The morning started with an early breakfast and final load up for our trip to the airport. Twenty minutes later we were there, hoping our plane would leave a the scheduled 10:30am flight time and not face similar delays like we had experienced on the way over from the US.

Lots of Cubans the heading to Miami, too.

Eliseo put on his ‘official guide’ lanyard and made sure each of us made it through customs with our $25 CUC Cuban departure tax and passport in hand. At the back of each immigration booth there was a red door and when they buzzed it and you walked through you were on the way out of Cuba. Here emJay says good bye to our new and dear friend whom we all hoped to see again when he travels to the United States. Last year he traveled to Vancouver with the Cuban All Star team serving as their interpreter at the world baseball event. He and his wife then then spent two months in the US!

Once we got through customs and to the final waiting room there was lots of chance to spend any CUC’s one had left in their pocket. CUC’s cannot be spent outside of Cuba, so our goal was to leave with zero!  Lots of international liquors including many from Russia.

The plane arrived on time and seemed like it was greeted by the ENTIRE airport staff. Most of us were given extra legroom seats in the 4 exit aisles because we could speech English like the crew.

The plane lifted off on time and soon, only a 90 mile flight, we were back on US soil. We spent the afternoon and evening at South Beach and over dinner discussed the contrasts of Cuban life as to that of the SOBE area, which of course is nor typical of the general US. Talk about night and day comparisons!!

In two days time, everything was unpacked and washed, suitcase’s put away, souvenirs put on the shelves. It was a fine time for a glass of wine and our last “coocooroucho”.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS AND CONCLUSIONS:

Cuba was a most memorable trip.

Three things come to mind:

The Land. As many have said the best thing that has happened to conservation and the ecology of Cuba is communism. Although the Cuban people have a strong environment bent, the revolution of the past 50 years basically stopped all development. Many areas remain pristine with not much of a human footprint or disturbance. There is very little litter in the rural or urban environments, when compared to the US or other countries in the Americas. One reason may be there is so little ‘junk food’ available to the population along with is wrappers and plastic bottles. Of course they do have one HUGE cobalt and nickel mining industry with vies with tourism for the number 1 and 2 source of income for the island. The staff we met during the week were VERY professional, knowledgably and doing the best they could with the resources they have available. One thing they all have to their advantage is the Cuban peoples spirit of protecting the environment. A fear of many is eventually the island will be ‘opened’ when we drop the embargo and things could change. Most of us felt the Cubans will remain conservation conscious and protect what they have.

The People. we met in the cities and countryside were very friendly and always tried to make us at home. Tourism is a HUGE part of their economy but they seemed especially friendly when they found out we were actually from the US and not just another Canadian tourist. Politics aside, the Cubans want to raise their families, be safe and have a future just citizens in any other country. Our thumb of oppression has prevented their economic advancement. The reasons that may have made sense 50 years ago to create the economic embargo seem so miss-guided in 2014. We seem to be friends with every other country in the world now, other than North Korea and Cuba. Good reason probably for North Korea, but Cuba is no North Korea. Rich Cubans in Florida, New Jersey and around the US have enough political sway (READ: political contributions) that there is no change foreseen in the near future. It may take a generational change to make it happened. As we like to say . . .”Democracy . . . may not be perfect but it’s the best government money can buy!”

The Economy. In 1993 when the Soviet Union pulled out of Cuba because of their own problems, evidently Fidel told over 500,000 Cuban government workers they no longer had jobs and should go out and ‘start a private business’. Many of the entrepreneurial types did and have now formed what is called the ‘inverted economic pyramid’ in Cuba. In the US, it is the captains of industry, doctors, lawyers and other professionals who are at the top of the pyramid. Considering doctors, lawyers and other professional in Cuba make about what a teacher or street cleaner make, it is the ‘private entrepreneurs’, primarily working in the private sector industry, that are becoming the wealthy. In fact, the private all inclusive resorts were ‘off limits’ to Cubans until just 5 years ago when the government relaxed their control. Now 30% of the visitors to the large joint venture resorts are Cuban. Cuba is no longer a classless society.

Restaurant and B&B owners are becoming the wealthy of the country. Our bus driver Albert had been a lawyer for ten years and quit to become a coach driver. More lucrative? You bet. Doctors are have starting new careers as restaurateurs’. The tips we gave Alberto and Eliseo for the services they provided equaled about three years of a normal Cuban government ‘salary”. Interestingly, there has never been an income tax in Cuba until recently. It’s only on tips made by those working in the tourism sector and can be as  high as 50%. The fee is not called a tax, but a contribution, that is used to purchase pediatric medicines in hospitals.

The trip to Cub was definitely and eye opener. As we were told . . . ‘Cuba is only 90 miles away from the US but it is another world.’ It is . . . but things are changing. I’m glad we had a chance to experience Cuba before major changes take place.

We started the day with a nice breakfast and packed up. Although we had one more night in Camaguey, we would return at noon and move down the block to new hotels. Scheduling snafus!

There was not much hot water in the morning for showers and they had a few other plumbing problems too!

The pedestrian mall was already busy at 8:30am!

Mechanical improvising!!!

This morning we’d visit with staff from CITMA, the Cuban national version of our Department of Natural Resources and National Park Service.

Cuban version of a government office cube . . .

. . . no modern time clocks here!

We had a great overview of their system, followed by a lively question and answer period. The Cuban’s are very worried about  and studying the effect of global warming on the oceans . . . especially since they are an island!

Not sure if all presentations end with this slide or not!

Introductions and gifts were exchanged given by our group . . .

After the visit, gifts of chocolate and cookies were passed out by our hosts.

emJay discusses with our representative from the Institute of Friendship and Andréa, an environmental specialist with CITMA.

