CUBAN NOTES

27 July 2003
We arrived in Cuba the evening of the final day of the annual independence celebration.  Although it is just a hop, skip and jump from Port-au-Prince, we were too pooped to party in the streets.  Next time.

30 July 2003
We have been in Santiago de Cuba for three days.  Santiago is beautiful with a mixture of black, white and bronze skinned mulatto peoples. I’m told this is the second largest city, but I’m not sure of the population number.  It is a walking city.  People walk everywhere, all time of the day and night and all in the street.  The cars and motorcycles zoom pass and the pedestrians just hop out of the way non-emotional.  I think it’s healthy and I like it.

Last night I interviewed a smallish gray haired man named Roberto, a freedom fighter who fought along side “El Presidente” Fidel Castro against Fulgencio Bastista’s regime.  Through the interpreter Professor Gumersindo, he told me he was caught several times and tortured.  His name and photo are in the garrison museum in a book of those who suffered.  It was interesting to hear his story.

31 July
Hot, Hot, Hot!  Still in Santiago, but taking the train to Havana tomorrow in the evening.  I hung out with a 72 year-old, but middle-aged looking guy named Roberto.  He is Jamaican descent, but was raised in Cuba.  His parents came to Cuba in 1919 to work.  He speaks perfect English.  He showed me where to buy my train ticket and was very helpful because my Spanish is shaky, but I get by.  For helping me I treated him to a couple of cold beers at Plaza Delores.  I also gave him a cigarette lighter as a gift.  
I was thrilled to talk to him about traveling and his life in Cuba.  When he was younger, he was a merchant marine and traveled quite a bit.  He went to Asia, Europe, and the United States, but chose to return to Cuba.  I asked him if he felt there were differences between the blacks, mulattos and whites here.  He said, “When Bastiste was in power, there was racism and much discrimination.”  He felt Fidel got rid of that. He told me that a Haitian woman raised Fidel, and he saw how she was treated in the public.  Roberto felt the ill treatment of Fidel’s surrogate mother had something to do with his (Fidel) wanting equal treatment for all.  Roberto now felt there was no difference . . . well, between most Cubans.  

3 August-  Havana, Cuba
We arrived in Havana around 5:30 a.m.  The small sleepy station was starting to awaken with the shuffle and busseling of passengers and workers. 
I planned to meet up with Ola for dinner, but forgot to get the number to where she was staying.  It was funny how we met.  Julian and I were standing in line to board the train and I saw this woman holding a purple passport from Great Britian. I said to Julian loud enough for her to hear, “I wonder what is she doing in Cuba?” Ola smiled and said in return, “ More importantly I wonder how and why you two are here in Cuba?”  We ended up sitting together and talking most of the 10-hour trip from Santiago to Havana.