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Published: June 16th 2013
Pinar del Rio, Cuba
There are many men sitting around, many old trucks and old cars. Horses and oxen are all in use. Note the ornate building.Having spent a few days in Havana, and then a week with Jack, Linda's brother on the Isla de la Juventud, it was time to explore the main island of Cuba. We took the ferry/bus route back to Havana, spent the night with Jose and Lourdes, and then set out by bus to Vinales.
Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, is a picturesque small town set in the heart of Cuba's tobacco growing region. The valley, famous for its tobacco and the mogotes mountains, with their rounded tops rising abruptly from the valley floor, is home to some 30,000 inhabitants. It is located about 150 kilometers west of Havana, just a nice little bus ride. Vinales' claim to fame is: Cuba produces the best cigars in the world, Pinar del Rio produces the best cigars in Cuba, and Vinales produces the best cigars in Pinar del Rio.
We were greeted at the bus terminal and led to our casa, stopping long enough for our casa owner to buy us churros. As soon as we arrived at the casa in the heat of the day, we were offered a refreshment of cold local juice! Later we strolled about the town, and
Contradictions
A new crane truck stopped waiting for a horse drawn bus to pass by. were shocked to find that ox drawn carts and horse drawn taxi buggies were the norm in Vinales. Old, rickety, 1950's trucks, tractors, and a few cars shared the road with bicycles, oxen and the horses. What a sight!
The following morning we walked to the edge of town, and were met by a guide for a horseback tour of the valley. We rode through the surrounding countryside, around the mogotes, and through lush green farmland. A young Italian couple joined us and so the five of us headed for our first stop, a cave with a small stream and a nice swimming hole several hundred meters into the cave. Because it was cool in the cave, and still early in the day, none of us were interested in swimming, so after a brief visit, we were back on the horses. We rode through the fields of pineapple, orange groves, sweet potatoes, corn, avocado, mango, and tobacco. All the work was done by hand with men guiding single furrow ploughs drawn by teams of oxen through red colored fields. Horse drawn carts carried produce or people. Cowboys tended livestock. Horses were owned by the government. We learned it was
Vinales - The Mogotes
The valley is famous for tobacco, and the mogotes mountains whose tops rise abruptly from the valley floor illegal to kill any cattle. The cattle are owned by the government and they are the only ones who can slaughter beef.
We stopped at a tobacco farm where a young man taught us the art of growing and harvesting tobacco. The leaves are first sun dried on wooden poles outside and then moved into a barn like structure to cure. He mixed us each an all natural ingredient mojito, and then demonstrated how to roll a cigar. He explained how 90% of the nicotine is located in the spine of the leave and by manually removing the spine from the leaf, a low nicotine high quality cigar is produced. The one he rolled for us required another 4 days of drying before being ready to smoke. Of course, we each had to enjoy one of the stogies they had on hand, and we bought a few palm leaf enclosed packages to bring home.
We returned to town in mid afternoon, and wandered about and took in the sights. We found that there were very few items in any of the stores. The pharmacy had only a few rows of brown bottles and the grocery store maybe a
Our Casa Particulare in Vinales
We stayed with a wonderful family in Vinales, they had grandchildren that Linda loved to hold and play with few dozen eggs for sale. Everywhere there was rum, cigarettes, beer or coke on offer, but it seemed, very little else. The 2 price system was frustrating, locals paid 9 cents for an ice cream, we paid 2 dollars. Why? Because we could and they couldn't. They would not sell it to us otherwise. Everyone smoked, cigars or cigarettes, old and young alike, both men and women, and they smoked everywhere, inside and outside. A pack of cigarettes cost us 60 cents, I don't know what it cost the locals, likely 1/24th of that.
