Thursday, January 21, 2016

Cuba Libre


As I sit in a rather cold and snowy DC, bracing itself for snowmageddon 2016, I thought it about time to share some thoughts and colour from our memorable trip over Christmas and New Year to Cuba! 


We had decided late last summer that now was the time to go to Cuba "before it changes" Planning and booking the trip was a challenge - one of my most challenging ever, and that is saying something! Don't believe all you read - it is still a difficult destination to reach for Americans (and thus those of us living in the US) unless you are one of the permitted categories that is allowed to travel there as part of an official organization.  Then add to this, the fact that Cuba is struggling to meet the surge in tourist demand (and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon) and that there is no sense of urgency in responding or resolving a problem from the Cuba end. Despite all this and not totally convinced all our reservations and plans would work out, we were very excited setting off for warmer climes several days before Christmas.

Without a doubt it was a fabulous trip. We had a great time but it was quite an adventure. Cuba is a fascinating country, the music is still ringing in our ears. The people we met were very happy and friendly despite their poverty. People people everywhere - walking across the highways to get from one field to the next, waiting for a lift at the side of the road,  sitting watching the world go by or gathering to listen to music. To say nothing of all the tourists, especially in Havana.  It is a very lush island which I hadn't quite expected  with very vibrant colors everywhere you look - on the buildings, the cars, the art and the people.



The modes of transport were also a source of fascination - the endless horses - either with just a farmer astride smoking a cigar on his way home from the field or with a carriage transporting many people from A to B. And there were many bikes and lorries with passengers standing/some sitting getting from place to place. And then there were all those "old" cars. Two weeks later we were still photographing them, whether it was the 1950’s yank tanks - Buicks, Pontiacs and Chevys or the Ladas from the Soviet Union days. They were surreal in many ways. It felt very cinematographic. 

We did take a couple of rides in brightly coloured 1950s convertibles - cruising along the Malecon at sunset, pausing for photos in Revolution square. Mati wished she had bought her Pink Ladies outfit to really look the part. Driving was an adventure  - we did rent a "modern economy" car. It must have been built in the 1980s, it was filthy and felt like it was falling apart - well it was, for the last two days the driver door wouldn't open and Gregorio, complete with panama hat was doing his Starsky and Hutch impression. Quite the scene. 
At least the AC worked. I played navigator, my usual role. And if I may blow my own trumpet, I'm rather good at it. Despite what my junior colleagues might think, there was a time when we did navigate without iPhones and GPS systems. We got around the island with a rather basic map. The surprising thing was that on the few occasions we needed to verify directions, it didn't matter who you asked, they knew exactly how many meters before you took a turning and the specific landmarks to watch out for. The greater challenge was the quality of the roads - they were full of pot holes and there was a lack of illumination on the roads and some of the cars at night. Towns do have some street signs but they are small and very hard to read. Sometimes the petrol stations had petrol and you had to make sure you filled up when you saw a station, they weren't plentiful. 

Havana was a fun and vibrant city with plenty going on. There are parts of the old town that have received some serious investment but just next to a renovated building you'll see complete decay, balconies being held up with rudimentary wooden poles or complete gaps where the building has collapsed. Despite the washing, the old wires, rubbish and more the former glory and vibrant colours of the building shone through. The setting by the sea is magical. We enjoyed visiting Hemingway's home Finca Vigia - an idyllic setting outside of Havana. A  trip to Floridita's  his favorite haunt for a daiquiri was less enjoyable - rather commercial and touristy. From Havana we drove down to the western part of the island, pausing in Las Terrazas, a national park. It was pristine, calm and organized scenery around a lake where we saw flamingoes. We continued down past Pinar del Rio and stayed in Vinales driving past the tobacco fields. The landscape, particularly at sunset, was beautiful. That was Christmas day - we did not give any presents but we did give a young guy a ride to the next village after work - one hour down the autopista, as his bus had broken down. Given the number of people who congregate on the highways under the bridges it would seem a common occurrence. Cubans are obliged to give people a ride if they have space in the vehicle. We did not know that and thought we were being stopped by the police when we saw an official looking guy blowing a whistle at us! 

