THE MOVEABLE FEAST THAT IS HAVANA

PEACEFUL DAYS IN HAVANA

It so happens I am in Havana, perhaps I would have felt the same peace elsewhere? Fort Cochin? Malacca? Siem Reap? I am not sure. Havana has a very special place in my heart.

In Cuba, especially for a foreigner, regardless of how long you have been resident here, one has to watch your steps since there is special treatment of foreigners or lets say a vision by certain people in the community towards the foreigners.

It is what a tuk tuk driver told me, if you have money to buy an airline ticket to come to Cochin, we could charge you double the rate we charge Indians, it is not much to you.

It was Fiona, one of the earliest writers of Rough Guide to Cuba who said to me all that years ago in Baracoa: at the end of the day we are just a dollar sign for the Cubans.

This applies to the tourists or the people who are here for a short period of time. Veterans like me who do not have much contact with people who deal with tourists still have to be careful. After all this is a country there are so much shortage of everything especially hard cold cash.

Even people who become good friends fall into the trap of trying to extract a dollar or two from you. One has to forgive them and move on. Most of my good friends are professionals: specialist physicians, Psychologists so there is never a commercial aspect to our relationships.

The lady who prepares your breakfast may want a dollar or two extra or put a price on anything that transpires, which would not involve money among friends. Fortunately in my world, this commercialization of friendships is few and far between.

In one of his books, the currently popular Cuban writer, Leonardo Padura Fuentes writes about his protagonist retired Inspector of Police, detective Mario Conde: He knew that his love for these books, to which he owed his living now and from which over the years he had derived a singular happiness, was one of the most important things in his life, a life in which there remained ever fewer important things. He began to count them: FRIEDSHIPS, COFFEE, CIGARETTES, RUM, and MAKING LOVE FROM TIME TO TIME… AND OF COURSE BOOKS.

I am in Havana, reading one of his books, Adios Hemingway, feeling very content. The same coffee, which is brewed here, has a better taste than in Miami? Why? Who knows? My landlady brewed me a cup this morning; the Spanish word is beautiful colar café.. Have already spoken to a couple of good friends, sent and received emails, too early for wine (unfortunately a bad country for wine)… making love, we will talk about it later.

The only characteristic about the Cubans (for that matter anyone else including Zimbabweans) is when they appear not to be grateful. In this country every little thing count and when they appear to be less grateful, I have a desire to be away from them. All ancient philosophies would stress Be Grateful.. Listen to Dalai Lama or read Patanjali.

I give gifts without expecting anything in return to many many Cuban friends but now and then I would feel that they are not grateful for the effort you have to put into bringing stuff into the country with anxiety piled on you by Customs officials, not to mention the cost plus the most valuable is the time and patience necessary to look for these things in various shops in Miami.. Please bring me some OXY for my Acne or how about the Chanca Piedra for Kidney stones? Cubans do not understand that it takes effort to find these things.

Most Cuban friends are extraordinarily grateful for the gifts you bring them (I come each month with two suitcase full of stuff, each weighing the allowed 50 lbs. or 24 kg with nary an underwear of mine as I keep a complement of clothes here I Havana)

I recharged for cellular phones this morning, at the cost of 25 dollars each, one of which was mine. I received grateful acknowledgements from two of the recipients and waiting for the two medical students whose telephones I had recharged.

In Cuba, there is a form of recharge in which you pay 20 CUC and they receive 20 cuc worth of recharge plus a bonus of 40 cuc, which they have to use within three weeks. The 20 cuc on their phone they are able to transfer it to others. I recharged the phones of two medical students and then requested that they transfer 10 cuc each to two friends of their friends, thus for 75 dollars of recharge, I am able to give presents of 10 cuc recharge to 6 persons as well as 40 cuc of bonus to three others.. An incredibly good deal!

Let us see of the 9 people how many of them would send me a message of thanks .by the end of the day. ( PS BY 3 PM ALL HAD SENT MESSAGES OF GRATITUDE!)

That brings me to the question? Why am I so happy? So content and so at peace? Obviously despite what I had written about Cuba above, I have no conflict here. I love the chance to spend time alone and with friends when I want to ..

