The Havana Chronicle, Days 5.2 & 6

Day 5, part 2:

A few things that surprised me during my visit to Havana:

1. Not all of the cars on the road are from 1956. There are Toyotas, Mazdas, Nissans, Kias, Hyundais, Peugots, VWs, Mercedes and I even saw a few BMWs. All those old timey cars that you see in the photos are collective taxis - you get in with six other people and get dropped off somewhere near your destination for the fraction of the price of a door-to-door. Also, they all have new engines in them so it's not like they're running on motors from before the Revolution. The most common car I spotted was the old Soviet Lado:

I want one of these

2. Yes, the TV channels coming through the rabbit ears that the average person has in their home are limited to state-run programming, which includes a sports channel, a noticias & novelas (news & soaps) channel, as well as the Venezuelan All-Chavez-All-the-Time channel. However, there must be a special license given out to some fortunate ones who are allowed to have cable, which includes the aforementioned in addition to the BBC news channel, CNN international, Cartoon Network in Español, CCTV in Chinese and English, VH1, a rotation of European news programming channel, at least three additional sports networks, A&E - sometimes dubbed/sometimes not, and an awesome movie channel that seems to pilfer movies from HBO or similar because occasionally there would be a U.S. cable network watermark in the corner of the screen. 

I know all of this about Cuban cable because I spent a good 24 hours with it running in the background while I tried to keep from running to the bathroom. That said, whatever la doctora gave me was indeed industrial strength as it put my guts into reasonable order within about 8 hours. This is not to say that I was right as rain by the end of day 5, but I was no longer puking or otherwise losing my liquids.

I'd also like to add that her bedside manner was like nothing I've ever experienced or likely ever will in my country of origin because doctors get sued for squeezing and kissing their patients. She must have caressed my face a good four times during our visit and kissed my head once when I was on the verge of tears and then gave me the standard Cuban kiss on the cheek upon departure. Who does that? I was totally receptive in that moment as it was exactly what I needed. I wish we had more of that at home.

Day 6:

I woke up confident that I would be able to keep all of my contents so long as I didn't stray from the previously-scribed and re-scribed diet of rice, broth, papaya and bottled water. I also started my period. And the weather had turned cold. Winning! Well, I guess there was no way I was going to the beach or any other far off location. Nor was I prepared to lose another precious day of Cuba time, so I opted for a taxi ride back to Habana Vieja where I would get on one of those two-hour double decker bus tours because it meant taking in more sights than I would on foot and not having to really move my physical self. I used to laugh at the people who took those goofy bus things, but I have to say, they're actually quite useful for orienting yourself quickly to a place where you don't otherwise have a guide. It served it's purpose totally. Here are my two favorite photos taken from the top of the goofy bus...

Hotel La Victoria Siempre

Hotel Vas Bien Fidel

I felt ok for energy when I debussed so I allowed myself to wander the streets near El Capitolio - more photo evidence...

Dancing in the Calle

Mas Coco Taxis

Vendadero

I have a thing for water covers

Tobacco Factory

I'd like to note that I didn't see one Chinese person during my thorough crawl through Chinatown. Which is actually strange because I believe there has been a sizable population of Chinese folks living in Cuba. I'm guessing they bailed when their relatives abroad told them about the new upwardly mobile economy back home. I know I would.

Brokedown Chinatown

On my final stop that day I went to a little "mall" to see what was doing. It was way weird. There were a lot of security type folks around appearing to take their job very seriously, and I was the only non-Cuban within sight so I didn't feel comfortable using my camera. There were a few shops that sold mostly sporting goods of notable foreign brands. Not sure I could spot a knockoff, but I assumed they were authentic as the prices were slightly higher than what I would pay at home. Those shops were completely empty of customers. There was a general goods store that looked like a 99¢ Store if it had been mostly looted during a riot. In other words, any potentially good stuff gone. There was also a grocery type shop that had a lot of bare shelves and then the occasional rack totally filled with one item like canned pearl onions or water chestnuts or candied fruit sandies all with faded labels, imported from Russia or China. You know, the kind of stuff a person finds at the back of an elderly person's pantry after they die. There was a deep freezer containing what may or may not have been frozen fish. Mystery flesh. And in the entrance of the shopping center was this, which I snapped when the guard at the front was distracted:

Cuban Santa ain't no fat guy

Merry Christmas Eve day to you! 

Stay tuned for the last installment of the Havana Chronicles.