tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66190222058360112632024-03-12T20:41:25.819-07:00Writer - Editor - Publisher - Photographertravel & feature articles * short stories & novels * poetry & photography * business writingtutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-8614283089789532982013-04-07T14:01:00.000-07:002013-04-07T14:07:32.777-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions <span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">CUBA VIII - </span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">A
MOTHERS DAY BUCKET LIST</span></b><br />
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<i>"One's
destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."</i> Henry
Miller<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The day before we
leave the island, my son asks what's still on my Cuba bucket list...then dedicates
himself to helping me scratch them off. "It's Mothers Day," he
reminds me, grinning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> Back in the symphony of light that
is Havana, back from our around-the-island tour, in our rooftop suite - with
its high ceilings and windows overlooking the cathedral, I lie, just cool
enough with my Pashmina shawl over crisp sheets, wondering if team Mantansas
took the playoff game...while I listen to the morning clamor of birds over the
loud din of the air conditioner. Today I'll do laundry and work/play the Havana
bucket list. Shop. Re-pack. Visit Margot to leave a care package for a Cuban
friend. Spread love and joy...and gratitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> Peter and I head to Obispo to shop...and
run into the ceviche place we've looked for for weeks - since an initial visit
during our second day on island. It's closed. We buy a few mementos and gifts, watch
as a burly local fills our glasses with freshly-squeezed orange juice, swig
down the juice and a cappuccino. We shop some more, wanting to buy more art
than we have space or money for, then spy a street cart - fabulous fried rice,
followed by fresh coconut ice cream. We head towards the plaza, ducking into the
famed Floridita Bar, known for Papa Hemingway's daiquiri<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>.
There's great live music for the crowd and $6 daiquiris (most expensive yet). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3ootwIMJ5w/UWHb9Wkm-tI/AAAAAAAACjY/pHdoneY1yBc/s1600/Cupicasso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3ootwIMJ5w/UWHb9Wkm-tI/AAAAAAAACjY/pHdoneY1yBc/s320/Cupicasso.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2;"> </span>The Museo Nationale is closed for the national
holiday (bummer!), but the National Theatre has free art exhibits
(photographic, videos, live, mixed media), many by students, all exhibiting
unusual creativity. We walk to the
Ingleterra Hotel and up to the famed rooftop, where the Foreign Press Club met
for years. We do egg salad and pulled pork sandwiches, looking over the
Capitol, take dozens of photographs of the square below, the Capitola, Parc
Central, clear to the Malecon and the fort across. A delicious and inexpensive
lunch fuels us for the late afternoon, then we taxi to Hotel Nationale
(rooftop-bar hopping) only to find the rooftop closed for renovations, but
where we enjoy a Piña Colada in the (Hall of Fame) bar. The famous room is stuffed with memorabilia
about the hotel and celebrity guests who gave this hotel its reputation over
the years. 426 rooms, built in 1932, this historic site is a National Monument of the Republic of Cuba.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">I agree with Pico Iyer, "</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">the whole island has the ramshackle glamor
of an abandoned stage set</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">", but it has more, so much more: $3 taxis
and abundant transportation options,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">music and art, mohitos and carajillo</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">,
beaches and sunsets. Cuba is the </span><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Land of Found
Things. Everything we lose or leave behind is found and returned, Unlike visits
elsewhere where things disappear, never to be found - known by me (and
traveling partners) as the Lands of Lost Things - Cuba is a Land of Found
Things.</span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> I love feeling safe -
day or night, alone or with others. Having lived in the US for most of my life,
where robberies, crime and violence are common, feeling safe is something I
seek...and treasure. In Cuba there are no guns, freaks, violence - except for the
occasional TV news story about more mass murders in the USA or US troops
killing civilians in Afghanistan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="apple-style-span"> Everyone holds hands - grandparents
and niños, girls, boys, muheres, guys. It's so sweet - the hand-holding, the
smiles. Children are not hooked up to machines, games, hand-helds; they
play outdoors the way we did when I grew up. So much is changing. </span>Lonely Planet is as wrong as
much as it's right - as visits to Habana Tour or Cubanacan attest. Changes are
happening, so if you go, watch Cuban media and bogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> New regulations and guidelines (over
300) from recent congresses are affecting lives, designed to renovate economic
and political institutions, stimulate local entrepreneurial enterprise,
increase political participation, and overcome the continuing economic crisis
that a small country such as Cuba finds itself in as a result of natural and
political disasters as well as a continued effort by the “Colossus of the
North” to overthrow the leadership and sovereignty of Cuba, harming the global
reputation of the US in the process. I feel especially glad to have seen this
lovely island in this moment in time. A proud people, happy despite all the
odds. Wanting freedom like all other souls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA
1928-1967<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">CHE - iconic and
beloved by Cubans, Latin Americans, other freedom fighters the world over - is
ubiquitous throughout the country he helped to free. Like other famous Cuban
characters: Fidel, Al Capone, Graham Greene, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway,
Che Guevara remains top slotted. A book by several photographers who
photographed Che while he was in Cuba finds its way to my Mothers Day. As a
photographer myself, I love reading the stories about Che (himself a
photographer) by others who spent time with him, documenting the revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> And when I begin to really get
trinket fatigue in Varadero, I find a silk screen of Che's iconic image by
Alberto Korda, which reminds me of Warhol's Marilyn images. I buy it and some
small Cuban flags. Still, the anti-corporate revolutionary would roll over in
his grave<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>,
knowing his image was used to sell more stuff than anything else in the
country. Che T shirts, paintings, key chains, flags, books, license plates, and
more...are found everywhere. Instead of celebrating his 84th birthday, the
slain revolutionary hero would be rolling over. Meanwhile, we observe the
changes throughout Latin America, inspired (still) by Che and Fidel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BB0oQRTdNFE/UWHa4eGVJJI/AAAAAAAACik/aBO2_oigCnc/s1600/IMG_3845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BB0oQRTdNFE/UWHa4eGVJJI/AAAAAAAACik/aBO2_oigCnc/s320/IMG_3845.jpg" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I love this poem:
"Guevara" by Nadja Tesich, (translated from Serbian)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">GUEVARA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">If the death
comes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">may it be welcome<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">others will
replace me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">he said once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">His beautiful
face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">killed by US
mercenaries and CIA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Bolivia, La
Hugaera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Yet his face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">is all over
America Latina<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">next to Christ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">in every peasant
hut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Che never died<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">in death he grew<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">and grew and
grew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Latin America
moves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">is moving<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">will move<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">with his face<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">in front.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> I celebrate Mothers Day with my son,
walking Habana Viejo and checking off my Habana bucket list. He reminds me how
quickly we went from first discussions of Cuba in January to here mid April.
We're good at realizing dreams and making things happen! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">I lie here,
wondering what the next will be...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> As we wait in Jose Marti Airport for
our quick flight back to Cancun, we share a last Cuban coffee (with a shot of
Havana Club), wondering when the embargo will be lifted, when the US will believe
in freedom enough to allow its neighbors to have it, unfettered by a mean,
obsessive bullying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> Imagine
a place where everyone's basic needs are met: housing, food, education,
healthcare. Where corporations are NOT
persons, do not rule. Where the Internet has no Google and the people have no
Apple. But receives an A+ in sustainable development practices and is the
largest per capita producer of organic food in the world with the 2nd highest
literacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> Like none of the other
eighty-four islands I've visited or lived on, Cuba is really big. HUGE. Flora
and fauna remind me of tropical islands the world over, but the lack of
commercialism (especially overt corporatism), stunning colonial towns, and the
cheapest ice cream on the planet, keep it singular. Its Architectural eclecticism is well-known.
Mudéjar, baroque, ecclesial, classical and neo-classical, art nouveau, art
deco, and modernist styles create a vibrancy, town to town - nestling in
mountains or sprawling around picturesque bays. Cuban architecture enlivens the
cities - as fields and orchards, mountains and beaches, do the landscapes in
between. The music and dance fill local culture. (Did I mention the baseball?!!)
But it's the people who light up our island time, playing music, dancing like
they were born to, laughing and smiling as they go about their simple days -
this is the magic of Cuba.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">THE END</span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
The 'Papa Hemingway' is made with grapefruit juice instead of lime...and
delicious!</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Dark Cuban coffee with aged Cuban rum - yum!</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20VIII.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Che's remains were moved to his mausoleum in Santa Clara,
Cuba, from Bolivia in 1997.</div>
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tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-60370046938692092162012-11-03T09:45:00.006-07:002012-11-03T10:20:13.306-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">CUBA
VII - INTERNET & COMMUNICATIONS (Updates & Downloads)...<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">and
a little about freedom<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Forget about it!
