HAVANA TID BITS

                                         A Great Visit

       There are many modes of transportation besides the yellow cabs; there are bike-taxis, horse drawn taxis, bicycles, and the adorable cococabs. People hitchhike all the time, especially out of the city. Obviously it is safe to do so and most all vehicles stop to pick up someone if they have the room.

    Traffic never slows. Pedestrians obviously do not have the right of way. However, we never saw an accident. Of course speed limits are slow, probably averaging about 40 miles an hour. There are very few traffic lights in Havana.

    Walking can be hazardous because of the conditions of the sidewalks. Havana has little pollution, which was a pleasant surprise.     

    Music was everywhere, all the time. It is nearly impossible to dine without music. Panhandlers are nearly non-existent. 

    The city is full of parks of all sizes and there are many many statues. Plazas abound. The island is lush and green, and extremely clean. Litter does not exist.

     The only part of the old city wall still standing is near the train station. The harbor had some pretty rusty ships at anchor. In the industrial area there were thousands of containers, many full size, but many also about half size. Also there were many oil storage tanks.

     A toilet seat outside of hotels seemed to be missing much of the time. It was smart to carry tissues or T P when away from the hotel.

     The old cars are easy to maintain. Even though parts may not be available they are easy to reproduce. The Russian cars are often cut up to make trucks or vans.

    Riding through decaying parts of town I noticed wires strung like spider webs out of windows, exposed to the outside, running loop after loop to somewhere else. It made me wonder who paid the electric bill, if in fact such a bill exists. Then again in some of these same parts of town were lovely old wrought-iron railings around balconies, which I’m not sure I’d want to step out onto.

    In the countryside I noted horses, goats, and cows grazing with no restraints and many times no fences. If there was a fence it was a flimsy line or two of wire.

     Cuba is a country of contradictions and surprises. Our trip was extensive getting us well out of Havana. People were friendly. Young people were open and spoke without a sense of fear. I would loved to have stayed a few more days and Cuba is definitely on my return-to list.

TRINIDAD, CUBA

                              Delightful Spanish City

           On our way to Trinidad we stopped at a hacienda in a valley for a scrumptious lunch. Afterward I asked one of our male travelers if he was going to climb the tower located on the grounds. We tackled it together and  I recall were the only ones in our small group to do so.

     Legend says two brothers were in competition for this property. One said he’d build a tower as high as the well was deep. Water never was found, but the tower exists today.

     We climbed the 136 steps to the top of the 142-foot high tower. What a fantastic view from the top! It was pretty windy but we were well enclosed. Some of the steps were a bit wobbly, but we really didn’t have any trouble.

     This area is known for its lace work and fine linens. The handwork was exquisite---and so reasonable.

      Trinidad (1514), in the lee of the Escambray, is maintained as a living museum, as it is pretty much as the Spanish left it. The city reached its peak in the mid 19^th century during the sugar boom. It is Cuba’s crown jewel of its colonial cities. It seems as though time has stood still here. This is where I really felt that I was in a time warp, and it was a bit surreal.     

      Ballast stones from sailing ships of days gone by paved the streets. These cobbled streets are paved with a slight V in the center. Logic says this would be for drainage, but legend says the first governor had one leg longer than the other. When he walked down the middle of the street, with his longest leg in the V, he was level and was able to walk without a limp.

     Situated on a low hill the city catches the ocean breezes, and the doors of homes reflect that with postigos, small wooden louvered windows in the center of doors to allow the breezes to flow through.

     The cobbled, narrow, slightly hilly streets are lined with pastel painted homes with tile roofs. Balconies are decorated with fancy wrought iron rails. The entire city is a national monument, which disallows any architectural changes to buildings.

     We saw many mule drawn two wheeled carts. Some of us walked down a side street where some construction was going on, and the mule-carts were hauling sand. Vaqueros (cowboys) rode horseback in Plaza Mayor around the white iron fence that surrounded the small park in the center of the square. We even saw a fellow walking a pig on a leash. I suspect it was going to be someone’s dinner.

