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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Email to Friends: Colonial Streets of Trinidad and Back to Havana

Hi All,

My final days of Cuba were mainly spent in Trinidad, a colorful, Colonial town with nearby beaches and old sugar plantations. The bus to Trinidad takes about 7 and a half hours. The Viazul bus is a few CUC cheaper, but several hours longer since it goes back through Havana. The Cubanacan bus I booked for a few CUC more is more comfortable and faster.

The casa particular owner that Ernesto in Vinales set up for me us waiting when I arrive. I head to her casa. It is nice and clean, and worth the 15 CUC price that Ernesto set up for me. I drop my bags and walk around town. Trinidad is a Caribbean colonial town that is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The houses are colorful and the streets are cobblestone. Unfortunately, it is extremely touristy, which I tend to dislike. Everyone hassles me for something and wants money, which I wasn't really getting as much of in Havana or Vinales. Returned to the casa a bit discouraged. Had shrimp dinner with a wonderful cream and squash soup cooked by my casa owner and turn in.

The next morning, I decided to give the horse riding another shot. It is kind of the only way to get around if I want to head up to the mountains. My casa owners arranged for my own private guide. A man shows up in his rancher hat, jeans, a machete and spurs. My horse is very mellow (his is more of a firecracker) and he starts by leading my horse on his horse. Eventually, I get the hang of it and take the reins myself. We head out of town into the Valle de los Ingenios (the old sugar production area), dotted by lots of little farms and vegetation such mango trees, bananas, sugar cane and bamboo. We stop for some yummy sugar cane and limon juice and continue to a river bed in the mountains. He shows me the path and I hike the ten minutes to get to a natural freshwater pool. Little fish swim in the pool. It was a beautiful, relaxing and refreshing spot for a swim until 40 loud tourists showed up. I jumped out and headed back. We stopped at my guide's friends farm on the way back. There may have been a chicken fight (yeah, yeah, I know animal rights lovers, but it wasn't to the death and this stuff exists and is part of every day life in certain parts of the world). And then we headed back to town.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town. People in the town are starting to warm up to me after seeing me around again. I think many are just less friendly at first since this is a major stop for these big tour buses that stop and let everyone off as they clutter up the streets to visit the same main attractions for an hour or two and then jump back on their buses and head to the next town. Ran into several other tourists I have met along the way in other cities. I ran into a Taiwanese guy I dove with in Maria la Gorda and we go sit on the park for a minute. Many locals come up and chat with us, which the Taiwanese guy blames on me, since when I had told him earlier that I somehow spend most of my days doing nothing but chatting with random people. Also go visit my three old men that sit in Plaza Major for photo donations who ask me to sit with the every day (I have probably screwed up many a tourists photo). Head back towards my casa, walking behind a man taking his enormous pig for a stroll (the pig actually seems to be dragging the man around). Have a wonderful Trinidad lamb stew on an outdoor terrace surrounding a massive tree in a restaurant named La Ceiba that I was brought to by some random guy on a street corner that turned out to be the owner's son. Then walked around and listened to live music come from all the nice restaurants and bars. Ran into a local who we met in the park earlier and he and I just sat and chatted on the park benches in Plaza Major until I got tired and I headed back to my casa.

The next morning I slept in. My casa has the best mattress I have had in Cuba, which does not say much. I think since soap and clothes are hard to come by, mattresses are even harder to buy and are hard, worn, and very lumpy. I eventually get a taxi to Playa Ancon, a beach about 12 km away for 5 CUC after missing the bus and trying to wrangle other tourists into a collectivo taxi (but most tourists here are kind of jerks). I head past the hotels and find my own private spot to swim and lay in the sun. Eventually, I head back to a resort and pay 2 CUC for a beach chair and shade (which I share with a little green lizard). A guy from the resort has an all-inclusive package and he sneaks me food and mojitos for the rest of the afternoon until I catch the crowded 2 CUC bus back to town.

