Monday, August 8, 2016

Our Cuban Adventure 2016

Our itinerary


In March of 2016, we visited Cuba for a look at this country of contradictions. Cuba with its crumbling infrastructure is still a place of some beauty. It is a third world country with a well educated population. It is a repressive Communist regime with first rate education, health care and cultural institutions accessible to all. It is a place where credit cards are not used, the Internet is difficult (at best) to access and no ATM machines are to be found. In many ways Cuba is a step back in time to the 1960’s. The more you learn about the Cuba, the more questions you have.


In some ways, Cuba can be divided into two parts: Havana and the rest of Cuba. We were able to spend seven days visiting Camaguey, Remedios, Caibarien, Santa Clara, Jovellanos, and Matanzas (the non-Havana part of Cuba) before spending the next four days in Havana. We were treated to several musical and dance performances, visits to art galleries, and even a visit to the King Ranch outside of Camaguey. We were able to visit with everyday Cubans in their homes and talk with them in a variety of settings. We were able to learn about the history of Cuba and its various relations with the United States. We visited some coastal cities and inland farms. We learned about the African rooted religion known as Santeria and of the Cubans love of baseball. We toured a cigar factory to see how the Cuban cigars are made. Vina was (unplanned) able to experience the Cuban health care system up close and personal. We were able to visit a Cuban university and learn how it is run. No academic freedom or tenure in Cuban universities.


We were visiting just a week before President Obama visited. The Cubans were busy painting and fixing up things. The Cuban people are eager for the opening with the U.S. to occur. They are hopeful that someday a Home Depot and a Checker Auto Parts will find their way to Cuba. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong amongst the Cuban people even though Cuba is a Communist economy.


Cuba – a study in contradictions.




You can click on the link of each day (above) to see all of the photos for that day. Once on the website, you can click on More Options, then on Slideshow.


We started with Vina panicking that we were depending on Uber to get us to the airport.  They will never get here and we will be late, she thought.  Uber arrived about five minutes after we called and we headed out to Sky Harbor around 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning.  The driver was very pleasant and the car very clean.

The line to get through security took us more than 45 minutes!  Fortunately we had arrived at the airport early.  Flying now requires patience. 

We experienced several problems on boarding the plane.  Gary's seat was loose and needed to be bolted down so it wasn't available until after the maintenance crew fixed it. Gary was one of the last allowed to board (or so we thought).  Because the flight was overbooked, they kept offering people more money to give up their seats.  Finally four people got off for $450 each to allow others to board.  But Marilyn, one of our travelling group, we thought was bumped from the flight and was to take a later flight. Our flight took off a half hour late which made our arrival in Miami also a half hour late.

Half way through the flight, we discovered that Marilyn had actually made it on board at the last moment.  She got one of those four seats from the people who got the $450.  Now all six in our ASU party were on board.

Our ASU travel group
After arriving in Miami, Marilyn's luggage was briefly misplaced but we found it and caught the hotel shuttle for the very short ride to the hotel, which was located at the airport. 

We all (except for John and Susana) met in the bar for a drink before having dinner at the hotel restaurant.  John and Susana met with their daughter and new granddaughter who live in Miami who came to see them.

We then had an orientation meeting at 8 p.m. where we filled out a whole bunch of bureaucratic forms necessary for travel to Cuba and got to meet our traveling companions.

Then we headed up to our room to organize ourselves for tomorrow, a short night’s sleep and the early morning flight to Cuba.


After a short overnight nap, we awoke at 4 a.m. to meet in the hotel lobby at 5 a.m. to catch a shuttle for the short ride to the airport terminal. 

After making our way through U.S. security, we grabbed a quick breakfast at an airport restaurant.  We then boarded our American Airlines charter flight to Camaguey, Cuba. 

So far the trip has not been very inspiring.   Travel by air has become drudgery.  

2008 was the start of the "opening up” of Cuba.  When Fidel Castro -- the island nation’s longtime dictator -- resigned in February 2008, President Obama said, "If the Cuban leadership begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change, the United States must be prepared to begin taking steps to normalize relations and to ease the embargo of the last five decades.'' When he stepped down, Fidel Castro turned over power to his younger brother and fellow revolutionary, Raul Castro.
                                                           
In July, 2015 the United States and Cuba reopened embassies in each other’s capitals. Both had been closed since 1961. The U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, which cannot be lifted without congressional approval, remains in place. Neither country appointed an ambassador upon the embassies’ reopening.


Camaguey Airport
We landed in Camaguey at 8:45 a.m. and spent the next two hours going through immigration, collecting our luggage and getting our dollars changed into CUCs - the local currency for foreign travelers.  Cuba has two currencies at once.  The peso is the currency for Cubans and is worth about 4 U.S. cents.  The CUC is the money that foreigners must use and it is exchanged at the rate of 1 CUC to 1 dollar.  But there is a tax on American dollars of 10% plus a service fee of 3%.  You also pay the service fee when you convert your CUC back into dollars when you leave Cuba. 

