Cuba! Wednesday Nov 26 - Monday Dec 15 2014

Cuba!  A step back into time.  Into the first half of the previous century.   Before internet and wifi.  Before everyone had run out of time.  A time when neighbours knew each other and children played outside.  A time when traffic moved at horse cart speed.  A time when 'relaxing' meant 'doing nothing'!

Where we went...

 

Havana.  Wednesday  Nov 26 - Sun Nov 30 2014

Viñales.  Sunday  Nov 30 -  Tues Dec 2 2014

Cienfuegos.  Tuesday Dec 2  2014

(beautiful) Trinidad.  Tuesday Dec 2 - Thursday Dec 4 2014

Sancti Spìritus.    Thursday Dec 4 2014

Ciego de Àvila.  Thursday Dec 4 2014 

Camagüey.  Thursday Dec 4 - Saturday Dec 6 2014 

Gibrara.  saturday Dec 6 - Monday Dec 8 2014

(huge and buzlzing) Santiago de Cuba.  Monday Dec 8 - Thursday Dec 11 2014

 Guantànamo.  Thursday Dec 11 2014 

(wet, wet, wet) Baracoa.  Thursday Dec 11 - Sunday 14 Dec 2014

What Cuba is all about ....

Being woken by the crow of a cock.  Rich golden Papayas.  Casa Particulares.  Lobster.  More lobster.  (mostly)Truly friendly people.  Spacious living rooms.  Wooden rocking chairs.  The simple life.  Palm trees and sugar cane plantations.  Tobacco.   Cats, dogs, parrots, chicken and goats.  Horse carts.   Che and Fidel and the ever present revolution.  Traffic moving at bicycle speed.  Making do without.  Music. Salsa.  Big men\women on small bicycles.  Being able to wait.  And wait.   And wait a little bit longer.  'Holanda???  I have a friend in Amsterdam!'.

 

Che Guevara on Plaza de la  Revolución.  Hasta la Victoria siempre. (Always Toward Victory)

All in all we had a wonderful holiday.  But Cuba is also a country, like many others, of a few....   lets call it 'irregularities' which can temporarily dampen your spirit. The Cuban police for instance:



Our trip from Havana to Viñales did not go smoothly all the way....   We got the rented car on our last morning in Havana.  We packed and guided by a surprisingly well working GPS mobile system, we set off for the Viñales valley.   Abiding by the traffic rules and with all 4 eyes on the roads not to bump into a dog, bicycle taxi or any other form of slow moving vehicle.  And then there he was!  The cop on his huge motorbike, showing signs which we eventually got as 'pull over'.  Maarten got out and listened to a very long spanish story after which he bend over and said to me  ' I think we are getting a fine'  And so it was.  We had been driving too slowly in the presidential area, 55 km\h in stead of 60 and we have to now pay him, right there and then, 100 CUC (80 euro)!!  We started to complain en later it went down to 60 CUC, which we, stupidly enough and out of pure desperation, paid just to get away!  If only I had carried on with my spanish lessons 12 years ago!  I afterwards thought of so many things that I could have said to him!

The speeding ticket!  Which, in hindsight, only 2 novice travelers during their first hour of renting a car in Cuba, would pay!

But then, if this was not enough, less than 5 minutes later the same thing happened again!  Still in the outskirts of Havana!  This time 2 cops in a police car stopped us and told us that we were going to fast!  Unbelievable!  I just kept on saying, no, no. no possible!!  And in my totally terrible spanish told him that the same thing has happened less than 5 minutes ago.  He later got really mad, but we kept on refusing.  And then we got saved by a next victim!  His partner stopped another tourist rental and we were waved away, probably hoping that they now got a easier target.  We were on the verge of returning the car and do what ever we possibly can not to have to continue the trip driving a rental in  this country!!  Fortunately this never happened again.  Three days later when we drove past Havana again on our way tot Trinidad, we sat on the tail of another tourist car and watched them being pulled over while we could safely slip away!

Havana. Wednesday Nov 26 - Sunday Nov 30 2014

Havana.  The perfect backdrop for a fifties movie.  Narrow streets between high walled houses.  Wooden doors right there on the edge of the street, hiding surprisingly spacious living rooms.  With wooden rocking chairs on tiled floors.

