Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Trip Detail via Jonathan & Carol
Here is an email sent by some co travelers that best describes the entire trip. We were unable to get on the internet whilst there so they wrote each day then sent it when we arrived back in Miami.
By the time you read this email we will have arrived back in Miami - or found a place to connect to the Internet in Cuba, which seems highly unlikely. The internet is not available to Cuban citizens and in the hotels tourists have to show more ID to log on to the Internet than to change money. Connection speeds are reportedly agonizingly slow and a thirty minute card is often not sufficient to obtain a connection. I think we will wait until we are back in the US.
Our plan, as we work together on this email on the iPhone is to add a bit each day and end up with a small journal entry, perhaps to be refined at a later date.
We arrived in Havana on Saturday the 14th of January as part of a National Geographic tour. Being part of an organized tour is the only way to travel to Cuba these days; to be part of a "people to people" mission and thus avoid running afoul of the Trading With the Enemy Act which is, rather than a true travel ban, what prevents Americans from visiting Cuba. The Act states that it is okay to come here but not okay to spend any money getting here or staying here. So, our visas require that we meet with Cubans and have "meaningful" contact with people. We are a group of 25, of whom we know only Tim and Cynthia. We have a local Cuban guide, a National Geographic "expert" who is a photographer from Spain, Kike (pronounced key-K), Calvo and a tour manager, Annika Hipple, who comes from Seattle.
The flight from Miami to Havana is 50 minutes long and was completely uneventful. The first things we saw as we left the airport were beautiful old American cars and images of Che Guevera, just as promised. Havana is a vibrant tropical city in an amazing location but 50 years of neglect, failed economic policies and the US embargo have taken quite a toll. The influx of tourists is putting a strain on the marginally adequate infrastructure of Havana and the few downtown hotels are full. Our hotel is in the Verdado section of Havana which is on the sea and a short ride into town. It is along the Malacon, an 8 kilometer sea wall/promenade, where everyone gathers to appreciate the sea breeze and the sunset. The day we arrived was quite windy so we enjoyed watching the waves regularly crashing over the road. Picturesque from a distance but a distinct hindrance to traffic flow.
Our first full day began with a lecture by a Cuban urban planner who talked about the challenges of living and working here. He provided a history of the City and showed examples of the architecture. He also described both the successful and unsuccessful strategies Cuba has employed to try to preserve and protect the beauty of Havana. There are frequent building collapses, one of which occurred while we were there, unfortunately killing four. Homeless is forbidden by law and 120,000 people in Havana whose homes are in danger of collapse are on a waiting list for shelters which have yet to be built. After our discussion we took a ferry across the harbor to an old fishing village and a Santeria church before embarking on a walking tour of the oldest and best preserved parts of the City. We spent all day in fascinating, photogenic old Havana.
We started day three with a Q and A session with two Cuban lawyers, one of whom is a Supreme Court Justice. Then we drove into a fancy Havana neighborhood to see a cigar store and smoking club. We each took a sample cigar and gave most of them to the bus driver. After lunch overlooking the city and the harbour, we went to Hemingway's house in the hills. We also visited the two forts which protect the very narrow inlet to the harbor. The second one, La Cabana, was built in the late 1700s, after the British simply went around the first one for an unimpeded bombardment of the old City.
On day four we took an all day excursion out of Havana to Los Terraces which is a reforestation cooperative. There we took a walking tour of the village, talked with a local artist and visited an elementary school which provided many chances to photograph children studying and playing. Education is free through college and mandatory through ninth grade. Everyone studies English for five years so we had fractured conversations which produced much giggling from the students.
On day five we traveled to Cienfuegos, a city on the southern coast about 3.5 hours east of Havana. We had lunch in a sugar cane baron's former mansion by the sea, heard a surprisingly good choral concert in the restored city museum and spent time walking around the town. There appears to be very little commerce; a few stores selling very few things.
The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens, 45 minutes out of town, and walked in the town. Our guide Kike is a National Geographic photographer so he talked with locals and photographed as we walked. We met a dozen young dance students on a pier and Kike danced with them and turned the encounter into a photo op. That night we went to a performance at a local school that included music and dance performed delightfully, if not professionally, by students as young as four.
The next day was an all day excursion to the town of Trinidad, a colonial city with French influence and cobblestone streets. We visited a typical "upscale" house - the home of the horse whisperer who had a horse living inside his home!
We returned to Havana via the Bay of Pigs, visiting the beach and the museum. Once back in the city we went to the home and studio of an amazing artist, Jose Fuster, who, strongly influenced by Gaudi and by Picasso, has turned his entire property and most of the surrounding neighborhood into an expansive display of inventive ceramic art. We will have to include photos to explain this one!
