Sue's Travels: Cuba - 13 December 2011

Start time is 10:00 am and everyone was down stairs in the lobby ready to go. There was a 1950s MG in front of the hotel!

Starting out in the morning a 1950s MG parked in front of the hotel

We went to the Fine Arts Fair, which was similar to the Mercado where we bought chotzkis. The prices were slightly higher, but the quality of the merchandise was better. I got a wind chime for Marla which she can hang in the entrance leading to the front door if she chooses. I saw wooden salad spoons, which looked better than the ones I bought, but after touching them I decided that I didn’t like the finish. I wandered around and I would have liked to buy some of the leather goods, but I’m running low on money and buying any of those items would be foolish as I would probably never use them.

Our next stop was a rum factory where they lectured on how they make rum. The man who runs the rum factory was at the baseball game with his sons and he obviously is making more than $40 a month. He makes a “boutique” rum which sells all over the world.

Rum Factory tour

Rum in the process of aging

Rum Factory

We went to the area of one of the forts where there is a restaurant which overlooks the water. I really enjoyed the ambiance. The food was not that good, but what do you expect at a state run restaurant. In the parking lot as we were leaving, I saw a 1951(?) Dodge.

Lunch Stop

Views of Havana from Lunch stop

Note guns intended to protect Havana in the colonial era

Welcomed with Music

Musicians in background - Steve (Tour Leader) in foreground

Views of fort

Views of City

Views of Havana from Fort area

1951 Dodge

The last stop was at the studio or home of the artist Fuster. It was unbelievable. I took scads of pictures. Not only did the artist decorate his own home, but neighboring homes as well.

We were supposed to go out to dinner at a privately owned restaurant tonight, but I need to cut back on eating. All of these restaurants serve a heavy meal and I need to cut back. I signed up to go the Tropicana. If I had known up front that it would cost 90 Convertible Pesos, I might have had second thoughts. However I changed more money and paid my share.

I’m back in my room. I need to rest a while and I scheduled to meet Bernadette for dinner at 7:30pm.

Bernadette and I met in the elevator and when we went to the restaurant in the hotel that we wanted to go to, it was closed. We ran into Mike and Dave and decided to go the lobby in the bar where Bernadette got her hamburger that she wound up splitting with Mike. I had a club sandwich and a coke. I had to run up to my room to get my jacket and at 9:15PM on the dot our tour guide and bus were ready to take us to the Tropicana.

It turned out to be an extravaganza of the Buzby Berkley type, which matches the age of the Tropicana, which was opened in 1939. The principal difference between then and now is that then the costumes were skimpier! The show cost 90 Convertible Pesos. A bottle of rum and cans of coke were put on the table. A miniscule snake was also served. I had very little of the rum owing to my weak head, which may be also why I enjoyed to the show. The costumes were magnificent and the dancers were good. I have no complaints about the singing either.

We took a cab back to the hotel.