Peace Chorus Headed home, but I am staying in La Habana

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On December 12, much of the chorus he add home, through Miami. Note that we arrived on the second day that American Airlines flew from Miami to Havana. Apparently they were still working our the bugs, because there was some confusion on the return and nor everyone made the connection to Seattle. But I'm told everyone is home safely now.

I'm still in Cuba. John joined me on the 12th. We had an educational tour of La Habana on Tuesday and Wednesday, guided by my friend Mario. We learned a lot about the economy and history from him. We started at the Hotel Nacional, which has interesting artifacts of its days as a casino, controlled apparently by US organized crime. It is a grand hotel, with beautifully maintained buildings and grounds, and even a few peacocks in the yard. We checked and found that the cost of a room there is $300 a night.

The Havana international film festival was in full swing and the hotel was a hub of activity. We heard that many famous stars of Latin American Cine were staying there, and even a few famous Americans such as Oliver Stone.

Another interesting aspect of the grounds was the memorial to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Under the hotel are extensive tunnels and Mario took us into these and we saw exhibits and information about the crisis. It was interesting to hear the story from the Cuban perspective, which emphasizes the Cuban role in de-escalating the crisis.

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Photos

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View from our apartment in La Havana, beige building is the Hotel Nacional, beyond is the Malecon

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Inside of the apartment

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Hotel Nacional from the Malecon

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Hotel grounds

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Famous bar in the hotel where they have photos and artifacts from the days before the revolution

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Defenses in the grounds of the Hotel

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Mario and John on our educational tour - This is a canon on the grounds of the Hotel Nacional

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Inside the tunnels