We spent part of the day on a boat going to an island that was deserted except for about 40 friendly iguanas, countless hermit crabs, and a furry little animal whose name I’ve forgotten but he reminded me of a groundhog.

Our guide was not allowed to go on the boat with us. He didn’t have the proper license to go on a boat, as it seems the government is concerned that its citizens might hijack boats and head north with them and everyone on them. This actually happened in 2003 as reported here. Cuba normally doesn’t do capital punishment, but they made a special exception and suspended their moratorium on the death penalty for this case.

We took a 1952 Chevy taxi to the marina and back. The driver’s grandfather bought the car new and it has been in the family ever since. These classic cars are abundant but usually not in very good shape. They mostly need new paint jobs and the interiors are falling apart. The door handles and window cranks 1/2 the time don’t work. They are not what we think of as classic cars. They are more just old cars. And they spew this awful exhaust into the air.

 

There also is a lot of smoking in Cuba. I should not have been surprised by this in a country known for its cigars. So between the cars smoking and the people smoking, the air quality in Cuban cities quite literally stinks.

That night we went out to eat at a marvelous restaurant called San José. It was the best restaurant meal by far on the whole trip. Their $2.00 milkshake was amazing and their non-alcoholic piña colada was splendid. One of the ladies in our group was celebrating a birthday, so they brought out a cake with a sparkling firework on it. It was very nice.

After dinner we walked back down to the square to try to catch some Wi-Fi, and we noticed there were crowds and music everywhere. We figured it was just a busy night in a busy town. As I have said before, because of the lack of internet, horrible TV, and infrequent A/C, the town squares are quite lively places, and the music scene (though I tired of the same type of music over and over) was quite vibrant.

Then on the way to our homestay we saw a nice new Mercedes and soldiers on the street corner (who we did NOT take pictures of because we like our freedom and our cameras), so we figured there was a big shot in town, maybe someone from the national government. Like I said on another day, some things are common to all cultures. While we were on the sidewalk chatting with the girl sharing our casa, we heard and saw a police escort, lights and sirens and all, coming through the streets, then a bunch of people running a race through the streets followed by an ambulance. Vincent asked some of the other folks on the street what was going on, and they said it was the anniversary of the liberation of Trinidad on Dec 27, 1958 during The Revolution. So I guess that’s why it was such a bustling night.

To continue the journey, click Day 6.