Seriously, for those of us used to fast (or relatively fast in the US<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>)
connections through broadband wireless connections, Cuba is a nightmare. Many
hotels have public-use computers and offer internet...when it works. We pay up
to $8 per hour at the Parc Centrale and spend an hour building frustration as
one photo loads to Facebook. Good thing they have great mohitos! The next day
at a small hotel around the corner, we're waiting, waiting (remember dial-up?),
before being bounced off a few times; then the entire system shuts down. We
give up and enjoy the rest of our journey, almost entirely internet free. Made
it difficult to post to my Cuba blog, but after a week or two we begin to
really enjoy the lack of email, communications, work and social media. I love
all the transportation choices. Easily accessible and inexpensive, travel in
Cuba is a treat. But internet - Nyet!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Although internet use has jumped 60 percent in the
last 2 years, to about 3 million users - close to a third of the population.
Cuba's population remains largely cut off from unfettered access to the
Internet, and there is no broadband. Agonizingly long waits to open an email or
photo hamper both government and entrepreneurial business operations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Imagine
the internet without Google or a country without Apple - thanks to the US embargo.
The US is clearly making things worse
for all Cubans, the internet now the new battlefield in the 50-year-old fight
against the Cuban government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Every Cuban we meet has a cell
phone, and apparently the technology works great and is tied to the local MN
currency. Telephone density is about 25% (seems like more). Unfortunately,
AT&T is unable to operate there, so I use my iPhone only for notes (my own
rum diaries), camera (over 2200 shots), games (I'm a solitaire junkie), etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Cuba
blames the United States embargo* for denying access to underwater cables,
saying it must use a satellite system and is limited in the space it can buy. Over
a year ago a fiber optic cable from Venezuela to Cuba was to provide download
speeds 3,000 times faster than Cuba's current Internet (and capable of handling
millions of phone calls simultaneously), but it's not fully operational yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Access
to satellite television is also severely restricted, but we enjoy fabulous
Cuban baseball - without commercials! And the music, dance, and arts on TV are
amazing! </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*OK, let's talk embargo, a US policy which confuses the
world (Cuba is listed as a state sponsor of terrorism - really?<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>),
hurts Cubans with increased poverty and lack of access to goods and services,
hurts other countries (and ours) by denying trade, is opposed by every other
nation on earth and in the UN (except Israel). It's bad enough we've taken
Guantanamo as a spoil of war and now torture and kill people on Cuban soil who
have never even been charged with a crime. For twenty years, nations all around
the world have been calling for repeal of this horrible US policy. For a
country that gives lip service to "freedom", we act against it for
millions of innocent people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Obama
opened up Cuban travel for people-to-people tours (and other classes of
licensing), but following a speech by Marco Rubio, approvals this year have
clamped down, and 140 licenses have been withheld (there go more American
jobs). What used to be a six to ten-page form is now over 100 and has gone from
complex to ridiculous. Nothing will be done in this election year, but most
people feel that things will definitely get worse under Romney.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> With
over 300 new government guidelines, designed to stimulate enterprise and
dramatically shift employment from government to private sector, lots of
changes are underway in Cuba</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">22% of workers are now in private business, and
that segment is growing exponentially.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">163,000 farmers have just been given land in an
attempt to expand domestic agriculture and more for export.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cuba is also the largest per capita producer of
organic food in the world and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">received an A+ in sustainable development
practices</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">.
Yep, there's no Monsanto on this island!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cuba
enjoys the 2nd highest literacy rate</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Its Olympians compete for and win gold medals. Its
baseball is as good as it gets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> We've
all heard about Cuban doctors. They're flown to hotspots like Haiti, tsunami
areas. Bush refused their offer in New Orleans, but many countries all over the
globe have gladly accepted offers to send doctors, train medical personnel, and
more. At this time, 26 of over 125 medical students from the US have recently
arrived in Havana. Cuba covers 100% of their tuition, books and supplies,
housing, food, and money for incidentals. While we're worrying about a huge
dearth of doctors in the US' future, we don't even consider educating or
helping student doctors or nurses. Cuba does.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> In a small port city, I am
approached by a young man, offering me US$10,000 to help bring him to the US. Under
the wet foot/dry foot policy, Cubans who set foot on U.S. territory are allowed
to remain. I listen to his carefully-crafted plan more as research (and with
concern) but clearly will not participate. There are a few who want to leave,
to seek new shores and new opportunities. But most live contentedly under
policies that both restrict and enable...like most countries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">An old joke in Havana states:</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In Cuba, all
economic plans are over-fulfilled. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">All plans are
fulfilled, but the stores are empty. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The stores are
empty, but people have what they need. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">People have what
they need, but they all complain. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They all complain,
but are all Fidelistas.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-YyUt562Z8/UJVMpBC3MVI/AAAAAAAACg0/7JPgC0cT9ms/s1600/Tykes+cab+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-YyUt562Z8/UJVMpBC3MVI/AAAAAAAACg0/7JPgC0cT9ms/s200/Tykes+cab+small.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ssBce7bDBrY/UJVMtOi9AJI/AAAAAAAACg8/KqX1ULtJ6S8/s1600/Vball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ssBce7bDBrY/UJVMtOi9AJI/AAAAAAAACg8/KqX1ULtJ6S8/s200/Vball.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6tSJnSoM3s/UJVMoStbNuI/AAAAAAAACgs/1bixzp-zOV4/s1600/Pete's+girlz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6tSJnSoM3s/UJVMoStbNuI/AAAAAAAACgs/1bixzp-zOV4/s200/Pete's+girlz.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
While some of the world
enjoy internet speeds up to 200 times what we scrape by on in the US, we sell
off our best speeds to the highest bidders, the rest of us left with poor and
expensive service and speed. Like
Cuba. For many low-income Americans, Internet access is a luxury they can't afford. In Sweden, Norway, and France,
Internet is a human right (like healthcare, elder care, wholesome and labeled
food, etc). I've been complaining for 15 years about how bad US Internet
service is...compared to places I've been...because here it's not about enabling
citizens and businesses; it's about corporate profits. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a> Afghanistan, which sent terrorists to the US
is NOT on the list, but Cuba, a small peaceful island which never attacked us
IS. This political act was ushered in generations ago, and continues to this
day, despite reason and the passing of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Rio Earth Summit</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> United Nations</span></div>
</div>
tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-73974641190052245222012-09-25T10:12:00.002-07:002012-09-25T10:12:52.026-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions<br />
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</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">CUBA VI - TRAINS, PLANES, AND
AUTOMOBILES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Cuba is a land of transportation
choices. People walk, bike, horseback to work or shop. Pedi-cabs (large, roofed
tricycles, with peddler in front and two or three riders in the back - aka
bicitaxis), horse-drawn carriages (coches de caballo, hold two to three), horse
carts (hold up to ten), coco taxis, government taxis, independent taxis, busses
of all kinds, trains, and planes carry Cubans and tourists throughout the
island. There's a transportation hierarchy. Walkers probably want a
bike. Bicyclers long for a motorcycle. Cars are a premium, being at the top of
the personal transportation chain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh9ydtIKpLk/UGHkEc8eqeI/AAAAAAAACfo/eiWB1Gc57kc/s1600/IMG_4799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh9ydtIKpLk/UGHkEc8eqeI/AAAAAAAACfo/eiWB1Gc57kc/s320/IMG_4799.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Our favorites are pedi-cabs. The
drivers are all fun and funny, taking special pride in their bikes, their music, knowing the neighborhoods. I still remember the darling rasta guy with
his tweaked out cab, the roof like a Cuban flag, reggae blasting from front and
rear speakers. We develop good rapport with peddlers, ride close to the street
action - people walking, biking...coco taxis, and hear what's happening
in town, what beach not to miss, what bands are at the House of Music tonight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Horse-drawn carriages are fabulous
and more expensive, and I love the clip-clop of hooves on cobblestone streets.