International relationships formed . . .

Bobbie and Gary hitting one more art studio on the way back to the hotel . . .

. . . local gendarmes on patrol.

At the CITMA meeting, we talked a lot about recycling and there was evidence of it along the pedestrian mall . . .

The street cleaner who uses this cart makes about 400 CUC’s or the equivalent of $20US/month . . . the same as a teacher!

. . . to put that in perspective, this Frigidaire full size refrigerator was close to $1000USD! Several years pay!!!

. . . and a HUGE window air conditioner, the equivalent of $900USD!

When traveling, we always like to check out the local markets or grocery stores. This grocery was in a regular store front on the pedestrian mall and exhibited their wares in the window just like a shirt of appliance store. Funny!

Lacking some supplies but not liquor . . . which is subsidized by the government.

. . . certain items were in stock, some were not . . .

. . . frozen chicken was widely available.

Back at the hotel right before lunch to transfer our luggage . . . one last chance to buy cigars in the lobby!

Jon, Jeff and Eric stayed in a hotel on the corner and the rest of us were right down the block in this one level 5 star hotel.

The entrance . . .

. . . reception area . . .

. . . and the courtyard with our rooms off on each side.

Very clean room . . .

. . . and bath, with TWO rolls of toilet paper . . .

. . . and all the goodies one might need.

We rendezvoused back at the boys hotel for lunch . . . where emJay decided to order the ‘Mysterious Chicken????’

. . . which as close as we could tell was, Mystery solved: chicken with grilled onions.

Bobbie, our retired accountant takes care of the finances.

Then it was off to tour a local hospital and meet some of the medical staff.

On the way in . . .

. . .  behind the door in the middle was the Cardiac Unit, a reassurance to several of us who have had ‘issues’ in the past.

Eliseo interprets for Dr Hottie, who wore 4 inch black heels to work!!!

The hotel where Jon, Jeff and Eric stayed. The rest of us stayed at a hotel just down the street on the left side . . .

. . . where we had a nice open air atrium to enjoy. Only our group staying here tonight!

We walked over to the boys hotel . . .

. . . where Eliseo had arranged a nice cocktail party to kick off the evening, before we walked to dinner.

Lot’s of laughter, all around!

As we had observed all week there was music and dance EVERYWHERE. As we walked to dinner, here was a dance class taking place just down the street from our hotel.

It was hard to believe how fast the trip had gone as we reassembled at the same restaurant we had had our kickoff dinner, 10 days before. Tonight our group had the head table, sitting right in front of the dance floor and entertainment.

Everyone was in a very festive mood, including Barb, Alberto, emJay. Barb and emJay both spoke Spanish so were actively able to engage Alberto during inner, something that was hard to do during the wee when he was behind the wheel. . . .

Tom, Cindy and Greg . . .

Alberto, Karen and Michael . . .

Michael, Laurie and Jeff . . .

Eric, Bobby and Gary . . .

Brenda, John and Carol (missed Jon and Mike!)

It was time for the committee to do it’s work. Barb and Laurie made the presentations . . . first to Alberto . . . . of course, Eliseo was on hand to interpret Alberto’s responses

Then on to Eliseo, where we shared many of the lighter moments of the week . . .

. . . and among our gifts a PACKER flag!

The entertainers were nice enough to hold off with their performance until we were done with our ceremony  . . . then time for dessert

. . .and lots if action!

Eventually it was time for the audience to get up. Karen and Alberto got us first, he really had the moves . . .

and soon the floor was packed!

But way too soon, it was time to say goodnight as we snapped a few more photos . .

. . . and of course did a little more shopping during our stroll back to the hotel.

Goodnight poochy!  A few more rums at the hotel and it was time for our last sleep over in Cuba.

 

To day we would tour the city of Camaguey, population 350,000. First stop was the ‘Institute of Friendship’ where we met the Director and his staff . . .

. . . he and Jon exchanged gifts . . .

lots of smiling handshakes . . .

. . . and of course a sing along!

There were posters regarding the US Cuban relationship and  . . .

the results of a local painting contest . . .

whose message seemed pretty clear . . .

Soon we were back on the bus and as we motored along came a cross a new type of biking outfit . . .Yikes!

A lot of restoration is going on in the city but there is always room for more . . .

We unloaded outside the Camaguey Municipal Band’s practice area where they performed a special rehearsal just for us.

. . . a logo that was developed in the US for the group . . .

You will recognize this song . . .

. . . many of the musicians had pedaled to practice on their bikes carrying their instruments . . .

. . . including this beauty, which looks like may have been won in the Dutch National Postcode Lottery!! It is biggest charity lottery in the Netherlands founded in 1989. Fifty percent of the proceeds of this lottery are donated amongst 81 charities, which, in 2010 amounted to over 270 million euros.

All the touring made us hungry and we headed to lunch which was in sort of a Transportation/Amusement Park/Restaurant area. Planes and train cars were used and spotted among the restaurants . . . sort of lost in translation.

But . . . our lunch was EXCELLENT

Seated right on the bay . . .

. . . starting with a nice salad, although I had have adopted the ‘What Would Cindy Eat’ philosophy of NO RAW LETTUCE which probably would have been OK to eat here . . .

. . . followed by a lobster dinner for 21!!!!

Nice meal and garnishes . . .

Provided by the proud staff . . .

. . . the chef’s trained at a culinary school in Venezuela!

Back on the bus after this HUGE lunch we were on our way to meet with the City of Camaguey historic district planning restoration department . . .

. . . complete with powerpoint presentations . . .

A lively question and answer period and exchange of gifts . . .

. . . and we began our walk. First through one of hundreds of small square around the city, this one with . . .