     The soil is very red and a terra cotta pottery business is alive and well. At the museum we learned that the roof tiles were formed and rounded on the thigh of workers.

     A mild climate, fertile soil, and easy access to the Caribbean favored Trinidad’s agricultural

Plaza Major

(sugar) and commercial growth. Plaza Mayor was the heart of the original settlement. It was ringed by a cathedral (1892) and four museums, once mansions of wealthy colonialists.

     Holy Trinity Church is the largest in the country and houses the most valuable icons. It took 200 craftsmen three years to carve the wooden altar (1812). Seven saints decorate the altar and St. Francis is 400 years old.

     By the 19^th century Cienfuegos with a better harbor surpassed Trinidad, which started a slow steady decline for the city. In the 1950s Bastista declared the city a jewel and tourism started to be promoted. The town was named a national monument in 1965, and in 1988 named a UNESCO World Heritage Site

     After walking up to the square, our first stop was the Museo Romantico. The foyer was filled with plants and potted palms. Cameras were not allowed inside the museum and had to be checked in a cabinet at the entrance.

     The museum had the most gorgeous carved cedar ceiling dating to 1770. The tall walls did not go all the way to the ceiling leaving an air space between the wall top and the arches of the rooms.  The upper level of the building was added in 1804. Italian marble floors were throughout. The spectacular wainscoting in the rooms was all hand painted. The detail was unbelievable. The family had 12 children and 20 slaves, so basically 34 people lived in the house.

     I have never seen such a stunning wrought-iron bed! I also was intrigued with the kitchen. Baccarat crystal chandeliers and the Meissen porcelains were gorgeous. It was truly a treasure of exquisite antiques. 

     From the Plaza it was only a short walk to the craft market, where there was lots of lace, linen and crochet jackets and children’s dresses. There were some nice woodcarvings as well as some tourist junk.

     We went down a cobbled alley where we stopped in a courtyard to hear some music and enjoy another local drink served in small clay pot/cups. I didn't get the name of the drink.

    We had a delicious lunch at Eljigve, the oldest home in Trinidad (1614).

    I was most taken with this lovely city and hope to return there someday.

REMEDIOS, CUBA

                                      A City Well Preserved
          I was lucky enough to get to Cuba in November just before President Bush cut off all US travel to the island. Now that travel has opened up somewhat, I keep lookimg at itinerates and have seen nothing as extensive as I was lucky to have.

       One morning we were off to Remedios, a town of 18,000.  Our first stop was at Inglesia de San Juan Batista Church (1692), the focal point of Plaza Marti, the town square. A cute little elderly docent showed us around. The altar was gilded with 24-carat gold leaf. In 1762 the church was the center of the city when it was designated a bishopery.

        An 1939 earthquake damaged the church bell tower. The church has never been demolished, just added on to. The 81 year-old docent was delighted to show us the only known pregnant Madonna, which stands protected in one of the many wall cabinets.

    The carved cedar altar and carved mahogany ceiling were beautiful. This gorgeous ceiling had been

Remedios Church

plastered over and rediscovered during restoration. There was one interesting cement grave covering in the floor where the builder of the church and his family are buried. Some of the letters in the names were doubled up to conserve space. It was most unique.

The town of Remedios, settled in 1514, is one of the oldest cities in Cuba. This is where I really felt like I was in a time warp and that time had stood still for decades. The city is flat and its narrow streets are paved. The entire city was named a national monument in 1979, and is in relatively good repair.

     Leaving the church we walked across the street where bike-taxis were waiting for us. We took off in a caravan to the tobacco factory.

      The tour of the cigar factory was most interesting. It was fascinating to see the cigars hand rolled. Some used full leaves; others used the tobacco scraps for the filling. The cigars are placed in special holders and then pressed for 16 minutes. Following that, the ends are cut, the final wrap applied and the ends fixed. The bands are applied elsewhere.

