CUBA A COUNTRY OF CONTRASTS

CUBA - One of my life long ambitions was to visit this island. An island in the northern Carribean located just 90 miles from the US. Its people and culture originate from a mixture of spanish colonials, African Slaves and native Taino and Ciboney people.

Cuba has a notorious reputation of harsh political ruling. Where anyone voicing opposition towards Castro is thrown in jail never to be seen or heard of again. The po litcal propaganda is huge in Cuba. It can be seen on every corner you turn. Castro giving speaches, anti-American slogans, Viva Cuba Libre. It is everywhere. Some of it is quite scary - especially when you see Bush being compared to Hitler on a placard right outside the American interests building in Havana.

First impressions of Cuba - we arrived at 5.30pm in the middle of a monsoon. There were no stree markings and people seems to be driving on everyside of the road. The fumes from the old vehicles were so bad they made me really ill. On arriving at our prebooked accomodation in the Vedado region of the city, we found the landlady in the Casa had given our room away. We were housed quickly however in the room across the road with her friend and had to travel everyday for breakfast to the original place.

This was not to turn us off. The first day with the sun splitting the stones we headed off for a long walk from our appartment along the Malecon to reach the Nacional Hotel. Imagine how we felt when we were stranded there in the almightiest of thuder storms sipping cocktails. With a sense of comradery amongst the other tourist and the prospects of the holiday looking glum we managed to get through quite a bit if not all of the cocktail menu. From there it was a taxi to the Hotel Cuba Libre - it was on the 22nd floor of this hotel that Castro set up his offices after the Batista defeat.

That same day following a swift salsa dancing lesson from a very fit dance student we were ready for the Cuban nightlife. Wow - everyone knows how to dance in Cuba. We are idiots when it comes to dancing. The TURF CLUB is probably not the best way to learn. However, for one dollar a beer and to be chatted up by every man in the place it was a good night.

CUBA IS A PERMISCUOUS CULTURE

Cubans are hands on. After dancing for one song with a guy, you leave the floor feeling totally violated. You wonder to yourself - "is that legal, should that have happened". They are a very highly sexed culture. It is amazing, married or not it is accepted to be flirtatous with anyone. Divorce is high in Cuba. As is having babies out of wedlock. They are very laid back.

TRINIDAD DE CUBA

After three days getting to know Havana it was off to Trinidad, a seven hour bus trip from Havana. This I might add was the sweatiest bus journey I was ever on. In the 40 degree + heat the air con broke. My clothes were soaked through by the time I left the bus. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and with one bottle of water between us and a really bad toilet situation we were not happy campers getting off this bus. But to make up for it we were met by our Hosts husband Mario who had hired a youth with a wheel barrow to take our luggage through the cobbled streest of Trinidad. Walking though this town was worth every minute of that trip. It was like stepping back in time. Men on horse back, houses that look like they came from 100 years ago. This is a UNESCO heritage town and it is just amazing. Our Host Ruth Roderigez was so hospitable. This Casa was better than any hotel. It was so well equipped and comfortable. It was just heavan on earth. Ruth has easily got to be the best cook on the planet. She can do so much with so little. I think she was the cause of us having to diet when we came back.

We had planned to stay three nights here but ended up stay in 6 - having to cut out Baracoa from our itenerary to do this. I am not a beach person but Ancon beach - 6km from Trinidad and $2 in a taxi is easily the best beach I have ever been on. My days were spent getting up to a huge breakfast. Going into the town to see a museum and then to the beach for the rest of the day. After the beach it was back to Ruths for dinner then a snooze and then get up get dressed and go out. (she has two rocking chairs in her living room that now have our asses implanted into them!!)

Everyday after dinner we would take our coffee outside the front and sit on the wall and the people here were so different from those in Havana. People would stop and talk to us and ask us questions. They were genuinelly interested in us. Just to sit there in the cooler evening air and watch the whole street come to life, elderly people getting their chairs and moving out to the street for the next few hours and to pass peoples homes and she grand parent playing with grandchildren - everyones doors wide open and so welcoming and at least three generations of the family living under the same roof. Cubans have a real sense of family. Family is important.

Without us knowing in advance it was Festeeeeval in Trinidad. This involved all night Cuban bands playing in open air concerts. This was crazy. The streets were crazy, pigs were being roasted everywhere. You could buy a pork sandwich - straight from the carcass for .10c. Any food you wanted you could get it at the Festival. These bands were playing till 6am. There were no shortage of salsa teachers here. Everyone was friendly. And out of allr the towns I have been to in Cuba Trinidad was the safest - apart from the power cuts at the concert where it was complete darkness in a field with 30000 other people - that was scary.

From Triniday we also tood a trip to Santa Clara which holds the remains of Che Guevara. This where che fought the final battle to gain Cubas independance. So it was the most appropriate place to lay him to rest. This again was one of the highlights of the trips for me. It was surreal. The feeling of standing in front of his tomb with the eternal flame and taking it all in was so sweat. A real sense of pride for this man who believed in something so strongly he died for it.

Santiago de Cuba

I must say I was sad to leave Trinidad. It was awful and to leave Ruth. She is one of the nicest women I have ever met. We took a 10 hour bus trip to Santiago de Cuba. Not a nice one. Searing heat outside but at least we have airconditioning. Again, we arrived at our accomodation, the bed was barely bigger than a single bed was supposed to hold both Bridget and I. So we opted again to stay across the road at the neighbours house. Which really was a disaster. The air con sounded like a 747 about to take off, there was no window in the room, the bed sunk in the middle which meant we spent the three days practically on top of each other anyhow, the toilet broke, no one in the house could speak english yet insisted on speaking to us in Spanish and even showing us their thesis for their masters in Sociology, and we didn't get enough to each morning so we always ended up after breakfast walking to the Hotel Casa Grande for anohter breakfast before we could do anything for the day. I dont know what we would have done without that hotel. It was great, the bar/restaurant was an open veranda one story up overlooking the main square and cathedral. Excellent for people watching.

Again, loads to do in this town. Lots of trips to take outside of the city. Lovely mountain scenery and lots of museums. Jose Marti is burried here and every half hr on the hour is a change of guard on his grave. It is a lovely ceremony. Lots of durms and soldiers.

Nightlife in Santiago seemed alot quiter than in its competitor city in Havana. Everywhere seemed to close early and if there was somewhere open late there were hardly any guests in it. But the city has just as much vibrancy with various music coming out of every window, and also with its own fair share of cadillacs.

ANNOYANCES IN CUBA

The most annoying thing in Cuba was the men. They all want something. They latch onto you and you think they are being nice bringing you to places and giving you directions and offering to walk with you because you are walking that way anyhow, but all they want is money.

They sit with you in the bar and buy you a drink, that is all you will see of their money, because they could be with you for the night and never ever produce another penny to pay for anything. Of course we were wise to this after a couple of days. They then give the sob story-----#" I only earn $12 a month". It is either true or every man in the country has the same story.

We did meet one or two genuine guys but for the most part they were out to rip us off.

CONCLUSION

Many Mojitos later and a good tan and much the wiser to the men in Cuba, I can say that this country lived up to my expectations. The only pity is that there was no sign of Fidel Castro.........maybe next time!!!!