"Support for the Cuban People"
On December 14th of 2018, my wife (Bea), daughter (Sophia) and I landed in Havana around 9 pm after two long flights from Missoula to Minneapolis to Miami and a very short 90 mile hop from Miami. Prior to 2014 when President Obama expanded the exceptions to the ban on travel to Cuba, this was not legally possible for most Americans. As per the new regulations, we traveled to Cuba on the "Support for the Cuban People" license. This meant our stay in the country required that we engage in a full time schedule interacting with the Cuban people. In other words, a beachfront resort owned and run by the government was out of the question. Our trip took us to Havana, Trinidad and Viñales
My wife, Beatriz Padron, is an American born Cuban. Her parents and grandparents came to Florida during the time of the revolution and soon thereafter settled in Puerto Rico. I consider myself very fortunate to have visited the island with her for many reasons, not the least of which is that Spanish is her first language.
Trinidad
We learned the hard way that when you pay per person in Cuba there will never be an empty seat. The three of us crammed like sardines into the backseat of a minuscule and indescribably uncomfortable import.
After checking into our Airbnb, we spent our first night in Trinidad attending a pre-arranged "experience" through Airbnb: a mixology class titled "Taste and Make the Best Mojito in Trinidad". Our mixologist professor, Yosney, was knowledgeable and delightful. We, along with our new friends from China, Kai and El, did indeed learn how to make the best mojitos we've ever tasted and there is nothing similar about them to the ones you find in American bars. Interestingly, we learned that the drink dates back to the 16th century and was essentially the drink of the pirates that was used to fight scurvy. Disney World should serve mojitos on the Pirates of Caribbean ride if they really care about historical accuracy.
Back to Havana
After two nights in Trinidad, it was time to make the long trek back to Havana. Once again, we crammed into a wheeled sardine can. This entire trip was conceived due to Sophia's participation in the "Montanans" choir at Montana State University. The choir was invited by the Cuban Archbishop to perform a series of concerts in Havana over Christmas. So, we planned our trip with some extra time on both ends of the concert schedule. Once we dropped Sophia off to meet the choir, Bea and I checked into a different airbnb where we spent two more nights before heading off alone to Viñales.
We spent a lot of time walking around Havana even racking up over 10 miles of walking one day. Walking in Havana, particularly old Havana, is hard to describe. It is enjoyable but far from relaxing. One must be careful to avoid dog/cat/hog feces or, on occasion, step over a dead kitten or a ripe lamb skull. Pedestrians do not appear to have the right of way on the narrow cobblestone streets. I cannot count the number of times I jumped out of my skin for being honked at. Many of the Airbnbs we stayed in were very modest but comfortable. The moment you step outside the building, however, you are headlong and deep in the third world.
People in Havana (and everywhere else in Cuba) are incredibly friendly. I can honestly say I have never felt more safe in a big city than in Havana. I wouldn't hesitate to stroll down the darkest alley at any time of day or night. Of course, this is probably because the entire city seems to be under constant surveillance via a noticeable camera grid. There are eyes everywhere and the government does not tolerate crime. Nevertheless, the relentless offer of "Taxi?" heard every 10th step became so tiresome that it began to feel like criminal assault! And then the ever present "Where you from?" is a seemingly innocent question. From some, the question represents a sincere desire to meet new people and practice english. From others, it is an attempt to open a conversation in which you will be told about their family's "Paladar" (private restaurant often found in someone's home), salsa class or some other such thing. The other consistent offer received is to buy rum or cigars (black market) at "50% off because it is THE LAST DAY of the 500th year anniversary of the founding of Havana". It was the "last day" every single day we spent in Havana. Two more nights of this and we knew we would be ready to get out to see the countryside.
Hustle and bustle with a camera in hand
Postcards from the Past
I have a cherished collection of postcards that my grandmother sent to my great grandfather when she visited Cuba in July of 1927. I spent some time trying to find some of the buildings depicted. I managed to find only the one shown in the postcard above but, as luck would have it, this was the very hotel in which she stayed (as described in her writing below).
We ended the day with a sunset drive in a Bel Air convertible and a visit to the famous Floridita Club. Note to self: pick a convertible with a stereo next time.
Viñales!
We were very excited to get on the road to the rural valleys in Western Cuba we heard so much about. Viñales has been referred to as the Napa Valley of Cigars.