After a few days in beautiful Vinales, we were back on the bus to Havana and Jose's again. We spent the night in Havana and were back on the bus the next morning. We were bound for Playa Giron, a nice beach town with a lot of history. Now, even riding the first class luxury coaches is an experience in Cuba. First of all, they frequently slowed down to a crawl as they waited for a horse drawn taxi cart to meet another on the highway, or the crumbled highway dictated a speed of maybe 60 kph, or maybe a similar Viazul bus was headed
A Common Sight
This is daily life in Vinales. Someone is doing some minor repairs, and a load of sand is delivered by ox cart the other way, whereupon the drivers stopped and had a little visit while they enjoyed a smoke. There were so few cars on the highways that they could stop along side each other for that long without cars or trucks happening along.
In Playa Giron our hosts met our bus and took us to their home, a mile down the road, and settled us into our room. We visited the Giron museum in the afternoon. It was filled with war memorabilia from both the revolution and the American invasion. The beach was on "the Bay of Pigs" and was where the Americans attacked Cuba in April of 1961. The museum attested to this in great detail. Everywhere in Cuba, there were brightly painted huge signs celebrating the Revolution, Socialism, Fidel Castro, and especially, Che Guerrero, a rebel who fought alongside Castro. Che was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. He met Fidel Castro in Mexico and played a pivotal role in the victorious two-year guerrilla campaign that deposed the Batista regime in Cuba. After the revolution, Che moved on to fight in other revolutions and was eventually captured and executed by Bolivian government
Horseback Tour of the Valley
A young Italian couple joined us for a tour of the Valley including a cave, a tobacco farm, and other farms growing all types of vegetables and fruits. troops.
We spent the next morning birdwatching in the Natural Preserve. Carlos, our homestay host, was a guide and a naturalist working in the park. He drove us out in his 1950 jeep, and pointed out the different species of birds. We easily spotted the red, white and blue Tocororo, Cuba's national bird, woodpeckers that lived in the dead palm trees and a lot of very tiny hummingbirds, supposedly the smallest birds in the world. It was the dry season so spotting birds was easy.
In the afternoon, we walked the mile or so to Hotel Playa Giron located on the beach. The Cubans began construction of the resort in 1962 following the revolution. The Castro government thought that people would flock there because of its' history.The hotel was to have 150 concrete cabins, as well as a hotel, however, only 50 cabins along with the hotel were ever completed and the rest are still "under construction" we were told. We often found that everywhere in Cuba, construction had been going on for decades. It was not unusual to see shrubs, vines and trees growing through the "ongoing" construction. The malecon/sea wall was crumbling as a result of
Life on a Tobacco Farm
They use oxen and single furrow plows to work the land. Nothing has changed here in hundreds of years. storms and years of neglect. There were only a few people on the pretty, fine white sand beach or occupying any of the bungalows that were constructed along with the hotel. We spotted some new cars and got pretty excited to see them, but then realized that they were all rental cars, owned by the government. We wandered back along the main road and noted many horses tied in various spots to graze. Goats roamed free as did pigs, dogs and chickens.
We were fed elaborate meals. One night we had a dorado type fish and the next night a lobster tail. The lobster tail was so large it was cut in 4 pieces to fit on the plate. We played dominoes with Sergio and Carlito, the kids at the house. Dominoes is the Cubans' game of choice and is played everywhere. It is a common sight to see domino games going on in parks, restaurants or anywhere they can gather and sit. On March 12th, our hosts drove us to the Hotel Giron to catch the bus for our next stop, Cienfeugos. We went early so that we could use the internet at the hotel. The cost was
Red Fertile Soil
We never saw a tractor in a field, always oxen. Tractors were used mostly to move people or deliver farm produce. 6 cuc for an hour.(that was the price the locals had to pay if they wanted to use the internet as well). Remember, a doctor or engineer earned 30 cuc per MONTH. AND, the internet was so slow it took us the hour just to check and respond to our emails.