I get up early the next morning for a walk. The city is very quiet at first, before people start waking up and coming outside. This is such a small town that everyone starts recognizing me, which is both good and bad (I have had several marriage proposals, some from old ranchers and some from mothers wanting me to come meet their sons). I greet everyone good morning and those that recognize me yell out "Hola Elizabeth" or "Hola Vietnam Chino!" with many cheek kisses. A security guard sees me and lets me into a church and art gallery that has stairs leading up to a rooftop with a spectacular view of the city and fog over the mountains. I keep walking and meet a hilarious lively woman named Sol who seems to know everyone. She, a sweet old woman and I sit and joke and chat with everyone as she jokingly tries to find me a Trinidad boyfriend. We split a beer (yeah, at 8:30am but she tells me I have to because "it is Cuba"). She also invites me to the beach with the locals in the afternoon, but I have already had too much sun. Someone gives me a mango, which I take to the old guys smoking cigars in the Plaza.

I spend the rest of my last day in Trinidad walking around, looking in shops (most is touristy trinkets) and trying to spend the last of my money. Eat pork el diablo at a lovely restaurant recommended to me named Esquerra near the central music area. Run into one of the guys I met in the park and it turns out he is an artist from Cienfuego. He takes me to his friend's shop and I buy a small colorful painting. I intend to buy stuff to take home and make room in my backpack by giving away what toiletries I have left, my first aid kit, and some clothes that people have asked for (surely not because I am so fashionable). Unfortunately, an afternoon storm hits and all the shops close early. I say goodbye to my old cigar smoking men friends after buying them some mangoes and soda. They seem sad to see me go, and I am kind of sad as well, as I really enjoyed their company every day and our silly conversations where neither of us really understood each other. I take refuge in a beautiful restaurant with an amazing wine cellar. I hang out and chat with the staff, many of whom I have exchanged greetings with on the streets the last few days. One was a teacher for 45 years and now runs the restaurant. Spend the rest of the evening in the neighborhood of my casa, eating tamales I bought from some dude on a bike and sitting with some sisters I have said hello to who sell mangoes and invite me in. We sit outside (which the while neighborhood does) as the kids play in the street and everyone plays music, dances, plays dominoes, or puts their horses into the house... Yep, IN the house (all I could think of was "gee, mom wouldn't let us horseplay inside... wonder how she would feel about bringing horses inside).

The next morning, I walk around Trinidad for the last time and say goodbye to new friends and watch all the families get ready for Mother's Day celebrations with sugary cakes and people selling beautiful fresh flowers out if wheelbarrows or carts. My casa had arranged for me to get a collectivo taxi for the same price as the Viazul bus, which is faster by about 4 and a half hours. I sit up front and the taxi driver and I dance around to Cuban disco music as we drive through little towns and countryside. Back in Havana, the dirt, smog, and noise hits me like a brick. Head back to Havana Centro and try to decide whether to get a room for a night when I have to head to the airport at 2am so I won't even sleep there (my flight leaves at 6am and i have heard that Cubana Air overbooks their flights so you can lose your seat if not at the airport 3 hours ahead). After someone quotes me 25 CUC, I decide against it, even though it would be nice to put down my luggage and have use of a bathroom. Walk around the city with my big backpack and realize I am near Yolanda's casa. Pop my head in and she is there with her daughter, Greta, for Mother's Day. She is really happy to see me and we chat for a while. She offers to cook me dinner, but I ask if I can take her and her daughter out to a nice restaurant. We agree on 9pm and I leave to give her and her daughter time alone.

I start walking again, but it hot and hauling my luggage around is making me tired. A guy leans out of one of the old, broken down buildings and said I look tired. He offers me a coffee and invites me in to his house. His mom pops her head out and I wish her happy Mother's Day. I head into their modest house. Noel is the son and he works as a baker, making all of the cakes I have been seeing. They are both very kind and sweet. They seem to know the whole neighborhood, and people keep popping their head in the window on the street to wish the mom, Chickadeeka, happy Mother's Day. I stay for hours, meeting all their friends and trying to learn to salsa with Noel and his mom in the kitchen. There is no running water in the house, but Noel gets water from across the street and they let me use the bathroom. We climb up to the roof and check out the view. They invite me to come back after dinner and I can take a nap and Noel cam help me get a taxi in the early morning.

