Wednesday, April 10th and Thursday April 11th - Cienfuegos

Today was a long driving day as we headed back to the east and then to the south coast of Cuba to Cienfuegos, called the 'Pearl of the South'. We had a few stops on the way. The first was at an arts project called the Korimakao Cultural Project in Cienega de Zapata. 

We were met by the director who explained that the artists live here to train and develop their presentations which are then taken to remote areas which would otherwise have no exposure to culture. The word 'karimakeo' means 'man who carries his home on his back', reflecting this aspect of travelling elsewhere to deliver their art, music and theatre to others.

I particularly liked this painting on the wall of the room where we met the director. To me it represented a sorely challenged Cuban Icarus attempting to fly to the sun. It made a very compelling image in my heart.

We then were treated to an intensely energized dance depicting elements of the slavery experience and the power of the shaman in the African culture - it was superbly performed. In particular many  of us were drawn in by the intensity of the young man with the striped shirt and top knot on his head. Although the venue was simple, we felt as if we had witnessed a top notch performance.

Our next stop was a quick dip in The Bay of Pigs. Now of course, we have all heard of this place made famous by the attempted CIA-led invasion of Cuba in 1961. It was a most god-forsaken, rocky place and I can't imagine being a soldier attempting to carry my kit through this rough terrain. It felt somewhat sacrilegious to dip in the water here, but it was hot and had been a long drive with more to go, so I cast aside my sorrow for those who had fought and died nearby. At least we were not at the precise spot of the landing. 

No beach, just a ladder over the rocks.

Fran and I enjoyed the buoyant water

In addition to the ocean, there was a sink hole nearby, offering cool fresh water, so we also dipped into it.

It was very rocky and tough on the feet

The land crabs were everywhere!

The road had many land crabs crossing it, which led to both stink and mess. The invasion was April 17th, so it's possible those poor souls had to contend with crabs in addition to the thick vegetation and rocky or swampy land. The 1,400 Cuban counter-revolutionary forces had been trained by the CIA and according to Wikipedia cost the US taxpayers $13.1  million to train. They initially defeated a local force, but when Castro threw 20,000 of his troops into the area, surrender was made after three days. Our guide was proud to let us know that the surrendered soldiers, were later traded back to the US for $53 million worth of medicine and baby food, giving me the impression that Castro must have been acting out of  humanitarian  ideals. The JFK Library website said it was Robert Kennedy's personal pleas to American businesses that resulted in donations that allowed for the trade 20  months later.

Memorials for the fallen Cubans on both sides were along this road

Basic hand painted signs related to the revolution were also common

From this sad place in Cuban history, several more hours drive saw us back into colonial times in Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos means 'one hundred fires', and was named after Jose Cienfuegos in 1829 who had been captain general of Cuba a decade prior.  First stop was Palacio del Valle, which was finished in 1913. Designed by an Italian architect, it showed lovely 'Moorish' elements in its architecture.

We were immediately ushered to the roof for the ubiquitous welcoming mojito. We found that it was undergoing significant renovation, but it's loveliness was evident as we walked through. Lonely Planet describes it as 'the ultimate in kitsch', and I did not feel it had much in the way of 'soul', but it still allowed some nice visual surprises. It is now a high end restaurant and it looks as if it will be a hotel at some point - probably government run.

 I liked the ornate frescoes and the lighting on the biblical scene below was quite lovely. 

It was also really encouraging to see signs of careful restoration taking place. I imagine it requires a high degree of artisanship to rebuild the ornate stucco.

 We walked the malecon that evening and spent several hours the following morning being shown the 'Parisian-style' paseo, walking the business/shopping areas and arriving in the central park.

You can see here the sign that lets you know which houses are Casa Particulares. The ones with blue anchors are for foreign visitors. I think the blue signifies air conditioning, which is a necessary requirement to have a license. Others had pink anchors, which signify accommodations for Cubans. All the ones we stayed in had blue anchors.

While it seemed a somewhat pleasant place, I didn't find the shining-pearl type essence that others have described. It's possible there is a night life I didn't find, as it had been the favorite place of a musician, Benny More who declared 'It's the city that I liked the most'. He died in his forties of cirrhosis and is buried here, so he is memorialized in this lovely statue in the Paseo del Prado. I probably should be showing you pictures of the main square, which was quite nice, but I find these places quite difficult to photograph well.

Instead I was drawn by the image in this window, below.

 It looked like a furniture and home decor store, but for the life of me I could not imagine why they would use this 1950's image of a blonde-curly haired girl on a tricycle to attract people!

It was common sight, as we walked around throughout Cuba, to see many people lined up outside stores. Our guides joked and said that's why they are called 'Cuban' as they have to 'queue' up everywhere! It seemed that businesses didn't let in everyone at once. Some businesses like banks and the place we bought our internet cards had seats inside and they only let people in as the seats became empty. I think tasks like shopping and travelling from place to place must consume a lot of time.

A 'high end' clothing store

A person's home used as a clothing store 

We strolled through a handicraft market to the Malecon. It was a beautiful day, but it did smell fishy. When I Googled 'Why is Cienfuegos called the Pearl of the South?', the answer appears to be related to the beauty of the bay, which you see here.

On the way back Fran bought herself a very nice bag. I made her pose with the vendor. She's on the right, with the bag.

The market was colorful.

And liked seeing this artist at work

I particularly liked these 'Day of the Dead' skulls

I will finally relinquish my 'tour guide' neglect and give you a glimpse of the square. Before I do, I have to admit that Cienfuegos did present as one of the most vibrant commercial/shopping areas we saw in all our time here. It was not due to tourist traffic, but just to people going about their lives. The French influence on architecture was not obvious to me, but it was clean and active. Admittedly, we only had a few hours to look around in the daylight, so probably did not do it justice. I read that it is listed as another UNESCO World Heritage site for its early 19th century Spanish implementation of urban planning and remarkable cluster of neoclassical structure. It is unfortunate we were so limited in our time here.

The buildings in Marti Park were well-restored and it was attractive.

Colegio San Lorenzo from 1920's 

This is the City Hall

Finally I leave you with the statue of Jose Marti. He is beloved by Cubans as one of the hero's of the first revolution which sought independence from Spain. He was also special to me, because he spent time here in Fernandina Beach, Florida to develop his invasion plans and find funding and supplies.  He actually stayed in Florida House here, which is just a few blocks from where my sister-in-law lives. That's another story, but I thought it ironic that when Cienfuegos was first settled, by French settlers in 1819, it was called  Fernandina de Jagua to honor Ferdinand VII of Spain. Jagua referred to a Taino chief, reflecting the indigenous roots of the region.