So after my incredibly last minute trip planning (bought my travel book 1 hr before my taxi took me to the airport, packed with 15 minutes to spare), I arrived in Havana to the heat and humidity. In Habana I did a lot of walking, checking out the architecture (this place must have looked AMAZING in the mafia days), the history, the seawall etc.. I expected Cuba at this time of year to be somewhat mild (25 degrees and the month with the lowest rainfall) but apparently this is an unusually hot February, and in the 15 days I've been here, it has rained at some point on all but 4 days. And now on my last day here, back in Habana, there has been a weird weather shift (or so my taxi driver said) and it's pouring and only 11 (though it feels warmer after my ridiculously cold bus ride last night).
After Habana I went west to Viñales (3hr west of Habana), where I did a lot of things I wouldn't normally do. I smoked a cigar, I had a bit too much of a hiking/climbing adventure (ie. if I fall 
from here, will I die or just break a ridiculous amount of bones'), I drank mohitos and a lot of coffee, had lobster etc. Stayed at a WONDERFUL casa, met some neat people (if you see an article on rock climbing in Cuba in Men's Journal magazine, let me know!), went horseback riding, rented a moped to go down to the ocean etc. Really liked the place. A bit like home with all the pine trees. And the mosquitos. OH the mosquitos. For fun I started counting the bites on my legs. I stopped when on the front of my right leg I had got to 80. I must have had 300-400 between my arms and legs. I had a few uncomfortable days needless to say.
Next was Trinidad (7 hours east of Vinales), where I was a bit put off by the hustlers. Really beautiful city, but I had a bit too much after 1 1/2 days. Spent a half day at the beach, swimming in my clothes (see the list of things I forgot to pack below), saw some great live music, had my second round of lobster. I was staying with an Italian guy I rode down from Vinales with, and we had a heated debate (not really :) about where Santa lives. I say the North Pole, way up at the top of Canada, which is where kids write to (you know - Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0), but apparently he had been told somewhere in northern Russia. Were our parents feeding us lies?!?!
Then I was onto Holguin (another 8 hours east), after much contemplation as to where to spend my final days here. The island is pretty big. Stayed one night, had a HUGE plate of icecream and cake for 25c, got approached relentlessly (I must look less unapproachable then I think, even sans smile) and waited for an outdoor concert to start, though apparently everything entertaining starts at 11pm, so I hit the sack. Rented a moped for 5 days and spent 3 of them at Playa Las Bocas in a neat little casa, a short ride away from some lovely beaches. Got too much of a tan riding the moped (I swear I loaded up on sunscreen!) - I hope it fades a bit. I don't mind a bit of colour, but my back is ridiculous.
While at the Playa, on my second night, they were cooking dinner for me, something that looked like steak. Considering cows aren't really eaten here, I asked if it was goat (since the village was overrun with them). "No," they said, "from the sea." I didn't know seafood that looked like this. "Carey," they said. I shook my head in confusion. "Tortuga," they suggested, which sounded vaguely familiar. Turtle. I was sick to my stomach, but downed it all with a smile on my face. Another first for me on this trip.
Then I moved on for one night onto Gibara, one of the first villages colonized in Cuba, back in 1524 or something. A cute little place, but not much to see. Had the MOST AMAZING meal here at a French-Cuban casa. Ate for almost 2 hours trying to get everthing down while it was still in front of me.
As for my last night (not on a bus) in Cuba, it all starts with a piece of art. I was back in Holguin, planning to bus it back to Habana that night, when I was browsing through some hand made prints in an artshop, and fell in love with one of them. But unlike the other prints, the one was lacking a signature and title. So I inquired about the artist - they said if I could wait until Monday they could have the artist sign it for me. I went away for a while, ate, walked around, and was still wanting this print. So I asked since I had a moto, couldn't I go to the artist to have it signed? So I was shown to her house, saw her studio, saw where her husband hand-makes the paper on their roof. And then she asked if I wanted tea or coffee. If I said yes, it would mean I wouldnt have time to return the moto today, meaning I would have to spend the night in Holguin and leave to Habana the next night. But I said yes, and ended up staying overnight with her and her husband in their home, visiting with her children and grandchildren. They fed me and we had great conversation. One very interesting thing about her was that in late 2006 she had received a letter from the US government through the Swiss Embassy, offering for her to immigrate to the US with her husband and one of her sons, who also makes prints, as she is rather an accomplished artist, being shown in exhibitions in Egypt, Japan, Canada etc.. Although she is not happy with the way she has to live her life here, she is afraid to leave her other children, her grandchildren, her siblings, her mother and all her possessions behind. It was a very interesting final night in Cuba. As she doesn't have phone or internet, I know have a penpal.
So last night I left Holguin at 9pm, had an incredibly frigid 10 hour bus ride back to Havana. I am now sporting a new haircut I got in Holguin. It cost me 25c, and I think the price of it is apparent. At the internet cafe in the capitol building where I am now sitting I have completed a bit of a full circle, as a local guy who first approached me outside a supermarket on my first day in Habana is beside me now, waiting to see if I have any time left on my internet when I go. He's been saying hi to all the tourists as they come in, so I'm guessing he's here quite a bit.
So finally, some thoughts on my trip.....
Things I forgot:
hat
sunglasses
universal sink plug
playing cards or any puzzles
headlamp (though actually I lent it to my sister for her Thailand trip)
bathing suit (though actually I left it on the Sunshine Coast the weekend before I left)
mosquito repellent (OH MY GOD mosquito repellent)
enough reading material
Songs I have had randomly materialize in my head here, and remain stuck
All by myself (Celine Dion)
La Bamba
Always a woman to me (Elton John)
Rudold the rednose reindeer in Japanese
Baillamos
Catch a falling star
If I were to write a book about Cuba, it would be called "Cuba: Land of..."
turkey vultures
hissing men
cat-calling men
smoochy noise making men
whistling men (I got quite a bit of unexpected attention here, especially on my moped, almost equivalent to Indonesia)
sneaky mosquitos
stars visible at night in even the largest of cities
amazing colours (the most amazing colours on buildings I have seen anywhere on my travels)
ham and cheese sandwiches
ham sandwiches
fried ham and cheese sandwiches
but no cheese sandwiches
signing off,
Trina
No comments:
Post a Comment