Noel walks me to Meet Yolanda and Greta. They are all dressed up and I feel bad that I am in my dirty, sweaty clothes I have been wearing all day. We go to a great Italian restaurant and I have a great last meal of Cuban lamb in wine and mint tea sauce. It is nice because Greta speaks pretty good English and can translate for us. After supper, we go back to their house and Greta heats up some water so I can take a shower, which was wonderful. They walk me back to Chickadeeka and Noel's house. We all walk towards the Malecon and try to set up my taxi ride, since it will be at 2am. They are all very protective of me, especially Yolanda, and they are angry when someone wants to charge me 35 CUC. They find a guy who will do it for 15 CUC, and make sure he will not charge me more once I am alone. Greta insists on getting the driver's mobile number and calls it to make sure it is real and tells him he is to call her when we arrive to make sure I am okay. Yolanda wants to get my mom and dad something, and I tell her them making sure I am safe is gift enough. We all head to the Malecon where the sea air is nice and breezy. The seawall is full of Cubans, families celebrating and teens playing music and hanging out with friends. Cuba has many beautiful sights, but what really makes it special is the people. Many people I have talked to say many of the tourists don't slow down and stop to hang out and talk, and I hope anyone else who comes here really takes the time to do so. Sure, there are some scammers, but life is really difficult for many, and even most of them are good people acting out of necessity. Surrounded by wonderful, gracious, kind hearted people was the perfect way to say adios to Cuba.

And now I have arrived in Mexico City and will hopefully be home on Wednesday night. Sorry for all the emails at once. Hotmail blocked access to my email due to "suspicious activity" when I tried to log in from LA, then Mexico City and then Cuba. The only way to unblock it was with a code they texted and I didn't have phone service in Cuba.

Cuba trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.

Love,
Betsy

Friday, May 8, 2015

Email to Friends: Valleys of Vinales

Hi All,

I left my Havana casa early, since I didn't have a bus ticket and I had heard they sell out so I figured it would be a day of winging it to get where I needed to go. I didn't see a taxi on Malecon, so started walking for what might be my last early morning in Old Havana. Why is it that whenever I want to be left alone, I am approached endlessly with "Hey lady, taxi?" But when I need a taxi, there are none to be found? Finally, an old blue Dodge pulls up and I haggle from 10 CUC down to 3 to get to the Viazul tourist bus terminal. Luckily, I get a ticket on the next bus to Vinales for 12 CUC and off I go in less than an hour wait. Unfortunately, some opinionated A-hole from Israel sits next to me and proceeds to get in an argument with the girl in front of me about Palestinians and then tries to ask me "so what do you think about Baltimore?" I tell him I have no interest in discussing anything with a complete stranger who obviously is only interested in his own views and hearing himself talk. And then I told him if he kept it up, I would likely throw him out the bus window within minutes. He left me alone the rest of the trip.

The bus went through Las Terrazas and then Pinar del Rio before finally arriving in Vinales. I had decided not to book a casa particular in advance. Vinales is a small farming town, and as soon as the bus pulls up, there are lots of people trying to get you to their casas. I sit it out and wait for the hard selling ones to get to most of the tourists. One woman continues to bug me, saying something I can't understand and then raising her voice and shouting it over and over to me. I walk away, and a man comes over and is nicer and not pushy. I tell him I will take a look at the casa he is offering. He gets his bicycle and we walk behind the town to a woman's spot. It is quiet and nice for the quoted 10 CUC. But it is only available for one night before she is booked for a reservation. I am hesitant, (it is a pain to repack my backpack). She is sweet and can tell I am tired from the bus, so brings me a coffee and fresh fruit plate (all grown locally and very delicious). After a few minutes of rest, she brings me to her friend's house and it is absolutely perfect! El Bohio de Gloria, a spacious thatched roof rustic cabana in the backyard garden of a family's house, has its own porch and super comfortable rocking chairs to look over the garden and the farm fields to the mountains. The owner is a doctor of ecology and university professor with two sweet children. There is even a sweet cat with one green eye and one blue eye who instantly takes to my lap as I sit and enjoy the hummingbirds and view. Ranchers occasionally ride through, greeting me warmly. I book it for two nights and ask for chicken dinner, since they are running around the backyard and at only 10 CUC per night, I want to give the family more money.