. . . bronze statues of colorful local citizens!

Two new friends of Barb’s who received a few goodies . . .

Resourceful Cubans figure out an easy way to transport the kids around town with these wooden seats.

As we wound through the narrow street, many of which are not wide enough for auto traffic, the planning commissioner points out one the relics of the Soviet area . . .

. . . a historic block that had been razed to build the highest ‘condo’ in eastern Cuba!!

Luckily there was lots of local art and murals to add some color.

Here is their new convention center, with all the amenities, built to bring more meetings to Camaguey . . .

. . . which is right across from the Comndant Che hotel. Evidently, Che still keeps an eye on everything with the aid of a close circuit camera.

We finished off our walking tour by visiting the artist Orestes Larios’s gallery . . .

. . . which he has opened to a dozen local artists for producing art.

We wandered around, meeting the artists, looking at and buying art , for an hour when a special chamber orchestra concert that had been arranged for our group began setting up.

Very nice use of the space . . .

. . . with great acoustics. Really a nice time!

Jon, the delegator, had requested a group of 4 to serve as our final nights farewell dinner committee. Here the two treasurer’s assess the CUC’s collected for our guide and bus drivers tips.

. . . while over their shoulders in the hotel was this kiosk with literature reading everything that is Fidel/Raul and Che. Wonder if they would approve?

Tonight we were on our own for dinner and chose a well know local private restaurant, the 1811.

Nice setting . . . and we couldn’t help but wonder

. . . if this cow had been the last one shot in Cuba. After the fall of the Soviet Union, and their withdrawal of financial support to Cuba, the island faced many problems including famine. Cows began disappearing and appearing on people tables. The government became so concerned they implemented special rules. All cattle became property of the government and if you are found guilty of illegally killing a cow, you get 15 years’ in prison. Kill one of your fellow Cuban citizens and you get 10 years’!! As Eliseo told us, “Cows are sacred in Cuba”. Sort of like India!!!

The restaurant was known for its wine cellar . . .

. . . that included a chef’s tasting table.

However, when we orderd wine we were told there was none available!!! TommyH pushed the point and one of the staff left the building and soon came back with a bottle or two, from where, who knows! Here are Barb and Tom protecting their special order from the rest of us!

After our HUGE lunch many of us thought we would never to eat again . . . but soon the Special of the House appeared, sauteed fish with shrimp and coconut sauce . . .

. . . along with a HUGE serving of fried rice. It would have been enough for the whole table!!!

At least we had a nice walk back to our hotel to work off some of the calories . . . which were quickly replaced by several rums before turning in for the night!!!

 

A great night sleep  . . . as we awakened to a beautiful morning. Time for a a little tour of the grounds . . .

. . .the main entrance to the resort

. . . registration on the left

. . . and to the right of registration . . . one of the many bars, well stocked and  open 24/7!!!

a ‘cabana’ with our room on the right . .

The all inclusive had the standard buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with snack bars serving hamburgers, and such, located several places around the grounds. The also have 5 restaurants; Italian, Mediterranean, Japanese, etc. where ala carte meals are prepared. One must have reservation’s though and they usually fill by 3:00pm in the afternoon. Since we had arrived at 6:00pm the night before, we had eaten at the buffet. This is the main buffet area in the process of be remodeled. The buffet was temporarily located poolside. Nice!

One of the many bars scattered around the ground (even at 8:00am it was too early for most visitors), although the lobby bar is open 24/7!

The grounds were very well maintained . . .

. . . as we walked by this beer and pretzel bat right outside of our cabana.

After breakfast it was time to head across the causeway to the beach.

Typical hues of the Caribbean . . . stunning.

Pull up a chair . . . and watch the action.

This is a view of the beach area. There are actually 4 resorts along this bay, all placed far enough from each other you didn’t see them except at the beach. One Canadian we talked to came down several times a year. This was considered the ‘off season’ and one week at the all inclusive, including airfare from Montreal, was $700CD or about $620US. Cheap vacation!!!

Wait . . . is that George Clooney strolling towards the camera on the right side of the photo above . . .

. . . no it’s TommyH!

Time to get in the water . . .

Or you could stay on the beach and be serenaded by strolling musicians. They lost interest in Greg, once Cindy went to the beach bar . . . !!

. . . but returned again, once she did!

We were leaving for Camaguey at 2:00pm, so . . . soon it was time to check out. Most of our group had worked for the State of WI in one capacity or another and were used to the inventory control system the state had for ‘movable equipment’

. . . I guess government’s are the same everywhere because everything in our room had an inventory sticker . . . some more obvious than others!!!!

Local Taxi . . . .

. . . we did have time for a nice lunch before we left, poolside . . .

. . . complete with a little dessert and espresso!

The four hour drive got us to Camaguey after dark and the bus had to park about a block from the hotel because the street had been turned into a nice pedestrian mall. The Grand Hotel, our home for two nights.

. . . back to the basics . . . but very clean.

Not wanting to push my tummy too much, emJay and I ate up in the fifth floor restaurant. Government Hotel ala carte menu = Uninspiring Government cuisine . . . but we did have our own singer and vino was only $2USD a glass!!!

Several rums in the main floor bar and it was time for bed!

Woke to very cloudy looking skies this morning.  Today was another nature adventure and we all made sure to take out umbrellas.

We said goodbye to our room at Porto Santo . . .

. . . and left a few gifts for our maid, Mabel.

Surprise . . . Alexis was waiting outside our door to help with our luggage. My boots had disintegrated during our first jungle hike and I was going throw them out but he was happy to take them and repair them with lots of a glue. I commented they might be too big for him but he thought they would fit just perfect (maybe with several pair of extra socks!)