The 2 hour bus ride cost us $14 cuc each, but of course that's not what the locals paid. We arrived at the bus terminal in Cienfeugos and were greeted by a gentleman who took us to Julia's casa, a beautiful building full of antiques. The house was on one of the town's main streets in the central part. We settled in with coffee, a visit and ordered dinner for 8PM. We headed out to tour the town via the main walking street. The street was beautifully finished with brick. It had benches for sitting and was newly landscaped. The main square had obviously had a lot of work done on the fronts of the massive old buildings. The fronts were painted and many repairs could been seen. The main park was beautifully put together but lacked shade. Inside the museums, offices and stores, there were few items
Lush Green Landscape
Our guide is bringing up the rear as we ride through the countryside. The horses are on "automatic" except for Maurice's. He was given a little switch after proving he actually could ride a horse. to be seen. We deduced that items that normally would be in museums were still in use. It was common to see office desks with very old typewriters, very old scales in grocery stores and other old tools being used daily.
We wandered down the streets going into the few stores to see what they had for sale. In some stores there would be lots of dry goods, everything from sinks to shoes. In others there would be lots of empty space with just one counter selling things like eggs. At one spot people would line up outside a window with their cloth sacks ready to carry their fresh baked and acquired bread. People would also line up at the state owned grocery store where they could buy their allotted grocery items. We wandered to the water's edge and noted that new pavement was being laid. Interestingly though, the packer went right over a pile of horse shit that was dropped in its' crossing. Even though the water's edge was covered in garbage, there was very little sewer smell. We wandered across the bridge noting the various modes of transportation, watching the local people, the buildings (again, most in
At the Mouth of a Cave
The entrance to a cave that had a little stream running through it. We all decided it was a little too early in the day for a swim. disrepair), a baseball stadium in good condition and the parking lot (lined with beer kiosks). We sat down to ponder what we had seen over a local draft beer ( it was sweet). We walked the 2 or 3 miles back to our casa avoiding the bicitaxis and old car taxis and buses spewing black smoke. We shared supper with another couple who were staying at the casa as well. They were from France and were touring Cuba in the same fashion as we were.
Next morning we headed out early to catch the local ferry to Punta Gorda and the Castillo de Jugua. We toured the fort which was built to defend the entrance to the bay. Across the bay, and behind the hill, we could see some massive concrete structures. Our guide pointed out that a nuclear power plant had been planned and constructed was started, though it was never completed. A city had also been built for the workers, and was currently habituated. The residents were bussed around the bay to work in Cienfuegos proper. Wonder why the nuclear plant was never completed?
Later in the morning, we boarded a small ferry for the 10
Tobacco Leaves Curing
There are 4 racks and the leaves are moved up as they dry. The top row is ready to be hand rolled into quality Cuban cigars. minute ride across the bay and explored Paseocabello Hotel, another all inclusive spot. We could only get liquids, no food, at this hotel because the restaurant was closed between mealtimes. So we took a very expensive, yet very decrypted taxi the 5 km to Rancho Luna beach resort. There we were able to wander the beach and have lunch at one of the state owned beach restaurants.
We bartered with another cab for a ride back to the city in order to catch our afternoon bus to Santa Clara. At the bus station, after much bartering we decided to take a 'collectivo taxi' to our next destination rather than wait an extra hour for the bus. Traveling by collectivo would be a new and different experience for us. The driver put us in the front seat, as we were paying the most for the trip. The others sat in the back or in the far back of the 1941 Chrysler station wagon with it's Romanian diesel engine. About an hour later we arrived in Santa Clara and, after dropping the other passengers off at the bus depot, we were taken directly to our prearranged casa. It turned out that
Linda Puffing A Stogie
Home grown, these are the best of the best! they were full, so they walked us 5 blocks to another casa, friends of theirs of course, where we were greeted warmly and allowed to settle in, again, with a welcome drink, this time we chose beer. The main walking street was lined with restaurants and stores in reasonable shape, however the majority of the rest of the buildings in Santa Clara were in very bad shape and in need of much work. We explored many historical buildings and were able to go into most. Once again we found there was little to see inside the buildings except a few chairs and pictures. Vidal Parque was surrounded by many beautiful historical buildings and as the evening drew near, the locals wandered in and sat visiting with friends and family before heading home for the novellas usually at 8PM and dinner.