There is always good coffee… and Rum, cheapest rum in the world, a good bottle costing no more than 5 dollars!

I consulted my good friend who is a professor of psychology, and I said to her: it seems so incongruent that there is commotion in the country and I feel so much at peace. I try to think that I am watching the sunset each evening and thus synchronizing my life to that of nature? She said: you have put things in your life in their proper places, in Cuba, you have distanced yourself from people who are only interested in what they can get out of you and that you are meeting good quality people, professionals and possibly meet the writer for a dinner on my next visit.

Tiene Razon, we say, you have reason as if to say you are right in English.

My daily routine includes two conversations on line with friends who live in the Far East and in the West with occasional chats with Europe or Israel or India, thus they also contribute to this tranquility.

Talking about gratitude I have to be very grateful to a person from ancient Annam whose presence is felt and her contribution to this peaceful feeling is acknowledged.

In a few days time, I go back to the other reality: Miami, American Indians and then my journey of unexpected pleasures begins: Bruselas, Haifa, Fort Cochin, Kuala Lumpur and terminating in Siem Reap in Cambodia!

This is the moveable feast that is Havana.

HAVANA NIGHTS LA NOCHE DE LA HABANA

LA NOCHE DE LA HABANA

HAVANA NIGHTS

It was to be a gathering of friends, colleagues of good standing with each other.

The guest of honour was the newly arrived Malaysian Ambassador who charmed the Cubans with his openness and friendliness.

The people with whom I am associated with, are the best of the Cuban society, hard working professionals with love for their country, despite facing economic difficulties at certain levels.

My landlady is extremely generous and wanted to throw a dinner party for my friends, fifteen of them in this instance. She would scour the food scene in Havana and procure all the ingredients and would prepare a delicious Cuban Home cooked dinner! She said. At a time there is a shortage of flour, she would look for a cake to celebrate the birthday of one of my friends. When I saw the repast, I could understand that she had toiled over the dinner over a couple of days: salads, bread rolls with filling, chicken croquetas, friend chicken with rice in soya sauce, pork for those who wanted this perennial Cuban taste, fresh fillet of pargo (snapper), congri (brown rice and beans), a huge cake.

My own part was rather simple Four Bottles of wine that I could bring without paying duty: A Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from NZ, two bottles of Lindeman’s Shiraz, one bottle of Malbec from Trapiche in Argentina. I bought three extra bottles locally, usually mediocre quality wine sold at high prices by people who have no idea about wine, sauvignon blanch/chardonnay from Chile, one bottle was given to me, a Spanish red, and a bottle of whiskey. My own contribution to the feast amounted to less than 100 dollars, mostly in wines.

The first person to arrive was my mother, who handed me a piece of paper with the telephone number of a well-known Cuban writer. I was happy about that. Slowly one by one or in groups friends gathered. Wine and appetizers were aplenty. Malaysian Ambassador and his aide arrived and they joined in the merriment.

Something very special about this night, most of us had known each other for a while and the friendly ambiance continued through the delicious dinner.  Was it perhaps our shared destinies or our desire to touch each other at a special spiritual level? No one was complaining about the economic situation or the political threats from the North.

Nice dinner

Nice company

And this was the night in Havana

BREAKFAST AT HOME IN HAVANA

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BREAKFAST AT HOME IN HAVANA

Today was to be a day of rest and it did turn out this way. A morning walk along the Malecon before it got too hot and then stop in front of Hotel Presidente to catch their Wi-Fi signal to check the emails or msg from Asia before it is too late over there.

When I got home, fully stocked as it was by my landlady, the neighbour came up to prepare a nice cup of flavourful coffee (why does the coffee taste so good in Havana compared to Miami I always wonder?).

It was a full breakfast with the added luxury of being able to read the New York Times!

An omelet with vegetables, toasted bread with cheese and strawberry preserve from France , freshly squeezes papaya juice..

The days have a different rhythm in Havana. I go for a walk in the morning, preferably by the seaside, then check my email at the wifi hotspot, a leisurely breakfast and then plan the day, which usually involves spnding time with friends or colleagues.