We asked him if Mabel was around and soon she appeared to say goodbye too. Nice to meet her since she had provided such nice service during our stay.

Other groups were leaving too . . . always important to make sure your luggage gets on the right bus!!!

Our guide for the day, Porfilio, accompanied on the bus ride to our first stop.  Along the way we passed 11 of these unique little bays, located right of the ocean. What a place to retire!

Porfilio pointed out the small grove of palms along the way that are only found in Cuba, and only in this small area. VERY tall trunks with very little top.

He suddenly asked Alberto to stop and back the bus up 50 feet . . . to where, as we were motoring along at 40 mph, he had spotted this snail on the tree.

It is an example of the endangered species being harvested by the natives to sell to tourists.

We stopped along the way for a bathroom break at a small camp where children would come for environmental studies . . . we wondered if it looked anything like the ‘all inclusive resort’ we were traveling to at the end of the day.

The bathrooms . . .

. . . were of the rustic variety, this being the men’s. The woman’s looked very similar to this one, other than the log on the right side just up from the trashcan. It was a PERFECT place for the small notebook emJay had so busily scribbling notes in all week long to dislodge from her back pocket and slide down. NEVER to be retrieved!!

Porfilio explaining the soil structure of the the Humboldt National Forest we were touring.

We would make a 2 hour loop tour partially up, partially down, along a river, through a river . . . sort of like a three hour tour!!

The rain added to the slickness of the clay type soil and several of our adventures went down!

A hermit crab we found along the way taking up residence in a snail shell . . .

. . . great SMALL, teensy flowers along the way.

As we hiked along the riverbank . . . soon of course it was time to head up to high ground . . .

. . . and it was quite a hike up. Hand over hand!

After our ascent, out of the blue, around a corner, we came to this ‘rest stop’ right in the middle of the jungle . . .

. . . as soon as we all assembled our ‘hosts’ appeared to make sure we were all well refreshed . . .

. . . including newly prepared coconut drinks complete with a bamboo straw souvenir!

Eliseo had told us the world’s smallest frog lived in the forest and we might see one. We did  not along the way, but here at the rest stop they had one to show off . .

. . . it certainly was a small critter!

When walking in the jungle one needs to keep both a macro and mirco view so as not to miss too much. Here was delicate little flower one might walk right over . . .

. . .but getting a little closer. . .

. . . a whole new little world opens up!

One of seven river crossings we made during our trek. Of course, for some the objective was not to get their feet wet . . .

. . . and Eliseo was going to show us how to pick a route to stay dry . . .

mmmm . . . maybe next time, as he almost took a header!

Plenty of time to stop and ‘smell the roses’!

Soon we were back to the bus and said goodbye to our geologist guide, Porfilio who became an adjunct member of the Nature Conservancy!

It was on to our all inclusive government resort we would be staying at for the night. We hoped to get there earlier in the afternoon to enjoy the beach but traffic was terrible delaying our arrival. Again, everything that moves must travel on the highway and progress can be quite slow. Here is an example of what happens when you continue to use 1950’s American vintage trucks. As parts in the engines; rings, valves, pistons, etc. continue to wear the gas begins to burn incompletely producing LOTS of exhaust. Interestingly though it is probably not a MAJOR source of air pollution on the island, as a whole, because there are so few vehicles. This was one of the local ‘busses’ that would hold as many as 50 people crammed in the back. Cheap transportation though for the locals.

Here is the type of ‘people mover’ they use in more populated areas known as the, ‘Cuban Camel””’!!!

We arrived at the all inclusive hotel after dark and were presented with the customary ‘welcome cocktail’ . . . some had more than one!!!

We didn’t have much time to explore the area in the dark . . . but checked in and watch a little  CNN news regarding the US elections. Our biggest room yet!

BIG buffet with something for everyone’s taste . . .

. . . including ‘made to order’ banana and papaya foster compete with a rum flambe!

Most of these all inclusive’s have a nightly show for the tourists. This one was sort of a Cuban version of a ’Cirque du Soleil’ . . .

. . . with very agile and and muscular performers. After a couple more rums some of the gang talked about getting on stage and showing what we could do . . .

. . . like maybe keeping a dozen hula-hoops going at once!

We said goodnight to the performers, (all the narration was done in English because of the mostly Canadian audience) had one more rum (liquor is included at the all inclusives) and headed off to our cabana  . . . dreaming of hiking in the jungle!

Today would be spent out in the bush on a nature hike. Might be some rain. The Baracoa area receives three times the normal rainfall of Cuba because of it’s location in the mountains. Very tropical!

This is Anvil Mointain named, because of it’s flat top,  by Christopher Columbus on his first trip to Cuba.

These little piggies would soon be on the way to market. Only a couple of days old now.

We are joined by our guide for the day, Jorge, who is the site manager for El Yunque, the bio reserve we would be touring today. He works for the Cuban version of the National Park system. Most of the parks do not displace the local people but allow them to live sustainably within the park boundaries. They take great pride in the property and serve as ‘eyes and ears’ for any poaching or evil doing that might be going on in the hood.

We parked near a banana buying cooperative and the rolling stock was just staring to arrive. Sort of like our grain coops.

Heading out for a new load.

Health care and education is provided to all Cubans. Their medical system starts with a local clinic like this in every neighborhood. More urgent needs and you would go to a regional ‘immediate care’ type facility. Eventually, if serious enough to the hospital. Each of these clinics serves about 1,000 local people. The doctor lives upstairs and the clinic is downstairs. A doctor makes about $20US/month.

Local traffic in the preserve . . . this guy had a mind of his own as he came charging down the hill in front of his owner . . .

. . . then stopped in the middle of the road waiting for him to catch up. We gave the cart a wide berth.