Change of plans
We were scheduled for a horseback ride through the valley on the afternoon of our arrival but the weather had other plans. A storm dumped huge amounts of rain all afternoon and into the night. Fortunately, we were able to reschedule until the following morning. We stayed in another airbnb at Finca Rojas. The foul weather ended up being a disguised blessing because we would likely have not otherwise had the opportunity to spend hours with our host, Alfredo, a lifelong, multi-generational tobacco farmer. We drank his rum and smoked his cigars while sitting in his drying house listening to him talk over the rain about the process of growing tobacco and making cigars. Those who know me best know that I don't have a strong history with cigars. Alfredo took the time to teach me how to smoke them without ending up in the hospital as I did once before. But that's another story.
Our next excursion began on another Finca (farm) near Viñales. We saddled up and set out with Miguel as our guide.
Miguel is a knowledgable young man with a family including a wife and twin girls
Honey
We also learned of a different honeybee in Cuba that lives underground. They described their harvesting techniques and how to make the "Rebel Libre".
This older gentleman used an axe to chop down a small tree with the vitality and vigor of a teenager
Music
Music is like air in Cuba. And dancing occurs with nearly the same frequency as breathing. Our first night in Havana we strolled down the street and quickly stumbled upon two live music venues not to mention the music in the streets. Music drifts out of almost every door you pass. It was no different in rural Cuba. Here, a duo at our lunch spot in the Viñales region was pleased to take our request of La Negra Tomasa.
Bea y su caballo Ranchero
The Valley of Silence offers a welcome auditory relief from Havana
We stopped here to drink some refreshing coconut water through a bamboo straw inserted into a coconut
Miguel showed us a hummingbird nest populated with two babies
Typical bathroom in rural Cuba
A freshly tilled field for planting tobacco
The Viñales region was undoubtedly the highlight of our adventure in Cuba and we were sad to leave
Seis noches mas en Habana
WiFi Hotspots
It is advisable to tell friends, family and business associates that you will have minimal access to the internet while in Cuba. It isn't because the internet isn't available. Rather, it is just royal pain the neck to get online. At left, one can see a very typical WiFi hotspot in Havana. In our experience, there is no way you are getting on the internet anywhere in Cuba without a "tarjeta de WiFi". Each of these scratch-off cards costs about $2 for one hour of access. One must be extremely careful to lightly scratch off the lengthy password. We ruined more than one card by scratching off the numbers. The WiFi signals are broadcast in very specific places, usually public parks and hotel lobbies, where you will see groups of people huddled together staring at their devices. The internet is more trouble than it's worth in Cuba. Real life is better off without it anyway.
Christopher Columbus Cemetery
We spent several hours with a highly knowledgeable guide, Rubén, touring the Columbus Cemetery on another Airbnb "experience". Christopher Columbus is not buried here but I never thought a cemetery could be so interesting. Rubén gave us the colorful history behind so many of the gravesites. Our only regret is that we didn't allot more time for this tour or have more time to spend with Rubén in a social setting.
I could spend days in this cemetery with my camera experimenting with remotely triggered flashes
Rumba!
Rumba is a form of Afro-Cuban music and dance that originated in Havana. It has a very evident African element to the sound and the movements of the dancers. Rumba appears to be intermixed with the Santeria religion, a syncretism of Roman Catholicism, the Yoruba religion from Africa and the indigenous Taíno people of the Caribbean. We attended a Rumba ceremony at Callejon de Hamel which is also a permanent art installation.
Feliz Navidad!
We spent Christmas in Cuba. The only gift we ever heard about being exchanged was a grown daughter who planned to give her mother a dead chicken so she could make a soup. But for the occasional Christmas tree or Santa Claus, there isn't a whole lot of fanfare attached to the holiday. There's plenty of music and dancing though... just like every day.
Batter up!
At one point while walking in Havana I saw two men arguing so intensely I thought one of them might actually murder the other before my eyes. I asked Bea what they were arguing about and she said "Oh, just baseball. It's not serious. They're just teasing". I fear what it might look like when someone actually gets in a serious argument!
Retrospective
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain
We would definitely go back to Cuba and would recommend other Americans consider making the trip. Next time, we'll plan to spend more time in the countryside with less of the bustle of Havana. Under current regulations, I wouldn't suggest anyone expect it to be the most relaxing experience as the "full time schedule" requirement of the US Government serves as a bit of a cloud overhead. If I was forced to describe Cuba in a single word it would be "intense". We were ready to come home at the completion of our 12 day trip. But it didn't take long to sense a pleasant haunting of such an interesting place where we have cultivated a new set of friends and connections in the bigger world.
Gracias, Cuba!
Credits:
© Bill McDavid