I picked a random road out of town and set off on a walk. The road quickly leads out into the countryside. Little colorful farmhouse by the side of the road, fields of flowers, banana and mango trees, coffee, and tobacco are all growing. Kids play and farmers tend to the fields. The air is fresh and clean, and I just love it. The area is also surrounded by limestone hills or mogotes. I knew there must be something noteworthy down this road based on the passing tour buses. I just enjoy the walk and scenery while greeting people along the road or outside their houses. I start getting tired and meet a guy on a bicycle from Mexico City. He convinces me to join him for a drink in Palenque, a bar inside a cave and walk back to town together. We exchange information in hopes of meeting up when I spend the day in Mexico City on my return flight home.

Back to my wonderful casa, the family prepared the dinner I ordered. It is huge, even with my appetite! Chicken with vegetables and lemon, rice, beans with bananas, fried potatoes, mixed vegetables with pickles, sliced cucumber, chips, mango, and a delicious local cheese with marmalade for dessert! I sat on the porch rocking chair, enjoying the full moon and fireflies (the owners son showed me his that he caught and put in a cup with some leaves). They are bigger and brighter than the ones I grew up with... almost cicada sized. I start having thoughts about giving up my live and living like this forever.

The owner turns down the bed, makes sure I have extra blankets in case I get cold, removes a spider, and hangs mosquito netting. At night, he brings me chamomile tea to sip on my garden balcony. I fell asleep and awoke to the noises of horses, chickens, and pigs. Headed to town and buy a ticket to Maria la Gorda for diving the next day and a direct bus through Cubanacar to Trinidad the next day. The town is pretty small with lots of casa particulares. Horses and livestock often are seen, some being used as dump trucks or construction trucks. Tried to use the internet, to no avail. Give up and set off for a walk down another a random road out of town. Along the way, a farmer invites me to follow him down a dirt path. Eventually, it leads to a tobacco farm. They show me how they dry the tobacco in palm frond triangular structures and roll cigars. They use all natural ingredients such as honey instead of glue, and each is hand rolled using no machinery. I sit and have a cigar with the owner's son and then head back to walk further down the road, enjoying the views and waving hello to all the farmers.

Eventually, an 80 year farmer driving a big old tractor down the road stops and waves me up to ride along. I climb up into the tractor and head for a ways until he drops me at a crossroad of some tourist thing he thought I might want to see. I follow a sign and head off to see some prehistoric mural. Walking a bit more, I stop to take a picture of a farmer and his horse cart as he heads toward the road. He stops the cart and motions for me to jump on, so I catch a ride the rest of the way with him. The mural is big and takes up an entire limestone magote, but kind of silly. The admission guy waves me through since I didn't want to pay the 3 CUC (probably figured anyone that arrived by horse cart and didn't get not by tour bus or taxi couldn't afford 3 CUC). Read the background about the artist and headed back out.

Along the way I see a sign for Mirador. Earlier, another tourist said they thought it was just a restaurant, but I decided to walk and investigate. Up at the top of a hill, the views were fantastic! I wouldn't really call it a restaurant. It was more of a lookout at someone's place. Chatted with a German couple over my mango smoothie and a guide said for 8 CUC each, he would take us to a hidden cave with swimming inside. Why not?

Off we went. The guide grabbed his horse and we walked behind him. About a half hour (and many cool lizard sightings) later, we got to the cave opening and headed down on a ladder with headlamps. We get to water in the cave, and the guide starts taking off his boots and clothes and motions us to follow. This wasn't in my plan for the day and I am not wearing a bathing suit, but hey, why not strip to your underwear for a secluded private cave swim?