Bananas waiting to be harvested.

Los Tunas, the cactus, is used in many places as a living fence using its thorns to keep the critters in and predators out.

As we walked through the park we camp to a camping area where one can rent a little house, shown in the background, located on the river. No need for lawn mowing with donkeys and burros around!

Heading out for a days work in the field . . .

. . . while these two ‘lawnmowers’ had the day off!

As the rain continued on and off . . .

. . . we began to carry more and more clay with us. All that weight meant it was time for a break . . . and a beer!

Eliseo checks with the owner of a ‘roadside bar’ to see if she is open for business.

Time for a beverage . . . ice cold too!

emJay pulled out some Oscar Mayer wiener whistles we had brought along for kids and they were a big hit. The boy on the right figured it out first and the one on the left is still thinking about it.

The mother seemed excited about them too . . . I wonder how long that lasted! emJay gave her some nail polish and lipstick as a gift. When we left she was still smiling!

Dad was busy working on the interior of the house, hauling hand mixed concrete in pails.

The kids actually got pretty good with the whistles and were soon playing harmony. Here the appreciative audience had front row seats!

Soon it was time to head back down the road and to the first of many stream crossing.

A local farmers house . . .

. . . who had just bought the pig from the fellow on the left. The back legs of the pig were tied loosely together so it could not run away. He was trying . . . might have been nervous of that big machette, and may have been served on the table that night!!!

Up the river we went . . .

. . .where this fellow showed us how the locals cross the river.

Great speciman of the Cuban National Flower.

We stopped many times so Jorge could explain the operations of the reserve . . .

. . . soon it was time for a swim . . .

. . . and exploration of the river.

We turned to head back and soon this exotic woman appeared right out of the bush with a bird. Not sure it that was her hair, a wig or a hat she was wearing.

Pretty bird . . .

. . .and fancy nails!!!

emJay gave her some nail polish to add to her collection.

Just like dogs all over the world, here Fido was keeping a watch on it’s, seeing who was walking by and waiting for their owner to return!

This interesting contraption we learned was to catch and hold rain water in the piece of tire. Health care workers would come around at regular intervals to collect the water. Back in the lab they would test the water for the amount and types of mosquito larvae.

Once back at the bus it was a short drive to visit a working cocao farm . . .

that grew three types of pods including this hybrid.

Once harvested, the beans were sorted and dried before processing.

We usually gave each of our tour guides a tip and Jon put a different person in charge at each stop to collect a few pesos from our group and give them to the guide. After our tasting of hot chocolate, emJay presented the tip and made a new friend!

Time for lunch and another pig roast . . .

. . . looks like one happy pig!

This chef used a boning knife rather than a cleaver like the chef the day before did. Not quite as dramatic in the carving show!!!

After our late 2:00pm lunch, is was time for our bus ride back to the hotel. A few more discussion points with Jorge and we presented him with a WDNR Wildlife management shirt and had all of the ex-DNR folks pose for a photo . . .

. . . emJay presented him with a TNC hat that I positioned in such a way to hide the WDNR patch on his new shirt!!!

Mabel our maid had been to clean the room and left us another towel origami sculpture. The day before is had been a big heart. Nice touch!

After a few rums, it was time to head to another privately owned  restaurant located in downtown Baracoa.

Some sat inside . . .

. . . and some sat outside. This is the second restaurant we have overwhelmed with our request for wine. One of the staff vanished down the street and came back from somewhere with 4 bottles. Great meals were had by all!

. . . and the staff were VERY proud of their Trip Advisor rating. They deserved it!

Home to the hotel, a few more rums by the pool and then under the covers! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

Great sleeping last night . . . the rum may have helped too!

Nice walk to breakfast . . . the silence broken by a speech being given by Fidel?????????

No just our own TommyH practicing!

Quiet around the swim up bar in the morning . . .

Omelets made to order  . . . provided energy for our first stop today with or guide Alexis, from the Baracoa historical center.

A memorial to the landing of Antonio Maceo, the military general who organized an expedition and gave the first orders for the fight to repel Spanish aggression.

Second stop was the home of a local entrepreneur who makes and sells cucuruchos, a tropical almond brittle made with raw local chocolate wrapped up brown palm leave . . .

. . . as you can see from the pile on the other side of the fence, they go through quite a number of coconuts!

Their simple but tidy and very clean kitchen . . .

their cistern . . .

. . . and shower area.

The local kids made out like bandits as our group loaded them up with small presents we brought to hand out.

Our hostess explains the process of making the candy . . .

. . . while her daughters hull and split the almonds used in preparation.

Local crafts made by the family. The purse was made out of foil gum wrappers and the gold and green ‘Packer’ ornament was made out of soda can pop tops. Very resourceful!

emJay talking to the patriarch of the family who was 92 years old! Eliseo, who had not been to the Baracoa area for 8 years, told us on the bus ride the gent had climbed a coconut tree 8 years ago and retrieved coconuts. He wasn’t sure if he was still alive. He is still VERY much alive and climbed the tree for us!!!! Note the curvature of the inside of his foot, caused, we believe, from climbing coconut trees for 85+ years!!!!

The palm leaf gadget he uses to climb the tree.

Ready . . .set . . go

See him in action in this video!!

emJay and Barb sample the coconut milk from coconuts that were, three minutes before, hanging on the tree. Can’t get any fresher than that!

The families ‘back yard’, nice view . . . .

Chickens like coconut too . . .

. . . but the kids like the chocolate candybar Karen shared.

Next stop was lunch, where they had white tiled bathrooms, WITH toilet paper!!

This was the first of several pig roasts we enjoyed at lunch during the week . . . YUMMY!!!!!!

