Cuba

We're off to Cuba! It was nice to have Celeste waving goodbye in front of the Museum of Art and History. It reminded us of the old cruise liner photos with passengers standing at the rails shouting at hundreds of people on the dock below. Where was the confetti?


Our first view of Cuba through the clouds. We're arriving at the start of the rainy season, but so far we've missed getting wet. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted in the evenings for the rest of the week.


Our plane arrived on time at the Holguin Airport where we spotted our first vintage car, a '52 Ford. The men in our group were very excited.


Our bus driver took us through downtown Holguin to see the May 1st celebrations ("Viva el 1st de Mayo!") The parade was earlier but there was still lots of activity including people being ferried in the famous Cuban bicycle taxis and horse-drawn carts.






Love this! Rocking chairs lined up on a front porch, probably to see the parade. They look lonely now.



It was lunchtime, and there were plenty of food booths and picnics.


Here's our first reminder that we are in a Socialist country where slogans, banners, statues and billboards of government leaders and heroes are abundant. For those of you who asked us to say "hello" to Fidel and Raul, we haven't had a chance yet. But this is just our first day here.



We've escaped the city and are heading for the open road towards Santiago de Cuba. Notice the sign in the right corner window - "Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce."


Pausing for the drink that refreshes.


A slightly dated but modern tractor in the foreground, and an older model in the background.


We passed a sugar cane factory near the town where Fidel and Raul were born. Their father had worked in the sugar cane industry.


We had been slated to stop for a tour of their home, but it was closed due to the holiday. This picture of the billboard (with three men resting in its shade) was enough to satisfy us.


A lovely river and beautiful mountains whose names we have yet to learn.





Santiago de Cuba, described in our tour book as "long a hotbed of rebellion and sedition," was an early capital of Cuba and the area where the revolution began. Our hotel was built by the Russians in the '70s, and remnants of their stay is evident in other less imposing structures, like the eastern bloc style buildings below. Now new buildings can only be four or five stories tall, and in Havana three stories.





Ah, so nice to relax for a late lunch with some good Cuban beer, a cool breeze keeping insects away and a plate of spicy garlic pasta. Pasta?! What can we say? It sounded good. Jerry observed that it had been a little more than 24 hours since we left San Francisco.


Our tour guide took us for a pre-dinner walk downtown to observe the festivities for May Day. Loud music, dancing in the streets, food vendors, two rickety, tiny amusement rides for the children, a pig roasting on a spit, people watching the scene from their balconies --- it was crazy and wonderful.












One of the Fidel and Raul billboards (other heroic figures are on the buildings all around). The words on the sign translate to "Rebellion yesterday, hospitality today, heroism forever." Our guide, Osmin, gives us a street corner lecture on politics in Cuba. We have a lot more to learn.





One of the many formerly grand homes that has fallen into disrepair. Osmin noted that some are being restored. It will be a labor of love bringing these fallen ladies back into any semblance of suitability for living.


We had our picture taken in front of Jerry's favorite decrepit house. (There's a huge cactus in the yard next door. One arm was reaching out to embrace the palm tree.)


The fortress where the young Fidel and cohorts tried to steal weapons for their revolution. Note the bullet holes. Now it's a school.


And that's the end of our first day in Cuba.

Location:Santiago de Cuba