The water starts shallow, but gets deep pretty fast. We head through tunnels on almost darkness. The guide assures me there are only fish in the water (at one point, I almost freaked out until I realized the log was, in fact, NOT an alligator). It was quiet cool and refreshing. Later, we all head back. The guide insists I ride his horse, even though I try to explain that I am terrified of horses. I did pretty well for my first time (much better than my first camel ride in Egypt) and only screech in terror a few times. We enjoyed an afternoon mojito back at Mirador made with fresh mint and honey instead of sugar. And the Germans drive me back to town in time to shower and enjoy the garden with the cat purring away in my lap before enjoying another amazing and filling dinner of fish and fried plantains with garlic tomato sauce, soup, bread, salad, and fried bananas made by my casa family. The neighbor who owned another casa that brought me here came by to check up on me and invite me to salsa dancing, but I declined to get sleep before my early departure for diving. Enjoyed the evening watching the fireflies over the field from my porch.

The next morning, I head to Maria la Gorda for a day of beach, diving, and relaxation. It takes 3 hours to get there on the shuttle bus. We travel through many small towns and many small school kids raising the Cuban flag for what appears to be their Pledge of Allegiance. We finally get to the beach. It is only a natural reserve with one resort and no where else to stay (which was why I only did a day trip). The beach is beautiful with some tourists, but not too many. I run into the nice Israeli couple that checked into my casa in Havana the night before I checked out. They were staying at the resort and said it was 60 CUC a night and there hadn't been running water for showers or anything since they got there. I checked out the dive gear and the gear and boat appeared to be in good shape, so I signed up to dive. It is supposedly the best diving in Cuba, with over 60 nearby sites. The site we went to had great coral formations, but not a lot of fish or animals. I did see a nice lion fish, but that was about it. I was kind of annoyed, as the coral was in great shaped, but they bring these groups of brand new divers out there (one guy in my group had a total of 10 dives, including the dives needed to get his license). Part of the dive was to swim through small coral tunnel formations, and some divers clearly didn't have good buoyancy control before that point, and were bumping into all the coral, knocking large fan corals down. Huge pet peeve of mine.

Afterward, one of the dive guides wanted to walk around the beach with me, but it looked pretty secluded and I got a weird vibe, so I declined. There were even more divers for the afternoon dive, so I decided not to do an afternoon dive. Instead, they let me just go out on the boat and swim and snorkel while everyone dove. It was nice and relaxing. At 5, I catch the shuttle bus back to Vinales. My casa family has a special dinner waiting for me. Lobster, soup, rice, fried plantains, salad, and more cheese and homemade marmalade (which is apparently made with a special tree fruit kind of like a crab apple but looks like a cherry tomato that is grown by the wife's father).

The next morning, I say goodbye to my host family. I leave some extras from my pack (pens, pencils, tissues, etc.) and wish I had brought more. They give me a bag of the special marmalade fruit for the bus. I am late for the 6:50am bus, and the owner races ahead on his bike with my big backpack to hold the bus. Say my goodbyes to the wonderful owner and am sad to leave, but Trinidad adventures await. But if you ever visit Cuba, I would visit Vinales just to stay at this place... in all my years of travel, I can't think of accommodation more memorable both for location and relaxation than El Bohio de Gloria

Love,
Betsy

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Email to Friends: Fun Filled Days in Havana

I worked a 12 hour night shift the before leaving and then hurried home to run last minute errands, get ready and pack. First flight was through LAX, where I was surprised to find out that the partner Delta booked me on, AeroMexico, made me leave the terminal I flew in to and go back through another TSA checkpoint... so ridiculous and almost missed my flight. The flight to Mexico City was full, cramped and full of turbulence. The Mexico City Airport was so confusing, not helped by the fact that I had to go through customs as an entry and then depart through customs again to get on a flight to Cuba. I was sent all over the airport and was getting pretty frustrated, but finally got some Mexican Pesos (only American dollars are penalized by an extra ten percent when switching to Cuban money), my Tourist Visa into Cuba for 350 Mexican Pesos, and my Cubana Air boarding pass. Rushed to the gate, only to find out there was a two hour delay (apparently common for Cubana Air). Even though it was 9am, I found a lunch counter that all the airport workers were eating and got salsa verde and cheese sauce chicken enchiladas with coffee (others were also eating it that early in the morning, but with a milkshake). Seemed kind of ridiculous that the time in the air to Cuba was only really 6.5 hours but it took about 18 hours with all the in and out of 5 different customs or TSA checkpoints.