We returned to the main walking street and had dinner. Spaghetti with ketchup and a sprinkle of cheese, a hamburger with all the fixings and 6 beer cost us 10 cuc, tip included. We got to watch part of the World Baseball Championship series on the TV in the restaurant. Cuba, as well as Canada, lost in the second
Two Amigos
El Capitan and the Local Guide enjoying a stogie. round. The series had been going on for over 2 weeks. While walking back to our casa, music could be heard. 3 entertainers performed in the middle of a regular street to a group of about 15 people, including us. Next morning we wandered a little more, seeing more of Santa Clara's historic sights and then we had a $5.05 breakfast (2 eggs, 3 half slices of toast, and 2 cups of coffee each). Maybe those state run restaurants are not that bad!
We caught the bus to Trinidad and were met by Fidel when we arrived. He whisked us to his casa. It was another old building with 15 foot doors and 20 foot ceilings. We were given a room with 4 beds and a fridge with beer and water! He took us up the spiral staircase to the top terrace and also out back to his garden terrace. He asked us to make ourselves at home and we did, enjoying a cold beer on the top terrace before we headed out to explore. We wandered the cobble stone streets, explored the sites and got our bearings. It was very hard to walk on the very uneven cobblestone
Laundry Time After the Riding
After riding all day, Linda thought she should do laundry. We were able to wash clothes by hand wherever we went. Note the outdoor facilities. streets. We found some great looking buildings but most were closed for repair. At least here the actual repairs were being done! The view of Trinidad, the town and its' placement against the mountains was very picturesque. Music could be heard everywhere and we found the people to be very friendly and helpful. We found many unique places to eat, enjoy a drink and shop.
We took a tour of the valley where the largest sugar cane plantations in Cuba used to be. The whole sugar cane process, from planting, tending, cutting, purging and shipping was explained. At one plantation there was a tall tower. That tower was where guards watched over the slaves and their work area. Whenever a slave attempted to escape, the guard would ring the bell and alert those on the ground. The tower was very impressive. The present view from the top of the tower was of untilled land and run down buildings attached to what made up the town. We were told that 21 million slaves left Africa for the new world, but of those, only 50% survived the crossing. Slaves in Cuba were forced to build their own accommodations out of stone.
Grocery Store
Empty shelves are a very common sight in Cuba. Because of the US embargo, it is difficult to access a lot of goods. We saw the remains of one such place. It was a stone prison with very little ventilation. The conditions must have been deplorable! Slaves died regularly and were buried in separate cemeteries away from the locals.
Next day we headed to Playa Ancon, near the city of Trinidad, another all inclusive beach resort area with 2 state run hotels. After an hour and a half beach walk we parked ourselves near a state run restaurant and enjoyed the beach, the weather and read the day away. Back in town we headed out over the awful cobblestone streets in search of one particular restaurant and had a massive meal of lobster and fish for $20, drinks and tip included.
March 17th we headed to Camaguey and arrived during the heat of the day. We cabbed to Rosa's, settled in by having a beer and decided which sights we should see. The streets of this town run in a spiderweb design. They were made this way to confuse marauding pirates and invaders (and now tourists). Once again the churches were closed but we did see some unique buildings. We found the main walking streets and wandered through the city center.
Quaint little Houses
The town had many little quaint Casa Particulares. This is a tourist town and there are entrepreneurs selling their wares. In a beautiful plaza bar we heard upbeat music. There people were having their afternoon dance time. How relaxing and pleasant to sit in that shady area. All too soon we left the plaza and due to the heat, parked ourselves on a park bench in the shade. We visited with the locals and the bicitaxi drivers. We heard their thoughts about Cuba and it's future. The economy is stagnant, there is no work, if there is work there is very little pay, there are no incentives, and yet they believe in socialism Castro style, they hate capitalism, they have no freedom of speech or information, everything they hear and know is filtered by the government. It was very frustrating to listen to them.