It wasn’t quite done yet, so there was enough time for a guided tour up the river.

Just off shore there was an island where three families lived without electricity or running water. Their children went to boarding school on the mainland and came home on weekends.

Here is one of their ‘piggies’ fattening up’!

Our guides were very knowledgeable about the fauna and flora, pointing out birds it took us some time to spot . . . great humorists too as they tried to convince us of the crocodiles up ahead!!!!

emJay shares a hat with our guide . . .

. . . while some of the others bellied up to the bar . . .

. . . and some went shopping. Mike couldn’t decide if the baseball/revolution hat would fit in back home in MSN.

Four course lunch starting with a yummy pork soup served in pieces of split bamboo!

Great music during lunch. I was late on the draw with this song but got a sample of what we heard.

The pig is ceremonially delivered from the pit . . .

. . .and carefully dissected by our chef.

Pork and chicken are staples in the Cuban diet. This one lived to see another day!

Delicious lunch was had by all . . . including seconds

Jeff makes a new friends.

We sipped our beer and rum, listened to the music and watched the world go by.

On the way back to the bus we did some shopping . . .

. . . and so did Eric. Not sure where he will display that!

We returned to the hotel and found Mable, our maid, had left us a nice welcome home sculpture!

Back in Baracoa we walked the pedestrian mall . . .

. . . and ventured around the city until we landed at a great local artist’s shop and gallery.

. . .  several of our group bought paintings . . .

. . . while emJay made friends with these two little girls who were out with their grandmother. While they chatted in Spanish, the older girl made emJay the flowered necklace she is wearing.

. . . one of the many reminders.

However, private entrepreneurship is really taking off in Cuba primaily in the restaurant and lodging areas. Here is a restaurant that tried to lure us in but we walked down the street to another three story establishment where Brenda and I ascended the steep stairway to check out the dining options.

. . . while the rest of the group waited below.

Thumbs up was the report, 5 star bathroom and 5 star menu. We made a reservation!

We continued our walking tour of the city, stopping at a statue of Hatuey who was persecuted by Christians. His statue is right across from, and facing, the Catholic Church!!!

The American flag design never looked so good!!!!!!!

Jeff had a touch of the ‘tourista’ but was still his happy go lucky self, as he ate some oatmeal he had brought from home just for that purpose. He would pass on dinner tonight . . .

. . . as we headed downtown to the restaurant.

. . . and what a meal it was in this privately owned establishment.

Alberto passes the plate of lobster as we passed around the family style served meal . . .

. ..  of lobster, beef, shrimp and fish. What a meal . . . followed by a great dessert and

. . . a wonderful discussion with the restaurants owner’s son who explained to us the opportunities and challenges  of working in the private sector.

This was interesting. All the food is prepared on the second floor and sent up to the open air roof using this dumb waiter. They cook on the second floor so they can serve on the upper and lower levels. The lower level is used to provide the non-stair access necessary for a special Trip Advisor rating!!

Eric says goodbye to his new friends . . .

. . . before he heads home in a beecee (bicycle) taxi. The rest of us were going to walk through a few more galleries and head over to the Cultural Center for a special Afro-Cuban dance show.

. . . some Cuban artists have a great sense of humor.

The show was FANTASTIC and Karen and Barb could not help but get up during a few of the numbers. The Cuban dance part was the best. The African part was a little intense with the voodoo fire eating and the guy who put the point of  machete behind his eyeball!!!

The girl and the two guys dancing towards the end of this vidoe were UNBELIEVABLE!!! VERY high energy!

It was quite a night for me . . . trips to the bathroom, toilet not working, changing rooms are 1:45am, trying to sleep, etc. etc. etc. Luckily we had Doctor mike and Emergency Room Nurse Karen who supplied several remedies. Between the Imodium, Cipro to kill everything in my gut, yogurt for creating new friendly cultures in my gut, Sprite to keep my electrolyte levels up, and even some Dr Shen’s Stomach cure that Laurie had. It was a real East meets West battle going on to combat whatever bad ju-ju I had got. Several others would need to use various versions of this regime before the trip would be over.

Be boarded the bus after breakfast for our tour of the city.

As we pulled away from the hotel Eliseo pointed out, across the square from our hotel, a famous government administrative building . . .

. . .where, from the balcony, Fidel Castro gave his first public speech after his successful revolution.

We arrived at the famous Santiago cemetery where the most famous hero and patriarch of Cuba, Jose Marti is buried.

Here is the Cuban version of the tomb of the unknown soldier. Each crypt holds the ramains of an unidentified soldier from the final war between Cuba and Spain for their independence.

Along the way Eliseo pointed out the black and red flag by many graves. These are freedom fighters who fought during the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

The tomb of  Jose Marti, the Cuban national her. There is a changing of the guard every half hour and we were present to witness one.

Must be hot in the morning sun. We ourselves were sweating like dogs and it was only 9:30am!

Here come the two replacements. Their ‘goosestep stride’ brought their legs up to a 90 degree angle. Very Russian looking!

Marti’s body lies in the bottom of the monument . . .

A famous author, he lived from 1853 to 1895 when he died in military action during the Battle of Dos Rios. Through his writings and political activity, he became a symbol for Cuba’s bid for independence against Spain.

His request before his death was that his tomb be supplied with fresh flowers each day. His crypt is covered with a Cuban flag that faces east to the rising sun.

We make a ‘pit stop’ at a local five star hotel that is a joint venture between Cuba and Sol Melia, a Spanish hotel group that owns 350 hotels in 40 countries. Interesting that the first stall I went to in the bathroom had no toilet paper. We were warned by Jon to bring our own rolls of  Charmin to Cuba because in most public bathrooms there was none. This proved top be true to the point that even the bathrooms in our hotel lobbies also did not usually have any!!! Most toilets in the public sector did not have toilet seats or they were broken. We started doing a survey and those that had toilet seats usually the right hand bolt was loose or broke off. Once the left one broke I guess they just never replaced them!!!

