Sancti Spiritus, Another Unesco site

Sancti Spiritus, Cuba

Saturday 21 January 2012

Bridge from 1815 across Rio Yayabo

We forgot our own advice to always ask and bargain for taxi fares. Our Casa Particular host rode to the bus station to meet us when we arrived from Trinidad. A taxi driver had already offered his services and we assumed he would give us a fair rate with our host there. Wrong assumption; we knew the bus station was 2 Km out of town, so when the driver demanded $6 CUC, as much as the bus fare from Trinidad, we were shocked. I tried bargaining with no avail. We swear that is the last time we will be caught being overcharged.

Our last night in Trinidad threatened to be a disturbed sleep. It didn’t bother Ray, who can sleep through anything but it bothered our hosts, who worried that about both Ray and I. A cricket had taken up residence in our room and proceeded to sing loud and long as soon as it got dark. We couldn’t locate the pest so I put in my earplugs and slept soundly. The next morning we were up early to get the 8 AM bus to Sancti Spiritus and thought no more about it, that is until I unpacked by bag in our new Casa. Guess who had stowed away? The cricket! He didn’t get a chance to sing another night. He was squished by me and sent to cricket heaven.

Our Casa in Sancti Spiritus was very comfortable and our host helpful. Several of our friends in Ottawa had complained about the variety and quality of food they had in Cuba. We cannot say that has been our experience. We usually eat at least one dinner in our Casa and then try restaurants in the town. All our meals have been excellent, and the portions far larger than we can eat. We have had a choice of pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, and sometimes beef and lobster. Some Casas and Paradores (private family restaurant) serve soup as a starter. With the meat come rice, sometimes beans or potatoes, salad, and vegetables. Dessert is fresh fruit and often a sweet. We usually have a soft drink or a beer with our meal and I have had a few glasses of not bad wine. Overall we have been enjoying the variety of food but we will certainly not lose weight on this trip.

Sancti Spiritus was, like Trinidad, one of the first seven villages established by the Spanish in 1514. Consequently there is a host of old Colonial buildings to admire, but few tourists. Several bus loads arrived in time for a prearranged lunch in a restaurant and a quick tour of town before departing for the next scenic spot on their itinerary. Other than that, we were in the minority.

We had a relaxing day walking around town, taking photos of the buildings, investigating the pretty pedestrian mall, decorated with planters and sculptures, and reading our emails at the Telecommunications office. That is where the fastest connection is, and often the only internet available to tourists.

We kept wondering what product was so popular in each store that the Cubans were willing to endure long line ups outside the store before even being allowed inside to see and buy goods. Even paying a bill in the communications office or entering a bank required a lengthy wait outside. Ray was the one who braved the line ups to get more money. He passed the time in the outdoor line up chatting to fellow potential customers before his turn came to enter the bank. Ray has found that the best method to obtain cash is to use a credit card to make a withdrawal. This required a wait until the clerk confirmed that the transaction had cleared and then getting the supervisor’s attention to OK the transaction. It pays to be patient in this country.

Each town has a variety of musical performances to choose from each evening, most starting at 10 PM. The Casa de la Truvo (troubadour) Miguel Campanioni was right across the street from our Casa. It is a favourite of the older locals. Generally all Cubans love to dance and the crowd at the Casa were no exception. We got to the club a little earlier than most of the crowd, all of whom greeted each other warmly and made sure they had their supply of drinks for the evening. The drink of choice was a bottle of rum and a can of soft drink, which if consumed at all was by the women. Most of the locals don’t like to dilute their rum with soft drinks. They pour it straight into their glass and savour the flavour. We each ordered a Mojito, which labelled us as tourists right away. Ray was offered a taste of the straight goods by the group sitting next to us but I declined. Straight rum is too strong for my taste. We were entertained on Friday night by three different groups; a quintet of guitar, violin, clarinet and percussion and then two trios who played the guitar and sang in harmony. The locals know many of the numbers and sang along as they danced. We haven’t taken any Salsa lessons yet so we were content just to be spectators.

After leaving the Casa dela Truva we took in the scene at the Casa de la Cultura, which was still in fine form just down the street. The musicians performed in the open doors of the building or out on the street. The older fans had seats inside the building but the majority of the younger fans were outside on the sidewalk and spilling over into the park across the street. The old Spanish custom was for young people to walk around the square, looking the opposite sex over. Besides listening to the music, the young people seemed to be observing the same ritual but dressed in the latest fashion, which was decidedly more casual. We stayed long enough to hear one singer dressed like the Mexican Mariachi players and singing a traditional number. He was followed by a man who belted out a number that got the crowd singing along. The music in both venues went on until 1 AM but we didn’t make it past midnight.