Mrs Blue started the day with a run, per her usual, and she attempted to find the ice cream place in Vedado with the macaroons but was unsuccessful. We also had breakfast with Baby Maruchi aka Mini Maruchi aka Maruchi's daughter Karina. The chill conversation with her gave us some insight into Cuban-American relations. I'd had a sense of paranoia the whole trip that Cubans still did not like/trust Americans and that might be the reason we were asked every time we got in a cab where we were from: because it was a test. This paranoia was somewhat founded when Karina explained to us that Cafe Fortuna decorated for Halloween every year which she enjoyed but the decorating wasn't exactly "legal" as Halloween was an Americanized holiday and "we're not supposed to like you". Girl, preach. Tell it like it is.
We went back to Cafe Fortuna for pictures (that we didn't get the first time) and did better this time ordering off the menu.
On the walk back, we stopped off the road and walked down a path that led to the ocean, but not a beach, just a rocky/cliffy ledge. But the water was still beautiful and people still got in the water there. Ironically the other time I visited a Caribbean island I didn't get much swim in then either. It must be my Caribbean curse. Some day. But it was still good to spend some time by the water.
We got back to Mama Maruchi's a little later than expected because we got so mesmerized by the water, and Hami was already waiting for us, having agreed the day before to drive us to the airport. We gathered our stuff and gave kisses and hugs to our Cuban mama and departed.
Hami dropped us off at the airport and said goodbye. It wasn't until we got into the terminal that we realized it was the wrong terminal. So we went back outside and got a cab. This cab ended up being a good deal as the cabbie exchanged my Cucumbers for dollars at a 1 for 1 rate, helping me to skip the extraordinary fees they charge at official currency exchanges. Mrs Blue was doubtful as she didn't know what he got out of it. But I inspected the dollars before committing and they looked legit enough that I'd be able to pass them off to a cashier, even if they were counterfeit (haha, but seriously. Them seem like totally legal tender).
I again braced myself for the third degree through Cuban customs and again was "let down" and only asked my name. Mrs Blue went to the bathroom at the airport and when she came back she told me, "I finally get the system now. You give the girl the cucumber. She gives you the napkin for the bathroom. That's the way it works." Apparently going to the bathroom in Cuba is a business. But I'm not buying into it. Eff that noise. I held it in until America where peeing is free. No judgement.
The flight out of Cuba was extremely confusing. Our flight was to Ft Laudy again but they kept announcing a flight to Miami. But at one point it was at or past our boarding time and Mrs Blue declared "Let Me see if this is our flight" and it was. And when we went out to the tarmac, they segregated the "Miami" travelers from the "Ft Laudy" travelers by having the Ft Laudy travelers board at the back of the plane. For no reason that I can determine, as the plane only went to Ft Laudy and no where else. PSA: keep on the announcements when flying out of Cuba. It can be a shit show.
Final thoughts: Cuba is a beautiful country, and the beauty lies greatly in its desire to not to try to hide its rubble or its cracks. Everything is exposed and everything is showing. It's kind of like a body covered in stretch marks and scars. Yeah, we see you've been through some shit, but we see you're not trying to constantly cover it up, and I think that's pretty cool. Cuba also has some chill people. They aren't stuck in their phones or carrying coach purses or rocking huge diamonds. And a lot of that is lack of choice. But I don't see bitterness on everyone's face or unhappiness spread across everyone's vibes. I see people living the day to day in the moment and taking it as it comes and chilling on stoops. We can hate on their way of life, but that's only because we don't know anything about it. We only pretend to.
Comments
Post a Comment