CUBA

                                                   The Nation

       This island nation, jewel of the Caribbean, at 750 miles long is the largest island in the Caribbean. About the size of Pennsylvania, it covers 42,804 square miles and has a population of 11 million. The country is home to 6000 plant species and many bird species, half of both are indigenous to Cuba. More than 300 bird species use the island as a fly-over.

       The landscape includes a combination of mountain ranges, plains, valleys, marshland, the northern coast, and has 200 bays and 250 beaches. On the east the Sierra Maestra Mountain range towers 6500-feet, while on the west sits the Cordillaro de los Organos range. In central Cuba we stopped at an overlook to soak up the beauty of the Sierra de Escambray. Even a panoramic camera had difficulty capturing the vastness and beauty of the area.

      This country of great diversity and natural beauty has four main ports with the Port of Havana being the largest.  With a temperate climate, the sub-tropical country boasts an amazing literacy rate of 98%.
 The flag has three horizontal blue stripes divided by two white stripes; on the left is a red triangle with a white star in the middle of it. The country’s crest is in the shape of a shield. Across the top of the shield is half sun rising behind a mountain. The left half of the bottom is the blue and white of the flag in vertical stripes, the right side represents the landscape of mountains and palm trees.

      In the 19^th century, Cuba was Spain’s colonial jewel and the vibrant crossroads to the New World. Ships laden with treasures passed through the Port of Havana. Havana grew up around the harbor evolving as a protectorate of the ships and their crews, developing a service society. Four forts were built to protect the harbor.

       After the Spanish-American War, business interests made the island a virtual U.S. colony, and it remained such until the Revolution. The many mansions and architectural treasures throughout the country, although numerous but decaying from over 40 years of neglect, are evidence of the amount of wealth that flowed into the small Caribbean nation.
    The Spanish built cities where they settled while the British just allowed cities to grow. By the mid 18^th century Havana was the 3^rd largest city in Latin and South America (after Mexico City and Lima, Peru).  
      The Treaty of Paris traded Cuba for Florida in 1763.  In 1898 the US military initiated reform to eradicate yellow fever.

A rich diversity in arts and music reflect the blending of cultures brought to the island by Spanish and African immigrants. Sugar and tobacco became king and the greatest influence on the economy.

To understand Cuba one needs to review a bit of its history. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1492 believing he had found China, India or a new continent. For some reason, he did not circumnavigate Cuba, so was unaware that it was an island. He described Cuba as the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen. The native people of that day were called Tainos, meaning big land.  

The island’s location, 110 miles from the Yucatan with its Spanish influence, 90 miles from the Florida coast and its Spanish influence at that time, 35 miles from Haiti and French influence and 50 miles from Jamaica and the British influence, made it the key to the Americas during the colonial era, in the 18^th century. However, the proximity to these cultural differences also meant decades of conflicts.

The British took Cuba with 10,000 men and ruled it for eleven months in 1762. At that time the population of Cuba was 4000-5000, so the British troops outnumbered the population by 2:1.  The Cubans were used to conflicts with pirates, but this was the first time that they had to defend themselves from a foreign power.

In 1792 African slaves from Haiti were kidnapped and taken to Cuba to work on the plantations. The French rebelled at this point and left, going home to fight the French Revolution. Between 1800-1830 Cuba’s sugar industry exploded creating rich sugar barons and the country switched from a service economy to a plantation economy.

One million African slaves expanded the sugar industry and by 1830 fifty percent of Cuba’s population was black, which changed the religion, culture and society.

To continue next post

SOME AUSTRALIAN FUN

                               A Variety of Fun Experiences

           While in the outback we decided to take a camel ride. The camel handler gave us some advice on what to expect when the camel got up and down. There wasn’t too much of a jolt as the camel got up, but going down we let out a whoop! We both were propelled forward, but we managed to stay in the saddle.  We were quite taken with the animals  peach-size eye balls that are covered with 3-inch long lashes.

         The camel gets up on his hind legs first, which tends to propel one a bit forward, then up go his front legs. When lying down   the camel puts his front legs down first! Then the hind legs go down with a plop.

         We learned a bit about camels also. The animals hump is full of fat, not water, as is commonly thought. A camel chews his cud giving him rather bad breath. They do not spit as their close relative, the llama, does. They can close their nostrils in a sand storm. A camel is gentle, patient and affectionate.

       A camel moves both right legs together, then the back legs, so he can pace but not trot. They have great endurance. Their feet have no hooves but two fig-size toenails and walk on flex pads on their feet that mold over stones and gravel. A camel is born football size and is  hump less, has an ostrich-like head and gangly legs that can fold up.

       You don’t bounce like on a horse; the ride is more swaying like on a boat. I wouldn’t want to ride a very long way or a long time on a camel, but it was fun for a short while. A camel’s dung can be used for a fire. It is an interesting camel.

            We couldn’t resist a sunrise balloon ride while in the outback. The day started with a wake-up call at 3:15 AM!  Leaving a paved road we bounced over a washboard dirt road for 8 kilometers to the balloon site. Because the basket was a large one, holding 12 passengers, the balloon was proportionally large. It took a good while for the big balloon to inflate. We all managed to get in the basket, some with more help than others.

            Then suddenly with a blast of air we were off the ground! As daylight appeared, we saw cattle browsing, and wild horses running down on the plain. To the right we saw mobs of kangaroos hopping along the plain. As it got lighter, we spotted other hot air balloons in the air.

            The ride lasted a little over an hour. We made a smooth landing and when all were out of the basket we helped deflate the balloon and pack it into its compact carrying case. We headed back to town to a closed tavern where we had the traditional champagne and then we were served a nice breakfast which we enjoyed very leisurely on the patio. We were much more comfortable than we would have been on camp stools in the field. (Done it that way also)

            Having taken other balloon rides, I convinced my travel buddy to take her first. I was happy she thoroughly enjoyed it and allayed all her apprehensions and fears.

        In a large shopping area in Sydney our shopping was greatly hampered because we kept stopping to watch some excellent street performers and mimes. A statue of liberty mine was exceptionally good.

       In Fitzroy park in Melbourne there is a wonderful fairy tree. Many years ago a large tree had to be cut down. A local lady requested the stump be left, as she wanted to do something to delight children. Between 1933-35 she carved little fairy figures all around the approximately four-foot tree stump. It must have taken hours to carve, but it is a really delightful addition to the park.

            Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne covers 17 acres and contains 1000 stalls selling everything imaginable. Originally, in 1837, the area was a cemetery. In 1877 part of the cemetery was converted to the market, requiring the relocation of only three graves. In 1917 Parliament authorized the relocation of 10,000 remains, razed the cemetery, and by 1922 the market was in its full glory. We finished shopping just as the market was closing up, and walked out to the tram stop.

         When the first tram arrived we asked the female conductor if it went to Spring Street. When the conductor asked if we were looking for the free city tram, we said we knew it stopped at 3PM. We just needed to get back to Spring Street. With a big smile she told us to just pretend we didn’t know that  and she would take us to Spring.  She alerted us at the right stop, ending with, “You ladies have a nice visit.”   

        That’s just one of the many nice things people did for us down under!