Camaguey is located inland in relatively flat country.  The town streets are very strangely laid out.  Most streets do not have street signs.  They were purposefully built that way so as to be confusing to pirates.  

Ignacio Agramonte
On a walk about the city we visited a museum with a scale model of the city and got a view of how it is laid out.  The guide explained the strange layout of the city to confuse pirates. 

We then went to a central square (there are several squares or plazas located next to one of the many churches in Camaguey) and saw a statue of General Ignacio Agramonte, a key founder of the city.

We had lunch in a government run restaurant – as most restaurants are in Cuba.  The food and service seemed OK but nothing to shout about. 

After lunch we visited a private art gallery located just off of the main plaza.  It was a collection of wide variety of what I might call “pop” art. 

Bucanero
Cristal
For dinner, we went to Restaurante 1800, a noted paladar - which is what Cubans call a privately owned restaurant.  The food and service was good.  We enjoyed a singing trio during dinner.  Cuba is filled with music.  Everywhere in Cuba Fidel Castro committed to bringing culture to the people.  Musicians abound. 
We were introduced to the two beers available in Cuba.  Bucanero is the “dark” beer.  Good but not so dark.  And Cristal is the “light” beer.  Over our time in Cuba, Gary tried them both several times to try to figure out which was the best. 

Concert in the plaza
We talk with the musicians
After dinner we walked back to our hotel.  On the way back, we encountered a concert in the central plaza.  We stopped to enjoy the music and after they finished we spent some time talking with the musicians.  Cuba devotes a lot of resources to the arts and we learn that these musicians play in the plaza on a regular basis as part of their job as professional musicians.  Their salaries are paid by the government. 

On this morning, we took bici-taxis, a popular local form of transport, to visit another plaza. We visited a post office where Gary bought some Cuban stamps and we visited the church on the square.  During the revolution Catholicism – and organized religion – was discouraged but the churches continued and were not torn down.

Amazing leather work
All out of leather
We then visited several art galleries.   We visited the gallery of an artist known as Pepe who specialized in leather molded masks that were quite interesting.  The next gallery was a collection of very modernistic wooden sculptures.   And finally we visited a gallery showcasing indigenous art.  At each of these galleries the emphasis was on using available materials.  Due to the embargo, art materials are




hard to come by unless you have foreign connections.  Many artists have been able to get backing from American foundations and have made trips to the United States.
Wood carving

Posing with sculpture
We visited the gallery of Martha Jimenez with life-sized bronze statues of local Cubans at work and rest outside in the plaza.  It was a great spot for taking pictures while interacting with the statues.  While we were there, Cuban soldiers were spraying nearby houses and businesses for mosquitoes that might be carrying the zika virus. 

Then it was time for lunch on our own.   We chose a restaurant close to the 1800 where we had dinner the night before.   Vina and Gary shared shrimp with vegetables and it was good but it might have been where Vina caught an intestinal bug.  Gary was not affected.  Cuban food so far has been fairly basic and somewhat bland.  The Cubans do not do spicy hot. Portions have been large.
                 
After a brief rest after lunch we headed out on our bus to visit the Jose White Conservatory of Music -
Student musicians
basically a high school for music students. They gave us a concert.  The students are selected for the school at age 9 for their physical attributes (Are their hands big enough to play cords on a piano?) as well as musical talents. The school is the result of the government’s support of the arts for all the people.

Tinajones
Camaguey is known as the city of "tinajones". Tinajones are large red pots found all around and a symbol of the city.  Originally they served as water storage pots. 

 After resting back at our hotel, we headed out for dinner at Meson del Principe a paladar featuring authentic home cooking in an intimate setting. We enjoyed more music with dinner. 
 

During the night Vina came down with a case of tourist revenge.  When morning arrived it was clear that she would not be going very far this day.  She was about to experience the Cuban medical system up close.

At Vina’s urging, Gary went ahead and joined the rest of our group on the planned tour.  Our tour leader, Nathaly (pronounced Natalie) called the medical authorities and a doctor and a nurse came to see Vina in our hotel room. They spent more than two hours tending to her needs.   It was determined that she was dehydrated so she was given an I.V. to rehydrate.  The doctor recommended she continue with the Cipro which we had brought with us.  Food for her condition was ordered from the hotel kitchen.  Sal – a sugary salt was also prescribed.  Of course there was a house call by the pharmacist!
Potter at work

The tour group headed out to visit the Casanova pottery gallery where a potter and his son showed us how they made pots - including the large tinajones Camaguey is famous for.

