Mangrove Swamps, Crocodiles and Humming Birds

Mangrove Swamps, Crocodiles and Humming Birds.
By guest author, Cheryl.

An early start, 8am! We headed back towards Havana but avoiding the centre.
We are getting used to seeing people waiting by the roadside for a lift as there is virtually no public transport. These people are not looking for a free ride, they have money in their hands, are quite often well dressed and include families with young children and girls travelling alone. It is just that there are no public buses apart from in the big towns. It's all official, and there is usually a yellow shirted official that can stop cars that are not full and demand that they give lifts. We are not required or allowed to stop being a tourist bus.

Today was lots of history as well as good sightseeing; the coffee stop was excellent! My cappuccino came with a leaf under the cup, 2 coffee beans, 3 squares of chocolate and a stem of sugar cane ( I tried sucking that, but I think it was just to stir the coffee).

A few of us decided not to have lunch as meals seem to come round too frequently and went for a walk instead. Nobody bothered or hassled us, and people were quite happy with having their photograph taken. I actually saw 2 brilliant blue hummingbirds. Not on camera of course.

Onto the Bay of Pigs, Playa de Giron.
There is a museum there now, full of photos, and memorials along the road to the Cubans that died. Some quotes of Fidel's are priceless. "We have a socialist state that is up the noses of the Americans". "The Revolution was for the humblest and by the humblest"
Every time I see a Starbucks or McDonalds from now on I shall mutter "cunning Yankee imperialism".
It was pretty shocking what the CIA did. Anyway, there were positives. It has changed the very poorest abject area of Cuba that was swamps, with unhealthy people working to an early death, producing charcoal, into an area that now has some tourism , restaurants and pride.
We went on a fast boat ride along the mangroves to an Indian village on an island.
Lots of statues in a primitive style and a little touristy demo of their culture, with paint marks put on our faces and some dancing and drumming.
Then to crocodiles, large and small, before we hurried back to the coach to get on our way to Cienfuego.
Our hotel is very good and we went to the Yacht Club for dinner, expecting a great evening. It was terrible. Any restaurant with that service and quality of food, in any town in the UK would be out of business within the week. Giles Conran would have a field day,

A long Day in the Saddle

Well, of course, not the saddle but the coach that transports our group around. 10 hours from one hotel to the next with a variety of touristy things in between.
First, the best, a couple of hours drive to Viñales an area of lush vegetation and some magnificent rocks with a flat valley between the vertical cliffs. The rocks are called mogotes and the views are unparalleled in Cuba, in my opinion. We spent enough time here to appreciate them but it is a great area for walking close to the foot of the cliffs. There are numerous caves and we took a short ride in an underground river. Worthwhile as all the trimmings of caves were there.Then off to a cigar factory. Probably 20 benches with room for 4 workers each side of each bench. However there were just two each side as cigar demand has decreased. This was interesting to see the tobacco being neatly contained between large leafs. A press assures the packing is correct and each cigar is checked. Workers are expected to produce 200 per day or suffer less wages!
From there we saw something of a rum factory with tasting,then a bottling plant, neither of these were particularly worthwhile and lengthened the day!
Finally to a farm where we learnt a little about the growing, drying and curing (fermentation) of the tobacco leaves. The farmer rolled a cigar but it was very loose, burnt quickly and was as hot as hell according to our one smoker, but serve him right!
Finally back to our lovely hotel in Las Terrazzas.

Las Terrazzas

There could not be more of a contrast between Havana and Las Terrazzas, 11/2 hours drive westwards. La Moka hotel stands looking across a valley, through trees with Turkey Vultures wheeling in thermals above and sometimes below our vantage point on the balcony. The community here is down in the valley with the river and the single road that brings us in.
This used to be a prosperous coffee plantation but all that is left are the remains of buildings and stories of the slaves that did the work. Brazil, in particulars, could produce coffee cheaper and the Cuban production ceased.
Now, there is a thriving community which helps each other, perhaps a successful part of communism. We visited an artist who uses paper he recycles himself and some craft shops in a small centre with doctor, dentist and pharmacy. Also we visited Maria's coffee shop with its justified reputation for the best coffee anywhere! Like so much of Cuba it relies on tourists but it was a pleasure to spend money here and give some support to this community.
The setting is idyllic in this green valley with its sense of calm, after the noise and hectic life of Havana. This might be remote but some musicians played exciting salsa music for us over lunch. Nowhere in Cuba is without live music!

How many Buena Vista Social Clubs are there?