In the evening, after it had cooled down, we wandered the crowded streets listening to music and people watching. At the Plaza Marceo, there was a state sponsored show complete with singing and dancing like we had seen on the Isla. We were impressed with the quality of singing and dancing, and enjoyed the whole show.
We went out early the next morning. Right by our casa we saw a 'hog tied' and laying
Picturesque
Maybe because it was in the country away from Havana, there was obviously more pride here than we found in the rest of the country. on a two wheel cart. He was obviously on his way to a butcher. We found that 2 churches were open. Both were quite grand but in need of repair and each had missing windows. Fidel Castro did not encourage church organizations in Cuba. Later we were accosted by a man that demanded we give him money because 'we had so much and he had nothing'. It was a shocking event! The people's desperation and frustration were becoming more and more evident as we traveled across the country. We took a bicitaxi to the bus station in the early afternoon and headed for Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city in Cuba. We arrived there about 9PM and were cabbed to one casa, but were then taken to another because the owner of our booked casa had just had surgery.
Casa Luisa was the home of a retired Cuban school teacher. She was a wonderful cook and loved to chat with us. As our room was on the second floor we could hear all the sounds of life in Cuba, the roosters crowing, the dogs barking, whistles blowing for garbage pick up and Cuban music, day and night. We
The Bus Arrives
Whenever a bus arrives, the locals flock the bus trying to find customers for their casa, or for other purposes. walked to the central and toured 3 different museums, all of which were quite nicely kept. There was little to see in each of the museums except some good sculptures and paintings, again, because most of the things relating to work were still being used in everyday life. All entrance fees were 1 or 2 cuc.
The Gran Hotel was where we could be found during the heat of the day. They served cheap mojitoes, the breeze flowed through nicely, and the beggars were not allowed to harass us there. We also got away from the black exhaust fumes coming from the truck type buses. The exhaust just hung in the air long after the vehicle had roared past and was very irritating. Most buildings needed extensive repairs. The Casa de la Trova's Cuban, a famous music house, started up in late afternoon and went on till late into the evening. At about 8PM they blocked the window slots to avoid giving people free entertainment and to reduce the dancing on the street. In Santiago there were more street vendors selling various homemade crafts and wares. With Fidel old and ill, the government is now being run by his
We are on the Bus
Often while traveling, the bus would stop at a restaurant, and we were able to eat or stretch our legs. This was a neat spot to stop at. brother Rauol, and Raoul has introduced some new measures. For example, as of February 14th, 2012, people can buy and sell their homes. Prior to that date, they could only trade homes. Also, people are now allowed to sell trinkets and open little shops selling food, usually from their front step or out their window overlooking the sidewalk. That was not allowed a few years ago.
We spent an extra day in Santiago because we had not prebooked our bus to the next stop, Baracoa. Luisa had a friend who owned a newer cab and so she made arrangements for him to take us to a beach just out of the city. We thought we would head to a well known beach, however, our cabbie told us it had been destroyed by a hurricane in September, and that Playa Buey Cabon would be a much better choice. There, we were led to a palapa, given 2 lounge chairs and later served lunch on a table the restaurant fellows carried out to our palapa. We had lobster and 5 of the biggest shrimp we had ever seen. What a feast! The beach was actually quite nice, and we did get
Playa Giron
Our Casa Particulare in Playa Giron, a historic town on the southern coast. Most casas had the frilly curtain things on walls or over windows. used to the pigs, flea bitten skinny dogs, the local 'smuggled in clothes' dealer and the local jiniteros, looking for companions to entertain.
Although neither Maurice or Linda chose a different companion (jinitero) we certainly saw a fair amount of action and other takers. In Cuba, it is very common for single 50, 60 and even 70 year old foreign men and women to have Cuban companions. People come and spend a few weeks or months in the warm and friendly climate. Jinteros and Jiniteras are younger people who offer to become your companion for as long as you wish. The foreigners pay for their food and drinks and provide them with spending money. The companions, in turn, make their partner feel like a million bucks while looking after their every need, 24/7. It seemed like a 30 to 40 year age difference was the norm and it was common all across Cuba.
