Second day in Cuba

Jae and I slept too late and missed breakfast this morning.  We got up at 6:45 but by the time we showered, did the safe stuff, and packed up for the day we barely made it to the bus on time. On the way, Jae fell prey to a street seller and ended up with a lovely book on Che for which she 'donated' $10 CUC.  We departed the hotel at 8:30 and rode to Colon Cemetery where Yovani was a walking encyclopedia about his country's history and the specific mausoleums, vaults, and memorials.  The place is lovely with many elaborate sculptures, including a past Cuban President.  Yovani told us several love stories about couples buried there and one story about a good luck memorial related to a young woman that died in childbirth. We spent about 90 minutes at the museum.

Our tour guide Yovani Santana

A re-imagined Pieta by a Cuban artist adorns a mausoleum never used.

The top of the largest memorial in the cemetery

The wall of one of the memorials

Looting and age have damaged the beautiful doors of this one

From the cemetery we rode to the Cuban Literacy Museum where we were educated on Fidel Castro's 1961 literacy campaign.  This was something I had zero knowledge about before our visit and I found the museum and our guide interesting and informative.  Yovani served as our translator as we learned that less than 15% of the population in the mountains and remote provinces could read before the campaign.  Castro had a dream that the students from Havana City could be sent into the remote areas and teach the people to read.  The program worked and, according to the museum curator, Cuba has achieved 99% literacy across the country. The museum tour lasted about an hour and was not air conditioned.

The Literacy Museum

In the museum there are posters, school books, uniforms, and other historical documents.  At the end we were shown a short documentary that included interviews from several of the student teachers.  Most were in the 15-18 year old range.  Today cubans are required to attend school from age 5 to 14 or 9th grade. To obtain professional jobs like driver or maid they must stay in school to 12th grade.  I really enjoyed the museum, the guide is a true believer in the literacy program and Castro, and the history lesson.

Painting at the Literacy Museum

From the museum we headed to Fuester Land and the home of famous Cuban artist Fuester.  This place is amazing.  Preferring to work with clay, primarily mosaics, Fuester has taken over the neighborhood tiling the sidewalks, his neighbor's homes, and most amazingly his property.  Elaborate, extensive mosaics fill every inch of free space and they are incredible.  We met two of his sons and were given free reign to walk around their yard and home.  Tiles were for sale for $25 CUCs, with some paintings available in the hundreds of dollars.  I can't say enough about how stunning this work and Fuester Land are, the pictures will never do it justice.

Fuester Land

Next we traveled by bus across the city to lunch in old Havana.  We had shrimp and chicken paella with a cold cucumber and cabbage appetizer and chocolate ice cream for dessert.  Another mariachi style quartet played and went table to table for tips but no CD this time.  Bathrooms the same as yesterday.  This meal, like dinner last night, lasted over 2 hours.  The paella was okay, the chicken was dark meat with bone in and there were lots of little bone shards in the rice.  The shrimp was very small and over cooked.  For those allergic to shellfish, a chicken and pork alternative was available.  We sat indoors with air conditioning for this meal and last night's dinner.

Pre-revolution roadside fountain

View from the Malecon

Lunch restaurant, unfortunately we ate inside

Paella we ate for lunch

After lunch we spent 90 minutes walking through old Havana with Yovani describing the plazas and history behind many of the bars, hotels, and buildings.  It is really stunning architecturally, if you can ignore the poverty of the people living there you will find it truly beautiful.  However, we were continuously approached by beggars, those selling trinkets, and others wanting to charge us to take their picture.  The architecture is as eclectic as the rest of the city and just as run down.  It was very dirty, lots of litter, sour water, etc.  It smells like the French Quarter for those that have been to New Orleans.  At one point we saw a toddler urinating in the street.  Also, I haven't mentioned this yet but the island is inundated with starving stray dogs and cats.  Spaying and neutering seems non-existent.

