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"CUBA, COFFEE, AND
CONVERSATION"
Yet this is Castro&rsqu;ys island, the last bastion of communism and my immediate concern remained, how I--the "enemy"--would be received. The smiling immigration officer (that&rsqu;ys rare in the world) started a conversation and ended up giving me 30 days, instead of the ten I was allowed, "en el caso," just in case I could stay longer.
From the airport, our air-conditioned bus took us on an informative mini-tour of Havana as we dropped other visitors at surprising variety of hotels along the way. As we rolled through countryside, settlements, then the suburbs of Havana, Cuban history began to reveal itself in the mix of architectural styles and layers of peeling paint. Most houses and apartment buildings are sadly in need of maintenance and repair. Others are beyond that. Yet overall, they present a lovely, if faded elegance, overlayed with lush planting and a canopy of grand old trees.
My second impression is of streets clean and graffiti free, and though there is very little traffic, people everywhere are on bicycles, on porches, walking, talking, playing. This was Sunday afternoon.
Our hotel, the Habana Libre, once the Havana Hilton, is one of the most luxurious I have ever stayed in. Spectacular views. Sunrise and sunset over La Habana harbor. The sheets were crisp, white-white, accompanied by lovely soft pillows. The rooms are exceptionally large and bright and incorporate a comfortable and useful sitting-work area, and mini frig. Bathrooms are European modern with a bidet.
When registering, you are given a "hotel passport" which serves as your passport in Cuba, while your official passport and visa are not held by the hotel or government, but is kept in your room safe with your own digital combination.
By late afternoon we were hungry and had to choose between three restaurants in the hotel which ranged from the coffee shop which had pedestrian food (hamburgers, eggs, French fries) with hometown prices from $4 - $6 a plate, and the other restaurants which were more elegant and costly, $18 - $20 for dinner. We decided on a palidar across the street where we ate family style and had the full dinner of Cuban style pork, rice and black beans, salad, and drink for $4.20.
Paladares are relatively new to Cuba. They are restaurants families operate from their homes. You will most often find authentic, delicious home-cooked meals. They are only allowed twelve tables, and a couple of years ago, just as they were becoming very successful, there was a hefty tax levied so that many of the paladares went out of business. But in Cuba this is the place to eat.
After dinner we took a walk to the Coppelia park. Surrounding the park there are people lined up for about two blocks. This is the line to buy two scoops of the famous Coppelia ice cream with 2.50 Cuban pesos (about 12 cents). They serve about 30,000 ice creams a day. At the next, almost vacant corner, there is a stand selling the same ice cream. No wait. Cost, $1 U.S. dollar.
One of the first things you notice is the people come in a virtual rainbow of color and there is no segregation or discrimination between races and sexes. This isn&rsqu;yt to say that there is no prejudice. That is probably impossible to erase even by Castro&rsqu;ys edict.
It is true that Cuba is one of the world&rsqu;ys safest nations. There are no arms, gangs, knives aren&rsqu;yt used, and the most that happens is an occasional purse snatching. You can walk down the street any hour day or night as there are always people. One evening we accompanied our Cuban friend and her elderly mother to the bus at 1:00 a.m.
The end of Soviet oil subsidies brought an end to rush hour traffic in Habana. Most everyone is on a bicycle or camels. No, not real camels, but the camello, a tractor pulled people transport with a big camel-like hump that carries 300 people!
The most important aspects of Cuba 40 years after the revolution are: the people, the economy, and the culture. We had an opportunity to experience all three.
Cafe and conversation: these are the cherished pastimes of the Cuban people, and both are rich and full-bodied. Those coming from the formality and graciousness of Mexico, may find Cubans somewhat abrupt and brash. Culturally, they are much more informal and straightforward. They almost never use &lsqu;yplease&rsqu;y and &lsqu;ythank you,&rsqu;y but at the same time they are easy to get to know, very open, upbeat, happy, and physically affectionate. We were invited into homes without hesitation. And the conversations were about everything: their revolution, their religion, their medical care, education, computers, e-mail, the millennium, Castro, the embargo, and their hopes for the future. By the time the evening was over we had new friends. The goodbyes were not just a shake of the hand, but kisses and embraces. Even though we were the imperialistic Americans whose embargo has placed the country in terrible economic straights, we were graciously if not enthusiastically received everywhere. No one in our group experienced any animosity.
Still, our tourist experience did not give a complete picture of the economy. Our buffet breakfasts were of the groaning board. For Cubans in contrast, getting enough to eat is a daily preoccupation. No one starves. In fact, given the economic crisis, U.N. health experts marvel at the Cuban government&rsqu;ys ability to achieve the level of personal nutrition that they have. Sadly for people with such a rich native cuisine, their diet is limited and they go a little hungry every day. Every household has a ration book that allows for one small roll per person daily, and four eggs a month. It also includes sugar, flour, rice, and split peas, but no meat. Friends told us that it had been three months since they had chicken. If you go into the peso stores, there is hardly anything on the shelves. Breakfast for the children is most often the daily roll toasted in cooking oil. On our visit to the National School of Dance, the director said his main concern was to get enough food to maintain the dancers&rsqu;y energy. And Gretel, a pretty little girl in the family we visited, cherished the apple she received as a birthday present.