In Varadero we walk to a coche to our taxi to the bus station. In Cienfuegos we
share a horse-cart with a trio of Britts, sailing around Cuba. We head back with
them to the yacht club, where they pay the driver $10. Later over a cold
Crystal, the driver (invited in for a beer by the sailors) asks us for $10 more
- highway robbery for the two kilometer trip! The bartender kicks him out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">American automobiles are
everywhere and, for the most part, in impeccable condition. (where do they get
those parts?) We ride in a '49 Chevy, a stunning '51 Pontiac Chieftain, a
cool-blue '55 Bel-Aire, a '58 Edsel Corsair (remember those?), a classic '59
Cadillac Eldorado. In Viñales Valley we take off in an old Soviet Lada, with a
ruskie driver...who drives like an Italian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Under relaxed regulations, many
of the old classics are used as taxis. Cabbies can be negotiated to fifty cents
per kilometer, and often offer a flat fee. This is half that of newer
government taxis, with rides costing $1.00 per km. The newer taxis also have
air conditioning and English-speaking drivers. One driver refused us because he
was polishing his '52 Oldsmobile, and wouldn't drive in his dirty shirt,
sending us around the corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">If a driver owns the car, a taxi
license is $350 per month. If renting a government car, he pays $25 per day. In
either case, the driver is fully responsible for the care, upkeep, and fuel.
Venezuelan gas is $1.20 per litre, and the old cars are gas-guzzlers. Lack of
emissions control adds to the smog of Habana, and without air conditioning,
windows are down, and riders suck up fumes. Still the classic old American cars
are fun! And photogenic. Roberto, Andres, Carlos, and Duano take such pride in
their cars. Drivers are fitted out with fake Rolexes and diamond ear studs, and
their cars are decked out with the latest Argentine video players (yea, like
that's a good idea), blasting Latin music videos from dashboards. Often drivers
can't find a casa or a street, can't read a map, but they are often brother or
uncle to our casa owner, and hey, we negotiated a great price.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">After a week in and around
Havana, we take an overnight train (tren Français) to the other end of the
island. Not without great effort. Taking a pedi-cab to the ticket office, we
are herded into a small, hot office (for foreigners) where two women hold
court...but don't speak a word of English. A translator is called, and after
about ten minutes, we begin to understand the process. The overnight train goes
Tuesday not Monday, despite the schedule on the wall. We flash our passports,
and tickets are hand written. Our passports are checked five more times -
confirming our trip at the station, standing in line, getting through the gate,
boarding, and again once we're seated. And we're not crossing ANY borders.
Hmmmm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Told to arrive at five pm, we
spend two and a half hours in the station, an architectural wonder, filled with
food stands and a growing crowd inside. Baseball playoffs on numerous TVs keep
everyone sane and (with the hometown Habana Industriales winning) happy. At
7:27 sharp we pull out, leaving Havana, with a view of the sun setting over the
Capitola. I settle in with a good book<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
and a nice local red wine. Before long my Cuban seatmate offers me a plate of
chicken and rice. Children play in the aisles until lights-out at eleven. In
the morning someone gets on with baskets of warm banana bread for fifty cents a
loaf. Plains like Texas, with miles of cattle and bilious white clouds, pass
by...as does the morning, along with horses, goats, fields of corn and yucca,
mango orchards. The advertised twelve-hour trip takes seventeen. Thank gawd for
air conditioning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Busses are great bargains. Just
look for Cubanacan, Cubatur, or Havanatur travel agencies (in any town or most
hotels) for trips, tours, events, activities, maps, and hotel to hotel bus
trips. Even though we stay at casas, agents always know a hotel closest to our
casa or the heart of town. Like Viazul busses (booked at bus terminales<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>),
these are a fantastic ride - punctual, safe, new and comfortable, air
conditioned, with a bathroom at the back. Inexpensive, we ride five hours for
about $10, passing fishing villages, shrimp farms, cactus fence posts, a rodeo.
Drivers stop at roadside stands for fruits, vegetables, coffee breaks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Viazul terminals swarm with
cheap food - $1 pizza, .50 sandwiches, .10 helados. Viazul ('v's pronounced
'b') busses are Yutong state-of-the-art Chinese-made. Local busses (Astro
metrobusses) are even less expensive (crowded and less comfortable), but the
prices are about one tenth and paid in MN. We pay $1 for a journey we taxi'd
two days before for $40. Warned by locals, we don't even attempt trucks
(camiones - hot, crowded, standing-room-only, high-walled with no visibility).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">In Havana, Varadero, and other
larger cities, tour busses (usually double-decker) are available. Passengers
can get on and off all day long for five-dollar day-pass. A great value, they
allow tourists (especially) to see and stop at various sites, beaches,
venues...and then get home easily. We meet a local medical student who claims
one of the best days of her life was riding the jump-on, jump-off bus in
Varadero - a birthday present from her husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">We take a Viazul bus from
Santiago to Baracoa and are amazed. On a grey day, suddenly - sunflowers. We
roll through the mountains of the revolution, trying to imagine how Che and
friends pulled this off...all the way to Havana. Interest peaks as we close in
on Guantanamo and find that Guantanamo is a thriving Cuban city. The bus rep
(sideman to the driver on all busses) tells us over the years (since the US took the
land and port)<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
fewer and fewer Cubans have been allowed on base, where there are only two
Cubans left working, the others all being retired. Near the check-point for the
US Guantanamo base, he comes back to ask me to put away my camera. If they see
a camera, the bus will be unloaded and everyone checked. "Just one,"
I plead. "Not going to happen," he insists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Once we clear Guantanamo, it
turns into the road to Hana...on steroids. This road was built in only three
years in the 60's and connects Baracoa to the rest of the island. Men blow
kisses along the route. We cross rivers, watch gossamer clouds hang over
thatched huts. We stop at a magnificent lookout nearing the end of the island
and are mobbed by sellers of Baracoa products - coffee, coco, and chocolate.
The dark chocolate bar is fantastic! The coco-ruchos - far too sweet for my
taste. The coffee belongs at Noble. The far East point of Cuba was discovered
by Columbus. Having been cut off from the rest of Cuba for generations, Taino
indians and people of native descent abound here. A trip to Baracoa allows a
rare adventure...and a different taste of Cuba. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Cubana Airlines flies us to and
from the island. New planes have replaced the old Russian ones, but cola is
still topped up with plenty of Havana Club for farewell cuba libres. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Havana Lunar, Roberto Arellano<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Ticketing nightmares at every Viazul station - long waits for
hand-written tickets. But great for people watching and baseball playoffs on
big screens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Seized in 1905 as one of the spoils of war
(Spanish/American), Guantanamo base is a real stickling point for all Cubans,
especially since we began torturing prisoners and denying them due process. In
protest, Fidel has refused to cash the US rent checks since the start of the
revolution.</span></div>
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tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-29935740141438248722012-08-31T12:50:00.001-07:002012-08-31T12:50:37.191-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">CUBA V - SIDE TRIPS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">ALL THINGS HEMINGWAY<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">One
sultry afternoon we hire Ray and his '46 Chevy to taxi us to Finca Vigia
(lookout farm), Hemingway's estate from 1939 to 1960...and Cuba's most popular
national museum. Ray is Italian-Cuban, so we're there in minutes. Ciao
bella! The estate is fifteen acres of old growth tropical banyans, bamboo, ferns
and flowers, pathways with garden seating, lead to a swimming pool, where I
imagine Frank and Ava cavorting with other guests of the Hemingways. The renown
author crossed from Key West to Havana in his boat, Pilar. It sits now in a covered
storage on the 'farm', which I circumnavigate slowly while remembering his love
of fishing. Climbing a tower of four stories (with an incredible Havana view),
I arrive at his famous writing room, where an old typewriter adorns a small rectangular
desk, not nearly as elaborate as the curved inlaid wood one in his study in the
main casa - which is large and sprawling, with a huge party terrace, separate
cocina. His books, stuffed game animals, clothes, art, and memorabilia are throughout
the home as if Ernest had just gone into town for a mohito on the rooftop of
the Hotel Ambos Mundos. It was here in this oasis that Hemingway penned four
best-sellers.</span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"> I
imagine living here years ago...and muse that even I could write a best seller
here. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Cojimar was another of
Hemingway's haunts, a small fishing village and inspiration for his story of
Nobel fame, <i>the Old Man and The Sea</i>.
Now the town is made famous by the writer's tale. As we taxi downhill towards
Cojimar, I glimpse the young boy, carrying Santiago's fishing gear, walking
down this very street towards the cafe and the small boat, harbored in the
ocean's crook, by the seawall. We order a Crystal<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> at
La Terrazza, the restaurant/bar where Ernest stopped after a day on the water.
There a large wall mural depicts the story of the huge marlin, battled by the
protagonist. I walk to the square, where a bust of Hemingway stands, as a young
boy skips by, carrying his just-caught shark.