Next stop - Varadero. Given that international visitors have been going there for years - we expected more. The beach was nice, but we have seen better ones in the world and the water not that warm. The accommodation - despite selecting a 5-star newer property was really below par and frankly run like a soviet sanitarium, though with a very friendly smile. In the end we could only laugh. It was a relaxing couple of days and a chance to get over various episodes of food poisoning (that was inevitable). We headed south just before New Year's eve, stopping to visit Che Guevara's mausoleum, monument and museum inSanta Clara. It gave us insight into the reverence the Cubans hold for this man. A little more explanation in the museum would be nice - I mean, it is all very well to see the chair his grandmother sat on or a pen he used in 1959...

We saw in the New Year in, in Trinidad. A smaller and more vibrant community than Havana. We stayed in a Casa particulares and met local people who were very friendly and talked about their entrepreneurial ideas and helped us find 'good' places to eat. We went to Cienfuegos for the day - a city founded by a French emigre, the architecture is  neoclassical French in style, though I don't think the French use such vibrant colors in the architectural details. We were pleased we were staying in Trinidad which felt more like a village and easier to walk everywhere, the girls wandered around the market stalls on their own which was fun. In Trinidad, more than anywhere there was music everywhere - in the cafes, in the restaurants and  in the square - Buena Vista Social Club eat your heart out. On January 1st we spent the day at a small beach close by - no infrastructure but full of Cuban families. The water was warmer and cleaner than up north. A magical place to start the new year.

I guess I haven't mentioned the food - which is rather odd for the Impavidos. Well in short it was nothing to write home about. In fact it was bloody awful! It was repetitive and not good. Chicken or pork with beans and rice. There is a lack of ingredients and a lack of any culinary tradition. We went to some fun paladares - family run restaurant where the food was edible to good but they were more about the atmosphere and location. We learnt that not only is food very important to us on holiday but on the few occasions we thought we would wing it and find something on the fly - we had a disaster. The one piece of Christmas we took with us was a panettone  - it came in very handy and never tasted so good. On a couple of our driving days all we had some old bread and pringles crisps. We made up for the lack of good food with mojitos, daiquiris, pina coladas, cuba libre and more (and mocktails for Bella and Mati). On our return we had two nights in Cancun - we didn't get to the hotel restaurant till 10 pm but boy did we enjoy the guacamole and tacos that night!

The thing that struck Mati were the endless cigars. They really are everywhere. Isabella loved all the colorful art and Gregorio the music and free flowing mojitos! Overall one of the wonderful things for us all,  was slowing down. You can let it frustrate and upset you - waiting 2 hours for your luggage to arrive , 3 hours for the rental car to be available or 7 hours delay on departure at Havana airport  or you can just sit back and enjoy the scene and enjoy the moment. Related to this was being out of contact with the world - no texts, no emails, no wifi, no connection full stop. It was wonderfully restorative for us all. We observed the scenery, we talked and laughed and had a great time together. 



Coming back to DC was quite a shock. No heating on arrival at midnight and below freezing outside. The next day we had an injured deer in our gardens. Turns out he had been there most of the time we were away! 

This week-end Isabella is supposed to have her next MRI. However, they are really forecasting a mega snowstorm, the grocery stores were worse than the day before Thanksgiving, the hardware stores are selling out of snow shovels and salt....SO we are in wait and see mode to see if we can make it to the hospital. I think it might be a bit far to walk. Metro has already been declared closed for the week-end, many schools and businesses are closed or will be closing early on Friday. Bella and I will get our exercise shoveling, Mati is happy we have stocked up on baking goods and so will keep us fueled.

Updates on Isabella's MRI if and when there is any news beyond the white stuff!



HAPPY NEW YEAR, we hope to see many of you in 2016

Emma & family xxx
PS - just a few photos - still sifting through them all!