These beauties were parked outside the hotel . . .

Many of the old cars are now taxis like this one. Holy shnikees, Batman!!!

Time for a nice lunch in a government owned hotel. Almost on que, the moment we were seated our lunch entertainment arrived. Great voice and great guitar player.

Typical of the government restaurant plated meals. The buffets were a different story which many more options. As Raul headed to the head of the table with his guitar ,our waitress suddenly broke into dance to which Brenda and Karen quickly joined in. Fun!!!!

From lunch we toured the Cuartel Moncoda, the famous Barracks and Garrison where the revolution was started when Fidel and his band of revolutionaries stormed the door. The Cuban soldiers were tipped off though. Although Castro and his group had procured Cuban military uniforms in en effort to create a surprise, they were still wearing civilian shoes!! An alert guard woke the troops who defended the garrison. Castro and his band of revolutionaries’ retreated to the mountains. In true Cuban entrepreneurial spirit, the museum was charge 5 CUC (about $5US) to take photos in or on the grounds. We, in true American style, voted with our pocketbook by saying NO!

After the garrison tour it was time to head down the coast through Guantanamo province towards Baracoa. We stopped at the ocean to wade and swim. Being on the Caribbean side of the island, the water was warmer than many of the showers we would take during the week!

and found this perfectly preserved mummy on the beach!

Our faithful stead awaits our ride over the mountains. Most of the busses one saw were imported from China. Not much leg room and REALLY underpowered . . .

. . .looking back at our route the bus lurched rolled back a few feet each time Alberto shifted the manual transmission. We weren’t sure we were going to make it over the top. The road was in the best shape of any we would travel on during the week and is considered on of the ‘7 Engineering Marvels’ of Cuba.

Lets stop for a break . . .

. . .time for a Brenda and John selfie . . .

At the pullout, Gary admires the stead one of the ‘salesman’ rode up to the look point. We climbed to over 1,800 feet and passed over 11 bridges.

Our driver buys some beautiful snails from a vendor . . .while emJay does some bartering in the background.

We were heading for Baracoa located on the spot where Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba on his first voyage. It is the first Spanish settlement in Cuba during the 1500’s and was only assessable by water until the 1960’s when Castro build the road we traveled to get there.

We finally arrived at our 3 star government hotel in Baracoa, Porto Santo, our home for the next three nights.

Swim up bar to the left, out of the picture . . . and also on the left the ‘outdoor showers’ Carol and Mike enjoyed!

As we checked into the hotel we noticed this poster regarding the snails the vendors were illegally selling at the pass. They are endangered and harvested by the locals for tourist souvenirs.  Who knew!

We had what became our customary ‘Welcome Cocktail’ usually provided by the hotels in their outside bars. Here was our ‘water only’ group enjoying a cold one . . . with no ice of course!

Nicely landscaped grounds. We were ‘right next to the airport’, like 100 feet, but never heard a plane take off or land. Evidently there is only one commercial flight a day!

Clean room . . . but the wall safe and light in the bathroom light over the sink didn’t work and although we requested several times during our stay they be repaired, they never were. Several of our gang did not have water and Carol and Mike’s shower never did work. They showered using the fresh water showers near the swim up pool.

After a quick shower (barely warm water again) it was time for a few rums at the bar and them time for a group dinner which was included in the price of our room. Service not so god . . .and menu was similar to our lunch menu. Then more rum . . . which was beginning to become a habit!

Rick became sick during the night, from maybe the mayo served at lunch?  We had to change rooms at 1:45am when the toilet stopped working!!

He was down for the day.

The rest headed out in 7 jeeps for a rugged day of adventure.

Signs of timber cutting noted along the way to our first stop a botanical garden. Where of course there were local entrepreneurs selling their wares.

emJay helped the local economy by buying a red necklace and bracelet. Only 1 CUC!

The main entrance.

Our guide for the day who works for Ecotur, the Cuban outdoor touring company. All the jeep drivers were from Ecotur.

View looking south toward the Caribbean coast of Cuba. We were in the Baconao Unesco Bioreserve.

Jeff and Tom made buddies with the pups everywhere we went . . .

. . . this one was a little too shy.

The prized bloom of the ave de paraiso, bird of paradise.

Eliseo also added information along the way.

Ruins of an old home add interest to the gardens.

There was an area with many different orchids.

We enjoyed seeing the green emerald hummingbird here.

Hey – looks like our common daylily!!

The national flower of Cuba which has a wonderful scent!

Sample a fruit (perhaps at your own risk if you are being really careful about what goes in your mouth…)

One sees message boards like this all over Cuba.

Revolution  . . .  under construction?

Then we began our hike up to the Gran Piedra, a 63,000 ton boulder that sits perched high above the Caribbean.

Nearing the top of the climb . . . Tommy and Jon made a dash to the top . . .

. . . which is actually a ‘HUGE’ rock geologists can’t explain how it got there!

Fog started to blow in from the SW but we could see the hills to the NE.

And of course there were vendors on the top of the rock! Tom takes home a copy of the Santa Maria. Only 8 CUC’s!

Next stop was a family producing coffee the old tradidtional way. Beans roasted over an open fire . . .

Then cooled a bit prior to grinding . . .

Spreading out the beans after they have been roasted to perfections . . .

And ground in a wooden mortar and pestel.

It’s the rrrrichest kind . . . many of us brought a pound back to the states.

