another delicious dinner here at the casa of Jose Ricardo (another lovely soup, then salad, then prawns, yucca and rice), we made our way back to the Casa de Musica, where the singer from last night remembered and embraced us. He enjoyed my remark that he looks "muy parecido" to Magic Johnson--only smaller. We got some good night pics of him and the female singer. After another stop to take in entertaining singers and dancers, we headed back to the casa.

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Thursday night, 11/6

Our last night in Trinidad. Today was low-key. We did some more strolling of the town and bought some things. Since Ricky J's (Kate and Rick's restaurant) is going to have an old car theme, I've picked up some original paintings of 1950's cars, along with some paper mache replicas. We had lobster tonight. All meals at this clean, pleasant casa have been spectacular. Jose has been friendly and helpful and his young partner, Angela, has been great too. I will sum up the casa particular scene here in Cuba later.

We walked to the fancy Iberostar Gran Hotel for farewell mojitos and decided to pass on the live music scene tonight. It's rained on and off today. Tropical Storm Paloma is due to make landfall just east of here on Sunday, the day we plan to fly back to Cancun from Havana. Locals say not to worry, this storm doesn't look that big. No notable wind yet--still a long way off.

Early start for Havana in the morning--the plan is to get the rental car back without a big rush. I hope to transpose this to my blog, pics added, perhaps tomorrow evening at the Florida Hotel.

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Saturday night, 11/8, last night in Cuba

Our return trip from Trinidad with the rental car was smooth. I did get pulled over by policia after going past a truck and too fast through a checkpoint. After a few minutes looking at my docs, he gave me a short lecture about going slower and we were back on the road. We didn't catch the perimeter road around Havana that shows on the map--if it exists. I was pleased with my choice of route through the city and back to Abel's casa. Rigo went with me to return the car. I got pulled over by policia AGAIN--for making a right turn without using my turn signal. Rigo got out and had a several minute discussion with the young policeman, who was inclined to give me a ticket. Some of Rigo's argument: I am American and have put myself at risk to come to visit Cuba; also, I am getting old and should be forgiven for sometimes missing details--like using turn signals. Reluctantly, the militare resorted to the lecture and gave papers back to me without a fine.

It was a homecoming to return to Abel's He complains about the lack of meat these days in Cuba, so we brought him some. Jose, casa particular owner in Trinidad, confirmed beef is very hard to come by, but we brought Abel back a couple of kilos of cerdo sin grasa (lean pork). Of course, he was delighted. We did some bar hopping last night with Sonia--Abel and Idey's daughter--in the rain. 'Not sure if it's hurricane-related. We hear Paloma has been upgraded to a category 4 and heading for the SE shore of Cuba. Havana is on the north shore and somewhat west of its path.

Today we again visited Claudia's family, this time in their home. Lots of photos and laughs. Then to the internet cafe at the Hotel Florida, laptop in hand. With help, I did get on line. But, the connection was so slow I gave up on trying to do a blog entry with pics. Hopefully the connection in Cancun will be faster. I caught up with Kathy and Mary at the art market, where I got one more old car painting for Ricky J's. On to the Floridita Bar, where we had pictures taken with a bust of Hemmingway. The gals took in the Museum of Cuban Art while I hung out in the park. Next we caught a horse-drawn carriage to the Hotel Nacional, where we bought tickets for the cabaret tonight. It was very colorful and animated. I stayed awake, which is some tribute to the entertainment.

4 pm flight to Cancun tomorrow. Everyone says Paloma is far enough east that our flight should not be delayed. 'Hope so--'looking forward to the luxury of our timeshare at Club Regina, next to the Westin in Cancun.

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Summing up Cuba: We had a great time. Kathy fit right in. She lost her husband to fast-acting cancer just a year ago. She approached Mary about joining us. When I asked her why, Kathy said she’s decided to spend time with people who are positive and fun--like Mary. While Mary and I didn't remember food as the high point in 2003, we consistently enjoyed eating at casas this time---where we slept. Dinner as well as breakfast most every day. All casa owners were friendly. While Mary and Kathy brought a variety of things to share--makeup, soap, medications, writing pads, pencils, pens, light stick bracelets, etc.--the one U.S. product I brought along was reflectors--a bunch of them. As in 2003, driving after dark was hazardous--most bikes and carts without any way to see them, road shoulders nonexistent (we did see some cd's hanging off carts, acting as reflectors). While still encountered frequently, jinterismo (hustling) didn't seem as remarkable this trip. We found more open criticism of the government, but it may just have been the people--I expect that 5 years ago Abel was unhappy with the regime and ready to complain about it. While there was some enthusiasm for my prediction that Obama will quickly end the embargo, most Cubans are hesitant--skeptical . They are afraid to get their hopes up.

Here's my advice I've sent to Barack (Choice.gov):

"Congratulations, Mr. President-elect. I look forward to wonderful changes during your administration.

"Some things will take time. The economy cannot be righted overnight. Ending the war in Iraq--that you and I both knew in was a grievous blunder before it was launched--must to careful and measured.

"I suggest a change that can be quick and have a huge impact on our standing in the international community: End the Cuban embargo. Unconditionally. While you may be tempted to ask the Castro regime to reciprocate with more freedoms for the Cuban people, I expect such reciprocity may not be forthcoming. The embargo is a great allay of the Cuban government. Poor productivity, high unemployment--you name it: the culprit is not the Party, it's the US embargo.

"So, to most benefit the Cuban people and to let the rest of the world know you are in step with them (You know of the annual vote in the United Nations, overwhelmingly recommending we end the embargo), I urge you to quickly and unconditionally declare that our blockade of Cuban has been counterproductive and is over! This is the quickest and most effective way to bring about democratic reforms within Cuban."