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Published: December 27th 2016
20161210_112212
Cantores de CienfuegosOn Saturday morning (12/10) we met with the Cantores of Cienfuegos, in a small room attached to the Tomas Terry Theater on the main plaza. They sang several songs for us, then we sang four songs for them and Kent taught them a song which we sang together. We gave them a plaque of appreciation and some gifts. It was another unforgettable experience.
We have been so impressed by the quality of the choirs we've met with. They are professional choirs, practicing 5 days a week for several hours a day. For this they earn $20- $40 or so a month which is a typical Cuban government wage, along with food rations (eg. 7 lbs of rice/month). Most need to augment this in order to get by.
Cienfuegos is a beautiful town. It has a wide main street, called the Prado and another pedestrian only street called the Boulevard. The main plaza is very impressive, surrounded by the French architecture for which Cienfuegos is known. The town is located on a large bay and there is a point, the Punta Gorda which is south of the main plaza. On that point, we found a place to soak our feet
in the water, as well as some stunning architecture at an elegant old mansion that is now a government run restaurant.
In the afternoon, we had some time to relax. Some went to the botanical gardens outside the city, others of us us took cabs to the beach at Rancho Luna, about 20 km away. The cabs cost $20 rt. It was a gorgeous Caribbean beach with warm water and gentle waves. We had lunch there, eating fish that had just been caught offshore. It was a wonderful, relaxing afternoon (except for the actual cab ride, which was a little wild).
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