Cuba dos

April 18 post was a preemptive one about administration pretensions towards Cuba.  Recent days activities are something like storm clouds gathering – you don’t know what will happen, but good to be forewarned.

from A History of Latin America 2d Edition by Hubert Herring 1963 p 405

In the earlier post I suggested reading a chapter from a early 1960s college textbook, particularly the last sentence of the chapter on Cuba.  Preceding that last sentence were paragraphs about what led to the  warning.  Take the time to think about this, in context with the present.

This is a good time to read up a bit on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a key actor.  You might want to review the Bay of Pigs action, authorized in the Eisenhower administration and effected in the first months of the JFK administration.  A reasonable source on Bay of Pigs seems to me to be this one, though I am sure there are many others.

Over the years I have done several posts about Cuba.  The one by John Borgen and Flo and Carter Hedeen (Mar 12, 2012) is first person, by ordinary Americans who actually visited Cuba.  At least take a look.  I have also pdf’ed the chapter of Haiti Hubert Herring 1963.  I’ve been to Haiti twice, and have learned a bit, first hand, about what U.S. dominance is like.

I have no idea what’s ahead or when or even if – the question is reasonable for everyone to consider seriously.  This is an opportunity to learn.

COMMENTS:

from Brian:  Notes and photos from his 2009 trip to Cuba

Havana 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009  I am on a Mexicana flight from Cancún to JFK, it is 9 p.m. NY time, daylight savings.

I like this airline.  If it flew to places in the US, I would use it.  Drinks are free and the staff is friendly and there is space between the seats.

I am still reading Anne Morrow’s “War Within and Without”…I so appreciate her, a real kindred spirit.  She had the integrity and courage to fight the assholes out there that try to make you conform, including governments.  She so resonates with me.

Well, for the last several days I was in Havana, coming back to Cancún yesterday afternoon.  Cuba, unbelievably, also went on daylight time last week, so they are also 2 hours ahead of Cancún’s time.

Backtracking, on Friday, I was supposed to fly out to Havana on Mexicana at 1:35 p.m. but due to fog in Mexico City in the morning, all flights were delayed, including ours for several hours.

But, Cancun’s airport is neat to hang out at, so it wasn’t too bad waiting.

Our flight finally left around 5 p.m. and we got to Havana, two hours ahead of Cancun, in less than an hour, but at night.

I changed Canadian and US money to CUC’s, Cuba’s convertible currency, and took a friendly taxi (sort of against Castro and especially against Chávez) in his Hyundai van to the Raquel, my hotel built in 1908 in Art Nouveau style by a Jewish concern.

My first night I got a room without windows but big, so asked to transfer (same price as what the Internet had said) to one with a view.  I found the staff to be friendly, including Lisette, who checked me in, and even the bellman, John.

My paid-for guide on Saturday was Samuel.  He was formal but good, easy to get along with.  My taxi driver to La Vigía was Idolfonso, who lived near the hotel Raquel.  He had a Hyundai van he shared with another driver.  He told me about Ché driving a 60 Chevy that was at the Old Car Museum near my hotel.  The woman and her daugther I helped were Jacqueline and Calia.

Lasso (last name but everyone calls him this) was the owner of the ’55 red Chevy that I hired, and he let me drive.  We drove out to see the Hemingway Marina and the ecological park near Havana.

Martha was my cute guide at La Vigía, Hemingway’s 4.2 hectare finca.

My local travel agency in Havana was Havanatur, in the hotel Triton, tel. 537 201 9761, Isabel Toledo.  I wrote that on the back of the Cancun Plaza receipt where I stayed Thursday night before going to Havana.  I met two neat people at that hotel, Silvia and José, married 25 years.

You can still smoke in bars in Cuba.  My calèche driver was Lagarto and the horse was Marco Polo.  Patria o Muerte, fucking lie.  My masajista in the Raquel was Niurka, her husband, Brian.

Most of my journey was recorded in photos, but to continue with the Cuba narrative, as I said, I arrived Friday.  I had a Hyandai modern taxi take me into town from the airport.  I was surprised at how “uncontrolled” and open everything seemed to be.  Locals and tourists mix quite readily.

The Raquel, my hotel in Old Havana, dates back to the Art Nouveau era, either 1908 or a little later.  It has a Jewish influence, my room was Miriam, next to Ruth.  Lisette did upgrade me at no extra cost to a room with a window view.

On Saturday my guide did come, as I said, Samuel, formal and proper but good.  We walked through old Havana, his telling me about this monument or that one, and then with a driver we went to see the old fort guarding the harbor entrance, going through a tunnel to get there and also we saw Revolutionary Plaza and other Havana sights.  I was the only one on the minibus, since three Mexicans never did show up that were supposed to.   Part of the tour was an old villa where there was a 3-person band, a woman and two guys, playing just for me.  The food was pretty good.

Saturday night I did go to the Tropicana, using the hotel’s phone in my room to make my own reservation.  The phone worked just fine.  I used a taxi to get to it, since it wsa a ways out of town.  The show was well choreographed and modest, ending after midnight.  Most of the other patrons appeared to be from Europe. I sat across from a couple from Lisbon.

On Monday I went with, as I say, Lasso in the 1955 Chevy with the standard shift that would hang up in 2nd just like Betsy Blue used to do.  We visited the Hemingway Marina and an ecological park where he let me drive.

On Sunday I went with Idolfonso in a Hyanda taxi van to La Vigia, Hemingway’s farm, and also to La Terraza, the port fishing bar where he used to hang out.  I had a great paella at that bar.  At La Vigia, it was fun being with Martha, since she was so enthusiastic about Hemingway.  Idolfonso was also friendly and forthcoming, a fun person.

While in Havana I did visit Hemingway’s room at Ambos Mundos and went on the roof bar there to have a cocktail.

So on Monday, yesterday, I caught the Mexicana Fokker 100 back to Cancun, where this time I stayed downtown, at a hotel across from Margaritas.  It was more personable than the other hotel, the Linda Vista, and as I had been told, in walking distance of a lot of neat places.  I went to one place that specialized in entertaining tourists, especially American students, and played up the Mexican folklore aspect, Los Pericos.  It was actually a lot of fun.

Cuba 2009