Only women remove the main vein of the tobacco leaf splitting it in two. We were told that women are more precise and particular. There is a technique to getting the vein out in one piece. Workers work on a quota of 125-180 cigars a day, depending on what area they are working.  This small factory produced 10,000 cigars a day, about half of which are exported.

      The same factory makes several different brands of cigars. The cigars, even in the same brand, can vary regarding quality and taste. We were told, “Each worker is given two cigars a day plus one box a month.”  Most often the workers sell the cigars for extra money. We were cautioned not to buy cigars on the street, because they might be filled with banana leaves. Our guide had a relative who worked in the cigar factory so he was the cigar source for many of us, and most of us bought the legal limit.

       At the local museum  we learned about the Festival of Parrandas, unique to this area. It was started in 1820 when children were making noise in the streets to wake people to get them to church on Christmas day. Today two neighborhoods compete building floats, torches, and fireworks. The float building is very secretive. The festival starts at 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve with a parade, and goes all night, ending with fireworks. Everyone is a winner as it is all in fun, then everyone returns home to sleep and Christmas mass is given in the evening so everyone can attend.

     The museum had costumes, lanterns, pictures of previous floats, and other festival paraphernalia.  Each year there is a theme to the festival, which is reflected in the floats, lanterns and costumes.  

Trusty bike-taxi

       When I left the museum I was looking over our bike-taxi. The wheels spin backward like on a geared bike, doing nothing. There is a hand brake similar to the old car hand brakes. I motioned to our driver that I would like to pedal the bike. After a couple of tries he understood. He hopped in the back with my friend and I got in the driver’s seat. We took off again caravan-style. There must be a secret telegraph in the town as all the women came out onto the doorstop to watch the spectacle of the only women peddling away among the many men, but it was easy to pedal and a fun thing to do.

SANTA CLARA, CUBA

                               Unexpected Facility

         It was a delightful ride on the way to Santa Clara. The countryside was picturesque as we rode by sugarcane and banana fields and orchards, I think were mango. It did seem strange to see a stand of royal palms swaying in the breeze in the middle of nowhere. We passed a few small villages en route.

        Santa Clara is southeast of Havana about in the middle of the island. The guidebook and literature said the road to Santa Clara was full of revolutionary billboards and painted murals. I have to disagree with that, as I hardly recall a hand full of such as ‘littering the highway’.

Santa Clara was established in 1689 when the people of Remedios grew tired of pirate raids, pulled up stakes and moved inland. Santa Clara is located on the fringe of the fertile plain in the lee of the Escambray, and is gateway to the eastern provinces.

In December 1958 Che Guevera’s rebel army derailed a train carrying reinforcements and US armaments headed for Oriente. Within 24 hours Bastista fled the country.

Prior to 1959 Coca-Cola was the only factory in town. Today Santa Clara is an important industrial city.

            We rode over a 48-kilometer-long causeway to reach our all inclusive hotel. The causeway crossed many mangroves that were in the bay.

Our plush all-inclusive resort (2001) could have been anywhere. The facility is large and sprawling so we were driven to our room in a golf cart. It was going to be a challenge to find our way back to the dining area. We had a lovely little balcony that looked out on nothing but lush vegetation.  The two story buildings were done in attractive quadroplexes. There were huge pools, most pretty shallow, with bridges over them in the center of the complex---typical of all inclusive resorts.  The large property had 4 restaurants, 5 bars, tennis, gym, beauty parlor, massage facilities, live entertainment and a gorgeous long white sand beach. Unfortunately the red swimming flag was up for all of our stay so the best I could do was wade along the shore.

            We used this hotel as a jumping off point to site see and visit the area, not as a relaxed goof-off stay. That was fine with me as this is not my favorite type of place to stay. The food was good, the huge variety was more than plentiful.

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