Like the famous hotel, Finca Hemingway, and a few 'Papa' bars in Havana,
Cojimar is made famous by an American writer who lived and wrote twenty years
in Cuba, over fifty years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">VIÑALES<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><u><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></u></span></span></a></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Like the other eleven World Heritage
sites in Cuba<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>,
Viñales is on everyone's 'don't miss' list, so we head off to the Valley. <span class="apple-style-span">Passing small farms and a large lake, acacia and date
palms. goats, pigs. and cattle, we spy an old Chevy just off the highway. It
looks like it's been there waiting for parts for fifty years. The road is
excellent, with two lanes on each side of a landscaped divide. We pass corn,
bananas, rice paddies, grains and processing plants. vegetable gardens and
screen houses, fields. Orchards of citrus and pine. Mango groves line the road,
and we arrive in the quaint town of </span>Viñales<span class="apple-style-span">
midday...to a downpour. As we disembark, we are mobbed by a throng of casa
owners and tour drivers, hawking theirs. Ignoring them (we have reserved ahead
for a casa), we dodge flash flooding in the streets, ducking under a stranger's
porch, where we are immediately invited in to wait out the rain. The casa particulares
we look for is across the street, which has become a river, but within moments,
we are settled in, and the sun is out. We lunch a block away at Casa de Don
Thomas, another architectural gem, built in 1822, now the best restaurant in
town. The waiter speaks fluent (university) English and dreams of going to Great
Britain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Viñales
Valley is exquisite - Mother Nature showing off. A national parc, declared
a World Heritage site in 1999, the valley is a geological wonder, framed by
limestone hills and mogotes</span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">,
so lush and fertile it also grows the best tobacco in the world and is dotted
with tobacco fields and drying houses. We visit one on our valley tour with a
Russian cabbie in his ugly Lada. Later, strolling around town then hiking to
the top of a knoll, we take our cameras for a tour of the amazing vistas
throughout the area. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Duano,
son-in-law of the señora of our casa, piles us in his classic '49
Oldsmobile, and we head out of town to the beach at Cayo Jutias, fifty
kilometers away. En route we drive through a beautiful caves valley, observe
thatched houses, horse and buggies, oxen pulling plows and carts, old cars,
bicycles, rural people. There's a causeway to the island, where we are charged
$5 (tourist price) for access. It's overcast by the time we arrive, and Manuel's
coconuts are welcomed as we dodge another storm, heading back within a couple
of hours. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Back
the next day from the sprawling beauty of Viñales, Havana feels like an old
friend, City on the bay, where we spend a few more days, exploring the
neighborhoods, shooting historic buildings and old cars, enjoying the music and
dance in the parks and squares. The habaneros are sweet, seem happy. We begin
to wind down from our busy lives. Like so much in Cuba, Viñales provides a
breather, a break, a proverbial hammock to enjoy the passage of a time that has
slowed to the pace of the 50s.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JMBE-o-3H_c/UEEU8OmUy2I/AAAAAAAACes/tbSJWCYgSwI/s1600/IMG_4092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JMBE-o-3H_c/UEEU8OmUy2I/AAAAAAAACes/tbSJWCYgSwI/s320/IMG_4092.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">BEACHES!!</span></u></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">One
cannot describe Cuba without paying homage to its stunning beaches. Uncrowded,
scenic, safe, stretches of sand invite to water which is crystal clear and
perfect for swimming, diving, snorkeling, surfing...depending on location.
During our first week in Habana, we walk to Parc Centrale and take a $3 bus to
Playas del Estes, a few miles of beaches about thirty minutes out of town.
Heaven - a cool bus on a hot day, driving along the coast, and arriving at a
dune, which we hike over to a turquoise sea on a sandy beach: Santa Maria. The
beach chairs with thatched umbrellas are $2 - more than the cost of a cold
beer, .50 less than a mohito. Salad and fries are another $1.85 (with tip). The
band is sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Outside
Trinidad, we discover Playa Ancon, another treasure, sprawling along the coast.
But our favorite beach is Varadero - 13 kilometers of eye-searing aqua along a
wide swath of powder white sand. One of the best days of our month is a day
spent under a shade tree on Varadero Beach, swimming, reading, playing a bit of
volleyball, swimming again, re-applying. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Varadero
is in a special 'touristic zone', and until last November there were no casas
particulares allowed, only hotels. Nor could Cubans enter the zone unless they
were working. Now they come to enjoy the beach like tourists. We stay in the
central part of Varadero, away from the big hotels where Canadians and
Europeans hang, and where a boom market keeps the government construction at
breakneck pace. Our room is a block from the beach - in the central part where
the beach is nearly empty, except for a few locals. Every night features a
mind-blowing sunset, and from Hemingway sites to Viñales Valley to all the beaches
and valleys, we are awed every day by the sheer beauty that is Cuba. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LqVVwQs-NsA/UEEVUp3jDWI/AAAAAAAACe0/wwT3q5pYYw8/s1600/IMG_4961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LqVVwQs-NsA/UEEVUp3jDWI/AAAAAAAACe0/wwT3q5pYYw8/s320/IMG_4961.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i>For Whom the Bell Tolls</i>, <i>To Have and Have Not,
Islands in the Stream</i>, and <i>The Old
Man and The Sea,</i> for which he won Nobel and Pulitzer prizes.</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Fabulous Cuban beer</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">(pronounced
'Biñales')</span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Cuba's UNSECO world Heritage sites:</div>
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<a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1008"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee
Plantations in the South-East of Cuba</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (2000),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1270"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Historic Centre of Camagüey</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (2008),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/204"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Old Havana and its Fortifications</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (1982),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/841"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">San Pedro de la Roca Castle, Santiago de Cuba</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (1997),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/460"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (1988),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1202"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos </span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(2005)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/840"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Viñales Valley</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (1999),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/839"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Alejandro de Humboldt National Park</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (2001),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/889"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Desembarco del Granma National Park</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> (1999),
</span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1798/"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">National Schools of Art, Cubanacán
(2003)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, </span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1801/"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ciénaga de Zapata National Park (2003)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, </span><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1802/"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Reef System in the Cuban Caribbean (2003)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20V.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Round-topped rock formations, over a million
years old, feature caves and underground caverns</div>
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tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-4489966996103433972012-08-09T11:33:00.002-07:002012-08-13T09:29:52.798-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions from a month in country<b>CUBA IV - JINTEROS, MUSIC, & ART</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">We learn about jinteros</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"> our first day in country.
The evening after landing in Havana, Peter journeys out for a bottle of rum
('ron') to mix with a couple of colas and limes found in our room's fridge.
There's a large rooftop with great vistas over Habana Vieja, so it must be happy
hour. Margot tells him there is a shop around the corner, but between the casa
and the shop a pedi-cab peddler stops to ask if he wants a ride. When Pete
explains he is just going around the corner, the young Habanero offers to take
him for free. "I'm going that way anyway." Blocks away, heading past
Parc Centrale, he tells Pete his friend has rum at better prices than the
shops. But the ride would still be free. An hour later Pete returns back to the
casa, leaping upstairs for money, since the pedi-driver will not release his
$20 rum without payment of $10 for the ride. Grateful he wasn't knifed and
burgled in the seamy section of Central Havana where they ended up...and that
he only overpaid by $27 for his first bottle of rum, he remembers the blog warnings
about jinteros and street hustlers. Kathy and I get a good laugh out of it all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And by mid-morning two days later, we
find ourselves hustled as well. We are heading up to Obispo Street when a
lovely young family (couple in their twenties, pushing a baby in a stroller)
greets us with the usual "where you from?" We stop to chat and, being
two abuelas<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a>,
play with the baby. The young man mentions that his uncle (of Buena Vista
Social Club<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a>
fame) is playing a gig at that moment, and Kathy perks up. A professional
musician herself (and conga player), she takes the hook. The restaurant is only
a few blocks out of our way anyway. The music IS great - traditional son<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a>. Naturally we order a
couple mohitos...then a couple for the couple. Alex takes my hand, leading me
to the dance floor for some salsa, after which Alex's 'grandfather', famed BVSC
piano player, joins us at our table. Naturally we buy him a mohito and fall
into a discussion about Afro-Latin rhythms. Later, eager to continue our
original plan to get up to Parc Central, we call for the check, "la quenta
por favor", only to realize we are being charged four to five times the
normal price. It was then we groked the hustle was on...except for that brief
moment when first approached on the street. Clearly the couple gets payment
from the establishment, but they then have the nerve to double down, asking for
money for formula for the baby, who can't breastfeed because of the mother's
medication... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's a $40 hustle...and worth every
peso.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's the last time I get hustled,
quickly learning the drill - say "no, gracias", don't make eye
contact, and pass right by. A few days later a young man volunteers to take us
to hear some great music (hadn't we heard this before?), and when I spot a
contemporary dance troupe (free) in the plaza, I go my separate way. Kathy
finds me minutes later, her guide having been stopped by a young policewoman
for "talking to tourists" (read: hustling tourists). Then there was
the gent in Plaza Delores who invited me to dinner. When I tell him I already
have plans, he hands me a piece of paper with his name and address on it.
