Cuba again

I must say straight away that I've been going regularly to Cuba for many years, where I have very old friends, and that's why I stay with them. They live about 24 km from Havana, in Santiago de las Vegas (the town where Calvino was born), right out in the countryside. I had a proper holiday enjoying the peace of the countryside, the company of the people and nature. The place is lush and banana trees and royal palms predominate. I set off from Argentina, so I can't give advice on flights. At the airport I rented a small car for 21 days and spent a total of 622 euros. If you rent for more than 14 days they give you a bit of a discount, and besides it always pays to bargain: Cubans are Latin Americans and love to bargain. An Italian driving licence is fine. You change into CUC (1 euro = 1.40 CUC); the dollar isn't worth it (it's worth less than a CUC).

It's also worth changing something into pesos; it happened to me that I was looking for something to drink and there were no tourist places, and since Cubans are kind they accepted 50 cents of a CUC, also showing they're honest. It's best to change at the Cadecas, which are found everywhere. I didn't do any big trips. Taking advantage of the car, I went several times to Boca Ciega, Playas del Este, after Santa Maria. A beach with bars and umbrella, board and chair rental (as well as having a car park); since I had a tourist car I paid in CUC (about 10 for the whole day): splendid clean sea, pleasant temperature. Another very beautiful place I went to is Las Escaleras de Jaruco, towards the west.

It's a national park, with the possibility of trekking, children's games, various bars and a nice restaurant, where you pay everything in pesos (proof that Cubans don't only cater for foreign tourism). Another trip I made was to Santa Clara to see Che's mausoleum. The square with the statue smacks of socialist realism, Soviet-style, but the interior is restrained and full of atmosphere. The train is also interesting — the one Che captured at the fall of Santa Clara. The city isn't up to much: a classic colonial town, where everything revolves around the central square. Pleasant nonetheless. I also wandered around the area around Santiago de las Vegas: a very hilly area, lush, with various colonial villages (Bejucal) and San Lazaro, named after the national saint, celebrated in December; actually it's not simply San Lazaro, it's a syncretism with oruba (African) deities.

The sanctuary is interesting. As for Havana, thanks to a friend who plays in the Cuban Symphony Orchestra, I was able to attend at the Teatro Roldán (Vedado) the opening of Cubadisco 2008, dedicated to Africa (next year it will be dedicated to Puerto Rico). A show of great quality thanks above all to a pianist (Frank Fernández) and a group of percussionists (Los Papines) who were truly exceptional. Thanks to my friend (a forestry engineer) I was also able to take part in the "7th meeting on sustainable agriculture" (I don't remember the exact name), very interesting also because there were people from all over Latin America. As for Havana, I know it like the back of my hand and I limited myself to wandering around it, just like that, with no purpose, enjoying the colonial architecture which I find beautiful, especially the Cathedral and Plaza de Armas.

I recommend visiting, right behind Plaza de Armas, Alejo Carpentier's casona, a jewel of a house. I also recommend the Parque de la Fraternidad with the beautiful "Lorca" theatre and, a little further on, towards the malecón, the Prado promenade. There are a great many things to see in Havana, including the Centro Habana, which I found improved compared with 2006, though there's still a lot to do. The sore point is the roads; in some places you have to slalom, and they're aware of it, so much so that they didn't charge me for a wrecked tyre. The police never stopped me; at the checkpoints I kept to the prescribed 60 km/h and... everything went smoothly. I don't think I'm taken for a Cuban; I speak Spanish fluently and correctly, but with a Tuscan accent, yet no one ever asked me anything, not even when I was alone.

When they did me a spontaneous favour (like changing the tyre) I struggled to give them 5 CUC to drink a mojito in my name. Note: the mojito is a nectar, as a friend used to say: the first more or less, the second a bit better, from the third onwards you knock them back and wouldn't stop. I agree. Other observations aren't worth making because I think that with Gustav and Ike the situation has changed a bit compared with May. For example, it seemed to me that supplies and goods available in pesos had increased, but given recent events I don't think what I saw still holds, and I'm waiting for news from my friends (who had no problems, given the area) who have internet at work for more precise news. In conclusion, I feel good in Cuba.

Knowing almost all of Latin America (I've lived in Argentina, Honduras and Brazil, as well as travelled around the continent) it seems to me a country where it isn't inevitable (or they try to make it not so) that people are excluded from society. And that's not nothing in this historical moment of huge social inequalities.