Viva La Revolucion!!! Part II

At night we had a ourselves a nice little gay date. I ended up picking a spot for dinner that was entirely too romantic for two single straight males. The food was how you say “ehhhhh”. I was fairly surprised and not surprised by how bland all the food was. When you think Cuba you think tons of culture and awesome food with spices yada yada. But it wasn’t except for one occasion, which I will get to later.

After our dinner we hit up the Jazz Club La Zorra y El Cuervo. Apparently this is one of the most popular jazz clubs in all of Havana. It was pretty sweet. It was nice to go and listen to an authentic jazz band in Cuba and smoke on some cigars.

Another big thing to do here is to go to Cabaret’s. Unfortunately we didn’t get to one. They are fairly expensive. Plus we were on a budget and seeing we couldn’t access any additional cash being a Yankee Imperialist and all.

After the jazz we hit up a night club at the top of what looked like your everyday office building. It was pretty decent. Bunch of young guys and girls dancing to salsa all freaky and sexual. Just the way my K9 style likes it.

We lasted about 30 minutes there and had to call it quits. I was completely exhausted from all the walking around. So we headed home to hit the sack.

The next morning we decided to set our sights on a more up and coming part of Havana, Vedado. To get to Vedado we would have to walk along the world famous Malecon. What can I say…the Malecon was pretty badass. The Malecon is 8km seawall. Constructed during the American Administration in 1901, it snakes along the coast of Havana. In rougher months, waves splash high over the wall, soaking cars and strollers alike. Below is a picture I took along with video of us taking one of these broke ass taxis to next our destination Hotel Nacional.

Hotel Nacional was something we hadn’t intended on seeing and I’m glad we did. The hotel was built in 1930. In 1933 the US-Backed dictator Gerado Machado was overthrown during a popular uprising, and month later army sergeant Fulgencio Batista seized power. Two months later, some 300 army officers displaced by Batista’s coup sought refuge in the newly opened Hotel Nacional, where the US ambassador Sumner Wells was staying. Aware that the reins of power had changed hands, Ambassador Wells found urgent business elsewhere and Batista’s troops attacked the officers, many of whom were shot after surrendering.

The hotel’s tiled lobby, oversized chairs and aristocratic air capture the atmosphere of a bygone era and nice place for a coffee or cocktail. Below are some pictures I took of a return night visit. My co-worker and I chilled out on some comfy couches, smoked some authentic Cubans, and listened to some Latin Jazz.

Our next stop after the hotel was the US Interest Office. Man was that an interesting experience. It’s a modern 7-story building with high security fencing. The office was first setup by the Carter administration in the late 1970s. Surrounded by hysterical graffiti that links Bush to all kinds of monsters including Hitler, Below are a few billboards that were facing when we arrived.

Facing the front is the Plaza Tribuna Anti Imperialista, built during the Elian Gonzalez affair to host major in your face protests. Contests, protests, and marches – some one million strong – are held there.

Something also very peculiar can be found there. There are 175 flag poles in front of the building adorning black flags. These poles are to counter the enormous red sign on the interior of the US Interest building that broadcast messages to the Cuban public. From Wiki “In January 2006, USINT began displaying messages on a scrolling “electronic billboard” in the windows of their top floor. Messages include the George Burns quotation, “How sad that all the people who would know how to run this country are driving taxis or cutting hair.”Following a protest march, the Cuban government erected a large number of poles, carrying black flags with single white stars, obscuring the messages. In June 2006, Granma International referred to the billboard as the systematic launching of the crudest insults of our people via the electronic billboard, which, in violation of the most elemental regulations of international law, they think they can maintain with impunity on the facade of that imperial lair.”

After the US Interests building we decided to head off to the Plaza De La Revolucion. Along the way I took some pretty sweet pics of some cool graffti. Pics below.

The Plaza De La Revolucion, predates 1959, was once call the Plaza de la Republica. Although this gigantic square has come to symbolize the Cuban Revolution due to the huge political rallies held here in the ‘60s, most buildings date from the Batista era. On important occasions Castro and others (including the Pope) have addressed up to 1.2 million Cubans and supporters from the podium star-shaped, 142m-high Memorial Jose Marti. Pics of the square the monument below.