Finally arrived in the Havana Airport, and customs was pretty easy. The customs agent in Mexico must have known what I was doing, because he stamped a page in my passport way in the back. The customs agent in Havana was also nice and asked if I wanted my passport stamped (but technically, she was already stamping it when she asked, so I said "sure, why not"). She also stamped it on a previously stamped page, so it was less prominent.

Met a nice guy at the baggage claim area from Singapore (we were actually sitting next to each other on the plane, but were both sleeping). We decided to split the taxi fare into the city, which is usually about 25 CUC (Cuban Convertible money for tourists). Our taxi driver was okay dropping us off in two different spots, and I got to see a little of the city to try and get my bearings.

My casa particular, Casa Blanca, is fabulous! It is located right on the Malecon in old Havana, which is the busy road right next to the sea. It is also centrally located halfway between the Hotel Nacional and the harbor across from the lighthouse of Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro. The owners seem very nice, but don't live in the house. The mom lives right down the street and the son also lives nearby. They rent out the three rooms, and must be doing well as they said they are building another a few blocks away. It is all decorated in white except for the pretty classic tile floor. My room is big with a beautiful chandelier, fresh flowers, and a lovely breeze and small balcony. It even has its own bathroom with a nice shower with hot water and a toilet with a toilet seat (sometimes a rarity in Cuba). There is a lovely sitting area and a great balcony to enjoy mojitos and watch the sunset as all the old cars go by and locals hang out on the sea wall across the street. All for only 30 CUC a night is quite a deal! Plus, it is easy to get lost in Old Havana, but the Malecon is easy to always find my way back.

After turning in early the first night, I woke up early to try to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was very cloudy and soon turned to rain. I walked the city, checking out Old Havana and checking out all the buildings. Some brightly colored mixed with others that are dilapidated and crumbling. As the day went on, it got sunny and warm, and I enjoyed just watching everyone. It is frantic and fun, and everyone seems very friendly. Very little English is spoken, but they are kind and patient with me. Everyone wants to know where I am from. When I say the US, they ask if I am Chinese or Japanese. When I say Vietnamese, I often get an "ah, good friends with Cuba. Just like us! Ho Chi Minh was great!" Ha! I popped out to watch a bunch of guys fishing off the wall of the Malecon. Started walking towards the Hotel Nacional, but was sidetracked when a Cuban couple took me on a detour to see a few sights such as a graffiti and arts area, a boxing gym (sadly it was closed), and showed me the difference between the stores for local Cubans where they pick up their monthly rations and stores tourists could use. Both are pretty sparsely stocked, so I am glad I brought my own toilet paper (actually, I knew that was a good call when I saw a local pick up a big pack of toilet paper as his checked luggage at baggage claim).

After saying goodbye to the couple, I decided to head towards Hotel Nacional. It was very swanky, and I instantly feel out of place and want to get out of there. I much prefer my small, more familial accommodation. Grabbed lunch at a place with live Cuban music and then headed through the neighborhoods of Vedado. Havana is very big and each area has a different feel. Vedado is a nice suburb with what seems like nicer houses. A guy showed me where the Teatro Amadeo Roldan was, which is inscribed with various famous classical musicians names such as Bach and Mozart and where classical concerts are held. I also passed the National Ballet, which was closed to the public for practice but some guys I chatted with let me in and I got to see the downstairs practice space and heard all the thumps of the practice going on in the ballet studio upstairs.

It was hot, so I lined up with all the locals for ice cream at a place I had read about called Coppelia. I can't read the signs, but get in the longer line for the upstairs, instead of the downstairs counter seating. The menu is posted on the wall, but of course I can't read it. Someone comes out to change the flavor on a board and there are some sounds of approval and disappointment. It seems you are served in groups. Once one group clears out, they empty it and let the next group in. The couples in front of me and behind me make sure I don't get lost in the mad dash shuffle as we are herded upstairs and everyone runs to get a seat by the windows. The waitress asked me something, but I didn't know what she asked... Something about chocolate, so I just nodded my head and said "Si!" Turns out I get an ice cream sundae with three scoops, one strawberry and two vanilla with chocolate swirl. Looks like everyone gets the same (some people polished off two or three of the three scoop sundaes... My kind of people!) I tried to pay once I was done and unsure how much it was, so I held out 5 CUC. She rattled off something in Spanish, said "too much" and walked away. A sweet young kid who was there with his girlfriend had been behind me in line and he tried to help me, but nobody speaks English. Confused, I took all the coins I had and held it out for her to take whatever I owed. She took 25 cents. 3 scoops for 25 cents!!! I tried to tip her and the sweet young kid came running out with it and said "no, it's okay, too much" and gave it back to me, patting me on the arm.

