Summing up Cuba
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Sat 4 Jun 2011 16:12
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Whatever anybody's opinions are on the Castro regime, these
days Fidel's brother Raul Castro is running the country, the people of Cuba have
endured many many years of hardships, isolation from neighbouring countries,
embargoes and a lack of freedom to travel and expand their own horizons,
something we in the 'free west' take so much for granted. Whilst there we,
or the boat to perhaps be more precise, were closely 'watched'. In
fact at Marina Darsena, Varadero, there were four shifts of five security
guards working 24 hours per day to ensure that no locals gained access
to any form of water craft. They were all incredibly friendly and took
turns to walk the dock once an hour, but spent most time sat round a table
in the entrance area chatting. Nobody left or arrived without their attention
being attracted. Similarly, travelling by road in Cuba meant
traversing various control points along the way manned by military
personnel. They would occasionally stop and check passing vehicles
although we were never waved down or prevented from moving around by
road.
By sea was a different matter. The north coast stares straight
across at Florida or the Bahamas and few boats traverse this stretch
of coast without close scrutiny from Cuban gunboats that will arrive
at great speed to check on unidentified radar targets. Nobody is allowed to
leave this country except by very special arrangement or good enough
reasons i.e given a sponsor in a foreign country a passport can possibly be
obtained in a few years with luck. Whether you can come back to Cuba is another
matter! But, we are privileged to be able to travel as tourists and with the
demise of the USSR which propped up Cuba for so many years tourism has become a
vital part of its income. It is cashing in on its uniqueness and the outside
world's fascination with all things Cuban - and why not, otherwise the country
will continue to suffer from the dire shortages. In place of the elderly
smoky Russian lorries and buses that were formerly used to transport people
around the country (and still do in the more rural provinces) fleets of less
smoky buses procured from China now undertake that duty. It's firmly
on the tourist map and by land there are few restrictions to hinder the more
adventurous except perhaps the appalling state of the roads. We were so glad we
were persuaded by friends to make the effort to spend some weeks here. It's
not everybody's idea of holiday paradise by all means but it has all the
necessary ingredients, especially if you choose to go it alone which is by far
the best (and most challenging) way to see this fascinating country.
Here are some pictorial memories that will remind us of
our month in the largest and surely most fascinating of the Caribbean
islands.......
  Typical
farmhouse
Typical road
obstructions & pothole
  The plains
& fields of sugar cane
  Country
farmhouse
Narrow gauge sugar plantation railway
  Surprisingly still in use - despite the wavy
rails
Bananas & pineapples 'guarded' by bulls
  Relaxing at Cayo
Saetia
Gathering plantains using oxen to pull the sled
  Quiet village
life
Always remembering the revolution
  Our room in
Baracoa ...
...with the Geeley parked outside
  The hallway looking towards the front
door
The Taino Indian burial site
  Views over
Baracoa Hill slope village
  Baracoa harbour - with
wreck
Mountain views..........
   
The Caribbean sea - southern
Cuba
  Our hostel accommodation in Santiago da
Cuba
The entrance hall with our room on the
right
  Collecting the thrown
coins........
Bayamo chess school
  (More track! -
Ed) Melting ice creams
  The local grocery
store White
sand beaches of the northern
coast........................
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