Our treat on our last evening in Havana was to go, as a group, to the bar of that name. We were on the balcony and the band lept onto the stage. Well, there was not really a stage and they could not have lept anyway! They looked very authentic (old!) and certainly put maximum effort into playing and singing non-stop for 11/2 hours of fierce rhythm, while the bar staff delivered our 3 free drinksI yes, 3!
Accompanying the band were a couple dancing smooth exotic salsa. They danced nearly the whole time and they climbed the stairs to our balcony and performed in the two square yards of space. They had various people up to dance and I had a good 30 seconds of being led, but I enjoyed it. Cheryl was not invited to dance but got a kiss! By the end of the evening half the audience were on their feet in a conga (last attempted by me at a holiday camp when  I was 12) that circled the floor. Most people managing to copy the professional couple in time to the music.
It was a good evening, more or less as expected but a number of our group were disappointed.
Earlier in the evening we were almost part of a possible scam when a friendly couple showed us another bar with the BVSC playing at the same time, and offered to get us tickets. Maybe genuine, maybe not.

The Splendour of Cuba

The Iberostar Grand Parque and the first days in Havana.
Cox and King's Splendour of Cuba

First breakfast. A truly first rate display of all things breakfasty! Juices, coffee and teas, varieties of breads, fresh fruit, yogurts, omelettes cooked to order, bacon, sausages, fish and salad, pastries and croissants and the rest I have forgotten! A more thorough investigation on Day 2 revealed Brussels sprouts. This is a first for me and is completely OTT.
The walking tour of Havana was tough! 2 mojitos, 1 daiquiri and a beer with a rum tasting thrown in! We had several stops including one for the mojito at Hemingways bar, La Bodequita de Medio, at 10am. The earliest a Cox and Kings group had started drinking. Nice to be a record holder!
We are a group of 13 plus Osvaldo, our guide. He is good and is very anxious to help in terms of what we buy, that it should be good value and Cuban.

We saw lots of buildings!
Some beautifully restored and other looking about to collapse. These two categories can be at opposite ends of the same block. Viewing the City from the tower that houses the Camera Obscura, made it look like a bombed out city!
The pedestrians we saw were mostly tourists like ourselves. A few extravagantly dressed Cubans to elicit a few coins from photographers.
A lot of music is being played in the bars that we visited and this gave a unique and joyous feeling to the day. I regret not spending more time in these bars in the evening as it feels so pulsating and exciting.
Lunch was included (plus mojito and beer) but was a bit ordinary. A seafood soup, then a plate of possible seafood (very difficult to be certain) and a salad before our main course of shredded meat, rice, optional beans and some diced veg. Then a sort of dark custard tart.
Then came the tour of the rum factory followed by a ride in vintage American cars. 4 cars and 3 stops so we all had a go in all the cars. More like being on a boat than in a car! It seems a lot of turning of the steering wheel for the car to go in a straight line.
Then into another of Hemingways bars, the Floridita, for a free daiquiri. Back for a shower and a change of clothes.
Dinner was on a roof top so that we could hear the cannon that is fired every day at 9.30pm (the only thing in Cuba that is on time). It was perfect in that respect, the lights were turned off for a second, there was an enormous bang and those looking in the right direction (not me) would have seen the flash. Pity about the food! It was ordinary! Chicken or fish cooked in the least imaginative way with rice and some vegetables cooked to destruction!
Food is not a strong point in Cuba. We did get one good meal, at La Paella restaurant in the Hotel Valencia, of a tasty steak.

Welcome to Cuba - Not,

Cheryl and I took the train into Gatwick. 10 minutes after arriving at the station our bags were dropped off and 10 minutes after that we were through security. We boarded at 11.15 and the Virgin Atlantic flight took off on time at 12.30. It was a good flight with good meals and excellent film choice! We landed on time at 6.25 Cuban time after 10 hours in the air.
We entered the immigration "lounge" which was a 50m square room with 18 counters and completely full of people! 2 HOURS later we were at the desk to have our passport number copied by hand and our photo taken. Why? We are required to have a visa, so have already been checked. So who is suspected of entering this country to disrupt it.
It was the WORST entry to any country I have experienced. Worse than Nepal, China, South Africa, America on a bad day and Argentina. Another hour before we were on the coach to the Iberostar Grand Parque; things must improve from now on.
Please get your act together, Cuba!

Hereford's Spring Ball (1,2 March 2014)

Each year Hereford Tango get Jenny and Ricardo to teach and demo at their Spring Ball. I have been on two occasions before and this time Phil came along. We went to 6 workshops on Saturday and Sunday and enjoyed the milonga. All events being held at the Town Hall.

Nottingham's 1st International Tango Festival (13 - 16 Feb 2014)

The Festival was the dream and vision of Kai Dase. It was an outstanding success. I must confess it exceeded my wildest dreams. From the opening milonga at Nottingham Contemporary through to the final party at the Strad Lounge it was wonderful. In between were two crowded milongas at Springfield Hall, some excellent workshops from two teaching couples and professional musicians. Everything that a Festival should have!
(More to follow)