Cuba : Day 4: Santiago de Cuba

Day 4: The next morning was a relief! We had turned the corner around the island and into the Bay of Santiago de Cuba. We had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room and then prepared for our first day on land!

Santiago de Cuba the first capital of Cuba was initially colonized by the Spanish in 1498 by Columbus and remained in Spanish possession until 1898 when Teddy Roosevelt and the Ruff Riders participated in the Battle at San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American-Cuban War. We arrived to the port city during breakfast and were greeted by a small group of cheering locals. The cruise was highly organized and had folks disembark in groups of 100 every 20 mins or so. This allowed for us to get off the ship and get through Cuban Customs, which is best described as a makeshift bungalow with 10 officials checking passports, very friendly springer spaniels as their "K-9 unit", and one metal detector and x-ray machine. It was very apparent that technology was lacking. The first stop outside of customs was the currency exchange hut. We were able to exchange $500 CAD for $358 CUC. Once I have internet I'll be able to verify if that was a better deal than converting USD to CUC with the embargo fees. We then boarded new coach buses in groups of 30 per bus with 1 Havanatur guide. All of the guides were multilingual and had college degrees from the universidade systema. Our guide, Orrrrrrlando (he made sure we all rolled our "R's") reminded me of a sportscaster. He was in good shape and spoke excitedly and often repeated himself with enthusiasm. He was quick to answer questions and volunteer information. As we drove from landmark to landmark we learned of local hero Antonio Maceo, state sponsored health care, education, housing, rations and employment. He was very proud that all Cubanos were provided the minimum of rations for food, each house had potable water, electricity and telephone. So no matter if you were in the city or the middle of a mountain, you were provided for.

Santiago de Cuba was hit hard by hurricane Sandy. Most trees were uprooted and rubble remained around many houses. Individuals own their our house and are able to sell. And if the house is damaged by the storm the government will help you rebuild. Orlando was proud he owned his home and let us know that they are often passed down between families. From what we could see, there was no new homes/apartments being built. The streets were clean, and we saw several sanitation workers throughout the city. Hygiene and public health is emphasized.

Our tour bus took us to El Morrro, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a coastal fortress built down and around the hillside protecting the narrow entrance of the large bay. The site was littered with cannons and we climbed all over for spectacular views of the coast and the bay. One could visualized Spanish ships waiting to form an Armada to transport Mexican gold and silver back to Spain.

From there we went to Punta Gorda a government sponsored marina club for seaside lunch. We were entertained by the band and dancers and feasted on traditional Cuban food including arroz con frijoles negras, ropa vieja, camarones, pescada alba, and flan.

The afternoon included the obligatory planned visit to a local "merchant" where we are encouraged to buy rum and cigars. After standing around for 20 minutes, avoiding the beggars and street hustlers, we regrouped and headed to a tour of the arts district. Our brief walking tour ended with a performance by Coro Madrigalists, a professional choir. The performers are paid audition and are paid by the state. The rehearse 3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week. The members ranged in age from 18 to 46. The choir is invited to perform in one of the 15 other provinces, but has not traveled abroad since it was formed 62 years ago.

Outside of the choir rehearsal and performance space was the Plaza de Bacardi. On one corner was the entrance to the cultural district which housed the library founded by Bacardi and the other corner was the Museum of Art home to his personal collection of Cuban Art. From there we headed back to the bus which got us safely back to the port during "rush hour". Back through customs, and onto the ship we went. The weather in Santiago had been hot and sticky so we were all eager to shower and wash off the sun screen residue.

We opted to enjoy Happy Hour in the comfort of our stateroom and enjoy a Pinot Grigio we purchased back in Miami. Dinner started wonderfully. All of the appetizers were delicious, especially the French onion soup. I was happy that we were not on the high seas and was enjoying eating a full meal in the comfort of the bay. We slowly made our way towards the mouth of the bay and chatted leisurely with the waitstaff, who by now had befriended us. As our entrees were served and the sun set Robert noticed the ship was no longer moving. The recognizable chime from the Bridge rang throughout the ship and the captain spoke "Our departure from Santiago de Cuba was delayed due to a shipboard medical emergency requiring one of our travelers to obtain immediate shore side medical care. It is necessary for the ship's medical team and physician to accompany this traveler to the local hospital and for the Adonia to remain in port until the medical team returns to the vessel. I will update the ship as to how this will impact our schedule and visit to our next Port: Cienfuegos."

We grew concerned for our fellow passenger and were understandably bummed at the likelihood of missing one of three scheduled port visits. Our friendly waitstaff brought us one of each dessert and ice cream to help ease the news. After dinner entertained included the sounds of Grammy award winning Cuban musician Tomasito Cruz Latin jazz band and dance lessons. We also drank mojitos and learned to play dominos. After a full day in the sun, we returned to our cabins. I feel asleep around 10:30, just as our ship began to move.