March 29 -
We awoke at 10 and took our time getting ready for the day. We made it out of the house by about 11:30 and ran into Erik and Elvis on the street. They made fun of us for sleeping so late and wondered why we weren't heading off to the Playa. Bill explained that we preferred street scenes and watching people than sitting on a beach burning.
We started wandering around but my stomach was starting to hurt, which told me I needed food fast! We headed over to Victrola, a cafe off of Plaza Vieja. There was live music for lunch and that band was hot. I bought a CD. Sitting next to us was a group of Italians who were shocked that the bar didn't take Euros, only CUCs.
As I mentioned the band was very good, and suddenly, I noticed that there were a couple of pairs of dancers on the tiny floor. One couple were extremely good dancers. The woman moved effortlessly and so smoothly and was partnered so well, they seemed like a single unit. It was mesmerizing to watch. They danced for 2 or 3 numbers and were joined by a pair of the Italians. They just crowded the floor so we couldn't see the other pair. Turned out the excellent pair of dancers were Cuban, which came as no surprise.
Our wandering took us to a post office where Bill tried to explain to the woman behind the glass that he wanted colorful stamps for 20 post cards to the US. She was really wonderful. She got out a bunch of really pretty stamps for him. Then he told her he was a collector and could she give him another bunch for his collection. Again, she could not have been more helpful. He then asked for change in moneda nacional, which again she was happy to do for him. For her efforts, Bill gave her the choice of 2 of his foreign bill notes that he carried with him. She was so amazed, pleased, and shocked, that she then gave a couple of very old stamps, "por los collecion". I can still see her shocked look when we told her she could have 2 bill notes, not just one! Like a little kid, priceless.
We looked into a Museo Arabicos and wondered what it was. A woman was explaining to me that the items displayed therein were all gifts given to Fidel by leaders of Arab countries. There were models of several boats including one that was Fidel’s own yacht. I heard this screeching out in the courtyard and sort of knew the sound, but couldn’t quite place it. It was a bird of some kind….then once outside, aha, now I know, it was a peacock!
We wandered into an adult beverage dispensary, in other words, a bar because I was so parched. We ordered a large bottle of water for me, and a beer for Bill. I must have downed half that bottle myself! There was live music there as well and some dancers too. The band was good, but the dancers we watched a lunch were better. The young woman, while very pretty, did not move with the same fluidity as the woman we saw at lunch.
On to the Museo de Numismatics which was virtually next door. One great thing was that it was air conditioned! Blessedly, for me! The collections were marginally interesting. The first floor contained ancient coins and medals. Upstairs, were the coins of Cuba minted at various locations, some in Spain, and some in the US. It was very interesting to see the most recent bill notes and the specimens for the convertible currency.
Walking westward toward Centro, we found a hole in the wall selling soft serve ice cream. It was some of the best ice cream I've had, period. Full flavored, great texture. Yum. We walked down Muralla and then zigged down Amagura before going into a church. It was a very lovely church. Not too big, not too small, just the right size for the space and it had a beautiful dome over the sacristy (?). We didn't know what the name of the church was, still don't, but it was the first church that we went into while here on the Island.
Across from the church was a group of benches, which we took advantage of. While there, I watched a young boy torment a small street dog. He chased the dog, at first I thought it might have been his dog and it was being a "bad" dog. It became clear that this was a game for the boy, not so much for the dog. The dog settled down behind a fence, just out of reach, and the boy became bored. He rooted around in a trash bin and found some plastic folders, which he immediately set on fire with some matches he picked up off the ground. It wasn't that act that was surprising, it was how he chose to set them on fire. He sat on the bench, and put the folders under his butt, mostly sticking out toward his thighs. He then spread his legs wide, and proceeded to first melt, then burn the folders. I had visions of him slapping his crotch to put out the fire. He then left the little park area only to return and root through the trash and find some bubble wrap. I guess that was more fun that torturing the dog. He then proceeded to dismantle a broken wheel chair by slamming it onto the concrete over and over again. That stopped because the bubble wrap was calling his name. Pop, pop, pop....relative calm and the dog finally slept.
I picked En del Entrente for dinner. We ate on the terrace upstairs overlooking the street. Well, we weren't that close to see over the parapet to the street! We ordered the ceviche to share and Bill got the lobster tacos and I got the grilled chicken. Everything was very tasty. I had a michelada, using a Bucanero beer and their special spicy sauce. It was sooooo good. Bill was not a fan!
We wandered homeward and realized that we needed to buy some water for the room. I also was jonesing for a night cap. Stopping in the Florida Hotel, we used our wifi cards and heard some bad news that a friend's son had passed away. No other info, so sad, so young. Unfortunately, the wake was today, and we are here in Cuba, or we would have gone.
We went into the O'Reilly cafe and I had a shot of aged rum, and Bill, a beer. Great head space to head home in.....
Then the weird stuff happens. Erik, who has been fantastic so far, knocks on the door and is explaining to me that the price of the taxi has dropped to 70 CUC instead of 80, so far so good, but that there will be 4 persons in the cab....Bill exits the bathroom just in time to ask what is going on. And then things get a bit hairy. Bill is feeling taken advantage of, if we are being asked to pay 35 per person for the ride, but the others are only paying 25, that isn't fair. He finally persuaded Erik that it is the principle of the thing that is at stake, not the money. Erik calls his friend and renegotiated the deal so that we pay 30 each. Turns out that there was a 5th person in the cab who ended up splitting the driving, which we did not know until about 1.5 hours into the drive.
It took a lot out of Bill, he is sleeping quietly as I am typing. He hates confrontation, and as confrontations go, this was not a big one, but it was all done speaking Spanish and trying very hard not to sound like a jerk, he did not.
No comments:
Post a Comment