Our last full day in Havana included stops at Revolutionary Square, Colon cemetery and a neighborhood street completely decorated with murals which hosted a rumba concert for us. The cemetery was a revelation in its grandeur and art, virtually all of which was produced before the Revolution. The government seems to understand the value of the cemetery and is restoring some of the former splendor, a task which should also be undertaken in the housing stock. The job of restoration has fallen to the government as the families of the dead, at least in the wealthy sections we visited, have all left Cuba. We learned that burial is free; cremation is a recently accepted practice and costs a nominal fee.
In the afternoon, left to our own devices, we visited the Museum of the Revolution. Do you see a pattern here?
All meals were leisurely, if a bit repetitive, but, as we kept saying, we did not come for the food. There was a great deal of fish and pork, shrimp and potatoes, fruit and -- of course -- rice and black beans. There is not much in the way of cooked vegetables and we avoided salads. Everywhere we go we were given a welcoming drink, always with rum, even if it was early morning. There is almost always live music with meals, most but not all of it surprisingly good. And there are CDs for sale each and every time.
The monetary system is complex with three currencies in use. There are "natural pesos", used by Cubans and recognizable by their portrait of Che, the convertible peso, originally for tourist use but gaining traction as the main currency, and the US dollar, previously in official use but now exclusively used on the black market. The exchange rate is approximately 25 natural pesos or one convertible peso to the dollar and prices are more or less the same in either currency, meaning that things are 25 times as expensive for foreigners.
The weather has been perfect: warm and sunny and breezy every day with few to no clouds in the sky and only a day or two of muggy weather.
Now it is Monday and we fly to Miami today. Our farewell dinner last night was in a spectacular and unforgettable setting. We went to central Havana and into a typical dilapidated structure. Up a marble staircase missing many segments of the railing, past scenes of complete abandonment (children playing in once grand but now deserted rooms open to the night air) to a third floor private restaurant whose food compared favorably with that in most any city of the world. A good reminder of what the Cuban people are capable of doing when economically restrictive policies are removed.
All in all, a great trip.
By the time you read this email we will have arrived back in Miami - or found a place to connect to the Internet in Cuba, which seems highly unlikely. The internet is not available to Cuban citizens and in the hotels tourists have to show more ID to log on to the Internet than to change money. Connection speeds are reportedly agonizingly slow and a thirty minute card is often not sufficient to obtain a connection. I think we will wait until we are back in the US.
Our plan, as we work together on this email on the iPhone is to add a bit each day and end up with a small journal entry, perhaps to be refined at a later date.
We arrived in Havana on Saturday the 14th of January as part of a National Geographic tour. Being part of an organized tour is the only way to travel to Cuba these days; to be part of a "people to people" mission and thus avoid running afoul of the Trading With the Enemy Act which is, rather than a true travel ban, what prevents Americans from visiting Cuba. The Act states that it is okay to come here but not okay to spend any money getting here or staying here. So, our visas require that we meet with Cubans and have "meaningful" contact with people. We are a group of 25, of whom we know only Tim and Cynthia. We have a local Cuban guide, a National Geographic "expert" who is a photographer from Spain, Kike (pronounced key-K), Calvo and a tour manager, Annika Hipple, who comes from Seattle.
The flight from Miami to Havana is 50 minutes long and was completely uneventful. The first things we saw as we left the airport were beautiful old American cars and images of Che Guevera, just as promised. Havana is a vibrant tropical city in an amazing location but 50 years of neglect, failed economic policies and the US embargo have taken quite a toll. The influx of tourists is putting a strain on the marginally adequate infrastructure of Havana and the few downtown hotels are full. Our hotel is in the Verdado section of Havana which is on the sea and a short ride into town. It is along the Malacon, an 8 kilometer sea wall/promenade, where everyone gathers to appreciate the sea breeze and the sunset. The day we arrived was quite windy so we enjoyed watching the waves regularly crashing over the road. Picturesque from a distance but a distinct hindrance to traffic flow.
Our first full day began with a lecture by a Cuban urban planner who talked about the challenges of living and working here. He provided a history of the City and showed examples of the architecture. He also described both the successful and unsuccessful strategies Cuba has employed to try to preserve and protect the beauty of Havana. There are frequent building collapses, one of which occurred while we were there, unfortunately killing four. Homeless is forbidden by law and 120,000 people in Havana whose homes are in danger of collapse are on a waiting list for shelters which have yet to be built. After our discussion we took a ferry across the harbor to an old fishing village and a Santeria church before embarking on a walking tour of the oldest and best preserved parts of the City. We spent all day in fascinating, photogenic old Havana.
We started day three with a Q and A session with two Cuban lawyers, one of whom is a Supreme Court Justice. Then we drove into a fancy Havana neighborhood to see a cigar store and smoking club. We each took a sample cigar and gave most of them to the bus driver. After lunch overlooking the city and the harbour, we went to Hemingway's house in the hills. We also visited the two forts which protect the very narrow inlet to the harbor. The second one, La Cabana, was built in the late 1700s, after the British simply went around the first one for an unimpeded bombardment of the old City.