"Come by later," he whispers. I'm telling the story to Kathy and
Peter over dinner, and we all crack up when they ask "quanto questa?"
Lonely Planet is right - Cubans have honed the hustle to an art form.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kathleen, unfortunately, never learns,
continuing to be coerced into begs, bribes, and outright hustles for the
duration of the trip. She also gets us front row seats at numerous music
venues, sits in with some of the bands, and buys all the performers' CDs. Live
music is everywhere in Cuba - on every street corner, at each venue. As
ubiquitous as jinteros and twice the fun, the Cuban traditions of Son, Salsa,
Rumba, Changüé, Guaguancé, and Timba reverberate for weeks. Guitar players
strum along cobblestone streets; bongo players sit on the wall along the
Malecon; wandering minstrels play in parks and public squares, in restaurants
and paladars<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span></span></a>. A
woman pulls out her guitar on a bus to Trinidad. A classically-trained flamenco
guitarist makes dinner at an 'Italian' paladar palatable. Each makes my sojourn
enchanting. Collectively, they make up the rhythmic undercurrent of Cuba.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In Trinidad, La Trova<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[6]</span></span></span></a> (where tourists stumble
over salsa lessons by locals, to multiple bands) and House of Musica (with its
outdoor amphitheatre, son of son, African rhythms, and full moon) are trip
favorites. OK, and the dance-off Andri (son of a Puerto Padre casa owner) and
my son have one late afternoon after too much rum. It is a riot of salsa,
bootie-shaking, dirty dancing, breaking, hip-hop, and timba...on testosterone.
When Andri wins, he takes his wife to the dance floor, and we all are wowed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1IqRI2UBgBc/UCQAKg1VDQI/AAAAAAAACdw/Y8YAEjEivEY/s1600/IMG_3831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuLnU07FW4I/UCQAOYh3zQI/AAAAAAAACd4/JwfiMTSA3u0/s1600/IMG_4363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuLnU07FW4I/UCQAOYh3zQI/AAAAAAAACd4/JwfiMTSA3u0/s200/IMG_4363.jpg" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="236" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1IqRI2UBgBc/UCQAKg1VDQI/AAAAAAAACdw/Y8YAEjEivEY/s320/IMG_3831.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ3yyFdIaDQ/UCQAR8I-kdI/AAAAAAAACeA/lMrWtlAEso8/s1600/IMG_4667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ3yyFdIaDQ/UCQAR8I-kdI/AAAAAAAACeA/lMrWtlAEso8/s320/IMG_4667.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">Then there's the art. Street artists,
like musicians, draw, paint, sculpt, print, mime, dance, and origami in every
plaza and park, every famous square. Galleries and shops exhibit oils,
watercolors, acrylics, charcoals, stunning photography. We enjoy watching
artists create at 'taller' experimental studios, honing their craft. They
invite us to play. The art is colorful and fun, looks Picassoesque. Or maybe
late Gauguin. It's Cubaism. It's political satire. It's revolutionary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I stroll into a sidestreet gallery in
Baracoa, at the far eastern end of the island, and am transported. Cubaism, flavored
by local native Taíno history and the culture of the revolution (Che ala
Baracoa). The student introduces me to Mildo Matos, the artist, and for the
duration of my stay, I photograph artists and their work, interviewing them in
studios and shops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In a socialist country where peoples'
basic needs are met (food, housing, education, healthcare, childcare), art,
music, dance, and culture flourish. I wonder what my country would be capable
of if so many weren't scrambling daily to pay the bills, if we weren't all in
debt to banks, landlords, student loans. If our market fundamentalism hadn't
worked to create systemic inequality, burdening the 99% so deeply. The freedom
to create is palpable and insistent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D0fo60a1C0w/UCQA-MeqUWI/AAAAAAAACeI/N3PLJhGg0xY/s1600/Cupicasso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D0fo60a1C0w/UCQA-MeqUWI/AAAAAAAACeI/N3PLJhGg0xY/s400/Cupicasso.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></a> "Welcome to the land of the <i>jintero </i>or tout, a profession raised to an art form by the Cubans." Lonely Planet, Cuba (6th edition)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span></span></a> Grandmothers<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span></span></a> Rent the movie: Buena Vista Social Club<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span></span></a> Son - a Cuban music style, made popular again
by the Buena Vista Social Club<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span></span></a> Paladars are privately owned restaurants,
fairly new to the revolution, and almost always better than government ones.</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/O03DPFQE/CUBA%20IV.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span></span></a> Every town has its Trova, providing a mixture
of popular national music along with traditions of the province.<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-2897761605457632652012-07-13T08:34:00.000-07:002012-07-13T08:34:13.057-07:00CUBAN FOOD<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLziMB5vMqM/UAA854lJheI/AAAAAAAACdQ/qpNwMa6sU9I/s1600/IMG_4473.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLziMB5vMqM/UAA854lJheI/AAAAAAAACdQ/qpNwMa6sU9I/s200/IMG_4473.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yZHb2Hda-M/UAA9Q21_rSI/AAAAAAAACdg/42KJk4UrKWg/s1600/IMG_4575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yZHb2Hda-M/UAA9Q21_rSI/AAAAAAAACdg/42KJk4UrKWg/s200/IMG_4575.jpg" width="149" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JmTy8uLYR8g/UAA9NFojKwI/AAAAAAAACdY/IVgeXljcUtk/s1600/IMG_4574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JmTy8uLYR8g/UAA9NFojKwI/AAAAAAAACdY/IVgeXljcUtk/s200/IMG_4574.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When first
considering Cuba travel, it was to research a cookbook. In the first week that
pipe dream flies out the window. This is a land that lives on sugar, from
tropical fruits and fruit drinks, sodas, sweet cocktails, sweet pastries (fried
dough and sugar), ice cream, sugar-water, coco-ruchos<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>. Seriously,
the sugar load is everywhere. On the streets, in the casas and restaurants, in
shops, on carts. It carries a deep history too, a history of slavery, so
important to the early sugar years of Spanish and US sugar barons<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>,
later the Russians. The revolution destroys racism along with classism, and
Cuba enjoys a very mixed society today. Meanwhile I'm jonesing for some greens,
veggies, a potato chip...anything unsweetened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beyond the sugar
fixation, I am underwhelmed by my experience of Cuban food. It is usually
over-cooked, over-salted, unimaginative, and boring. Maybe it's a lack of food
choices<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>; a
Cuban friend loads her luggage with spices and cookware when returning home. Still,
being a cook, I'm sure I can turn out different and better-tasting fare from
the same ingredients. It's the sameness that bores me. Same same same,
everywhere: pescado, pollo, or pork (fried or grilled, overcooked, oversalted),
with shredded cabbage and a slice of tomato and cucumber (salad), hard white
rice, dull beans, coffee. Nearly everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We get in the
habit of ordering breakfast at the casa (usually $3), and for the most part it
is very standard fare: a plate of fresh tropical fruit (banana, pineapple,
mango or papaya), a 'tortilla' - flattened overcooked scrambled egg, bad Cuban
bread (wanna be French baguette that misses by a mile), and strong Cuban coffee
(espresso or with hot milk). I start saving part of my dinners for breakfast or
take to the street, where for $1 cuc I can usually find a great cup of joe and
a pulled pork or grilled jamon y queso sandwich. There is the exception, but
we'll wait for Trinidad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We duck into Cafe
Neruda on the Malecon one afternoon, the Chilean poet being one of my
favorites. The overcooked fish and overcharging (three times) compete with the
bad food and dull service. Two thumbs down. Pablo, a gastronomist and foodie,
would roll over in his grave. We had been warned (thanks, Conner<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>)
to check all bills carefully, as overcharging and mistakes are 'normal'. We
receive two correct bills during our entire stay! We also learn that 'enchilado
langosto' is NOT a lobster enchilada; $3 fried chicken and fries down on the
port can be a great choice; .50 pizza at
the bus station is a steal; and sometimes taking that handout on the corner is
worthwhile - as in Al Medina, an Arab restaurant right off Plaza d'Armas, where
a plate of falafel, dolmas, pita and hummus, fish ceviche, salad, and a mohito
are $6.50. The amazing D'Gala trio serenades as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Overall we run
into very few exceptions to dull food - an overpriced veal parmesan (billed as
veal picatta) at an 'Italian' paladar in Varadero, a perfectly-cooked $12 lobster
dinner at Dona Eutemia's in Habana Vieja (their traditional ropa vieja<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> is
superb as well).<i> </i>We take a horse
wagon to<i> </i><em><span style="font-style: normal;">Aché, a paladar in Cienfuegos, and are treated to the best grilled
chicken 'complete' meal anywhere. This great experience (from service to food)
is capped off with melt-in-your-mouth coconut flan and an introduction to
carajillo - a rich Cuban espresso with Havana Club aged rum (anejo).</span></em><em> </em>Maria's lobster dinner in Puerto
Padre comes with side dishes like beets and carrots, really beautiful rice and
beans, camarones and fried bananas. Yum!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We enjoy another
memorable culinary experience in Trinidad<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> at
Casa Chocolate Y Dailanis, 608 Frank Pais. Definitely our best casa of the entire trip, for
space, comfort, location, and value. Better yet, the husband (Chocolate) is a
chef, formerly of the fancy hotel on the hill. His kitchen is stocked with
herbs and spices, cookware, knives, food processor, fish steamer, pressure
cooker, and other tools of the trade unseen in previous cucinas. His pride and
creativity serve up each morning and evening, as we enjoy all our meals there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our first dinner
consists of delicious fish soup, camarones a la casa (shrimp, cooked delicately
in a magical garlic/herb/tomato sauce), luscious rice and beans (we peek into
the kitchen midday as he is seasoning the beans), mashed sweet potatoes (a