Then we headed to a ballet studio where professional dancers were practicing and working on future performances.  We were treated to a performance which was a merging of contemporary dance with neoclassical ballet.  After the
Dance performance
performance, we were able to talk with the dancers and ask them questions and they asked us some questions as well.

We then headed back to our hotel - just a very short distance away - and I was able to check on Vina.  She was still feeling badly but seemed to be moving in the right direction.

We re-boarded our bus for the more than one hour ride outside of Camaguey to the King Ranch and its small community of about 200 people.  The King Ranch in Cuba was established as an offshoot of the
Welcome to King Ranch
famous King Ranch in Texas.

Musicians at lunch
We started with lunch in the ranch house (one of the very few concrete buildings in the community).  We were serenaded by a Cuban group of two guitarists and bongo drums.
                                                      
After lunch we boarded horse drawn carts and headed out to watch a short rodeo demonstration.  We
then went over to visit one of the homes (actually barely a ramshackle hut) in the village.  We toured the
Inside the house
house and were served coffee or juice in the backyard.  We saw sugarcane crushed to make a drink - which was (as you would imagine) quite sweet.

There was only an outhouse and no running water.  The people claimed to be happy with their rural lifestyle.  The children here had an itinerant teacher and TV instruction. 

We returned to the hotel about 5:30 and Vina was feeling much better but still suffering a bit.  We had light soup for dinner which had been ordered by the visiting doctor for Vina.   The hotel did not normally serve dinner. We then got ourselves packed up and ready to leave Camaguey the next morning.


We left our hotel about 8:45 a.m. and headed northwest for the four hour drive on the main Cuban highway up the middle of the island.   Cuban highways are not well marked with names or numbers or street signs.  You just have to know which highway you are driving on.   

Vina was slowly recovering.  Our tour guide spent a good part of our traveling time answering our questions about Cuban society.  She believed in the Cuban System even though she is privately employed and earns much more money than most Cubans since tourism has become a major industry in Cuba.  She did have to pay taxes on her earnings. Not all Cubans do pay taxes.  She was born after the Revolution and this is the only Cuba she has ever known.  This is clearly a period of political transition for Cuba as they experiment with a very limited form of a market economy.  The opening with the United States and the possibility of the lifting of the embargo are very welcome.

We stopped at a roadside stand to stretch our legs and take a potty break.  Gary bought a baseball cap with the Cuban flag on it.  Vina wouldn’t let him buy the Ché Guevara hat.

Our Hotel
After arriving at our hotel in Remedios, we enjoyed a "light" lunch which was good but definitely not light!  We were served pork, chicken and fish at every meal.  They told us this was normal.  We didn’t see any real fat people in Cuba. Everyone walks a lot.  Very few have cars. 

Part of a parade float
After lunch we walked to a workshop of an artist who designs the colorful carrozas or floats used in Las Parrandas, a lively series of street parties and religious carnivals that take place throughout the
Christmas holiday season.  Cuba is a Communist country with religion officially not supported but religion is now making a comeback. Even during the early revolution celebrations at the traditional times continued.  The government didn’t take that away from the people.  About 60% of Cubans consider themselves Catholic.

Dinner
After our tour we returned to the hotel before going to dinner at Casa La Paloma, one of the towns charming casas particulares that is also a paladar, located in a restored colonial home adjacent to the bustling town square.  Vina was most excited to see a bowl of
white rice.  She even asked for a take-out container.  The Cubans were not familiar with the term “take out” but were able to find a suitable container.  The white rice sustained her for several meals. 

Then we headed back to our room to watch the Democratic presidential debate on CNN.  We in the tourist hotel and were able to get CNN (I think it was a pirated signal) but local Cubans were not allowed CNN. 


At the Sugar Museum
After breakfast, we headed out to the Museo de Agrroindustria Azucarero, a local museum focusing on the histories of slave culture, the sugar industry, and the pre-diesel locomotives that once transported sugar cane to local factories.   We learned about the history and meaning of the sugar industries in Cuba.  It was their main stay.  It brought the black slaves and indentured Chinese to Cuba.  They blended with the Spanish and are today the Cubans.  The indigenous Indians were either killed or died of illnesses brought by the Spanish.

We then boarded our bus and headed to the coastal town of Caribarien where we visited a local artist who made creative works from discarded articles.   He makes his own paper from discarded paper - an
Recycled art
artistic recycler.   Cubans are committed by desire and necessity to use what they have.  Importing art materials is difficult. 

We then headed to lunch at a paladar, en familia, where we enjoyed a hearty lunch of pork, chicken and fish.  Rice and black beans are staples.  No kale or eggplant here. 

