Week 4 in Cuba

Week 4 in Cuba

Feb 18

Buen Vieja Dean. His flight leaves at noon today.

We have one more night in Santa Clara and an early start with Via Azul to Matanzas on Thursday so plan to see as much as we can today.

Took a bicitaxi for 3 CUC to Complejo Monumental Ernesto Che Guevara. Gave our driver my cupcake from last night.. What a smile we got!

This vast square spans both sides of the main highway with a very high bronze statue of Che, erected in 1987 to mark the 20 th anniversary of Che's murder.

Inside the crypt is an eternal flame, lit by Fidel in 1997 when Che's body was moved here from a secret mass grave in Bolivia.

Also inside here are 38 stone-carved niches dedicated to the other guerrillas killed with Che in Bolivia.

The museum on the other side is very well done, photos of Che from childhood, through university, as a doctor then throughout his campaigns. Artifacts are well displayed, the helmets, uniforms, artillery and ammunition.

Also went to the site that ended the revolution, where Che and company used a bulldozer to rederail an armoured railcar with oodles of troops. The bulldozer and rail cars are still there, with a museum inside each  rail car.

We also went to the monument of Che holding a child, to represent hope for the future generations.

For having known very little of Cuba's history except for names and events such as Bay of Pigs, Missile Crises, Fidel Castro, US embargo......now, I have joined the dots, it has all come together, let's say full immersion in Che!

Another bicitaxi to Fabrico de Tabacos. We had not planned on the tour as we have been in these factories in other countries. We were there for the shop to buy a cigar cutter.

But we were approached very quickly as we dismounted the bicitaxi. This guy asked the infamous question... "Where you from?" And when we said Vancouver, he has a best friend there who saved his life when he was diving in Cienguegos and now that guy visits every year and gets cigars free here to sell to his friends. Right!! Next person from Toronto got the same story! 

Anyhow, we asked our taxi to wait five minutes while we went in the store and when we came out, and were planning our next stop, I was standing by the front tire and BANG, the valve shot right out of the tire!

Well how about that?

There just happened to be a bike repair shop two doors down!

The bike repair man

Lucky, the tire was fixed in ten minutes and we were on our way to Parque Vidal, a late afternoon picnic and souvenir shopping on Indepencia.

Email check at Hotel Santa Clara Libre and ready for tomorrow.
On the way home, I set my iPad camera on my lap and shot photos of "life in the streets of Santa Clara". Seeing the photos here is not as effective as watching it as a slide show but here goes.
Pretend you are on the bike with us as we go down the streets.

even wagons get flat tires!

colours

public telephones

school uniforms

very narrow sidewalks, never quite figured out the right of way

newer cars belong to government workers or car rental companies

very friendly policemen

paint job awaiting

Feb 19 

A very early start, up at 6, breakfast at 6:30 (the same very large meal as yesterday with a full plate of fruit, too much, warm buns, pancakes, sweet buns, scrambled egg and a grilled cheese sandwich) and in the taxi by 7 for the Via Azul station. 

We had reserved so the ticket purchase and baggage check was a piece of cake. On the road at 8:15 heading to Varadero. 11 CUC and 1 CUC for each piece of checked luggage.

Mira had phoned ahead to Pepe's recommended casa, Hostal Azul in Matanzas so we bus to Varadero, and find our way to Mantanzas for one night.

Just after Colon there was a road check at Perico, luggage department examined.

From the window, we saw: sugar cane, poultry farms,, goats and through Jovellanos lots of trees with vines climbing through them. Men with machetes were pruning, then the soil was red for the next ten kms where beans, lettuce and cabbage were growing. Lots of hot houses and an agricultural centre coop.

Just before Cardenas a big pine plantation.

Arrived Varadero at 11:30, a taxi to Kawama, love the challenge... First taxi I asked, it would be 10 CUC, second one 8 and the third one 6 so we took him!

Checked our bags at Kawama and learned there is no longer a Mantanzas tour bus so hired a young lady from the casa next door, Cecy's, who drove us quickly to Hostal Azul only to learn they were full and we could stay at his Dad's but after the 35 km ride out, we asked our young lady if she could tour us in Matanzas and take us back to Varadero. No problem!

Parque Liberdad, theatre etc.

Cecy found us a room at Casa Margarita's for 35 CUC and our taxi lady dropped us off. Brand new private casita with a separate bedroom, sitting room and kitchenette. And a bathroom with soap!!! We still had a kg of cerdo from last night so opted for sandwiches for dinner instead of another huge meal.

Walked from 14 th up to 30th and nearly froze in our shorts and summer tops. A cold front is blowing in, takes two days, then blows out again but 14 degrees was not my idea of Varadero so we came home early and snuggled into a nice warm bed with a good book!

Feb 20

A much more reasonable sized breakfast so I chatted with Margarita about meals for the locals. She told me that children go to school at 7:30 after a breakfast of pan and cafe con leche. They are served the same meal at school for lunch and then the evening meal is frijoles, arroz and a small piece of carne and ensalada. This is what I  expected so I asked why the meals are so huge for the extranjos, she said that they are expected to feed the tourists well, with the same amount they get at home. I shared that we certainly do not eat that much at home and that I have been feeding folks on the street with all the extras we could not possibly eat. That was good she said but I would like to see tourists get less and locals more.

It is a little warmer today so will try the hop on hop off bus to get the lay of the land before checking in at Kawama.  Margarita told us it was the best of all the hotels for the beach and the family atmosphere. Thanks Roberta for the recommendation and the connection to Leida. 

