Cultural Cuba - Trinidad, 2020 Monday January 13
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Published: February 20th 2021
Crafts at the Casa de Abuelos
Community and communal support for seniorsBefore leaving Cienfuegos, we visited a Seniors Centre. About twenty members greeted us by singing the national anthem, followed by the anthem for their Centre. Casa de Abuelos Reina is a non-residential centre that operates weekdays from 8:00 to 4:30. Members come on their own, usually walking because they live close-by. They must be over sixty and in good mental health to join, and they pay a token amount according to their pension income for three healthy meals daily. The building and staff are paid for by the state. Everyone is happy to come, because even if they live with their families, they would otherwise be alone all day. Here they chat and have programs similar to Seniors Centres in Calgary. Doctors, a psychologist and a gerontologist visit monthly, and a dentist annually. There are similar centres across the city and all over Cuba, even in rural areas. The well-being of seniors is important to the society. Some of the women make handicrafts, mostly knitted. I chose a little purse for a gift and made a donation.
Just outside of the city, Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos is the oldest botanical garden in Cuba. Founded by the
Atkins family in 1901
Broken Axe or Ironwood tree
Cienfuegos Botanical Garden as a sugar-cane research facility, it has grown into a collection of species from around the world. In the fresh air of the large park, Hilda guided us from one special tree to another, peppering her commentary with witticisms about the local names. For example, the Ironwood tree is also known as the “Mother-in-law flotation vest”, because the wood is so hard it sinks in water. (Mother-in-law jokes are very popular in Cuba.) The wood is also known as “Broken Axe” and was used to make the road in Havana outside the governor’s house to muffle the noise of horses' hooves. Because it is impervious to water, the road lasted 500 years, before recently being restored. Even more fascinating was the Cannonball tree whose delicate orchid-like flowers live only one day. A tangle of thin twisted branches and trunks support the tree’s large, hard fruit, which is indeed about the size of a cannonball. From the “Muffin Tree” hang fruit that strangely resemble bran muffins. The “Monkey Pot Tree” is quite similar, as both are relatives of the Brazil Nut Tree, except the fruit resemble small clay pots with lids. Inside the pods are about ten to fifteen nuts.
Adita Restaurant
Popular restaurant for lunch In Trinidad's city centre we went for lunch in Adita, one of Trinidad’s favourite private-enterprise restaurants. Seated up on the second-floor balcony, we watched the buzz below as patrons rushed in and out. The specialty was thin-crust pizza, but I had seafood pasta with red sauce. The quantity of fish would have been enough for three good lunches!
Around the corner and down the street, we toured the Museo de Arquitectura Colonial, with a guide who spoke English as fast as Spanish. She was proud of the history of the city and its architecture. The building was the former home of a high Spanish official, thus, it had genuine colonial artifacts, spacious rooms and a generous layout around a garden courtyard. Like all the well-kept buildings in the city, it has been meticulously restored and well maintained since. The resources Cuba puts into restoration of its built infrastructure surprises me, considering the economic demands in a small island nation under heavy pressure from the US. Rescuing the buildings does create a more hopeful climate for citizens who are deeply patriotic and for tourists keen to see with history’s eyes.
Our next, slightly touristy stop was at El Alfarero
Colonial style sitting room
Museo de Arquitectura Colonial Pottery. Several generations of the Santander family have run this business - making painted clay souvenirs and decorative items for homes. At the entrance a display of photographs honoured the family’s history, beside plaques commemorating Che Guevara. Daniel immediately took us to greet “Chichi”, a fourth-generation potter honoured in the town square for his craftsmanship. The sixth generation is now working in the business. Wandering through the workshop we saw a kiln open, ready for more items. We watched in admiration as various workers expertly shaped the clay, sanded the dried shapes with a few twists of the wrist, and quickly added colour and glaze. The display of finished products for sale was dazzling, especially the tall hanging spirals of little painted bells that delighted the eye and probably chimed in a breeze at home.
">View my video of the Pottery.
Leaving town behind, we drove some distance to Peninsula Ancon, where we were booked for two nights in “Memories”, an all-inclusive resort, the first of three being built in the area. This was the embodiment of my fear that Cuba had turned into a “sun-seekers’ paradise”, although it was fun for a short visit. We were together in one of numerous buildings full
of standard hotel rooms. (Room safes were free, but none worked.) Even though our free time was brief, and despite the enticement of the beach, I needed a rest. I settled for getting myself a piña colada from a bar and walking in my sandals onto the sand, lounging while watching the sun set into the sea.
The ride to dinner stimulated my curiosity. Leaving the paved roads, the bus bumped along narrow dirt roads in a progress that completely baffled me. I took the opportunity to stare into people’s homes to try to understand how families live. The houses are apparently made of concrete-block, and each has a large front window more or less open to the street. Some windows were curtained but open, and some were shuttered, partly or fully closed. Occasionally, people were talking through the window. Individuals relaxed and watched TV, or chatted with each other, or meditated, or ate, or drank. Finally, I asked Daniel about the houses; he said that behind the main front room would be a corridor on one side leading to two or three small bedrooms, plus a bathroom in-between.
Suddenly we were at a large, well-established, open-format restaurant!
Fantasy sunset
Peninsula Ancon We were shown to our table, and we could see the chefs preparing dinners in the open kitchen. They were all remarkably calm, slowly creating attractive and delicious dishes, particularly grilled pork, chicken and fish. The speciality here was shrimp, so I had shrimp and octopus cooked in oil and garlic. The octopus was cooked to exactly the right tenderness.
We returned in the dark, again along the rough dirt roads, into the old city’s cobblestone streets. There we walked up-hill on a wide cobblestone street to the Casa de la Trova, a dance club. Like many others, it opens only in the evening. Several bands play, one after the other until 2:00 a.m. or later. Locals come to dance salsa, as do people who attend salsa schools in the day time. A few professional dancers keep the action going by acting as partners, if necessary.
To enter we had to cross the tight, rectangular dance floor where couples were dancing to a seven-piece band playing quintessential Cuban sounds. The lead singer’s melodious baritone voice bathed us with the party atmosphere. We took a table in the front, to one side of a large group of friends who
turned out to be the salsa class, both single women and couples. They kept the dance floor moving. One of the professional dancers (very supple and smooth) asked Carolyn from our group to dance. She enjoyed her moment on the dance floor, and we all applauded. Then he asked Harriet, who declined. Then he asked me, and embolden by Carolyn’s dance, I accepted. He was very nice, but I could tell he didn’t think much of my sense of rhythm, and neither did I! The dance was slow paced – not sure if that helped or hindered. Anyway, I was smiling as the song ended, and I got my own moment of applause.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
A full day
I'm super impressed with your tour company: They pack a lot into a day, and all of it worthwhile. What a delight to buy a painting from the artist - a much better choice than heavy pottery. although I loved that video. I was impressed with how deftly and quickly they each did their part, especially the addition of varnish/glaze with the bell on a spinning top. This is exactly the sort of thing I don't think to do - maybe I've not had enough repetitive hand work in my life . . .