At the Drivers Bar
After returning to Remedios, we visited the "Driver's Bar" where we met with members of an old car club and enjoyed a beer and conversation.  We tried our broken Spanish and they tried their broken English but we did manage to communicate.  Actually their English was much better than most of our Spanish.  Vina and Susana, the two Spanish speakers in our group, had a glorious time speaking Spanish and gossiping with some of the Cuban women. 

We returned to our hotel, rested for a bit and enjoyed dinner with our ASU colleagues.


Our first stop was at a cigar factory in the town of Camajuani where we learned how Cuban cigars are made.  We were not allowed to take pictures.   It is boring and repetitive hand labor but pays relatively well - about 60 CUC's per month. The average salary in Cuba is about 20 CUC a month.  The cigar workers can earn extra money if they beat their assigned quotas.  While they are working rolling the cigars, workers are read from the newspaper or a novel or sports over a loudspeaker. 

We visited Santa Clara, the city whose liberation in December 1958 by Ernesto "Ché" Guevara marked the end of the Batista regime. We stop at UCLV, the Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas.  This is where Ché Guevara led the Battle of Santa Clara on December 29, 1958.  We had a “panoramic“ tour of the University - a bus ride around the campus looking out the windows at the buildings – before we disembarked and went into a building for a PowerPoint about the University led by the head of the International Relations department.  We then had time for questions and answers.  I asked him about academic freedom as we understand it and it was clear that no such thing exists in Cuban universities.  No tenure either. 

The University also housed a museum dedicated to Ché Guevara which we toured. 

ASU at Guevara Memorial
ASU Then we went to lunch at a local paladar where we enjoyed what has become almost standard- a large lunch with a welcome sangria cocktail, fish, chicken and pork, rice and beans, salad, cola or beer, and flan for dessert.  

After lunch we headed to the Ché Guevara Memorial where we had group pictures taken.

After the drive back to Remedios, we arrived back at the hotel to discover that the electricity was out all around the town.  We enjoyed the cool breeze and managed to catch a warm shower.  Even though the electricity was out, we had hot water!  So we ventured to shower in the dark – no snickers please.  We all joked that we wanted to visit a third world country.  After about 45 minutes the electricity came back on. 

We all met in the lobby to walk to a nice local restaurant where we enjoyed a good dinner.  The food in Cuba is good.  The quantities were more than plentiful.  Nathaly tells us this is normal.  Our group came together well and everyone gets along. 


After a barely warm shower at the hotel in the morning, we packed up our things and boarded our bus in Remedios for a four plus hour ride northwest.  As is normal, the road, which is the main highway across the island, is filled with all sorts of transportation- horse drawn vehicles, bicycles, taxis of various kinds, pedestrians, large and small trucks and of course, our large bus.  We have to admire our driver for his ability to navigate the traffic and keep us moving.
Musicians at lunch

Our first stop was in Jovellanos, a town in Matanzas province for a visit to Finca (Farm) Luna.   We have a traditional family style Cuban lunch featuring many foods produced right at the farm.  

We toured the farm. On the promise of development, the family has more property than is normally allocated.  They grow a mix of coffee bean plants, bananas, and other fruit trees on the farm. Most farms grow traditional rows of the same plant.  They said that they get better production this way.

We stopped to visit the oldest continuously used baseball diamond in the Western Hemisphere - Palmeras de Junco.  We watched 10 – 12 year olds playing a game.  The government really fosters the
Watching Baseball
development of the players.  Really good players then have an opportunity to escape to the U.S. Major Leagues and earn big bucks but then they are unable to return to see family.  We do not know if these expatriates are able to share their wealth with their Cuban families.  The “opening” to Cuba might now make this legal without players having to “defect” from their home country.  It is interesting that so many people sought to flee or escape Cuba while our guide sang its praises.   We learned about Cuba's unquenchable passion for baseball and we met with a member of the Cuban Hall of Fame.  John Johnson gave a young Cuban boy an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball cap which made the boy burst with pride. Despite censorship of TV and radio, Cubans follow U.S. baseball closely. 

Sunset on the Atlantic
We then got back in our bus and headed toward Varadero where we checked into our all-inclusive hotel for an overnight stay by the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a really first class beach resort hotel with all of the amenities.  We were told that these resort properties were originally developed by U.S. mobsters in the 1940’s and 50’s.  Our room had three levels with the bedroom on the top level.  It was a very nice suite.


Walk on the beach
We enjoyed a sunset walk on the white sandy beach and then cocktails on the patio.   We then had a good dinner at the buffet.  Vina was thrilled by the white rice and bread.  She regretted that she was not yet able to indulge in the richer foods and drink.  All of this was really first rate and all inclusive and very different than anything else we had seen or experienced in Cuba.  Most Cubans could not afford to stay here.  The Cuban workers when we pointedly asked questions in Spanish would look around to check that no one would overhear before answering honestly.  They welcomed the tourists and especially the Americans.  The Americans tipped well whereas the Europeans and South Americans did not tip nearly as well or at all. 