Right across from the memorial is the Ministerio del Interior. It was easy to spot due to the huge memorial to Che Guevara mural with the slogan “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” (Always toward Victory!). Pics below

On the way to the plaza we also got to see something rather unusual, a skate park. It was pretty crazy. About a half a mile from the plaza there was a skate park teaming with young Cubans getting their extreme sports on to the tunes of Prodigy, POD, and more. I was really surprised to see this. It just showed how far apart two generations were. Old status quote socialist and this young vibrant crew of kids who were obviously hooked on a more progressive (I won’t say American here) way of life. It was a real clash of ideals. I got some pretty sweat videos of the kids in the park. One kid in particular pulls a front flip on roller blades. He doesn’t stick it in the video but he has balls none the less.

The last and final stop for the day was to the Necropolis Cristobal Colon. A minicity of granite, marble, and loved ones, this is Cuba’s most important cemetery . It’s even laid out like a metropolis of the dearly departed, with numbered streets and avenues on a rectangular grid. This cemetery is home to a number of major figures in Cuba. There’s too many to mention.

One mention however, is Eduardo Chibas. During the 1940s and early 50s Chibas was relentless crusader against political corruption, and as personal protest he committed suicide during a radio broadcast in 1951. At his burial ceremony a young Orthodox activist named Fidel Castro jumped atop Chibas grave and made a fiery speech denouncing the old establishment – the political debut of the most influential Cuban of the 20th century.

A bronze plaque one block from the cemetery entrance, marks the spot where Fidel proclaimed the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution on April 16, 1961, at a funeral service for those killed during a counter-revolutionary raid on Habana air base the previous day.

And so ended our 2nd day.

If you’ve read this far I thank you for your interest in the little history lesson I’ve been running on about for what seems like an eternity. I’m going to wrap this up with two major highlights of our last day in Havana.

The first was a trip we paid to a cigar factory in Centro Habana. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures because they don’t allow cameras on the premise. It was pretty amazing to see the setup. They had different sets of teams that were responsible for grooming the tobacco leaves, to rolling the cigars, to boxing and labeling. For those who try their hand at becoming cigar rollers only a handful make it. Apparently out of a class of 20 or 30 students maybe 2 to 3 actually become cigar rollers.

Sounds like a pretty skilled trade right? Wrong! I thought I’d asked our guide if the guys/gals who make it get paid a higher wage. A classic paranoid performance on his part…he looks over both shoulders and leans in to say “Socialism Bro”. So there you have it.

What was even more amazing was the conversation that followed. We chatted for a little bit between each part of the tour. He found out we were American and pulled me aside to ask me this question

“So who do you think is going to win the election?”

Here you have a young Cuban who is supposed to see America as the great capitalist devil wondering what would happen in the upcoming election. Not trying to get on my high horse but man did this open my eyes to how much influence we have on the world around us. You think some car factory guide in the US gives a shit about the fate of Cuba once Raul is in power. Hell no. The world is watching people. It’s not just a historic election for us Americans but for the entire world. We are about to elect THE most powerful person in the world. When you put it in those terms its important that we try and see the world not only from our closed little prism but also from the eyes of those who are watching. We can’t cut ourselves off from the world with our archaic foreign policy. It hasn’t worked yet.

Enough preaching…sorry gang…don’t hit the close button on the browser just yet. I have one last treat.

It’s about the last major highlight of the our trip, Paladar La Guarida. For the most part the food on the trip was pretty bland except for our last major meal at Paladar La Gaurida.

Located on the top floor of a spectacular dilapidated Habana tenement., La Guarida’s lofty reputation rests on its move-location setting (Fresa y Chocolate was filmed in this building). The food, as might be expected, is up there with Habana’s best. I liken the interior of the restaurant to one of those cozy Italian restaurants you find in south Philly that’s adorned with intimate pictures of the past. The only difference is that it’s Cuban cuisine and the pictures are of mega celebrities from all over the world. The wall next to the table we sat down had the pictures of the following people: Sean Pean, Steven Speilberg, Sting, Jack Nicolson, Matt Dilon, Namoi Campbell, and Colin Farrell.

For the life of me I couldn’t remember my main course but it was a excellent non the less. My appetizer was yellowfin tuna ceviche with lemon and coconut sauce. The desert was similar to a chocolate soufflé. Below are some pictures of the interior building and room where the Paladar was held.

Well gang that’s it. I hope you enjoyed it. I would highly recommend taking a trip if you can. At least before Fidel kicks the bucket. Rumors of change are on the horizon. However remember Raul was out in the jungle fighting with king knuckle head so you can believe his ideals are similar to his big bro’s.

One last parting shot to Lonely Planet. I do need to say that I used them as a reference for a number of items highlighted throughout this blog. So if you are planning a trip go buy a book by them.

Next on the blog horizon is my trip to Granada, Nicaragua. Keeping checking the blog.

If you’ve read this far leave a comment and let me know what you think.