“When first in the dim light of early morning I saw the shores of Cuba rise and define themselves from dark-blue horizons, I felt as if I sailed with Captain Silver and first gazed on Treasure Island. Here was a place where real things were going on. Here was a scene of vital action. Here was a place where anything might happen. Here was a place where something would certainly happen. Here I might leave my bones.”
Winston Churchill, on visiting Cuba in 1898
First comes the stink of diesel, then a metallic roar, and finally a tower of black smoke that tells you the “camello” — the camel — has reached
your stop.
These hulking 18-wheeled beasts, iron mutants made of two Soviet-era buses welded together on a flatbed and pulled by a separate cab, have long been
Havana’s public transport nightmare — bumpy, hot and jammed with up to 400 passengers at a time.
But their gradual disappearance is a telling sign of change in the twilight of the Fidel Castro age. The last “camello” is expected to go out of service in Havana on Sunday night.
I got an email from Cuba today. My best translation makes me believe this is among one of the best love letters I have ever received. Though … there are a few points where I’m not 100% certain exactly what it says. Is he afraid I will forget him? Or is he afraid he will [...]
I’m home. I’m not ready for this yet. Though, it’s a welcome change from the last 24 hours I spent in Cancun. (Too mucking fuch, as the billboard read.) I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning looking at pictures, listening to the music that’s popular in Cuba right now, and unpacking (which [...]
What I miss: La musica. La gente. The state slogans and propaganda everywhere The lack of other advertisements. The absence of other Americans. Miguel. The music. The way the Cubans move their bodies on the dance floor. The sloppy Cuban spanish. The heated discussions about La Lucha. ¡Candela! Miguel. Denis. Sandro. Baseball played with sticks [...]
I’m in Cancun at the moment. I feel as though I’m in purgatory. Actually, it *is* purgatory for me. Though being home in Portland sounds okay, there are a few things/people that I miss (toilet paper, running water, good food, among them), leaving Cuba was absolutely heartbreaking. I can’t believe there are people who actually [...]
Ahhh … Havana. I felt my heart and soul connect with this city as soon as I arrived the first time, and though I had a wonderful time in “el campo” (the countryside), I was incredibly happy to return again. Each new town I visited, I felt like I had to learn Cuba all over [...]
Viva la Revolución! The sound of Cienfuegos was not as much music (as everywhere else I’ve been) but of horse’s hoofs clapping along the pavement. Horse driven carts seemed to be the primary method of transport. This is probably not actually the case, but being quite used to the sound of cars on the street, [...]
Trinidad is beautiful. I can’t believe how lucky I got with the people I’m staying with here. I noticed one girl with red shorts in a huge crowd of jinteros at the bus station when I arrived, just this one somehow stood out. As soon as I had my backpack on, I was hit by [...]
Ahhh … dios mio! Have I got some stories for you!! Unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait. Though I have a lot of stories, I don’t have a lot of time. (Though, the hour wait and the $6.00 to get on this computer even for just a little while was well worth it to [...]
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