Street in old Havana

The clock tower from a beautiful old church in old Havana

The Cuban flag flies over old Havana

Another beautiful portion of the old city

As part of our city tour we came to a plaza for selling old books.  Yovani explained that only recently have cubans been allowed to sell books and this created the open air book market.  Again this is like Jackson Square in New Orleans, or the Seine in Paris.  Most of the books were from the 50's although there were plenty that were even older, our guide saw some from the 1600's. There seemed to be little activity going on even though this was Saturday.  A couple of our fellow travellers bought some unusual books.  We didn't spend any real time looking but I bet there were some first edition bargains.

Jae, M&M at the book market

This painting was in a hotel outside the bathroom where I paid my peso

Car parked on the street in old Havana

Another view from old Havana

Next was a visit to San Jose Art Market where we were given the option to shop for an hour or go back to the hotel.  Jae, Meghann and I opted for the market while Marsha went back to the hotel.  We were warned that the bus would pick us up at 5 PM sharp with a taxi ride in our future if we were late.  The market was terrific; its large with row upon row of souvenir stuff like straw hats, leather purses, wood carved boxes or figurines made from trees native to the island, linen children's clothes, and inexpensive, wooden percussion instruments.  Best of all there were paintings, many oil and with the artist right there to talk to you about the work.  All 3 of us bought at least one canvas paining and Jae bought several.  They were cheap - from $1 with the most expensive I priced at $300 CUC (and it was huge, hang over your fireplace sized).  There were ink drawings, acrylic, pastels, you name it.  Stunning, colorful work filled with life and diversity.  There is something at this straw market for everyone and we plan to return when Marsha can go with us.

This was an event filled day.  Very hot, very interesting and diverse.  We are all sweaty and tired.  We have 2 hours until we depart for dinner at 7:15 and I think a few people are heading to the pool to combat the sweat.

----

On to dinner, tonight was definitely the best meal so far.  Tomato, cucumber & lettuce salad, black beans and rice, plantains, baked chicken, vanilla ice cream.  All of it was good.  The rice was served with a gravy from the baked chicken juices; mixing this with the black beans made an excellent combination.  The salad and chicken were served family style while the beans & rice were layered on each person's plate.  Dinner tonight came with a flute of sangria and one extra drink, my table all had red wine.  The atmosphere was also terrific.  We ate outside on a covered veranda with an ocean breeze, our first outside meal.  Yovani told us this restaurant was around pre-revolution and was the preferred place to eat before taking in a show at the Tropicana.  After the revolution it closed.  The government reopened it and it was not good until they hired the previous owners and chef to run it again.  Everyone cleaned their plate.

Our dinner restaurant.  Now government run, it used to be a famous eating spot before a night at the Tropicana

Marsha at dinner

I didn't remember pics until we'd already started eating

Baked chicken with dinner

Tomorrow we head to Cayo Santa Maria.  We are excited about a new hotel and new location. The patio breeze has ended for Jae and I and our in-room air conditioning is getting the room a balmy 85.

For future travelers:
The cemetery is the start of a very hot day so dress light and bring head covering.  Also make sure you have plenty of camera battery and room on your memory card.
Meals: one soda or water usually included, additional are $1 CUC or more.

If you are a shopper the art market will be great fun.  The artists will roll the canvas and you can buy a travel tube for $1 CUC.  Also important there are vendors selling soda, water, and beer.  With the 2 bottle rationing per person per day on the bus you will be thirsty.  Also, like everything you do this day, the market is not air conditioned.

This is a hot, sweaty, casual trip.  Bring super comfortable clothes like shorts and t-shirts.  You will not be able to get more than one wear from any of your clothing so pack accordingly.  Ladies, your make-up will melt right off in the first 10 minutes so don't bother.  Same with hair, it is so humid don't waste your time on styling it.  Seriously.  Also, we used the safe today with no issues.  You can also lock your luggage, a few of our fellow travellers said they went this route.