Monthly Archives: March 2013

Imagine

22 Friday Mar 2013

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IMG_1235Casa Particulares

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Imagine that you are visiting a country for the first time, that there is a way of doing it that allows you into the homes of the locals and that you can do this in large cities and small villages. If you can, then you can imagine the “casa particulares” of Cuba.  Since 1997, these accommodations have been approved by the Cuban government. Not without restrictions and detailed record-keeping, but approved. It has been a life altering program for those who qualify and a delightful treat for the traveler.

IMG_0274Most offer an abundant breakfast for a fee and many will do the same for dinner. This is very useful in the smaller towns as eating establishments can be spotty or non-existent. Food tends toward the unspectacular but you can count on plenty of it.  Fruits are the exception–plentiful but also spectacular.

A different experience is guaranteed when not staying in hotels. The delightful little girl in Trinidad who invited me to join her in watching Tom and Jerry cartoons. Laughter needs no translator. Lovely Rosie in Vinales. When presented with a large ball of dark, unsweetened chocolate from Baracoa, she didn’t know what it was nor what to do with it. Baracoa and its chocolate could have been from Mars. Hot chocolate. Grated on a chicken dish. Shaved on ice cream. Now, Rosie knows. I hope she is enjoying it.

IMG_0543And the amazing lavender room! This in a very recently renovated casa presided over by the hostess extraordinaire, Jackie, who kept apologizing for not speaking English. To us, who spoke little Spanish! In her country! But Baracoa offered more than lavender rooms. There was fantastic coconut sauce for main courses and, of course, the chocolate. Both are local specialties and both deserve praise. The people also deserve praise. I believe they were the very friendliest and most eager to help. This may be a result of isolation as this area has only recently been served by passable roads and few tourists make it this far. Odd since the local legends all circle around Columbus having made his first landing in the “new world” there. No matter, it’s accessible now and worth the visit.

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Forget hotels. Go for a more interesting experience and head for the casas. You may even find yourself venturing on to a local bus. But that’s a different tale.

Speaking of cars

15 Friday Mar 2013

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A trip to Cuba is definitely a trip to the ’50’s. It’s the land of an old car lover’s dream. An abundance of American cars such as the ones of my teenage years–Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs, Pontiacs–all the cars that Dad owned and then some. Many are in excellent condition, others smoking monsters. Some are called Chevys or Fords but have so many makeshift parts that they are hardly recognizable. Others are in pristine condition. Most are used as taxis so there are very few two-doors and they are usually convertibles. This is not to say that convertibles are bad. In fact, riding in the back seat is a special way to view Havana.

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IMG_0183This ’57-’58 (I’m taking liberties here) Ford Fairlane was the vehicle of choice to take five people to the Parque Nacional Topes de Collantes for a hike to a stunning waterfall and pool for diving and swimming. Pride of ownership was very much in evidence when we all piled in and asked questions of the driver/owner. He did not shy away from answering the questions nor from asking his own. Being the “senior” member of the group, I got them–“Are you older than this car?” What? As though that was not personal enough–“Do you remember when this car came out?” He received lots of tsk, tsks from the other driver but I gave him his answer. I did refrain from divulging the year of the model of my first car memory. Some secrets should never be told.

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As the Ford was the clear favorite, an exchange of riders was arranged. Off went the Ford.  Not so the remaining what I believe to be a ’40’s Chevy or its assembled parts.  First gear refused to cooperate. Many ground gears and false starts later, the car managed to lurch along the dirt road. Two more episodes of ramming the gear into place got us into Trinidad within walking distance of our casa particulares then the car would go no more. A valiant effort. It was still on the road the following morning.  If you are traveling to Cuba, bring spare parts.

Click click–click click click

04 Monday Mar 2013

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The sound heard all over Cuba. It sounds easy. In fact, not at all. Two sticks, one in each hand and held just so. All you have to do is hit one with the other—in rhythm—and therein lies the problem. What a rhythm! The books tell you it’s a straight, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 but it’s really what’s in-between that 1 and 8 that throws the non-Cuban. The only answer is to forget the counting and just FEEL. Sit in a bar with a Cuban and watch the shoulders, they never stop moving while the music plays. This is not toe-tapping music, this is move-your-body music. It’s everywhere and, if you let go, you won’t be able to stand still.

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I don’t know if it is true of every town in Cuba, but every town I visited from Viñales to Baracoa had a cultural center, the heartbeat of every community.

IMG_0429 Usually open all day and late into the evening, the afternoons are best. Evenings get turned over to tourists and the wee hours become discos for the young people. The days belong to the locals and the centers are packed. Rum, cigars and salsa and, before long, you begin to feel!

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Music and dance aren’t all about salsa. There is plenty to satisfy the jazz aficionado, the new fusion sound fan, classical ballet lover. But it’s salsa that spills over into the streets, the town squares, the car radios. It’s salsa that makes you realize you are in Cuba.

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