Habana

  Havana, Cuba
Saturday, February 21, 2009

Feb 21,
I told Yenni that I was leaving by 7AM and I would not be able able to have breakfast at the usual time. She asked me if she could serve it to me earlier and I agreed but getting to know Yenni, I had big doubts that she would be up at that time and I was right. She is a very carefree person and the extra 5CUC was not enough incentive to get her up an hour earlier LOL. There is poorness but there is also the lack of ambition to get any further ahead. What for? Life is not rich but life is good and an extra hour in bed is worth more than that LOL. So I unlocked the double latch and let myself out leaving the night's money by the door with the key. Hasta Luego Yenni. I shall return even if the hot water is frio.
Viazul busses are much more dependable and left anly 5 minutes late but arrived a half hour earlier than scheduled so go figure. I was feeling a little sad returning on the bus knowing that I was in my last days but all good things must come to an end. I have now made a full circle arriving at the bus station which I had biked to a couple of times and was in familiar territory. I caught a cab with a woman driver which is a rarity here and as she pulled away she was having a little problem with the shifter . I knew it was the mechanics but I expressed to her that "chicas es no bien por" and I mimed a steering wheel to say women can't drive as well as men. Well, that got a laugh and I think she took a liking to me because she understood I was only kidding. Nevertheless I showed my disapproval for her shifting a couple of time by grabbing her shifting hand and trying to show her ..... the ride was a blast and she made an offer to pick me up to go to the airport on Monday for 15CUC (after negotiation) . I hope the cab doesn't break down before then because it really needs some serious work to the transmission. I'll give her 20 anyway .... I hope it helps.
After a couple of rings the door opened at Julita's place where I left my winter coat and lost my keys. They were really happy to see me and so was I. I asked about my keys that I had left downstairs and she said that she did not understand the message when I phoned from the bus station so my tan started to fade a bit but what the hell. I expressed the importance of my keys and they would look into it. Ten minutes later my keys showed up with my bicycle lock that I had left 3 weeks earlier. Que Rico!!
I am back to the high decibel levels of Habana but I am getting used to it. The Cuban music from across the street is blaring above the street sounds of diesels. I took a walk to the Malecon and stretched myself out on the wall by the sea with the spray from the waves. I drifted in and out of slumber for about an hour to the sounds of surf and wind and the warmth of the sun beating down on me. I am almost the same same color as as a Cuban now so the sun is no longer a concern for me. I cannot help but laugh at the Cubans who approached me last night from a little corner protected from the breeze. When I rejected their offerings they quickly ducked backed into their protective hideaways exclaiming how "frio" it was.
There were two girls sitting in the shadows of a doorway that came out of their hiding on my way home along a cobble stoned street. The street was dark but lit with the odd streetlight that created a scene of shadows and sepia tones that an artist would revel at. The stars light my way along the corridors of 18th century colonial buildings as I make my way through this dreamland. After I declined their friendly overtures they rushed back to their little cove expressing the cold and I could not help myself but stop. I turned in their direction and began a slow striptease taking off my shirt one button at time in the middle of the street to show that it was not cold at all. ahh...the rum helps to take away the inhibitions. They were much too pretty and young for me but humour is what makes life so much more fun. I wasn't wearing my Canadian Baseball cap so it cannot be held against us LOL. This is not something I would do in New York City. Es Cuba!!
Feb 22
I spent my last day wondering around Habana towards La Vieja and discovered the major shopping streets. I almost bought a guitar for 54CUC that looked pretty good but I had no idea how to pack it so with great apprehension I passed it by. I will figure out how to get it on my next trip.
Habana is a city that has a magic which slowly creeps up on you and gets under your skin. I was glad to get away from the melee after my first week but having returned for the last couple of days I realize that I have to come back here. The city is full of contradictions from the mix of Communism, Capitalism, antiquity, art deco, slums, mansions, and the list goes on. This is a city like no other!
As I walked along the Malecon there were a bunch of Macho Cuban males jumping off the wall into the ocean. They would wait for traffic to abate on the 4 lane boulevard and cross over onto the median. Then they would dash across the road, across the sidewalk, jump onto the 3 foot wall and hurl themselves into a small inlet of water between the corals about 15 feet below. I barely had the opportunity to film it but I did get a little piece to record. There is a cement step below the wall by the water that they have to have enough inertia to pass over and hence the crossing of the boulevard to pick up speed. It's the dodging of traffic and the climb up the wall without slipping to get a good jump that is the challenge.
On the way back meandering through the streets I came across a fiesta with a stage set up and bands playing to a couple of hundred people. I had to walk arounf the block to get to the front of the stage because there were so many people. There were police that had closed off the street so this was obviously something planned with a permit. You need a permit to have a party here.
I was speaking to my fellow traveller from Switzerland who showed me his 4 stiches on his lip from a mugging he got messed up in. Eight black youths jumped him while he was waiting for his girlfriend at around midnight. The police don't do much and his idea of Cuba has been affected by the experience. He is originally from Peru and has given me his card for advice if I decide to visit Peru which is on my list. He just bought a Spanish version of the Old Man and The Sea and is engrossed into it while I type this. He is off to see his girlfriend. Many singles have girlfriends (or boyfriends) here. He comes here every 5-6 weeks on business. I should have worked for a travel agency LOL.