We enjoyed a leisurely morning and were able to walk on the beautiful white sand beach before we had lunch.  Vina and several others even went into the ocean for a swim.  The water was warm by California coast standards. 

We packed up and boarded our bus for the 30 or 40 mile ride to Havana.  On the way we stopped in Matanzas.

Santeria Home Visit
Matanzas is the birthplace of Regla de Ocha - the African rooted religion better known as Santeria.   Santeria (Way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added.  Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba.  Santeria builds upon the Catholic Church and gives different names to the Catholic saints.  The focus is on the present and practical help with leading a life rather than the afterlife. We visited a local Santeria practitioner in her home.  She welcomed us and attempted to explain her beliefs.  She told us that Santeria is the dominant religion in Matanzas – much more so than Catholicism. 

We then proceeded on to Havana.  We could easily note the change in the scenery as we approached the city.  It was a marked shift from a rural to an urban environment. 
Countryside outside Havana
One of many vintage cars

We arrived at our hotel in Havana, checked in and got settled.  We went to dinner as a group at a paladar situated on Havana Bay called Rio Mar.  It had picturesque views of the bay and was an obvious tourist place.   You may have seen pictures of it if you watched TV during the President’s visit to Havana. 


To start the day, we had a lecture about the effects of the Revolution on the Arts and of the Arts on the
Revolution.  Alexander, an art producer from Santa Clara, talked about Cuban arts culture and policy.  He described Cuban arts policy as a set of rules to help recreate reality. 

To understand today’s Cuban culture you need to understand a bit of Cuban history.  Below is a short Cuban history lesson:

In 1492 Christopher Columbus arrived in Cuba and claimed the territory for Spain.  In 1511, Spaniards under Diego Velazquez conquered Cuba and its aboriginal groups.  Spain established settlements, colonizing Cuba.  Havana’s superb harbor made it a common transit point to and from Spain.  Colonization destroyed the indigenous culture. 

In 1526 the first slaves were imported from Africa.   Workers were needed for the sugar cane, tobacco and rice crops.   Over time the Spanish and African cultures blended to become the Cuban culture.  They had to work together.   The Chinese were also brought to Cuba as indentured workers but not as slaves – though they were treated much like slaves.   The Spanish Catholic religion and the African religions blended to become the Santeria religion.  Our lecturer noted that: “Everything claimed as Cuban Culture was brought to the island.”

In 1868 the Cuban war for independence from Spain began.  It was ultimately unsuccessful.

In 1898 The Spanish-American War began shortly after the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana harbor.  In the short war, the U.S. defeated Spain, which ceded control of Cuba to the U.S. The U.S. military began its occupation of the island. Americans know of it because of the Maine and Teddy Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill.  This war was settled by the U.S. and Spain without Cuba even at the table.

In 1901, The Platt Amendment, part of an army appropriations bill, established the conditions that the U.S. could intervene in Cuba and allowed the U.S. to lease land to create a naval base in Cuba.

On May 20, 1902, the U.S. ended its military occupation of Cuba. Cuba became an independent republic with Estrada Palma as its first president.
In 1934, amid a growing sense of nationalism in Cuba, the U.S. abrogates the Platt Amendment.
The Provincial Revolutionary Government is overthrown by members of the military and civilians loyal to Batista, who is backed by the U.S. Batista remains in control of the country behind a series of puppet presidents. 
In 1940 democratic elections are held and Batista wins the presidency. He implements a new constitution but runs a corrupt police state.
In 1953, Fidel Castro leads a liberal uprising against the right-wing dictatorship of Batista.  It is unsuccessful.  In 1956, Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara join forces in what they called the 26th of July Movement and launch a guerilla war against Batista's repressive regime. They are defeated by Batista's forces, but the movement gains in strength, numbers, and organization.

In 1958, the U.S. halts military aid to Batista’s Cuba. From 1902 through 1958, a period of 57 years, Cuba has a variety of governments under the “Republic of Cuba.”  The University of Habana acts as a hotbed of revolutionary activity and a center for political change. 

In 1959, some 9,000 guerilla fighters led by Fidel Castro drive Batista out of Cuba. Castro becomes prime minister, his brother Raul Castro is named minister of the armed forces, and Guevara is third in command. Within a few months, Castro established military tribunals for political opponents and jailed hundreds.

In 1959, Fidel went to the United States (to New York and Washington, D.C.) but the Eisenhower administration refuses to meet with him.  I can remember seeing him on TV in Harlem answering reporters’ questions.