We next went to a Unesco World Heritage site, Cafetel la Isabella. It is the first coffee plantation in SE Cuba, built by a Frenchman and named in honor of his favorite concubine.

Alberto, our driver and strong conservationist Joel, Laurie and emJay say goodbye after a great day.

We stopped to visit a war monument complete with grazing cows!

Happy travelers, including our wonderful bus driver Alberto in tie on left.

After lunch at a local café, it was on to tour Morro Castle built by Spain, about 1700. It was later used as a prison . . .

A lonnnnnnng hike to the top from the sea.  Discouraged invasions!!!

. . . complete with a moat.

Walls made up of limestone with lots of marine fossils.

We used a reconstructed drawbridge to enter the castle.

Lot’s of info about pirates . . .

. . . great views from the top. You could see the enemy coming from a long distance away. Time to develop a plan!

Ready for attack from any side . . .

Local guide!!

We drove through Santiago’s area of (previously) fancy homes and wealthy folks. Now many of the houses are offices or government buildings.

Some people were living quite nicely . . .

. . . while most are not.

We finally arrived back at Hotel CasaGranda  . . .

. . . and were greeted by this beauty

. . . and a band concert by the Cameguey city band. Music everywhere, all hours of the day!!!

 

After an hour or so of listening to the band and having a few rums at our roof top bar is was time for dinner for a few of us at Restaurant Matamoros, a government run restaurant. The food was tasty and we had a live band to entertain us.

Yes . . . air conditioning made all the difference in getting a good nights sleep. Window units, a little loud but with ear plugs securely in place . . . .zzzzzzzzzzzz.

We stayed in government owned hotels during the trip and there was always a continental breakfast included. Really ‘full course’, though, with a wide variety of meats, salads, breads and omelettes made to order!

The courtyard served as our ‘al fresco’ breakfast area . . .

. . . a hearty breakfast provided a days worth of energy for our daily schedule of activities. We were usually on the bus by 8:30am and on the road until usually 6:00pm!

. . . most of the hotels had porters but an independent group like ours usually hauled our own gear. Many times the bus could not get down the streets of the historic districts where most of our hotels were located. Here our guide, Eliseo rounds up the gang to point us in the right direction.

During our stay we say many forms of transportation to move people and commodities around the countryside. The most prevalent was one’s own two feet. We saw people walking EVERYWHERE. The vast majority do not own cars. Gasoline is about $4US/gallon and with the average monthly wage at about $20US, owning a car is a dream no one will ever attain. Many people pushed cars such as the one above with their wares.

There is a train system . . .

. . . but this was the most common form of transportation we saw. Two wheeled, usually rubber tired, carts pulled by horses, donkeys or oxen. This one had a big pig in the back!

. . .some where pulled by goats!!

A very common way of getting around town, and out in the country, was by bicycle. Usually VERY old bicycles. Never saw a TREK!!!

Horses for transportation were also very common.

Today we were busing to Santiago de Cuba with a lunch stop in Bayamo. We stopped about 1.5 hours into the 3 hour ride for a little rest stop and cafe!

Art for sale in Bayamo . . .

. . .and the kids returning to school from an outing. In Cuba, all primary, middle and secondary students wear uniforms to school.

Great use of color in this restored village.

Eliseo points our a historical marker during our walk around town.

First of many, many old US produced cars we would see during our tour of Cuba. A Studebaker, we thought. Most were in average shape with some looking like they just rolled off the show room floor. Some on the other end of the scale looked like they had been painted several times with a brush!

Lunch at the Bodega was very nice, eating on the veranda overlooking a valley with a river. We watched the herons and egrets come and feed as we did too. mmmmmmmmmm . . . I wonder about that homemade mayo.

Greg tries the ‘specialty coffee of the house’ that came with it’s own little trailer and honey pot!

After lunch we walk around town a bit more and head over to the House of Culture where there was a special concert performance for us. There would be music nearly everywhere and around every corner we turned. Most groups had CD’s for sale. Standard price 10 CUC’s.

These guys were REALLY good and soon had our group up on the floor dancing! Of course emJay bought a CD!

Soon we were back on the bus heading to the Basilica del Cobre recently visited by Pope Benedict. It is the largest basilica in Cuba and a special tribute to the Virgin Mary.

The church was in beautiful condition.

The story goes that two fisherman found a plank floating in the ocean with a statue of the Virgin Mary affixed to it. A church was initially construct to house the statue and eventually the Basilica was constructed.

Here is the golden statue of the virgin. In the red box is the a gold rose the pontiff brought during his visit. If one prays to the Virgin her for a request and it is granted, most return to give thanks with a donation or sign of thei gratidtude. After Ernest Hemingway won his Pulitzer prize, he brought the medal and left it at the feet of the Virgin’s statue. Someone recently stole the gold medal. Not knowing it’s significance they eventually returned it.

Crutches and appliances left by believers who have prayed to the Vrgin Mary for help and were healed of their malady.

Many baseball players have come to request help and have returned and left jersey, trophies and other clutter as a way of saying thanks!

Soon we were on the bus and heading to our home for the next two nights, Santiago de Cuba.

But not before a stop at Revolution Square where Antonio Maceo, a national hero who led the final charge against Spain for Cuba’s independence is memorialized. His popularity is national and will never be shadowed by modern leaders like Fidel or Raul.

An art piece depicting the machetes of the revolution.

We finally rive at our hotel for the next two nights, The Hotel CasaGranda located right on the town square.

Nice digs!

Many of the hotels we staed at had roof top gardens and bars. Here we had a good view of the church restoration going on next door . . .

. . .and a great view of the square. The hotels usually have a large buffet at night and the Hotel CasaGranda was no exception. With a full tummy and a few rum at the rooftop bar it was soon time for bed!