Cubano Cubano!!!

luvin' on the beach

hummingbird nest

sunbathing cat

converted colonial home in Holguin City

characters on the promenade

at the main square in Holguin City

deans on the patio at Holguin City

colourful buildings in Banes

passing through a village

lively Banes

walking into the sunset

paradise found

filling up the scooter at Holguin City

beach bbq

old man in fishing village eager to show off his toro horns

local woman who shared some fresh bananas with me

a local home in Boca de Samma

schoolchildren in Boca de Samma

ride into town

I've been absent lately I know, but for good reason. After a rush of projects and lots of excitement, Dean and I decided to take off to Cuba for a much deserved trip of rest, relaxation and of course, adventure. At first, we were thinking that the adventure part would be absent since we got a package deal that was all-inclusive, but we soon found that limiting and ventured out to find our own version of CUBA. Sigh...the trip was just amazing. It's sad to be back and also, it's a bit of a culture and weather shock to be back in tdot. I think that often all-inclusives cater to those who just want to be comfortable and pampered during their travels. And while i easily enjoyed these comforts (like who wouldn't love to have amazing food and seated toilets), i also found that they held us back from seeing what the people really lived like in Cuba. From a very voyeuristic perspective, the effect is that people travel to a destination and never really feel the lack of their creature comforts and thus, never really connect to what it is that a place like Cuba is without...how families of 11 people live in a little house, how there's really no toilets like we know except at the resorts, how they are forbidden from travelling in private cabs, watch anything other than state regulated TV stations (there's 4 in total), be able to buy cough syrup (this i experienced first hand since i got sick the first day i arrived and couldn't find cough syrup ANYWHERE) and how the resort illusion is really just that - created for the tourists and really is such a falsity that is hard to really comprehend when you meet and understand the locals more. Now, i'm not about to say that i didn't enjoy being in a comfy clean place b/c i did. I guess i'm saying that it's not REAL and i knew it. It has it's place for the tired and "doesn't want to bother" tourist but it also is good for budgeting b/c it did end up being pretty cheap for us considering the way we were eating, the selection of food and drinks and of course, the beautiful stretch of coastline was breathtaking.

Anyhow, back to what our version of Cuba was like...i have tons of pics that i will post soon. It was both our first time in Cuba and the Carribbean (if Cuba can be loosely considered the Carribbean) but my 3rd time in a Spanish speaking country. What little Spanish I knew did come in handy and i was surprised with the ease that Dean was able to pick it up since I guess some words are very similar to Tagalog. We were in the northeastern part of Cuba called Holguin. Not far is Holguin city which is the 3rd largest city in Cuba. Our place ended up being by an amazing stretch of secluded beach that was incomparable to others in the area. The water was crystal clear and so clean. Sometimes we'd be swimming near the beach and a massive fish would come and say hello. It was pretty spectacular. It didn't take long for our skin to turn golden and once we got tired of the beach, we'd just make our way to the beach bar where i could have unlimited snacks and drinks and ice cream. Not bad for someone who just landed in paradise!!! The resort itself was also quite amazing. While i can be uncomfortable with the idea of resorts all i want, the whole place was beautiful with landscaping, massive coconut and banana trees everwhere. it was an ecological excursion in and of itself. Dean and I had fun just going on little discovery walks where we'd find lizards, toads, crabs, humming birds, bats, etc all within our massive complex. They have taken great care to make it as beautiful as possible with greenery and beautiful wild flowers everywhere. It was almost like staying in a massive botanical garden.

Our first trip was to a local fishing village called Boca de Samma, where we visited an elementary school, went to a local home and also saw the local ration store. All along the way, our guide Jorge gave us uncensored political commentary and talked about the realities that people live in. It was pretty troubling. I met some very kind people in this village. Most cannot avoid calling me "china" but after awhile, I realized that it wasn't meant as an offense, but rather was their only way of identifying me. One lady who I bought a bracelet from later appeared with bananas and offered one to me for free. The people in the village were very curious about us and welcomed us into their homes to take pictures. I felt intrusive, but at the same time, curious so I took them up on it. Here i began to feel the intense inequalities that existed and tried to balance them anyway i could considering all the while that i cannot judge what i see with first world eyes.