Arts policy in the revolution was to foster the arts.  Before the revolution the arts were experienced only by those of the privileged class.  Castro wanted all Cubans to have the opportunity to experience the arts.  Ballet Folklorico was to resurrect Afro-Cuban traditions.  A national system of libraries was developed.  From 1959 through 1968 there was the development of a national structure to support and promote the arts. 

Prior to the revolution, the Catholic Church was largely made up of high middle class Spanish people.  The Catholic/Spanish Schools were not integrated with Cuban society or culture at large.  Today there are no non-state schools.

After the U.S. snubbed Cuba, the USSR stepped in to help support Cuba and Cuba became dependent upon the USSR for its support.  This lasted until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990.  Russian aid, which had long supported Cuba's failing economy, ended when Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe. Cuba's foreign trade also plummeted, producing a severe economic crisis.

Cuba has been treated as a colony by both the U.S. and Russia.  Cubans want to be treated as an equal – not as a colony.  The Cubans say that their problem is with the U.S. government – not with the U.S. people.  The recent “opening” with the U.S. presents many challenges.  The next U.S. President will have much to consider as he or she negotiates the future relationship between our two countries. 
The Ebony Project

After our lecture, we boarded our bus and visited one of the few private dance companies in Cuba.  The Ebony Project was its name.  The dance company was using a synagogue as its rehearsal space.  So we also had a chance to see the synagogue and a display about the Holocaust. 

The dance company treated us by allowing us to watch them in a rehearsal which was amazing.  We watched them rehearse and perform for about one half hour.  After their performance, we were able to ask them many questions.  It was a very entertaining and informative session.

El Solar
Then we headed to "El Solar", a community project dedicated to restoring one of Centro Habana's poor neighborhoods.  We learned about the project with the community leader and met some of the neighborhood members.  There were 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments but we did not get to see inside any of them.  A couple of our group members gave donations of money to be used for the purchase of paint for the facilities.  We weren’t just tourists.

Everything in Cuba needs renovation.  The Cubans are looking forward to the possibility of Home Depot coming so that they can get the parts and materials they need.

Susana celebrates her birthday
After the tour, we enjoyed a "light" lunch (they called every lunch light but they were quite full meals) at La California, a paladar associated with the project in a restored 19th-century nearby colonial building.  This paladar had a “fish pond,” what we would call a small swimming pool.  But pools are not allowed in private homes – so a fish pond.  We helped Susana celebrate her birthday.  


Dinner at La Moraleja
William Roblejo Trio
We then returned to the hotel and after a short rest, we enjoyed an informative jazz session with members of the William Roblejo's Trio.  The lead played a violin in different but wonderful ways. 

We enjoyed dinner at La Moraleja, a paladar in Havana's Vedado neighborhood.   


We started the morning with a lecture about Cuban music.  The lecturer, Alberto Faya, has had much experience with Cuban music.   Cuban culture is a mixing of cultures for more than 500 years. The Spanish medieval sound combined with the music brought on the ships to Cuba and the imported African sounds.  Throw in the Chinese cultural sounds and the U.S. jazz sounds.  This led to  music “transculturation.”    Conga Drums, Clave, and Rumba are all a part of the mix.  Salsa music was developed in New York in the 1970’s by a Cuban. 

Playing dominoes
We boarded our bus again and headed to the Club Melen, a private restaurant located in the Miramar section of Havana where we learned about the game of dominoes- a national pastime in Cuba.  After a brief introduction to the rules of the game, we played a few games with some local Cubans who joined us for lunch and conversation after our matches.  One of the best parts of this trip was our ability to talk with a wide variety of Cuban people.


We then went to the Plaza of the Revolution, a large open space with a monument to the revolution.  Also there were a number of 1950’s era cars.  We paid some attention to Ché but mostly admired the cars. 


We then drove over to the fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay and took a walking tour of the area.  We stopped at tourist shop that sold cigars.  We didn’t buy any.  We had some wonderful views looking across the bay towards Havana.  From there we went to a tourist’s marketplace where you could buy any sort of t-shirt, poster, hat, bracelet or other souvenir item.  

Havana Harbor
After shopping for a bit, we got ourselves a pedi-cab and went back to the hotel.  It was fun riding in a pedi-cab along the Maleceon.  We saw lots of different forms of transportation – horse drawn carts, motorbikes, classic cars, and newer cars.  

Dinner with ASU group
For dinner that evening, we got together with the ASU group and the six of us went to a nice restaurant on the fifth floor terrace of a nearby paladar.  We arrived at 7:30 and didn't leave until after 10:30.  We had a good time with a great group.