On day four we took an all day excursion out of Havana to Los Terraces which is a reforestation cooperative. There we took a walking tour of the village, talked with a local artist and visited an elementary school which provided many chances to photograph children studying and playing. Education is free through college and mandatory through ninth grade. Everyone studies English for five years so we had fractured conversations which produced much giggling from the students.
On day five we traveled to Cienfuegos, a city on the southern coast about 3.5 hours east of Havana. We had lunch in a sugar cane baron's former mansion by the sea, heard a surprisingly good choral concert in the restored city museum and spent time walking around the town. There appears to be very little commerce; a few stores selling very few things.
The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens, 45 minutes out of town, and walked in the town. Our guide Kike is a National Geographic photographer so he talked with locals and photographed as we walked. We met a dozen young dance students on a pier and Kike danced with them and turned the encounter into a photo op. That night we went to a performance at a local school that included music and dance performed delightfully, if not professionally, by students as young as four.
The next day was an all day excursion to the town of Trinidad, a colonial city with French influence and cobblestone streets. We visited a typical "upscale" house - the home of the horse whisperer who had a horse living inside his home!
We returned to Havana via the Bay of Pigs, visiting the beach and the museum. Once back in the city we went to the home and studio of an amazing artist, Jose Fuster, who, strongly influenced by Gaudi and by Picasso, has turned his entire property and most of the surrounding neighborhood into an expansive display of inventive ceramic art. We will have to include photos to explain this one!
Our last full day in Havana included stops at Revolutionary Square, Colon cemetery and a neighborhood street completely decorated with murals which hosted a rumba concert for us. The cemetery was a revelation in its grandeur and art, virtually all of which was produced before the Revolution. The government seems to understand the value of the cemetery and is restoring some of the former splendor, a task which should also be undertaken in the housing stock. The job of restoration has fallen to the government as the families of the dead, at least in the wealthy sections we visited, have all left Cuba. We learned that burial is free; cremation is a recently accepted practice and costs a nominal fee.
In the afternoon, left to our own devices, we visited the Museum of the Revolution. Do you see a pattern here?
All meals were leisurely, if a bit repetitive, but, as we kept saying, we did not come for the food. There was a great deal of fish and pork, shrimp and potatoes, fruit and -- of course -- rice and black beans. There is not much in the way of cooked vegetables and we avoided salads. Everywhere we go we were given a welcoming drink, always with rum, even if it was early morning. There is almost always live music with meals, most but not all of it surprisingly good. And there are CDs for sale each and every time.
The monetary system is complex with three currencies in use. There are "natural pesos", used by Cubans and recognizable by their portrait of Che, the convertible peso, originally for tourist use but gaining traction as the main currency, and the US dollar, previously in official use but now exclusively used on the black market. The exchange rate is approximately 25 natural pesos or one convertible peso to the dollar and prices are more or less the same in either currency, meaning that things are 25 times as expensive for foreigners.
The weather has been perfect: warm and sunny and breezy every day with few to no clouds in the sky and only a day or two of muggy weather.
Now it is Monday and we fly to Miami today. Our farewell dinner last night was in a spectacular and unforgettable setting. We went to central Havana and into a typical dilapidated structure. Up a marble staircase missing many segments of the railing, past scenes of complete abandonment (children playing in once grand but now deserted rooms open to the night air) to a third floor private restaurant whose food compared favorably with that in most any city of the world. A good reminder of what the Cuban people are capable of doing when economically restrictive policies are removed.
All in all, a great trip.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Cienfuegos
We are in a small town on the coast-staying in an old colonial style hotel. Today we visited a botanical garden with 84 species of palm trees that are only in Cuba and then toured the city. It is very warm here and we hear it is the opposite in Seattle. Hope that it clears up before we return next Tuesday. Cannot post pictures as there is no wi-fi and this computer is so slow. We are continuing to enjoy our time--good music, interesting sights, nice people. We are going to the town of Trinidad tomorrow, then back to Havana via the Bay of Pigs. Adios.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Havana
Hi from Cuba. We have been very busy and the Internet connection is slow and expensive. We have spent time in Old Havana, hiked around forts, visited Hemingways house and several other adventures. This morning we spent time with a member of Cuba's Supreme court talking about all the new laws that are being passed-such as buying/selling houses, opening businesses, etc. Yesterday we talked with a architect/city planner about the difficulties they have with preserving historic buildings as well as the
Housing stock. We have met several Cubans and they are very welcoming and in some cases astonished to meet Americans as not everyone knows that regulations for travel have been relaxed. Will try to post some pictures.
Housing stock. We have met several Cubans and they are very welcoming and in some cases astonished to meet Americans as not everyone knows that regulations for travel have been relaxed. Will try to post some pictures.
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