welcomed relief from fried yucca), long-bean and tomato salad, little eggplant
divines, fruit salad, tiramisu, coffee - and all in portions large enough to
provide lunch the next day. $7.00<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Breakfast is just
as delicious: huevos suprema - eggs, gently scrambled and perfectly seasoned with
red peppers, green onions, and bacon, fruit plate (mangoes are going off in
Trinidad), fruit smoothie, yogurt, ham and cheese plate (sandwiches for later),
and the second best coffee in Cuba. [The best at a little café near Guantanamo,
where the bus stops for a quick break. The espresso is so fabulous, I buy one
for the driver. Fifty cents.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On our last night
there, Chocolate pulls out all the stops with a large whole parrot fish (caught
that morning on the bay at La Boca), cooked to perfection...and all the sides,
chocolate helados, and coffee. After lucking into Chocolate's cooking, I almost
revive the idea of an island cookbook, but the revival is short-lived. Still he
remains our favorite, just as his casa is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's not forget
the coppelias - state-run ice cream parlors, available in nearly every town,
where ten to twenty cents (in local currency) buys a scoop of creamy coconut,
dark chocolate, fresa (strawberry), and a few seasonal choices of delicious
helados. We remain on the lookout for them throughout our trip. And are
reminded of them at the Cancun airport on re-entry, where a Hagen Daas is $7.50
per scoop! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trinidad remains
one of my favorite places, in memory as it was in experience. Time stopped around
the mid 1800's in this beautiful classic Spanish colonial town. Bicycles carry
men, women, children, as do pedicabs and cabarello carts. A motorcycle. A rare
car, banned from the centre. Mostly people walk, talk, greet neighbors. A horse
waits, cart filling, while men (Chocolate joins in) load it with chunks of
cement, old bricks, debris from the house shell across from our casa. A remodel
is underway, probably a new casa particulares. Above the rooftops - the Sierra del Escambray mountains, a
sprawling sea on the horizon, clouds dancing. Mango trees dangle hundreds of
ripening orbs. A tangle of electrical wires compete with fluttering laundry on tiled
rooftops, as a man releases dozens of birds just before sunset. They circle and
return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early morning, a
man peddles by. "Pain, pain calliente," he sings as door after door
opens along the narrow street for his hot bread. A horse-drawn cart passes
slowly, with chunks of pork and whole chickens loaded on the back. A pedi-cab
features pineapples, stalks of bananas, papaya the size of footballs, baskets
of mangoes. Another has tomatoes and cabbages. On the street, food is delivered
door to door. Neighbors come out to greet each other, welcome the day. Children
walk to school in their red and white uniforms, laughing, happy. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><i>from CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><i>~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions</i></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> A confection found in Baracoa made of grated
coconut, fruit or chocolate flavored, and sugar-sweetened so severely it can't
be eaten.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> By the 1880s over 80% of sugar exports went
to the US, and large island plantations were owned by Americans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Citizens line up for their food rations:
arroz, frijoles, huevos, sugar, alcohol, tobacco...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Conner Gorry, former US writer, now living in
Cuba. Writes for the government, Lonely Planet, her own blog (Here is Havana: <a href="http://hereishavana.wordpress.com/">http://hereishavana.wordpress.com/</a>) and has
a fab iPhone app, Havana Good Time, which works even when not online. Two
thumbs up!</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Ropa vieja is arguably Cuba's national dish.
Spanish for 'old clothes', it's a well-seasoned shredded beef dish, popular
throughout the country. Think pulled pork. Served over rice or chickpeas, or in
a bun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20III.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Lovely colonial city, tucked between the sea
and mountains, founded in 1514.<span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-42329444272528336692012-06-28T10:57:00.001-07:002012-06-28T10:58:57.589-07:00CUBAN CASAS<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3A1KUMYgKLk/T-yThXNknXI/AAAAAAAACc0/0W1s-3Nush4/s1600/Margots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3A1KUMYgKLk/T-yThXNknXI/AAAAAAAACc0/0W1s-3Nush4/s200/Margots.jpg" width="200" /> </a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uOAPkSUN-DM/T-yTztl_BZI/AAAAAAAACdE/-CXR-pUsfLA/s1600/IMG_4543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uOAPkSUN-DM/T-yTztl_BZI/AAAAAAAACdE/-CXR-pUsfLA/s200/IMG_4543.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Similar to
B&Bs, casas particulares are rooms available in Cuban homes, encouraged by
record tourism - and last November in Varadero, the relaxing of regulations. We
spend our entire month in homes rather than hotels, where our hosts are
surprised and pleased to see Americans and ask us to tell our friends that Cuba
is safe and welcomes them. We find various casas through recommendations by our
Cuba iPhone app<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a>
or hosts of other casas. Often they simply call ahead to their friend in the
next town, checking availability. As our telephones don't work in Cuba, this is
quite helpful. We tend to stay in city centers (World Heritage colonial towns)
for walking ease and to avoid expensive taxi fares. On a couple occasions we
take the bait offered by owners as they mob bus stations seeking visitors, and
each time it works out fine. A government fee of $5 per room per night (whether
booked or not) necessitates minimum occupancies (hence the rush by owners,
reps, taxi drivers, and jinteros), and on the plus side, there is a level of
hospitality and care taken by hosts to ensure happy guests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With few
exceptions, the homes we stay in are beautiful spaces - colonial, neoclassical,
baroque, or art deco homes with high ceilings, interior courtyards and gardens,
rooftops for happy hour views. Bedrooms are all air conditioned, most have hot
water, and refrigerators are de rigeur. Breakfast is offered at every casa, and
while seeking breakfast elsewhere, we find out why. Cubans eat breakfast at
home. Other than coffee, and an occasional freshly-squeezed OJ or grilled
sandwich, there is no breakfast on the street. No Dunkin Donuts, no Denny's, no
IHOPs. Gratefully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Casas are
inexpensive, ranging from $15 to $30 per night per room. Tourist hotel rooms go
from $90 to $500 (with a $1000 option in Varadero). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Negotiating tips
to help avoid any check-out problems: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Make sure you're talking the
same currency (there are two in Cuba)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Price per room or per person?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Write down the agreed price<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Get clear agreement on written
price before parking your bags<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am surprised by
how few hosts speak English, though several speak Italian and French, both of
which get me by more than a few times; although limited Spanish and sign
language works just fine throughout the country. I tell them "estoy
aprendendio" (I'm learning). They laugh and are understanding. Those who
speak English learn at University or by practicing with tourists. One woman
admits to learning from Celine Dion CDs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I interview a casa
owner in depth after she complains one afternoon about the recent devaluation
of the local currency. Many of the supplies, food, and labor are bought in MN,
so that her buying power is now reduced. She finds the growing competition
difficult, and says that jinteros and taxi drivers are 'stealing her business'
at bus and train stations. She now asks guests on arrival how they found her,
since many drivers attempt to collect a $5 finder's fee even if a guest asks
for her casa specifically, instead of it being recommended by the taxi service.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Government rules
and regs drive her crazy (something we all have in common) -<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>having
to pay fees whether income is earned or not ($150 per month per room)<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>having
to be open and available 365 days per year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>employment
limited to one worker <a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span>daily
registration of papers and forms with immigration (physically - go to the
finance office, wait in line, etc. - not online)<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her casa is
impeccable, the last in a series she and her husband have owned, starting with
a small apartment left to her by an aunt twelve years prior. With all her
complaints, she is grateful for her lifestyle and happy to have another source
of income. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think most
Cubanos carrying on small business ventures are grateful for any additional
income. Still, major income discrepancies are negligible, and due to a shared
social contract, any large wealth would be shameful. There is poverty, despite
basic needs being met, but there are no homeless in Cuba, no panhandlers - like
the 83-year old woman I met in Ashland, standing in 28-degree weather to raise
money to support three grandchildren she's raising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In Cienfuegos we
book a fabulous suite of rooms on the water, but when we arrive by taxi, our
room has been filled. We'd been warned. Some casa owners, due to the daily $5
fee, move in guests even if they have reservations...bird in the hand. Rx: Arrive
early in the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over the course of
our month on the island, we enjoy a few memorable casas particulares:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Margot's
in Habana Vieja. In business for
twelve years, Margot goes beyond the call - boiling and chilling water for
guests, leaving out ample fresh fruit, refusing any payment for eggs, bread,
and other food we use...and for laundry service, storing our suitcase while we
explore the rest of the island, and holding goods I leave for a friend to pick
up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Norma
and Jorge's in Varadero, where we arrive on Jorge's sixtieth birthday.