Sunrise over Havana Harbor from our hotel room
After breakfast we had a discussion with Jorge Mario Egozque, a Cuban economist.  He was the best lecturer we had, I thought.  He talked about the complexities of the Cuban economy, the opening with the US and the impact of more tourism (“Economy of Mojitos and Guantanamera”) on the Cuban infrastructure. 

Walking tour Old Havana
We then headed out to take a walking tour of Habana Vieja (Old Havana).  We walked around through several squares.  A lot of preparations – clean up, paint, street repair – were underway, getting ready for President Obama’s visit the following week. 

We visited a ration shop where Cubans come to get there subsidized
Ration Shop
food each week.  We saw a ration book that is used by the Cubans.  We visited the square where the building that housed the Cuban Stock Market is.  The stock market is no longer in existence.

We had lunch on our own and then took one of the yellow scooter/cars back to our hotel to start packing and to rest before
Starbien
our farewell dinner at a paladar named Starbien, which was situated in a restored colonial mansion tucked into the residential neighborhood of Vedado.  The paladar’s name is a take-off on Starbucks and the sign for the paladar was in Starbucks green colors and design. 
Choro Vocal Luna

Back at the hotel before heading out for dinner, we enjoyed a musical performance by Choro Vocal Luna, the only all-female choir in Cuba. 

Our dinner this evening was the last for our group before heading home.  Everyone was a bit sad to see our adventure coming to an end. 

Part of our group at final dinner
As a surprise for us, as we left the restaurant, Nathaly arranged for five of the 1950's classic convertible cars to take us back to the
Our ride back to hotel
hotel.  The cars were beautifully restored.  How they manage to get or manufacture parts is an ongoing task for the Cubans.  The cars are also a great source of income for their owners as they are used as taxis.   It was great fun riding through the Havana night with the warm tropical breeze in these classic convertibles.  A great way to end our Cuban trip!


We woke up around 6:30 am and completed packing up our luggage.  After breakfast in the hotel buffet, we set our luggage out by 9:30 and met in the lobby by 10.   We boarded our bus for the last time and begin the half hour ride to the Havana airport.
Our last Havana sunrise

Upon arriving at the airport, we gathered our luggage from the bus and bid good bye to Oshmel, our trusted driver for the past week and a half.  
Havana Airport

Randy, Lisa and John as we waited...
We checked in and got our seating assignments and boarding passes, checked our luggage, exchanged our CUCs for U.S. dollars, passed through immigration and finally got through security.   We were now in the waiting area for our 1:30 pm flight.  It was about 11:30 am. 

We killed the next few hours but didn’t see any planes landing or taking off.   Finally about 2:30 pm our

plane lands and unloads its passengers.   We queued up and boarded a bus which drove us out to our plane. 

We take off at 3:40 pm - two hours late.  This airport will have difficulty handling more American tourists.

Less than an hour later we arrived at Miami.  After walking what seemed like miles down airport hallways, we came to machines that scanned our passports and spit out a coupon.  We then proceeded for another long walk until we came to lines with real people at booths examining our passports and the coupons we had. 

Since Vina had not been feeling well, fellow traveler Arn had given her an apple which she had placed in her backpack and forgotten about.  No fruits are allowed to be brought back into the U.S. so she tried to turn it in.  No good deed goes unpunished! 

We were pulled aside by the police and led down a back hallway where we had to show our documents once again.  We were then taken down more back hallways until we arrived at a special luggage carousel where we waited until they pulled our luggage off the carousel.   We then had to go through a special screening of our luggage.

Vina still had the apple. The TSA agents would not take it.  

After all of this, they finally took the apple, gave us our luggage and led us down some more back hallways and out to the American Airline ticket machines so we could re-check our luggage to Phoenix and get our boarding passes.

Fortunately our boarding passes were marked as TSA Speed and we were able to move more quickly through the security check lines (since our luggage had already been thoroughly checked twice).  We had finally made it to the terminal.

We then needed to find the Skytrain to get to our gate.  Once we finally made it to our gate, we searched for a place to get some soup as Vina was still feeling a bit off.

The plane took off on time and we had an uneventful flight back to Phoenix. 

What Did We Learn?

