Family living in Trinidad
December 1 and where has the last week gone. The change of months reminded us for the first time that we had done zero back home for Christmas preparation. We have our work cut out for us when we return. But it also served as a reminder that Christmas, while celebrated by at least the 10% of the Cuban population that proclaims to be Catholic, is not a big consumer driven holiday in Cuba. Very few decorations are seen and the business structure lacks stores to shop in and availability of consumer goods. Christmas is just not a big thing and focuses more on family rather than bundles of gifts. I don't want to be nailed as a bah humbug curmudgeon, but maybe they have something here.
Once again, my morning starts with an early morning walk in the surrounding streets of Trinidad. The early light is good and I was up close with some home addition projects that seemed to be being built as family resources (money and material) became available. Similar to what I had seen in other parts of Cuba. The construction is a long way from meeting our codes and some of the masonry craftsmanship seemed to reflect homespun block laying. Because housing expansion has not grown with the population and income levels necessitates a pooling of family incomes, many of the homes will house two or three generations of the family. The only way to accommodate the growing number in the house is to add an addition to the house and many times this is vertical. I hope earthquakes stay away.
Our first stop is a short walk to a woodcarver’s studio and home tucked into the old city residential buildings. Lazarus and Lianis Niebla hosted our visit to their home. A young, proud, talented and enthusiastic couple, the prosperity from their art was shown in a well maintained home. As in most cases you would not guess how nice the inside of the home is when you look at the outside of the building.
Lazarus is an extraordinary woodcarver. His carvings, using interesting character models, the three dimensional aspect of woodcarving and an artistic use of dyes and colorings made for some unique art. His work goes for very high prices and at the time of our visit he was preparing for a show in the US and none of his carvings were for sale. Lianis is a knitter and had some of her products displayed with the promise that we could visit her outlet down the street after we finished at her house. We had quite a bit of time to view their art and knitting products and question them about their techniques and lifestyle under the Cuban system. A good visit.
The knit shop proved to be very popular and Mary is now the proud owner of a piece she wore more than once on the remainder of the trip.
Next stop was a private home. Lili Echirea opened her home for us. She explained that her home now housed three generations of the family including her brother in law and wife. It was compact, neat and her hospitality was full of warmth. We discussed household expenses and budget. She showed us copies of her utility bills and much like the cost for food rations, these expenses are artificially low and certainly do not reflect the typical utility expenses we have in the USA. As an example her recent electrical bill was 50 peso or approximately $2 and her water bill was 2 pesos or 8 cents. Not bad, but unfortunately service might not be so dependable in parts of Cuba.
She had twin sons, one completing a computer engineering degree and the other now in medical school. Ricardo, a software engineer was at home and shared his perspective on his education and the job he currently holds. He supplements his income by working on computers for other people. Reynaldo showed up at mom’s place for lunch. In his first year of medical school, he discussed his curriculum and how he will be geographically placed by the Cuban government when he finishes his mandatory 3 years of public service. Both brothers were enthusiastic about their future. Ricardo, the computer expert discussed his use of email and Facebook and it served as a reminder that the generation now coming of age will have discussions, dialog and contact with people all over the world. I am not sure this means anything but it is easy to feel that this massive worldwide communication process is one of the first steps to yielding a world of people that just may think peace is a better option than killing their Facebook buddies. I don’t want to get all philosophical in a travel blog but hearing Ricardo discuss his contacts with the world outside Cuba made me think we just may have better times ahead of us.
From Lili’s house we took a walk to the center of the old city, the streets are narrow and the cobblestones are an ankle twister in waiting. Known as the Valley of Sugar Mills, the Trinidad area was a major sugar producer utilizing the forced labor of over 30,000 slaves. The Plaza Mayor of Trinidad reflects the sugar generated wealth, serving as an open air museum of old Spanish Colonial architecture. With cobblestone streets, houses in pastel colors, lots of iron work and the Santisma Trinidad Cathedral framing the center, the plaza is a good place to hang out. With the option to have lunch at the hotel or select a local paladar, John and I chose a paladar and had lunch with Allan.
We reconvened in early afternoon to do more walking in old Trinidad, view some of the sugar mansions and visit a museum located in an old mansion built by one of the sugar barons. The museum was interesting and demonstrated the wealth built during the booming sugar days when slavery provided much of the labor. The tower that arose out of the museum consisted of several flights of increasingly one-way narrow and steep steps. On top, it provided a fantastic view of Trinidad city and the surrounding countryside. It wouldn’t be a bad place to take in a sunset but that was not in the cards for today.
Some of our group took the short drive in our bus to the beach and reported on some good scenery and Soviet built beach resorts. Mary and I didn’t make this trip. We returned to the hotel and put our feet up for a much needed rest. The hotel is really putting out the service to please us. Our room maids have been arranging our towels and when available, a piece of clothing, into a fabric sculpture placed on the bed. A nice artful greeting when you walk into the room.
Dinner was again near the old city center in another sugar financed mansion. Our host, the owner was an architect and had done a great job on restoring this old mansion into a very nice paladar. After dinner he gave us his time to discuss his renovations, the problems he encountered and how he finds the skilled labor required for the improvements. A very good meal was the bonus.
Back to the hotel. Internet services are actually reasonably good. Trying to stay current on email, business and other activities is a real intrusion on a good vacation but it is better than getting back to the USA and being buried in 1,000 emails.
Family Living in Trinidad
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Trinidad, Cuba
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