Initially they apologize for it, then invite us to the party - about forty
friends celebrating, many musicians playing, much salsa dancing, tamales de
province, crab du casa, half a pig cooking all day, numerous sides, and a table
of rum and mixers. Happy Birthday, Jorge!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>At
Maria's lovely suite in Puerto Padre, her son is tour guide for the May 1st
(International Workers Day) celebration, beach and disco, and Maria nurses me
through a couple days of Batista's revenge with special teas, medicines, and care.
Her lobster is famous!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Chocolate
and Dalianis in Trinidad was our favorite for all sorts of reasons. Amid the
red-tiled rooftops and pastel-colored houses, framing the cobblestone streets
of this World Heritage town, we chance by a casa offering a fabulous suite of
rooms - two bedrooms (3 beds and yes, a/c), living and dining rooms, bathroom
(hot water), a lanai, patio, and rooftop for watching Trinidad, clouds and
mountains, and the world go by. $15 per night. Best value of the entire trip! [more
in the food chapter]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Casas are all so
unique and special. They keep us from the 'hotel experience' and bring us
closer to the real Cuba. Hosts are informal ambassadors of their country, and
getting to know their families is one of the best parts of our trip.</span><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Havana Good Time, by Conner Gorry: a rich
intro to all things Havana - casas and hotels, paladars and restaurants, music
and art scene, museums, galleries, attractions, money changing, transportation,
neighborhoods, shopping...</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a> In Varadero the fee is higher due to the
'touristic zone' at $200 per room per month.</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a> The owner uses four part-timers, having tried
working one girl, but finding it so much work they inevitably quit. The policy
is to encourage the hiring of family members.</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20II.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a> The paperwork astounds. Nothing is handled
online due to dreadful internet service, hence an astonishing amount of papers
and forms and lines...and jobs. </div>
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</div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-53704886599384679642012-06-20T09:01:00.000-07:002012-06-20T15:54:15.872-07:00CUBA NOTES (aka my own rum diaries) ~ a multi-part series about my Cuba impressions from a month in country<br />
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal;">PART I</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal;"><b>WELCOME</b><o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Long
after Batista's revenge runs its course, I'm still processing this amazing
island - the sheer beauty of the land and beaches, a culture rich with music,
art, dance</span></em><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-style: normal;">, and spectacular architecture, it's people - warm
and wonderful, gifted, happy. It's a land of baseball and rodeos, movies and
ice cream, dominoes and chess, reading (Cuba enjoys virtually 100% literacy).
It's a delight, a mixed bag, an enigma...and a continuing education course. It
must be the aché</span></em><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"> - the force, a vital energy not yet sapped by the
greed of capitalism or overconsumption or the heavy footprints of neighbors to
the north. <span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Like so many places, Cuba is a country in flux. The
Revolution is a work in progress. New regulations encourage a grassroots
entrepreneurism, and many are embracing the opportunities. </span></em><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">I'm in a small shop on the main square in
Santiago de Cuba when a young man comes over to ask (in near perfect English<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a>) where we are from
(standard opening gambit), then proceeds to tell us about himself and an
upcoming trip to the states, which he is clearly excited about. When I ask what
he thinks of the US Embargo, he reflects a moment then replies that our
internal embargo supersedes any external embargo. "We need to examine what
it is in us that censures, restricts, and holds us back." This sticks with
me the rest of my journey, along with the internal GPS and revolution such embargoes
demand. It's with me still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">We land in Havana mid April, midday,
following a short one-hour flight from Cancun. My seatmates are two young men,
Korean and Norwegian, eager for their first trip to Cuba, practicing their
Spanish, surprised I am going there. I explain Obama's new regulations and how
I am able to go to Cuba to do professional research. They think it all so
crazy, symptomatic of US imperialism and control, and are not happy with the
president who gave them hope for America then reneged on promises. Still, they
are sweet to me. In Cuba, as in most places, people love Americans. It's our
government they hate. I wonder how long that will hold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">Standing in line at immigration, I am
singled out by a uniformed young man who asks me questions - where I'm from,
what I'm doing here, what's my work, etc. I mention being a photographer, and
when he asks to see my equipment, I pull my iPhone from my back pocket.
"Pictures for my grandchildren," I say. "Oh, retired," he
returns with a wink, making sure I understand what he's saying. "Enjoy
your visit." I slide right through immigration, without needing the
'required proof of insurance'. They weren't concerned with baggage weight
either. Then an older uniformed worker comes up while I am waiting in line for
customs, takes my arm, and guides me through the crowd. "Welcome to Cuba.
I hope you enjoy," he says, smiling and steering me around the line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">It's hot. And humid.
"Calore!" The midday sun scorches, and I drip for the next thirty
days, but I learn from mad dogs and Englishmen, staying out of the midday sun.
Quickly finding my two amigos, we load into a taxi, charging the standard fare
to Habana - "$25 cup". He takes our Canadian dollars. There are two
currencies in Cuba: the convertible peso (nearly par with American/Canadian
dollars) and the local peso (money nationale/MN), about 20 mn to 1 cup. But
more about that later. Eyes widen on the twenty-minute trip to Cuba's capitol,
a city of 2.2 million habaneros, finally arriving at the famed Malecon, just
two blocks from our casa<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a>. We are on a small street
in Habana Viejà - a World Heritage site<a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a> and architectural wonder
in its third decade of restoration. It
feels like a time warp, with buildings from the 1500's and classic American
cars from the 1950's.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">Margot is expecting us, and when we
ring the bell, she leans over the balcony of her 400-year colonial home and
calls down, "Buenos Tardes," as the door unlocks. We haul suitcase
and backpacks up a skinny marble stairwell, arriving in the office, with
twenty-foot ceilings holding crystal chandeliers, walls of Cuban art, a
desk...and Margot, buried behind it, playing computer games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">Our room is a sunny corner, with a
balcony overlooking Cuba and Tejadillo streets, close to everything: Plaza de
la Catedral, Museo d'Art Colonial, Plaza de Armas, Obispo Street (home to
galleries, music venues/bars, shops, and markets), and Hemingway's Havana
haunts: Hotel Ambos Mundos, La Bodeguita del Medio, and El Floridita bars -
each claiming fame to his 'favorite' drink, in order - cuba libra, mohito, and
daiquiri (the 'Papa Hemingway' made with grapefruit juice instead). Habana Club
is easily the best rum I've ever encountered (and I lived for over thirty years
in the land of mai tais). I would be remiss not to underscore the value of rum
in Cuban life...and on our trip. It is ubiquitous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">But I digress. Our first night in
Havana, we walk around the corner towards the baroque Catedral de San Cristobal
and its large square, where music draws us into a small restaurant called Patio
Amarillo. We plant right off the stage and enjoy a dinner of </span><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">salad, brown rice and black
beans, an enormous grilled lobster tail, dessert, coffee, and three cocktails
each (mohito, piña colada, and Cuba libre), </span><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">music, and salsa dancing. For $15. What began as an intention
(months before in the middle of a bleak Ashland winter) to scratch something
off my bucket list, is now real. After dinner, I stand in the plaza </span><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">under bell towers and stars. </span><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">Welcome to Cuba!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a> We miss Carmen (the ballet) by a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a> <em><span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 115%;">Aché means 'the force', as in vital energy.</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a> Everywhere Cubans seek us out to practice
their English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a> We stay in casa particulares throughout our
trip. These are rooms in private homes, often offering breakfast and/or dinner.
