Return to Havana

  Havana, Cuba
Sunday, December 3, 2006

After a one night stop in Camaguey we got back up to Havana. We got the night bus the whole way and the only thing to mention on the bus was the fact that we knocked down an animal along the way... we all thought that it was a human, but it wasn't.... thank God!
 
We got into the bus station at 7am, and got a taxi to the Casa Particular of Fefita and Luis.. remember them ?
Well, no sooner were we in the door than Fefita sat us down on the couch...... BIG DRAMA in HAVANA!!!! She told us that the government had banned people in Havana Vieja from renting out their rooms to tourists.... why ?.... because it was Fidels birthday celebration and they didn't want tourists there!!! Ok!!! So, what does that mean for us ?
Well..... first off, we weren't allowed to tell anyone that we were staying there. Next up... everytime that we left the room, we had to pack everything into our backpacks and put them into the cupboard... including Sarahs guitar!!! All this for 3 days!!! To be honest it was funny for the first 20 minutes... I swear..... I felt like Anne Frank with a beard!!!!! 
 
The lady of the house, Fefita, kept going on about her "Trabajo", i.e. work. Twas getting a bit irritating, the only thing she actually did was sit in the house all day!!!! Luis' job was ...... cleaning up after breakfast... that was HIS trabajo!! She kept on saying that they couldn't afford food for her family (both daughters are married and not living at home any more!!) nor could they afford shoes.... but we figured this was all a jig for the tourists! Why did we figure this? ...... she couldn't afford food or shoes.... ok then....... how in the name of bejaysus could you afford 3 fridges, 2 48" televisions, 2 stereo systems, a computer (which is illegal for people to have also) and at least one fan in each room !!!!!!!!!! Smell the bulls*it methinks!!! Sorry for another rant!
 

01 Raul Castro on the TV

Anyways.... back to the festivities. Saturday 3rd December was the delayed date for the Cuban people to celebrate Fidels 80th birthday, his actual birthday is Aug 13th but he was too ill to have a party. The reason the 3rd December was selected was because that this was the date of the 50th Anniversary of the landing of the Granma boat, which was the beginning of the Revolution. On the Friday night there was a HUGE fireworks display, which must have cost an absolute fortune to stage.
On the Saturday, we were up at 7am in the morning... all set to head to the Plaza de Revolucion for the big party, which was on from 8am to 10am. However, Fefita said to us... you will not be allowed near the place, so don't bother going. There was a Dutch couple there too, and they decided not to go. We said that we'd watch some of it on the TV and then try and catch the ending of it.
To be honest, we did the right thing, we were able to see everything on the TV. It was cool seeing the jets fly over on the TV and then look out the window and see them flying over our heads. It was wierd enough seeing the parade on the TV, knowing that it was only taking place down the road..... tanks, rockets, fighter jets.... and buckets n buckets of soldiers marching by... it made the Dublin St. Patricks Day Parade look like a bunch of clowns going for a stroll in the park (well actually, that is what it looks like anyway, isn't it). Then they all started shouting out the whole "Viva Fidel", "Viva la Revolucion".... that was just nutz!!!

08 On the way to the parade

  At about 9.15am we headed out and made our way down to the Plaza de Revolucion, all the people were making their way back, but for some reason there didn't seem to be that many. We passed hundreds of buses all parked up and engines running. As we approached the Plaza there was an awful lot of coppers.... and guess what... they wouldn't allow us in... typical!!! We walked around the place trying to get in... but no joy. We met loads of other tourists, some who had flown over from the UK just to get the celebration, and they told us that NO TOURISTS were allowed into the parade.... fecking lovely.... at least we saw it on the TV. As we chatted and gave out about the whole thing, the cleaning crew arrived.

11 Us with the Cleanup crew

They came carrying Anti Bush signs and were shouting and roaring at the tourists to take pictures of them. As you can see from the photos, they even wanted photos of us with them!!!! Funny!!
As we walked back into the centre of Havana... the people were all piling onto the buses. They had all been shipped in to Havana JUST to take part in the parade... and then bused back home again. Obviously they were the folk that were loyal to the regime.... no anti-establishment banners to be seen from there to Ireland!!

After basing the trip to Cuba around the party celebrations.... it was a pain the bum that Fidel didn't even turn up.... he was too ill, and wrote a letter to the nation via the national paper... boooorringg!!!

20 Cigar smokin in Havana

 
 

Seeing as we were in Cuba and seeing as we were in Havana... had to smoke a cigar!!! What a howl.... we bought some cigars... won't say how or where... and we smoked the one between us, well, Mike smoked most of it!! 
 


 
So, that was Cuba!!!!
Our recommendations:
1. DEFINITELY try and get to Cuba.
2. DON'T try and backpack it..... go the whole hog.
3. Stay for a maximum of 2 weeks.
4. Hire out a car and drive around, create your own itinerary.
5. Biggest thing.... don't be afraid of spending money and you'll have a ball!
 
 
Peace out and Viva la Revolucion!!