Cuba, Cuba Libre

Gorgeous old cars everywhere.  Sasha was in heaven.

More than a week after having left Havana, I can still not make up my mind about how I feel about Cuba.  Granted, I saw merely the smallest sliver of la vida cubana, spending only two days in Habana Vieja, two more days in the countryside of Viñales, and a final night in the Vedado, the colonial old-wealth faded beauty of a Havana neighborhood that now houses most of the world’s embassies in Cuba. 

Faded and fantastic, crumbling and colorful

Havana is contradiction incarnate.  Spectacularly conserved, perfectly painted and chromed 1950s-era cars tootle their horns down the sparsely occupied central boulevards, spewing clouds of 1950s-era black smoke from their exhausts and encountering sudden traffic jams in the narrow streets of the old town. 

Stepping into multiple older eras

These cars are reserved for tourists, who crowd in for the $30, 45-minute-long ride around Habana Vieja.  (More common forms of transport are scooters, bikes, and bike taxis.)  Sasha spent most of her time deciding which car she planned to purchase when she turns 16. 

Ready to cruise

Colorful traffic jam

19^th-century façades crumble gracefully in the cobblestoned streets, curtained by colorful laundry and spiderwebs of electrical cable. 

Life in the streets

The streets are full of potholes and at times outright ditches, trash on the corners, and brightly colored paint that is usually applied only to the front of the building.  Shutters hang at odd angles, and stone balconies are propped up by impromptu scaffolding.  The setting sun colors everything softly, turning the decay into a feast for the eyes.

Havana sunset

The buildings that have been renovated are the equal of anything you can find in Spain.  The Bacardi building is an art-deco masterpiece, and from the rooftop of The Plaza Hotel, where we sipped piña coladas while listening to Cuban salsa, the adjacent new hotel was beautiful and inviting.

The Bacardi building

Tia can play the maracas!

The Plaza of the Revolution, however, reminds you that this is a Communist government; the proportions and blunt style reminiscent of Cold War movies.  But everywhere, the cubanos were unfailingly friendly, helpful, and interesting to talk to.  They were mostly unwilling to discuss anything political (“Hay ojos por todos lados,” one taxi driver said to us), but were happy to share the beauty of their country with us americanos. 

Viva la revolución

We spent a morning in the Museo de Revolución as part of our school curriculum, as well as a few hours in the Museo de Bellas Artes, which houses the best of Cuban masters.  The Gypsy Mona Lisa was probably my favorite, but the art overall was quite impressive, even to my untrained eye.

Simply stunning

Tia with Fidel and Camilo Cienfuegos

We took a taxi van for the two-hour trip out to Viñales, one of the most picturesque places on the island.  This is tobacco country, the seat of the famous Cuban cigars. 

Valle de Viñales, with tobacco drying huts on the right

Humble dwelling

The houses are small and simple but very neatly kept

Viñales is a small village at the head of the Valle de Viñales.  Two decades ago, there were only four families offering a room for rent in their casa particular.  Now more than 75% of all Viñales houses have the little room sign on their front porch, along with their names. 

Villa Pupy, where we stayed

Typical scene on the streets of Viñales

Tourism is booming here, but you still get a strong sense of village life, as people ride their horses through the mostly-unpaved streets, or trot by in horse- or even –oxen-drawn wagons.  These are work vehicles, not fancy show carts. 

Off to work

Hauling lumber

We took a tour of the Valle de Viñales on horseback, sweet small horses that were as tough as their Cuban masters.  Our trail meandered through tiny cement houses, most neatly painted and all clean and tidy, and through fields of tobacco and sugar cane and manioc, a tuberous plant that provides a starch alternative to the Cuban diet.  Tractors are scarce, and a lot of the plowing is still done by oxen and horse with a hand plow.  

Tia can ride!  Tobacco plants in the foreground

On the trail

Our ride included a stop at a small shack where we were offered rum drinks in fresh-cut coconuts (delicious) and samples of home-made, hand-rolled regional cigars cured in local honey and fruit juice (I passed, but Suzi said they were excellent and bought Ethan a whole box).   We stopped again at a local restaurant for tourists, where two guys harmonized Cuban hits like Guantanamera. 

Cuban pit stop for refreshments

Oxen power

After dropping Suzi, Simone, and Grandma Donna at the airport, we headed to the Vedado for our last night.  This neighborhood of old colonial mansions was enchanting and the most beautiful I’d seen. 

Old-world splendor, divided into apartments

On our host’s recommendation we went to Habana Blue, a restaurant themed around the movie Habana Blue, complete with a car crashing through the wall and fish tanks built into the walls.  The waitresses routinely broke out into song, and the food was delicious, some of the best we’d had in Cuba.

Awash in Caribbean colors

Click here to see our waitress sing!

Sunset on the malecón

We flew out of the airport without a hitch the next morning, my carefully-crafted letter of explanation from Rico Education clarifying our educational objectives for this trip unnecessary. 

City and sea in San Juan

Because of our routing, we stopped overnight in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where our new friend Aldo, a old friend of Bobby and Rita Cabassa, gave us a whirlwind tour of the city.  What a jewel!

Gorgeous San Juan Vieja

Caribbean America

We had just one day in San Juan, but I was impressed.  The old town was like walking in a tropical version of El Puerto, and our hotel was on a street that was a dead ringer for a cobblestoned alley we rode daily in Puerto on our way to school.  

This could be our street in El Puerto, dressed up in tropical colors

Click here for a slice of Puerto Rican nightlife.

We were sad to leave so soon, but eager to head off to our next adventure:  a sailboat waiting for us in the British Virgin Islands!

Land of contradictions