It would have been an entirely different trip staying in hotels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Karen/Documents/KJ/Cuba/CUBA%20NOTES.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span></span></a> Cuba enjoys twelve UNESCO World Heritage
sites: architecture, art schools, historic castles and towns, tropical forests
and National parks, Vinales Valley, an offshore reef system...</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-1450168043721152222012-04-26T08:14:00.002-07:002012-04-26T08:14:24.960-07:00Hola, Amigos!! For some bizarre reason I thought I´d be able to get on internet every other day here on the island, but no hay...spotty at best, then it takes and hour to upload a picture. But since a pic is worth a thousand words, I´ll try...besides I have 18 more minutes, so it might work. <br />
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time out...<br />
Looks like this will be a post Cuba blog...tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-73625957488434033132012-04-11T20:48:00.001-07:002012-04-12T12:36:39.316-07:00RevolutionariesSomeone sent me this photo of two of my favorite revolutionaries, taking a break from changing the world. (oh, to be a fly on that wall). It reminds me of all the breaks we take all the time...the endless duties and diversions that take our attention from our revolutionary missions - through which we hope to make the world (or one life) better. Still, wouldn't it be fun to sit awhile and strum? <br />
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tm0nIdnuxZg/T4ZQkL0m4_I/AAAAAAAABow/7MOZLz3qpPw/s640/blogger-image-200166346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tm0nIdnuxZg/T4ZQkL0m4_I/AAAAAAAABow/7MOZLz3qpPw/s400/blogger-image-200166346.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-64131203441120940882012-04-05T09:46:00.002-07:002012-04-05T09:53:26.762-07:00Heading SouthI woke to snow! this morning, and checked the weather in Havana: 79! <br />
Time to head south...warm up on a beach, practice Spanish, enjoy mohitos, and make some Cuban friends. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e0u5D2sANyU/T33MtmatolI/AAAAAAAABn4/hEfiymatHGU/s640/blogger-image-419782913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e0u5D2sANyU/T33MtmatolI/AAAAAAAABn4/hEfiymatHGU/s320/blogger-image-419782913.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-73864802083348450322012-03-25T10:49:00.000-07:002012-03-25T10:49:49.253-07:00Cuba Bound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcEBcvs9R5U/T29Z9kr3e8I/AAAAAAAABnw/y_D7yWs7fBw/s1600/IMG_3421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcEBcvs9R5U/T29Z9kr3e8I/AAAAAAAABnw/y_D7yWs7fBw/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" width="233" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;">I'm not sure exactly what it was...or when it started, but suddenly in the middle of winter in my small Oregon town, I realize that Cuba has been on my bucket list for far too long. Like Greece (back in high school), Cuba called. I was occupying at the time, caught up in revolutionary fervor, designing "Occupy" T-shirts with Che images, drafting press releases for events to move money or amend the constitution, penning a street column for AFP. Earlier in the year, a man from Tunisia lit a match and started the conflagration. The Egyptian Spring sprung loose a kind of hope again that change was possible.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Next thing I know I'm on my computer, requesting books and films from our county library, scanning Netfliz for pictures about Che, Fidel, Cuba. I find three people in my town who've been there and buy them coffee and pick their brains. My son is couch-surfing, home for the holidays, and he gets caught up in my dream. And before long it's GAME ON!! Sometime April or May.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Cuba slowly becomes reality as I read stories and news, watch images and correspond with bloggers. I investigate State Department licenses, and finally find the perfect access: A General License, not needing verification by the Feds, but allowing me, as professional writer, researcher, photographer, to travel to that long, illusive island. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Gone is the spirit that called me to Guantanamo. Instead I'll stay throughout the country at casa particulares (B&B's, homestays), now licensed by the government due to raging poverty and booming tourism. I'll interview the elders, gather favorite family recipes for a Cuban Cookbook, frame UNESCO world Heritage sites for my image bank - and exercising my freedom as a global citizen (it being more and more difficult to admit I'm from norteamerica)... traveling to one more island I've not yet seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-13860324429343408622012-03-14T06:28:00.001-07:002012-03-29T14:22:55.050-07:00A Winters Dawn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aim7ew9L0DU/T2Ca3FSZBGI/AAAAAAAABnk/GqAFbTksWOc/s1600/april+26+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aim7ew9L0DU/T2Ca3FSZBGI/AAAAAAAABnk/GqAFbTksWOc/s200/april+26+023.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A winter's dawn -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First light on the horizon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then a flash of iron and flamingo,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sprawling colors along the mountain range of Southern Oregon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bare branches</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Against morning's sky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A jet trail frames the golden threads...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And I dream of Cuba -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cuba of my dreams, with diamond-dust beaches, lush valleys, colonial towns...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the Malecon, f</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">raming Havana's old town against the northern tides of hate.</span><br />
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</span>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-65905795355101855662012-03-06T10:19:00.000-08:002012-03-06T10:19:31.568-08:00Caribbean Cookbook<div style="text-align: center;">As I schedule my upcoming trip, my mouth is drooling. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Mmmmmmmmmmm...island fare :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sHZnT1_9tgU/T1ZUDzY2HfI/AAAAAAAABm8/EOAXpy4ZwTk/s1600/food+square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sHZnT1_9tgU/T1ZUDzY2HfI/AAAAAAAABm8/EOAXpy4ZwTk/s400/food+square.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A pre-trip taste: <a href="http://www.mauiwriter.com/CoconutCuisine.pdf">Coconut Cuisine</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-79746290466937699952010-06-19T08:35:00.001-07:002012-03-14T06:54:53.604-07:00The Boys of Summer<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mauiwriter.com/BoysofSummer.pdf"><b>http://www.mauiwriter.com/BoysofSummer.pdf</b></a><br />
(be patient...takes a minute to load)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n09LaMwYieE/TB5O6giCa6I/AAAAAAAAAQU/dd8Hb8yQJLQ/s1600/0616_pilots_stmary-cc+216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_n09LaMwYieE/TB5O6giCa6I/AAAAAAAAAQU/dd8Hb8yQJLQ/s320/0616_pilots_stmary-cc+216.JPG" /></a></div>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619022205836011263.post-24623254279993616902010-06-06T08:08:00.000-07:002011-05-05T15:19:55.555-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_n09LaMwYieE/TAu5nGXoaDI/AAAAAAAAAPE/9ibN-RuFCo8/s1600/CIMG8597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_n09LaMwYieE/TAu5nGXoaDI/AAAAAAAAAPE/9ibN-RuFCo8/s320/CIMG8597.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">When the last snow lingered on Mt. Ashland, we awaited the end of winter and the beginning of all things good…baseball season! Faster than a speeding bullet, as American as apple pie, before baseball's about money, booze, sex, and steroids, the ‘boys of summer’ thrill to the crack of a bat, a grand slam over the left field fence, a slide into home plate.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Soon we heard the two words that quicken the heart: “Play Ball!!” And our boys took to their field of dreams and played for the love of the game. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> And play they did – a 16-0 season of spectacular baseball! The thrill of victory…and great fun for the fans :-) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Through weeks of championship play against big boys from big schools in big towns, AHS Varsity boys brought it all…until the end. So yesterday’s singular playoff loss was a sad ending to a joyous season. We didn’t bring our game. We took some tough calls. The baseball gods weren't smiling. And we took second.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Still it was a season of brilliant play, amazing moments, friendships to last a lifetime. Grizzlies – each and every one of you make us proud! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Aloha oe, Tutu</span>tutuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01724083268492711554noreply@blogger.com0