At the beach we visited with the locals and heard about their lives and aspirations. They voiced their frustration with the present system and the lack of progress. After leaving the beach we attempted to find internet service, but once again could not purchase computer
Supper
Similar to barracuda, this guy provided a very tasty supper. cards due to the fact that all offices were out of internet cards. Apparently they had been out of these cards for 2 weeks but no one seemed to mind, except us. We later decided that we had had enough rum and went looking for water. After 4 stores told us that we could get beer, rum or cigarettes but no water, we settled on beer and sat in the park enjoying the cool evening and watching the people. Water not being available was something we often encountered, however it wasn't a big problem though, as beer and rum were always abundant.
Next morning we were off to the eastern most tip of Cuba. Baracoa was a 4.5 hour drive along the ocean, through the very dry area of Guantanamo, then up and over the mountains to Baracoa. Delsia, the casa owner met us and took us to her place just down the street from our drop off point. We settled in and went out exploring. We were becoming more and more frustrated with sellers and beggars, and we found them increasingly irritating in Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa. Baracoa is small so we walked to the far tip
Empty Hotels, Empty Parking Lots
Everywhere we went in Cuba, the economy appears to have ground to a halt! There was just no activity whatsoever here. along the Malecon (the ocean front walk), then back up one of the 3 main streets back to the central. We hiked up to the Castle Hotel which overlooked the entire town and that gave us a birds eye view of the houses, the ocean and the action below. Back at our casa, Delsia cooked using spices, something that is very rare in Cuba! Our fish, shrimp and chicken dinners were beyond wonderful and of course there was always too much food.
We found Baracoa, like Vinales at the other end of the country, to be very lush and green while the rest of Cuba was very dry. We took a tour of a cocoa plantation one day. They explained how cocoa was grown, harvested and used. They explained how other fruits and vegetables were grown among the cocoa to enhance the soil for future growth. We found that Baracoa's economy seemed to be better that the rest of Cuba, and that it was one of the few places that was self sustaining and where there was more privately owned property. Our guide frowned on the 'lazy' people living in the cities, waiting for hand outs, when they could
The Breakwater at Playa Giron
Like most of Cuba, it was broken or worn down and very weather beaten. be working and getting ahead by their own initiative. He claimed that the people could now own land or property. At the fisherman's village we listened to an old timer share authentic Cuban music and then the locals got us up to dance. One very old fellow chopped coconuts for us to drink and eat. He took us to his house just up the road. It looked like an abandoned wooden granary with an ill fitting door. He had a roof over his head, slept in a hammock, had no other furniture except a chair and a pot and cooked over an open fire. But he seemed happy with his lot as did most of the people we came across.
Later on in the day, we were rowed up a river in the 40 degree heat. Some of the locals were fishing in the river while the women were cleaning pig intestines to be used for sausage casing. We took a dip at the mouth of the river to cool off and watched a local take his sea turtle out for a swim. He told Linda that in about a year the turtle would be big and his family
Carlos and his 1950 Italian Jeep
Carlos guides Italian hunters. They brought him this jeep years ago. He is very proud of it! would eat him. We had lunch and listened to our guide sing and we joined in with percussion instruments and so did the locals. We were hounded by vendors to buy something, or just give them a hand out. Later we went to another beach to swim, wallow and walk, it was truly beautiful. It was tainted by the beggars that followed us and asked for the clothes off your back and any money you could give them. They needed everything and begged us to come back and to bring whatever we could for them....lotion, soap, bras, panties and baby clothes. Our guide was not disturbed by this, he said that in reality they had enough but that we could bring anything we wanted to for them.
