Cuba, Day 09
Textures & People
Being without the Internet for the three official days of mourning for Chavez put me behind. So far so that I missed some days! So, we’ll backtrack to Day Nine.
First, a word about the Cubans we met. People are generous here, if you are open, and while they may not have much, they share. We tried to thank them with some hotel toothpaste, a travel shampoo (both in very short supply for over a month), lotion (hard to get) or a CUC, the Cuban convertible peso that is loosely worth $1. It means a lot where the average monthly wage is about $20. One needs to put things in perspective, however. In Cuba, there is a basic rationing system that provides everyone with enough food to survive on and the opportunity to earn more money to add to the larder. Housing is very inexpensive and almost free. Electricity and water might cost $2-3 per month.
Health care is not only free, but quite excellent. In face, people come from other countries to take advantage of the high level of medical care.
Education is also free, and school uniforms are paid for by the government, so there is no cost to the citizen there. So, while $20 seems like nothing to us, people were healthy looking and clean.
As with any country, there were beggars with sob stories of not enough food, but our guides, including our non-governmental photographer guides, all said this was not true. So, we gave where it seemed appropriate but did not encourage the “professional” beggars. We noticed when we said, “No,” to them, they straightened up, stopped looking helpless, and scooted off to find the next gullible tourist. Most of the people, however, were not like this, and we had so many wonderful encounters during our two weeks in Cuba.
As we were walking along one street, I was invited into one of the buildings. The light was soft, and the laundry blew gently in the breeze. (See photo above.)
When we returned to the same boxing gym we visited last week, we were warmly greeted with handshakes and hugs. The Cubans are a demonstrative people. The people there even remembered our names! More likely, they knew we were coming and looked at the business card we had given them last week. Still, they cared enough to refresh their memories, and that was very welcoming.
We were a little early, and the training had not yet begun for the morning. Our group went off to find some more photographs while we waited. I had an image in mind and waited. The gentleman in the door way is a former boxing champion. We had seen old photos of him inside on the wall when he was in his prime, in his teens. Even today, many, many decades later, he was a fit man.
As I waited, a woman he knew came by and sat down to shake a stone out of her sandal. It was just what I wanted.
While we waited, a group of school children came by. One little boy clearly wanted to be photographed, so I obliged, enchanted by his quirky, for-the-camera smile.
Boxers arrived and got ready. Our group returned, and we drifted into the gym. Some of the boxers recognized us and came over to greet us.
One, a woman, also recognized us, but she was not dressed in her usual boxing garb. Instead, her finery showed off her tattoos. She was moving back to London and dreading it. What a change from Cuba. After three months here, she had decided it was time to move away from London. Perhaps to her little house in Tuscany. Maybe to Havana. She had not yet decided. I had her pose against the wall, with the shadow on the wall echoing the shadow of her arm.
As we left, our boxing-champion friend posed with Arnie.
I cannot resist the textures of Havana. In one house, the railing called to me with its muted, complementary colors.
Next: Roaming the Streets of Havana
Gorgeous!
Thank you! 🙂
Take care,
TBC