We later borrowed bikes and made our way to the neighboring town Guadalavaca, which is a beachfront town that exists purely for the resort economy. Strangely, there was nothing there at all...except a small flea market where you could buy handicrafts and stuff and a stretch of beach that was not nearly as nice compared to playa esmeralda where we were staying. however, the ride there was interesting. we passed many little villages and ghettos where the locals lived and tried to venture into one but we were unfortunately intercepted by the village drunk that demanded that he show us the casas for a fee. we jetted out of there quick. the land surrounding this whole area where we were staying looked quite dry at this time since they hadn't seen rain in a long time. All the grass was yellow and burnt and most locals were hoping for a storm. The heat was relentless indeed and many times I would look up to see a swarm of vultures looming above waiting for the next animal (or human) to kick it. it was scary b/c I wasn't sure if vultures attacked living people so their proximity made me a bit anxious. With time however, i realized that nobody else was worried about it so i was fine. I guess the best way to describe Holguin province is agricultural. We were in total farm and cowboy country. It was kinda crazy that you would find this incredible beach and beautiful landscape in the middle of barren and dry land. We didn't mind it so much though because it was as it is and we enjoyed watching all the cowboys riding their horses and the farmers driving their carts down the street. There's really 4 main kinds of transport in Holguin...horses, scooters, bikes and then cars and this doesn't change for Holguin city ironically!

The next day we rented scooters to ride to Holguin city in search for a glimps of city life. We were told that it was an hour away but it turned out to be an hour and a half on scooter and we only made it into the centre of town in time to turn around and go back. Bummer. Nonetheless, we got some good shot on the drive over of the many fruit stands and local villages and homes along the way. Everyone was so nice and waved at us as we passed. The sky was looming rain as we turned back and it started to come down a little but we made it back with no problems. Both of us were thankful that evening when it stormed that the land would get some much needed rain. We were resolved to return to Holguin city the next day by car to have more time to chill and explore the place. From my brief glimps, it already was a different world than Guadalavaca area and promised to feed my need to search for something deeper.

Against the Transat reps efforts to dissuade us to rent a car and venture to Holguin alone (b/c she's a fearful and boring woman) we did just that and invited a bunch of friends we'd made at the resort. We left with two car and in ours were our friends Sylvie and Patrice from Montreal. We hung out with them a lot both on and off the resort and soon I found my french was improving much faster than my spanish, which i'm not complaining about. Our route this time was different...we decided to take the road through the mountains and through Banes, a small town perched in the middle of the rolling hills of Holguin province. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking...palm tree forests, lush green hills and abundant little huts and villages everywhere we went. It was quite the adventure as we followed the curving road to Banes. Banes is a small town populated with locals, most of whom travel an hour and a half each day to work at the resorts. I loved it here. There were barely any tourists in sight and the town seemed to have so much character and culture. We stopped by the square for a quick break but were immediately swamped by desperate locals wanting to wash our car or just be our guides, etc. so we left shortly, but if I had more time, I would have loved to explore the little narrow alleyways and local shops. The thing about Cuba though is that there isn't much to buy in local shops etc. They carry the necessities available to Cubans and are often government approved stores so really there is nothing interesting to purchase. Nonetheless, there would have been many opportunities to explore here given that the streets looked really walkable and colourful.

On the road again, we head another 2 hours through the roaming hillside and farms and finally make it Holguin city. This route took us much longer b/c of the stop at Banes and as well being the scenic road. Once in Holguin, we are inundated with traffic chaos. There is only one light at the main road by the gas station. Everywhere else, anything goes and you're battling it out with horsedrawn carriages, mopeds, cars, bikes and cowboys. Pretty crazy. Also, every turn, you are in another narrow street of stucco homes with white wrough-iron gates so you really don't know which way is which. The streets were so crazy looking, and the buildings so old and historical. We found our way to the main square surrounded by two parks, where, as in my experience in Spain, is the centre of all activity. Here we split up for the rest of the crew to do our own thing. Dean was tired from the driving and we chilled on a patio and gulped down a couple of local beers while making conversation with the guy working there who spoke perfect english, french and german in addition to his native spanish. Incredible!!! I spoke both french and english to him and he impressed me with his ability to crack jokes and stuff. He told us that his parents made him study french and english when he was in school. The cool thing is, in Cuba, everyone has access to school and you can learn anything if you want to. Unfortunately, you can be as bright as the sun, but you will get paid the same salary as everyone else...whether you are a doctor, a teacher, a fisherman, or a bartender. What's different are the tips or the fringe benefits of each job. Like a doctor gets to travel and buy goods in north america which he/she is allowed to keep and eventually sells on the black market to compensate for their salary. Other people don't have this access and therefore are shit out of luck. But, the good jobs according to cubans are those at the resort like room cleaners, bartenders, wait staff because in addition to the salary, they get tips from tourists in convertible pesos that eventually can add up to more than the monthly salary. So, at the resort, we found very educated people who were formerly teachers or engineers who now worked in their current jobs b/c the money was better. Imagine that.

Well, I have more to write...so stay tuned for pics and part II of the trip. I have to go have some dim sum before it's too late.

Happy Victoria Day.