The next day we walked miles down the beach to see what we could see. We found the mouth of Rio Miel and enjoyed the sun, the lush greenery, the solitude and playing in the water with a little boy that was just there. We walked back to town and watched some locals playing fastball. We were invited to sit in the dugout with one of the teams as there was not
A Tocororo
Cuba's national bird, it has the same coloring as the Cuban flag, red, white and blue. a lot of shade in the stadium. It was beer time so we left, the little boy still tagging along with us. We fed him and sent him on his way even though he protested and said he was coming home with us.
On Palm Sunday we went to church and stood for the 1.5 hour service. We wove our palm leaves into little accordion type shapes. Several children surrounded us and we quietly and nonchalantly assisted them in making their own weaving to take home. In the afternoon we walked to the bus and stood in the shade of the bus with the sweat pouring down our fronts and backs. It was 51 degrees! The bus could not cool below 30 until we had gotten over the mountains. We arrived back in Santiago de Cuba about
7:15PM. Sandra had a cab meet us and it took us to her casa. She settled us in and informed us that in 30 minutes she would have dinner ready for us. After dinner we visited Luisa at her casa. On the way back we were noticed and then accosted by a local. He told his sad story of sick kids and
How Most People Get Around in Cuba
Walking, biking, the national bus system, and only a few cars. no work and asked for money. Another heart wrenching story! Sadly, by this point in our travels across Cuba, we were reluctant to strike up conversation with the Cubans because they would always ask for money at the end of the visit.
We boarded a plane to Havana the next morning and arrived at Jose and Lourdes about
12:30. We had time to shop and take one last look around Havana. We took shelter from a rain storm that came up, complete with thunder and lightning, in a local bar. We bought some last minute treasures and a bottle of perfume. Because Jose and Lourdes had told us they were hosting us for supper, we bought a bottle of expensive rum and "tukola" for Jose and Lourdes. After dinner we listened to Jose explain how he needed to account for all the food and clothing that he purchased. He showed us the rations they were allotted. We were shocked at how little they were allowed at the local price, for example, each adult was allowed 10 eggs a month, each adult a kilo of chicken a month, so much salt, so much soap, and on and on. Any extra
The Patio at Playa Giron
The owners made us feel welcome and we enjoyed the comforts of home. They had a cage of exotic birds, a hunting dog and a shaded and fenced area for their ducks. could be purchased on the black market, but the prices were unaffordable.
We were so grateful to Jose and Lourdes for all their insight, for planning and assisting us with our trip across Cuba, for getting our return plane tickets, for informing our casa owners that we were coming, for welcoming us on 4 different occasions and making our trip to Cuba so wonderful! We felt so sorry for some of the people we encountered and met. We appreciated their positive attitude. We applaud their innovative nature to reuse or repair everything. We're touched by their loving nature. Our hearts go out to the people that need to be jiniteros to survive or get ahead. We felt sorry for their limited view of the world. We hope it will change with time.
We boarded a plane for Mexico City
at 3:45 and arrived at Terri's apartment about
6:45 PM via the metro. How nice to have Internet access. How nice to have a place to ourselves after a full month of bunking into someone's house. How nice to have the evenings cool off. How nice to have taco de pastor and beer at our favorite restaurant. How nice to feel
On the Way to Cienfuegos
The meeting of 2 Viazul buses on the main road to Cienfuegos. Smoke break and a visit for the drivers! like we were at home! After contacting our family we enjoyed the evening alone. Over the next four days we got haircuts, Linda had her nails done, we visited with Rosa and her mother, Mary, Tacho, Rennie and Terri. We took Toby for walks and wandered around our old neighborhood. We said our final farewells to many people and vowed to keep in touch.
We boarded a plane for Saskatoon and arrived to Saskatoon about 11:30PM on March 30th. Kristen and Brett met us at the plane and drove us home. We were shocked by all the snow! At least 5 feet in our front yard! Is it really spring?
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Annette and Lionel
non-member comment
Love Cuba!!!
Yes, felt the sadness and frustration of the people, lovely people though!