Our man in Havana.

TBH , myself and Charlotte (No. 1 daughter) have just returned from a five day jaunt to Havana. We don't do a great deal of inland travel during our cruising so this was a big treat.

We ordered a taxi from the offices here in the marina. A feat in itself given that any request out of the ordinary seems to make the entire organization go in to a spasm of inability to function. That would appear to be one of the main downsides of Communism, if there isn't a form for it you need to develop a huge amount of patience and tenacity VERY fast. After three attempts a cab finally made its way through the compound gates and in we climbed. An hour later we were still driving round and round Cienfuegos as our driver searched for the 'magnetic card' that he needed to purchase the fuel that he would need to return from Havana. Well at least we got a close up and personal view of the less visited side of town. And like all these places there is a massive difference in the public and private areas of the city. Downtown, even though there is much dilapidation, there is a sense of urban renewal with the restoration of large buildings and so forth. The areas where the people live here is mostly shacks and poorly constructed concrete block homes, very little decoration and an almost complete lack of cars...

It's a three hour drive from here to Havana along almost completely empty roads that are some of the most uncomfortable we have driven along. I don't know how it is possible to construct such a bad surface, but the Cubans have managed it! Our driver pointed out the rice fields, sugar cane, bananas, pineapples and so forth. The route is lined with pro Che and Fidel propaganda and anti Bush billboards. One in particular portraying Bush as Hitler caused an embarrassed silence from the driver...

Havana is stunning. All that the guide books and travel programmes promise. Music pours from every open door, the corner of every street, the windows of every apartment. And it's good music. Classical, Jazz, Cuban and all flavour's in between, played to a high standard and played with joy. Quite incredible. We all commented on the happy attitude of the Cubans, helpful, smiling, laughing. Quietly curious. There is some hustle. The odd spiv wanting to sell black market cigars, exchange currency or offer to guide you to ' the best restaurant' in town.

To be continued...

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

Thoughts...

Yesterday we experienced the full force of the Cuban paper filling, rule dominated society when we went to extend our visa's for another 30 days.

Queuing in the cool offices of the immigration office along with a couple of dozen Cubans seeking passports, visa's etc was a fascinating experience. No taking a ticket from a machine and silent waiting here. You ask "Ultimo?" (Who's last) and keep an eye on that person to claim your place in the queue. Of course this fosters conversation and there is a good natured patience amongst the crowd.

Children seem to accompany their parents everywhere and there is a courtesy that is old-fashioned and charming between the more elderly residents. So far my first impressions are of smiles and the sound of laughter. The insistent beat of Cuban music. Pictures of Che Guevara EVERYWHERE. From the rooftop hoarding's to the merit badges on the smallest children's school uniforms.

We have found a reasonably stocked supermarket and an excellent fresh produce mercado. getting to grips with the two tier monetary system is a little more challenging. as visitors we are only supposed to use the tourist peso which is valued at 1 CUC to 0.80 US$. However the reality is that we also acquire Peso national which make shopping unbelievably cheap. A pound of lomito of pork is 25 peso national approx 1$!!

So we returned yesterday with large bags of fresh fruit and veg, fruit juices and meat. Nice to have access to fresh produce again. We have been living off ships stores for the last month.

Our eldest daughter Charlotte has returned to stay with us for another month so we are enjoying company on board yet again...

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

Cuba continues...

We are having a terrific stay in Cuba. many cruisers had told us horror stories of over zealous officials and swingeing charges but, touch wood, to date we have encountered neither of these.

The waters are so clear it is amazing and we have encountered nothing but smiling assistance from all those whom we have to deal with. Yes there is a fair amount of form filling but it appears that provided you play by their rules and understand this is a communist country there are few problems.

We are currently in Cienfuegos, a town in the central southern coast. One of the great centres of conflict during the revolution. Che and Fidel memorabilia abound. Its a town of faded colonial buildings but clean and safe. Today we go to renew out tourist visas, we'll see how that goes.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com

Busy Days...

Goodness you certainly forget how full life can be with guests aboard! Our days are filled with ferrying people back and forth to the dock for diving sessions, lunch, collecting hire cars etc. One small hiccup when the outboard refused to run on the petrol that we bought as we left the Rio. Getting new stuff here was quite a performance! involving a cast of thousands, well 4-5, car trips, money exchange and so on...

Maria la Gorda is just wonderful if you have guests on board. Our kids wanted to do some diving and that is just what they have got. The water quality is unbelievable and even TBH has donned the kit and been out there enjoying the Life Aquatic! You have to go with the resort, which we think is fair enough. They are competent and professional and it saves us storing dive gear aboard for an extra five people.

Our time here is drawing to a close and we are getting ready to say farewell to at least some of the family, there is a chance some are going to stay on for a while...must be a success!Further east for those of us who remain. Onward in the search for the giant lobster!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com