The John Feikema Family

The embargo froze (to a large degree) the state of transportation in Cuba. There are also a couple of oddities. 

While we saw a smattering of newer cars across the island, the number of cars still running and in good shape from the fifties is amazing. Many are used as taxis or are available for hire by tourists seeking a unique experience. Here are just a few. Enjoy!

Our last stop in Cuba was Havana. Almost as old as Santiago de Cuba, Havana was founded in 1519. There are preparations everywhere for the 500th anniversary, which will be celebrated this fall. It is the largest city, with over 2.1 million residents.

It is a study of contrasts with most of the great architecture hundreds of years old and much of the more recent buildings displaying “deferred maintenance” issues. 

There is a vibrant tourism business, albeit visitors come mainly from places other than the U.S. It was fun to stop at the original Sloppy Joes Bar. The sandwich was, wait for it, a sloppy joe. We enjoyed looking at the old photos of Hemingway, Sinatra, Ted Williams and other celebrities that frequented the bar in its heyday. The second bar is a haunt of Hemingway’s.

While many of the living conditions are very tough, they have made great strides in literacy (from 50% in 1953 to over 98% today). Education is mandatory through middle school and free through college or trade school (including the medical and legal professions).

We were impressed with the Cuban people, I think that they are unfortunate victims of slavery and politics and have been for hundreds of years. I am certainly not a Castro apologist but their life now is better than it has been in the past under various regimes and dictatorships. If the decades-long U.S. embargo was lifter, their lives would certainly improve. In the mean time, they find joy in life and the love for their families and their country. It was fascinating to get to know a little more about them.

Cienfuegos is a quirky city. Founded by the French as a holiday town, it has had many masters through the years and the architecture reflects it. There are a number of local streets that now house artisans selling their wares. 

The Cienfuegos Botanical Garden, founded by an American sugar planter named Atkins, started as a center for tropical plant research over a hundred years ago. For many years it was focused on the hybridization of sugar cane as well as organizing the planting of trees and plants imported from tropical areas around the world (there are over 2000 varieties). Today there are many groves of Banyan trees, a variety of Palms. Here is a Bamboo stand over fifty feet tall and a massive Culpo tree (similar to balsa).

Just up the road from the garden is Parque El Nicho. A short trek up through some lush green mountain scape you’ll find sets of swimming holes, natural pools and a stunning waterfall. It has a reputation as the most beautiful of Cuba’s numerous waterfalls

Cienfuegos is quite a bit closer to Havana and became powerful due to good growing conditions and massive sugar plantations. It also had several large casinos and a massive estate once owned by Meyer Lansky. The mafia had lots of “influence” in this city in the middle of the 20th century.

Baseball is a national pastime. In this city  of 150,000 they have a baseball park that seats 30,000. It is very visible from the harbor.

We were pleased to learn of a Cuba immersion cruise. Cuba has been a bucket list trip for a long time. I was hopeful that we’d be able to spend some time there when things opened up a couple of years ago, but unfortunately things were clamped down again in 2017 with the new administration. When Regent offered a trip with six days of Cuba venues we jumped.

We sailed from Miami and our first excursion was supposed to be snorkeling out of Nassau.This was cancelled due to rough weather (nothing like the recent storms in Norway) so we wandered around old Nassau instead. Anything within walking distance from the pier was a tourist trap but it was nice nonetheless. We set sail that afternoon for Santiago de Cuba, the oldest (founded 1515) and second largest city in Cuba, located near the far southeastern edge of the island.

The main square is called Céspedes Park. It is home to Cuba’s only Cathedral, the Casa Granda Hotel and lots of signs and photos highlighting its place in the revolution. Fidel Casto proclaimed victory from a balcony on this square.

We took a side trip to a town near a former copper mine. It was so central to life in the town that the town is called El Cobre (the copper). The El Cobre basilica is home to the patron saint of Cuba, the Virgen de Caridad, and is a well-loved pilgrimage site. It is also used for Quinceañera parties for 15 year old girls.

We also visited the country’s best steel drum band (La Steel Band del Cobre). They were fantastic. They have a broader repertoire than I expected which ranged from local songs to the Beatles and Michael Jackson.

Our cultural exchanges were the highlight of Santiago de Cuba. Te professional Orfeon Choir gave us a small taste of the vocal talent in this city. Amazing.