I am having a few friends over for dinner in two days time (may be about 15-18), so my duty is to find good wines to the bottles which I brought from Miami : Shiraz from Australia, Malbec from Argentina and a Kim Crawford. Cuba does not have a wine culture and whoever is the buyer for the supermarkets is oenological novice at best.. we forgive him for brining the best of the “plonk” from other countries and doubling the price, I wonder whether anyone ever buys any wine except the addicted ones from the west?

But it is a pleasure for me to look at the various products displayed at the supermarkets here, almost all of them are imported and almost all of them could be produced locally. Why biscuits from Brasil or Milk from Spain? And of course they don’t have to produce it and sell it to the public at a price which does not reflect the earning capacity of the average Cuban.

I asked my friend jokingly, we are the best supermarket for Affections, you can have various types of home made affections available here in Cuba but why our supermarkets for goods are so underdeveloped?

No one can explain the economy of this country to me. People are not paid much but every one seems to be well fed and well clothed . There is not the poverty one is used to seeing in other Latin American countries, nor are their excesses present. A very healthy population, all children at school, good medical system, and health care, but the prices of goods at store and the quality of goods are beyond comprehension.

The only thing one can say is CHEAP in our supermarkets is the RUM produced in Cuba which costs only about 25% of the price abroad. Every other item is more expensive than Europe.

This is what I was thinking about, while enjoying a breakfast at my house in Havana, Cuba

COMING HOME TO HAVANA

Coming Home to Havana

The flight from Miami was a short 51 minutes today. The flight was mostly Cuban Americans going to celebrate holidays or vacations, a sprinkling of foreigners, remainder of the Hippie days and ideologies.

I was sitting in Seat 4 C and there was no one sitting next to me.

Before I knew it the captain was announcing that we are about to land.

I was the first one off the plane and this time I carefully chose who would get the privilege of being my Immigration Officer. No older black stern looking ladies with ideology stiff of their necks, I chose a pleasant 30 something man, looked of canary island origin. Even before he could ask anything I said; I am a professor at the University and have a long-standing relationship with Cuba.

A couple of quick checks and he said

Bienvenidos a Cuba and stamped my passport.

A young recent graduate was manning the electronic gate where they check your hand luggage and the process was just anything but rigorous, I had two carry on this time, so I was a little apprehensive but nothing happened.

Standing at the carousel to retrieve my two heavy bags, one laden with food and the other with presents of necessary stuff for my friends. The food-containing suitcase had an AX mark that makes obligatory checking by the Public Health or Fito Sanitary inspectors. I opened the bag, before that I gave them my card saying that I am a Medical Doctor and a Professor. The usual questions, and a check to make sure I was not brining anything that would be destructive to the agriculture and cane sugar in Cuba… and within minutes I was out through the throngs, some offering me taxi rides.

I had already called my chauffeur from Miami and he would be there at our usual place of meeting. I went to the Money Exchange place. There were four of the agents sitting there, an unusual sight indeed in Cuba, I chose a young women (in fact hey were all young women) and the first she said to me was L why don’t you give me your scarf? No I said but I will give you a piece of chocolate, as the previous time that was the request from yet another young lady at the window. She shows it to others as if some trophy and I added to her loot by donating one of the nice ballpoint pens from my travels. A quick transaction to change some Euros into CUC...and to the waiting driver

My driver effusively greets me and said the 1949 Oldsmobile is waiting.. He kept on telling how much he liked to come and pick me up. This has gone beyond the financial arrangements we have, as he has not increased the price of the pick up in years plus he never asks for any gifts or extra money. For him, the friendship has some deep meaning and sensibility.

My landlady was already in the house, having arrived there earlier in the day, to prepare my lunch.

The menu was Yuca, White Rice and LOBSTER.. I called a visiting social scientist and asked her to join me for Lunch and when she arrived, the three of us had a nice chat and a slow lunch, and talking about our various positive views of the Cuban society..  A nice welcome home, after wandering around the world since leaving Cuba just three weeks ago.

PS my Landlady is allergic to Lobsters..