March 22 - Camaguey
Aneli and Roberto were our hosts. Roberto told us about a Fiesta in the southern part of the city. Fiesta de Tinjones. Festival of the Water Jars. The Tinjone is the symbol of Camaguey, as they used them to collect rain water.
We ate a lovely breakfast at the casa. Cuban brekkies are really wonderful and nutritious…fresh fruit, fresh fruit smoothies, grilled bread, cheese, ham, eggs. It will certainly fill you up for a day of wandering about the city.
Camaguey is a quaint city/town. A ton of UNESCO money flowed in there recently and the city spent it well. The streets are clean, buildings well kept and commerce flowing smoothly.
The walk to the Fiesta took us through the historic center down Republica until it ran into Libertad. At their juncture was the start of
When we arrived, there was nothing going on. It was being set up. Bandstands were being erected, stalls set up, schools were released early and general slow-mo mayhem. We decided that it would be better visited later in the day.
We were hopeful, because when we exited the area, this group was gathered. There was no performance at this time, which we were hoping for.
We knew that we had to find the bus station so that we could get a ticket to Trinidad for the correct date. I used the app maps.me (which is great as it does not require the internet). We followed the course that it set out. Heading off the streets to unpaved roads. Here, we were certainly off the tourist path! There were chickens running around, and old cars in various stages of repair, as well as wash hung out to dry. The houses were small and tidy, with assorted improvised fencing. It could be sheets of tin or plantings or re-bar driven into the ground. We exited onto a paved road after about 15 minutes of walking on the dusty paths. Turned right and found an entrance to the bus depot. We walked in, and were quickly met by 2 guards, which we had not seen hide nor hair of earlier. They indicated that we could not walk down this way and directed us a few blocks further down the road to the “proper” entrance.
We go into the bus station, which looks like any other bus station; high ceilings, a few fans, and rows of uncomfortable-looking chairs. We find the ticket window, actually an office with the door open to allow the meager breeze to penetrate, and were informed that the only bus to Trinidad was at 2:35 AM….Say What????? 2:35 AM…. That was not going to happen!
We walked back and I figured out that we could have avoided all of the dusty bits by staying on the main road, but it was certainly scenic going that way.
We headed back to the Fiesta, our 2nd visit, hoping that things would be happening. We entered at the main stage, which was empty and no more set up then when we went through 2 hours earlier! Walking up the street, same experience!
We wandered around the area, heading down random streets. The area was full of these colonial homes, painted in various pastel shades with or without the parapet flourishes. Most homes/buildings in the town were at most 3 stories.
We decided to head over to Plaza San Juan Dios to find dinner. There were 3 restaurants to choose from. 2 state run ones, Tres Reyes and Toledo, and the 3rd, 1800. In the plaza were a group of kids playing pitch and catch and we decided to go to one of the state restaurants, Tres Reyes. They had 4 or 5 set menus and we opted for the beef and fish choices. It was ok. As always, the rice and beans were spectacular!
As dusk fell, the boys switched from baseball to soccer. They had a handmade “ball” of sorts and were playing striker and keeper using the steps of the church and a building across from it as their respective goals. As with all children, it became apparent that there was a hierarchy of who is in and who is out. When an “out” boy came by, he was chased away. He retaliated by throwing things at them, including some rocks. The “soccer” game continued until after dark.
We felt, for sure at this point in the evening, that the Fiesta would be up and running. Yeah! The bandstands were hopping with musical and dance performances. The bandstand at the entrance, when we arrived, had a music and dance troupe performing an afro-cuban slave dance with a back up band.
I was struck with my feelings as I watched the various dances and performers. I felt shame in my observation of a slave narrative and had trouble integrating into a modern setting. My discomfort stemmed from the celebration of slavery (at least through the music and dance of the era) and applauding. I was not sure how to resolve the emotions. Relief came with moving along the street and heading into an alley where another stage was set up.
Here, there were 2 singers and a couple of guitars as back up. One was female and the other male. They were singing cuban love songs. Bill and I were at the back of the area and decided to dance. It was a sweet moment.
At the next large stage on the main street was a modern dance performance with 6 - 8 lithe dancers. It was seemed to be about a pair of lovers that were unable to be together, whether this is because of society or death, I could not discern! The whole interpretation could be off too!
We strolled through the rest of the Fiesta stopping at the main stage hoping there would be something happening. No performance, but there were some food stalls up and running. The usual carnival treats in Cuba are ice cream, churros, smoothies (with or without ron, which is rum in Cuba), and popcorn. We got the popcorn, which is ubiquitous all over the country. You can’t be in a tourist area without having a popcorn or peanut cone thrust at you!
We dragged ourselves home, having put in about 10 miles, as each trip to the Fiesta was just under 2 miles, not counting the bus station! Oy, just a bit stiff the next day!
No comments:
Post a Comment