Developmentally, Cubas current priorities are tourism, sugar, rum, and cigars. This seemed odd to several in our group, given Cuba&rsqu;ys notable biomedical achievements. In recent years they have made many scientific breakthroughs in medical applications for diabetes, Parkinson&rsqu;ys disease, heart disease, and cancer. Yet withdrawal of Soviet subsidies pulled the bottom out of their standard of living and they need to replace that income source fast or risk everything. It would appear that the traditional economic base of the country seems the most secure route, so they have maneuvered themselves back to it.
New hotels are being built all over by Spanish, Italian, and German corporations. Cuba is a tourist&rsqu;ys paradise, but it opens the country to the stratification, corruption, gambling, and prostitution that fomented Castro&rsqu;ys revolution in the first place. Yes, tourism does bring jobs to Cuba, but for Cubans it&rsqu;ys about the same. Their salaries are paid to the Cuban government, and the workers are still paid in Cuban pesos. The only advantage is that a hotel worker will get tips in dollars. They often pay up to $1,000. to get these jobs. Cubans normally earn approximately $7 to $12 a month.
Part of our group was dismayed to see that only people with "passports" could go upstairs in our hotel. It seemed unfair when we tried to get permission for our dance teacher to come up to our room and give a dance class. It took all morning and she had to relinquish her driver&rsqu;ys license. However, if the hotel did not have strict controls, there would be uncontrolled prostitution and probably theft.
When Cubans talk about the economy, (a recent phenomenon for which they would have been jailed a few years ago), they don&rsqu;yt complain, at least to Americans. Many young people have known nothing else. They praise their education and medical care systems, both, totally free. A child with the ability, no matter where he comes from in the country may train to be a doctor, an engineer, a dancer, or writer. There were some questions as to how good the education could be, since they have only one newspaper and television limited to the afternoon hours with only two channels. But Cuba does publish thousands of magazines and many books, all at a cost within reach of the people. The children&rsqu;ys knowledge of history may he skewed, but they would probably outshine most children of the world in their knowledge of geography, mathematics, literature, and sciences, and they can boast one of the world&rsqu;ys highest literacy rates. Cuba isn&rsqu;yt the completely closed country we think it is. They are closed off to the United States, but have trade, exchanges, and relations with every other country in the world.
Why then does the embargo have such consequence? Most often we believe it is because they cannot receive assistance from U.S. investors and aid from our government. Of much greater importance is that they cannot sell their products in the U.S. Imagine what would happen to the Mexican economy if Mexican companies were completely cut off from trade of any sort with the United States. The U.S. market is enormous. Yet it is clear to the careful observer that there are other, perhaps more debilitating problems in the Cuban economy. Ironically, the embargo is handy for the government, an easy scapegoat for virtually all economic failures and shortcomings.
A true highlight of our trip occurred with our group&rsqu;ys visit to the National School of Dance. The students came from all over Cuba as well as a student from Denmark and one from Jamaica. They range in age from 11 to 18 and live at and attend this school for seven years. Beginning at 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., school is devoted to the academic curriculum. From 2:00 p.m. until 6:00, dance classes. It&rsqu;ys hard to describe these children-- beautiful, unbelievably devoted to their craft; skilled, daring, and altogether captivating. After five breathtaking dances, they put on the music and with no hesitation took us out on the floor.
Most Americans would love to have Cuba&rsqu;ys medical system. It&rsqu;ys free and the technology is advanced. When my Cuban friend returned after seven years, she and her daughter had complete physicals, including a mamogram, dental checkup and eye exam. The treatment is available, but they don&rsqu;yt have the medicine. She had to fill her prescriptions upon returning to Mexico.
Cuban culture begins in Old Havana, the colonial city that was built within the fortified walls. Now named a &lsqu;yWorld Treasure&rsqu;y by the United Nations, it&rsqu;ys like old Spain, even the smells. This is the navel of Havana, where it was born: the first fountain, the fort that protects the city, the main cathedral, Hemingway&rsqu;ys hotel, the domino players in the park. I felt as if I were walking through time. After three hours, we stopped to quench our thrist with a mojito (rum, mint and sparkling water--said to bring good luck) at where they originated in one of Hemingway&rsqu;ys favorite restaurants, La Bodeguita del Medio. After that, we had to hurry for the canonazo, which is the celebration of the shooting of the cannon at the fort at exactly 9:00 p.m. In the last hundred years, it&rsqu;ys only missed going off once. It is heard throughout Havana; cena begins, events take place, and people set their watches to the canonazo.
Each night, the canonazo was our signal to head for the clubs. The music, Afro-Cuban, Latin, salsa jazz, is fantastic and the dancing and people-watching beyond compare. You have never seen such high heels. It&rsqu;0s hard to believe that women can possible walk, let alone dance, in them.
A trip to Cuba isn&rsqu;yt complete without a visit to its famed beaches. Our bus picked us up and two hours later we were at a glorious resort on the beach at Varadero. There we could chose between lounging by the pool or under a palapa on a beautiful white sandy beach. The people came from everywhere. A fascinating experience, to be some place where there are people from all over the world--and almost no Americans. Since many were Europeans, topless was the standard at the beach. Even grandmothers went topless--no, not this one--but it wasn&rsqu;yt the least bit uncomfortable. Except for the club in the evening, we didn&rsqu;yt wear anything for the entire three days except for our bathing suits. Being in Cuba gives you a heightened feeling of expectation, anticipation, as though you are walking through a historical moment in time. You know that whatever you saw this visit, you may never see quite the same way again.
(For information on our upcoming trip to Cuba, please contact me: tel/fax: 646-6305, E-mail: micoyoacan@aol.com.)
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