What did we learn?
·         We learned that Cuba is a country of contradictions and paradoxes.
·         We learned once again that communism does not work as an economic system (or as a political system).  Cuba is ranked along with North Korea as the least free economy in the world and one that is described as a “basket case.”  We learned of the ineffectiveness of communism at creating prosperity.
·         We learned of a first rate education system, a first rate health care system and wonderful cultural institutions provided for all of the Cuban people.
·         Cuba is the rare country where you won’t find McDonald’s or even a Coca-Cola.  One of the things we noticed is what was not there: advertising signs and billboards.  The commercialism which is the lifeblood of most countries was noticeably absent in Cuba – even in Havana.
·         We learned that Cuba is a country without ATMs or credit cards. 
·         We learned that Wi-Fi is inaccessible not by a minority of the population, but the majority.
·         We learned that Cuba is a place there is an ambient, but unspoken, resentment toward the government but there is also gratitude for the positive changes that have occurred since the revolution. 
·         We learned that the Cuban people are resilient and entrepreneurial.  They are good at figuring out what to do to not only survive but move forward.  That is partly how they manage to keep cars built in the 1950’s running without being able to obtain replacement parts.
·         We did not learn about the role of the military in Cuban society.  We have a feeling that the Cuban military plays a much larger role than we were able to see. 
·         We learned that the military continues in power.  They have their own separately funded budget.  They control property, travel companies, hotels and other things to generate money.
·         We learned that the U.S. blockade has worked well.  It has brought 50 years of economic isolation to Cuba.  The blockade means that any ship docking in Cuba is barred from docking in the U.S. for six months.
·         We learned that Cuba is in many ways a step back in time. 
·         We learned that the Cuban people today are a proud people.  Cubans today are a merger of African slaves and the Spanish conquerors.  Nearly all of the native Indian people were killed or died of illness after the arrival of the Spanish in 1492.  Today racism is largely missing from Cuban society.
·         We learned that Cuba has, until recently, has been a colony of other countries.  First, there were the Spanish, then the Americans, then the Russians and most recently the Venezuelans.  Only recently have they managed to stand on their own.  The Cuban people value this and do not want to become a colony of any power.
·         We learned that there are few natural resources in Cuba.  Rice, sugar and coffee plants and pork, chicken and cattle were all imported leading to the need for slaves.
·         We learned that Cuba has first rate cultural institutions.  Cuban “culture” was not accessible to the common people before the revolution.  Castro made it accessible by supporting the arts.  The Cuban government began paying artists to be artists and establishing arts academies, music schools and performance venues. 
·         We learned that after the revolution the schools were integrated and private (Catholic) schools were not allowed.  All Cubans were guaranteed a free education from kindergarten through Ph.D. (if they could benefit from it.)  The literacy rate is Cuba is said to be 99%.
·         We learned that the biggest “product” that Cuba exports is its educated people.  Cuba produces large numbers of doctors, nurses, and engineers which are often assigned to other countries.   These people are contracted through the Cuban government and provide income for the government. 
·         We learned that academic freedom and tenure do not exist in Cuban universities.
·         We learned that social spending is 64% of the Cuban national budget.
·         We learned that the Cuban people, as well as the leadership of the country, welcome the opening with the United States and the movement toward the normalization of relations between the two countries. 
·         We learned that Cuban law does not allow foreigners to own more than 49% of any Cuban property or business.  Cubans must own at least 51%.
·         We learned that, in the countryside, Cuba has lots of turkey vultures flying around.
·         We learned that buses, cars and trucks share the roads and highways with horse drawn carts, bicycles, bici-taxis, motor scooters with and without sidecars, motorcycles and pedestrians. 
·         We learned that the average Cuban salary is about $20 per month.
·         We learned that "creative accounting” is used by the average Cuban to manage their personal budgets. Official salaries are not enough to make a living.
·         We learned that there were lots of peasant farmers.
·         We learned that most Cubans live in "gentile poverty” but don't think of themselves as poor.  They work hard and figure out ways to try to improve their situations.
·         We learned that the Cuban economy is more complex than first meets the eye.  We were unclear about a "black market" or underground economy but believe that one exists. We just didn’t see it.  People have clearly figured out a way to make things work at some level. 
·         We learned that there was no real apparent poverty but no apparent wealth either.  Everyone seemed equally poor and the people were “getting by.”
·         We learned that much of the Cuban economy is based on "mojitos and guantanamera" tourism.  While U.S. citizens can not travel to Cuba as tourists, others can and do. 
·         We learned that the Cuban infrastructure - roads, electricity, housing, transportation and communication services - is in disrepair and Cuba could not handle a large influx of tourists or businesses from the United States.  Whatever might happen in the future needs to be done in a thoughtful manner.
·         We learned that the Cubans we talked with are most looking forward to Home Depot and Checker Auto Parts coming to the island.

We are grateful that we were able to visit Cuba when we did.  We have now visited Russia, China and Cuba and have seen for ourselves how each country is adapting and recovering from there experiment with Communism.  It is clear to us (and to them as well) that some form of a market economy is a better way to go.  Each country is evolving differently.  Only time will tell how successful they might be.  Communism as a centrally planned economic system clearly does not work. But the political evolution of each country is also different.  Each country still maintains a political one-party strong man dictatorship form of government to one extent or another.  The impact of the Internet and open communications also play a role in the opening up of societies. 

We are so grateful for being able to live in the United States.




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