Cuba - Part 2

More adventures in Cuba:

We visited an area near Old Havana called Callejon de Hamel, that artists have created with found and recycled objects, celebrating the Afro-Cuban religions.

There are murals and slogans all over Havana.  

I think this says, "With the Guard in the mountains."

A playground in Old Havana.  "Pura Vida de Barrio"  

"Everything for the Revolution!"

The woman's hair is made from CDs.

Our last full day in Cuba, we wanted to go out into the countryside.  Our hosts recommended a tour guide with a car.  We set off with Mariano, an engineer who had worked in Ethiopia for 10 years.  He spoke excellent English, because that's what they speak in Ethiopia (who knew?).  He was an interesting guy and we talked Cuban culture and history, world politics and everything in between all day.  First he took us to Las Terazas, an eco village built as a reforestation cooperative in 1968 and now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.  

Samoa and Mariano at Las Terazas

Then we went to what was once the estate of a wealthy Cuban and is now a university botany station:  La Saroa.  He had a passion for orchids and the university program still grows many varieties and develops new ones.

An old style Orchideario (Orchid House)

His estate is rich with vegetation and overlooks splendid mountains.

From there we drove to the town of La Vinyales for lunch.  

Mariano said many of the restaurants in the town which cater to tourists had lost their authentic flavor.  He took us to this one on the outskirts, which he said had never disappointed him.  The table was covered with dishes and everything was delicious.

Mariano answering one of my million questions.

This is a famous district and is very beautiful with unusual mountains.  

In this region was a tobacco and coffee plantation which is now also a UNESCO site.  That means everything is done the old fashioned way, without machinery, and organically.  

The tobacco barn

Inside, the tobacco is drying on the left.  And the saddles are being stored on the right.

They hand rolled some short cigars for us to try, glued with their own honey!  We all smoked a little - very light and gentle tobacco it seemed.  (My first time smoking a cigar.)  Then they sold us some cigars, local rum and coffee beans.  Tourism had already fallen off in Cuba because of COVID and they were a little desperate for income.  

I spent freely while in Cuba.  We traveled under the category of "Support for the Cuban people".  In case we had to justify our trip when we got back to the US, we collected receipts for everything we spent, none of which was spent on government services.  It was all essentially given to a Cuban person for their support, and I felt fine about doing that.  

Elona's program was supposed to go on for two more months, but with the coronavirus getting so serious, it was cancelled and the students all had to come back to the US.  She was very disappointed to leave Cuba when she was just really getting settled in, and for all her friends in the program to be scattered back to their homes across the US.  The students had been volunteering at a clinic as part of their public health experience and she was sorry not to finish the work there, and to see so many more places and people in Cuba.  Our plane back to the US was on Thursday and her ticket was for Sunday.  However, on Friday, the US government announced a Level 4 travel ban, which essentially meant that US citizens abroad should not count on our embassies to get them home.  They should either get home ASAP, or plan to stay where they were.  So Elona flew home the next day.  Whew!  This coronavirus has been disruptive of everything and everyone.  

Samoa and I had noticed, when we arrived in Cuba, that all the Cuban workers in the airport were wearing the same green masks, clearly given to them by the government.  We decided that was a good idea for the return trip, and wore bandanas all the way home, as well as wiping down our airplane seats, tray tables and everything we might touch with disinfecting wipes, washing our hands as often as we could, and doing our best to maintain social distancing in the airports, etc.  When we got back, we all self-quarantined for 14 days, avoiding contact with anyone as much as possible and social distancing.  None of us got sick, for which I am very grateful.  Stay safe out there!