On my walk back, a ran into an older gentleman named Tomas in Old Havana who was sitting in his doorstep playing guitar as his cats gathered around. He motioned for me to come join him, so I did. We chatted a bit and he played me some songs and wanted me to take a picture. I figured he would ask for some change, but instead, he asked me if I liked mango. When I answered Si, he handed me his guitar, told me to wait, and ran inside, bringing me a mango which he insisted I take. Walking home with my mango, I caught what appeared to be a house party with Afro-Cuban drumming (I later learned the was a Santeria celebration). I barely made it back in time to catch the beautiful sunset from the balcony of my casa. The sweet night security guard helped me cut my mango and made me coffee and later, other guests from Australia shared their Havana Club rum with me.

The next day, I got up again at sunrise. Had my coffee and then off to explore again. Wandered through morning produce markets only seen if you peak your head into doorways of old buildings that appear to be rubble. I also checked out a place in the middle of the city that held several old trains and the small Chinatown in Havana. Today's plan was to see the Guayasamin museum (one of my favorite artists from Ecuador who also lived in Cuba for a bit), then catch a ferry for a train ride through small towns to the old Hershey factory, and buy a bus ticket. I got all of none of those things done.

Around 9:30am, I accidentally ended up in a bar, talked about Cuba and Castro and all kinds of other things. Well, it started with me standing around chatting with some random dude on the sidewalk. After a bit, he opened a small opening through a rusty roll up door and told me to follow him in. Inside was this small, empty, closed bar. There was much more conversation about some of the difficulties of Cuba and the hope of change, a quick salsa lesson, and meeting more locals. Some were jineteros (the Cuban street hustlers) who seem to know the most English. Once they figured out I was not about to get hustled, they went and bought me a coffee instead. Finally, I said my goodbyes and headed towards museum but on my way, was greeted by a woman named Yolanda and we started talking. She invited me in to her home. We chatted for quite a while (especially with my limited Spanish and her non-existent English). She told me of her family living in Italy, her divorce with her husband and showed me pictures of her late daughter who died in an accident. I realized it was late and had now missed the ferry. I said my goodbyes and she wanted me to take pictures of us together. She seemed upset when I had to leave and I felt bad. She tried to give me a dress, but I declined, especially since such material things are difficult to come by here. I ended up getting lost in the touristy area after checking out some cathedrals. Got hungry, so headed to a cafeteria I saw earlier along the water and had a late lunch of fried fish, shrimp, rice, beans, and fried plantains plus a soda for 10 CUC. Finally arrived at the Guayasamin museum, but they were already closed. So, I sat on the street chatting with some guys about sports. One was an English teacher, so it was nice because I got to ask him a bunch of questions I had been building up with no one to ask. Learned more about the Santeria religion which is a religion brought from Africa during slave trades that occurred here and realized that was the area I had stumbled into the day before where the couple took me.

I had decided to leave Havana a day early, since my casa had a mix up in my booking so I would have had to switch to another one (plus, I was tired of some of the hassles one gets in a city as a solo female traveler). I wanted to catch one last sunset from the balcony, so I walked home along the Malecon. Watched guys cleaning the fish they had caught for the day, boys jumping off the wall into the water, and was asked to take a photo or two. It finally dawned on me that I get asked this so much because many don't have cameras or smartphones, so just want to see themselves. Caught another beautiful sunset, joined a party off the street in Havana, and then off to pack to head off to Vinales in the morning (if I can get a last minute bus ticket, since I didn't get around to that today, either).

Now, I have made it to Vinales, a small farming village amongst limestone mountains. I found the most fabulous place to stay, kind of by accident... But I will save that story for my next email, if I get to the internet again.

Love,
Betsy