| Wednesday, April 27, 2005 | | | | After successfully catching a sunburn we caught |
| Hello from Cuba (16) - The Final Day | | | | another bus back into town and sat around in a |
| My god, how time flies.... I have now been back from | | | | tourist cafe along the waterfront. A group of |
| Cuba for close to 10 days, and my reentry into the | | | | performance artists on stilts, the so-called "Teatro de |
| business world has been the usual: tons of projects | | | | la Calle" (Street Theatre) came by and perched high |
| to catch up on, accounting stuff to be taken care | | | | up on their stilts, they danced to the ubiquitous |
| off, marketing strategies to be worked out, etc. etc. | | | | rhythms of Salsa. |
| As a result I didn't have time yet to tell you about | | | | Later that afternoon we caught the local ferry to the |
| my final day in Cuba and my reflections and insights | | | | other side of Havana Bay, to a residential |
| after my return. | | | | neighbourhood called "La Regla". This is definitely not |
| On Friday afternoon I checked out the Plaza de la | | | | a tourist area, so we just hopped off, walked around |
| Revolucion, which is the seat of the Fidel Castro's | | | | for a half hour and returned to the ferry dock. Our |
| government and the seat of the "Comite Central" of | | | | effort was rewarded with a view of one of the |
| his communist party. It is a large square that is usually | | | | most beautiful sunsets across Havana Bay before we |
| used for political rallies and speeches and the two | | | | returned to the downtown area to head into the |
| most distinguishing features are a huge image of Che | | | | Barrio Chino for a final tasty, yet affordable meal. |
| Guevara on a building on the west side of the | | | | I headed back to the hotel fairly early since I still had |
| square, as well as the memorial to Jose Marti which is | | | | to pack my suitcase. Sunday morning I took a little |
| composed of an obelisk-like tower and a huge statue | | | | walk through the neighbourhood, taking a few final |
| of the national hero. The Plaza de la Revolucion | | | | snapshots of the area, including the Habana Libre |
| definitely has a very monumental feel to it and I | | | | hotel and the famous Coppelia icecream park. Pedro |
| would have like to be there and experience the | | | | had dropped by and we said our goodbyes in front |
| atmosphere during a rallye or speech. | | | | of my hotel. |
| Well, Saturday, April 16 was my last full day in Cuba. | | | | My friend Pedro had been my tourguide, my local |
| The day started out rainy and grey but the weather | | | | expert and my bodyguard against the constant |
| managed to clear up nicely, so much so that I forgot | | | | onslaught of male attention for close to 2 weeks and |
| to put on sunscreen and I got myself burned on my | | | | we had developed a great friendship. We dropped by |
| arms pretty badly. I now officially have a tanline half | | | | at his sister-in-laws who works in the neighbourhood |
| way down my upper arm since I was wearing a | | | | and another round of goodbyes was exchanged. |
| t-shirt with sleeves - not a pretty sight.... | | | | In the airport shuttle I connected with another young |
| My trusted friend and tour guide Pedro came to | | | | woman from Vancouver who had also attended a |
| meet me early for our last excursion around Havana. | | | | 2-week course at the University of Havana and we |
| As we had done earlier in the week, we walked | | | | exchanged stories and experiences on our way, in |
| towards downtown and there were a few things | | | | Spanish, of course. |
| that I had not seen yet. We walked all the way to | | | | I think what made this trip so unique and special was |
| the Capitolio and caught a public bus across the bay | | | | the fact that I had the opportunity to connect with |
| to get to the famous statue "Cristo de la Habana", a | | | | locals and to be immersed and receive a personal |
| 17m high statue dating to the late 1920s, that looks | | | | introduction to the Cuban lifestyle. I had made a real |
| at downtown Havana and the harbour entrance from | | | | effort to seek out contacts with locals, in |
| a ridge on the other side of the water. | | | | restaurants, in the bank, at the bus station, at the |
| The view from up there was fabulous. We saw the | | | | university, really whereever I could. |
| entire skyline of Havana (obviously pretty devoid of | | | | My experience in Cuba was made most special by |
| skyscrapers), had a view of the entire Bay of | | | | the people that I met. I really have to thank Pedro, |
| Havana and saw a huge cruise ship anchored at the | | | | his family, my friend Sandra in Vinales and all the |
| Terminal Sierra Maestra. (Incidentally, due to the | | | | other local Cubans who showed me great hospitality |
| embargo, any cruise ship docking in Cuba is not | | | | and who taught me so much about this strange and |
| allowed to dock in the US for 6 months..). | | | | unique country. |