 

  

 

  

  

We stroll the streets. Coming across half a dog right next to the pavement. But then 'ooh!' and `aah!` about the beautiful dilapidated old house on the next corner.  We take pictures, too many. But who cares. This is a here and now that we want to remember.

  

  

Havana. City of plazas.  Beautiful Plaza Vieja with beautifully restored buildings. A plaza almost to perfect for Cuba.  Where we sat drinking beers at the microbrewery listening to salsa sounds from a great little band which, unfortunately,  later vanished in the deafening sound of loudspeakers from a across the plain, preparing for a long night full of music and dance.

  

  

 

  

 

  

City of fascinating old cars, all shiny and with drivers in cream colored straw hats.  At 25 cuc an hour we got driven through the streets of Havana in a lilac and white cabrio by a  spanish, and only spanish,  speaking chauffeur.  Sitting deep and comforable in the white leather seats and forgetting about the life that we actually live somewhere in the future of where we currently are.

  

  

  

  

  

 

 Visiting 1-cuc-entrance-fee-museums where you unexpectedly get swept away by a Spanish speaking guide who, around the first corner, tells you that it is quite okay to take pictures even though you did not buy the 5-cuc-camera-allowed-entrance ticket.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Chatting to friendly locals on the street who know someone in Amsterdam and tells you exactly where music is being played and ask questions about your plans for the rest of your Cuba trip and then wonders whether you might help them with a donation to buy  milk for their baby.   Ordinary happy people living their ordinary happy lives.  Doing day to day chores amidst curious tourists walking by.

 

  

  

  

  

 

   

 

  

  

Strolling along the Malecòn in the late afternoon.  Watching fishermen gather something for 'la cena' (dinner) and getting splashed by a not so unexpected wave crushing over the weatherd seawall.  Turning around to a magical picture of activity shining against the a back light of the setting sun.

  

  

  

  

Spending time waiting for the right moment toe take the perfect picture with just another old car in the foreground.  And then...  being shocked to reality when a dutch connexxion bus in original colours and with original destination signs drives by .....

  

Getting lured away to the so called 'Cooperativo de Cuba',   the perfect place to buy Cuban cigars at special prices.  Even though it is only a tiny room at the back of just another dilapidated house.  A box of 800 dollar Cohibas for just 300 dollar!  Getting to smell them for free. Why on earth would you say know.  Slipping away with 'no fumar \ we don't smoke', creating an escape route for the German tourists stuck in the same trap.

 

Taking a 4 CUC ride in a bicycle taxi of a small thin legged man, peddling over the hill and trying to convince us to ride with him again afterwards because its really not safe in the streets.  

  

Staring through  wooden window frames at rows of tobacco rolling fingers, fast and efficient.  First gathering a heap of fine inner leaves and then skillfully rolling them into multiple outer, stronger leave layers.  Smoothing the one end to a perfect little round dome.

  

 Afterwards walking across Centro Habana to the Vedado neighbourhood to the huge Plaza de la  Revoluciòn. Taking a break against the wall at the feet of José Martí to get a drink against dehidration in the burning bright sunlight.  Staring across the parking area at the huge murals of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, still watching over the results of the revolution they faught for.

  

 Staying at Casa Pablo in Call Refugio.  Our first Cuban Casa Particular breakfast of little fat finger bananas, sweet pineapples and my all time favourite, golden orange papaya.  Freshly squeezed papaya juice, fresh warm bread rolls and eggs fritos (fried) or tortilla (omelet).

Entrance to Casa Pablo accross the street

Casa Pablo Courtyard

 

Our room

 

Taking a taxi through the tunnel to the other side of the bay to visit the lovely Fortaleza de San Carlos De La Cabaña and later, after a private casa lunch, Castillo De Los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro.  From where we could stare across the bay at a panoramic picture of beautiful Havana, the complete left side from the Paseo de Martí  to the harbour and to the right as far as we can see, almost to where the playas begin.

 

  

 

Going back to our Casa to pack and stroll the streets one last time before we leave for Veñales.