The bus tour took us out 20 kms on the hotel zone, big, pretentious isolated mega hotels, no thanks!

Tickling the ivories!!

Give me Kawama any day,a mile of beach, regular folks as guests and so much closer to town.

The clouds and cold are now blowing out to sea! Yeah, bring on the sun!

Our room not to be ready until  four but all services available so a warm lunch at poolside, meeting lots of NBers and a long walk on the deserted beach made time fly! But brrrrr, it is chilly! My nose and toes felt like ice on the top of the open double decker bus. This may be the place Sharon said she was so cold on her holiday. They promise a warmer day tomorrow, at least 24 degrees!

Raining at three o'clock and the pool deck cleared, the staff turned all the loungers facing the pool for the morning, rain lasted ten minutes.

Cindy from New Glasgow, N S and another couple from Winnipeg who have been to this resort 17 times gave us the scoop on the place, mostly repeat clients who have all bonded with staff members and have become part of their extended families, dinner in their homes and off to a wedding in Matanzas this evening.

Dinner at 6:30. So many choices, lots of vegetables, turkey, chicken, three kinds of fish, three types of pork, a wonderful salad bar, the chocolate fountain and a bottomless wine glass!

I like this, where I choose what and how much rather than the kilo of meat on my plate at the Santa Clara casa.

Feb 21

Woke to an over cast and windy day. Appointment for mani pedi at ten but my toes will be in socks and runners from here on, so will just do the fingers. 

Breakfast, full choice of whatever you want.

She did a great job but cut the nails right down to the quick and snipped a lot of skin!

Walked the malecon, thinking it was a peninsula we were on and it would not be far. After 30 minutes, I realized I could not see past the high building so didn't know how much farther, had pre arranged a meeting time with Dave so had to turn back, will check tomorrow morning.

Along the way, there was a Club Karey, many homes numbers with CK on it, maybe a future possibility for a whole family. 

Lunch on the beach, pizza, Cuban style, yummy.

Tans came back in 30 minutes!!

Our room is in the older section by the first pool they built, so quiet in 4149 and our beach a quarter mile from the main beach means we have very few folks and no need to run with towels to save chairs early in the morning. The small restaurant El Brocal makes the best coffee and serves snacks all day long so no need to leave our end of the resort, just for the a la carte restaurants we booked for Sunday and Tuesday nights. Life is good!

Feb 22

A day for the town. Checked our Parque Central and Parque de las 8000Taquillas after walking the 46 blocks from Kawama, internet check and a few detours down to the beach to check the scene. Walked back to Calle 27 and hailed a Cuba car and got home for a late lunch, once again lots of choices and I loved the salad bar, have been missing my greens!

Will do Parque Josone on Tuesday when I go to the bank to put my remaining CUCs on Visa and to Etseca to prebook our seats on our return flight.

After lunch, a great swim in the ocean and an afternoon under a palapa, once again our isolated end of the beach had only 8 people spread out on their loungers, a quiet reading environment and great for journalling.

Dinner at one of the a la carte restaurants, a little walk from our room but El Risolino will be our Italian meal for the month. Our next A la carte is Restaurante Internationale, should be interesting as well on Tuesday night, our farewell dinner.

Feb 23

A beach day!  Early breakfast, an hour brisk walk on the malecon and then my cappuccino at the beach snack bar, lots of swimming and lunch on the beach as well, that Cuban pizza!

Our end of the resort  is super quiet, no more than sixteen people here at any one time on the beach with the palapas and spread out so it feels like a private area for us. Finished a good book, more swimming and a lovely dinner. Todo bien!

Our little restaurant at our end of the beach, serves the best Cuban pizzas and cafe con leech

we have this end all to ourselves!!

note the crowds in the water!

Booked our cab for Wednesday morning, same one who took us to Mantanzas on Thursday.

Feb 24 Happy birthday Miss Kaiya!

A walk into town to prebook our seats for tomorrow's flight but that wasn't going to happen!. I then did an exchange on our leftover CUCs at the bank, spent a few hours in Josone Park then home for one final palapa afternoon, in the shade today though because the sun is strong and I got a little too much yesterday on my big walks.

Dinner at Internationale and a final evening on the beach.

Looking back over the month, we have done history and culture for three and a half weeks and these last four days have been getting used to the English language and thinking about the return to our northern nest after four months away.

Highlights... Cienfuegos, caves of Vinales, beaches at Playa Ancon and Varadero, nature reserve at Playa Larga, history and architecture of Habana, Santa Clara and Cienfuego; the Che story throughout, his museum in Santa Clara, casas particulares, remembering Tamara, Nana, Juanito, Titi, Abelle, Pepe, Isabel, Mira and Margarite. Rigo, the Luthier connection and Roberta for Kawama.

Feb 25

Flights Varadero-Toronto then Toronto- Vancouver to be picked up by our son then greeted by his smiling family! Sooo good to be home.

Will insert photos in these last four posts when I get both Dave's and mine sorted. My SD card was empty when I got home but I did a scan on a free trial Card recovery Program and the photos are still there but I do not want to pay the $50 BUY NOW charge to retrieve them. The only ones I really want are from the first three days in Havana and our Canada Cuba Luthier connection. so, will attempt a recovery at the local tech shop.

Muchas gracias dios por un mes de cultura, historia y securidad!