12/15-16 DAY AT SEA AND FINAL DAY IN CIENFUEGOS

12/15 

Cayo Largo:

The current plan for today is to anchor on the southwest end of Cayo Largo, the easternmost part of the Canarreos and is known for the white sandy beaches. The issue today is there is a missing channel buoy and this may effect our anchorage. We may have to anchor 6 miles out , so “if all goes well”  is a recurring theme - but what expedition sailing is all about, and is making this trip unique, and I feel sorry for the staff in needing many different option, one need to and must be flexible as this is their first trip here and well things are different in Cuba). 

We dropped anchor about 6 miles out from the island. A zodiac was sent in to collect  and return with the officials. When they arrived our temperatures were checked and we were cleared to go ashore. The issues became using a small zodiac to transport folks 6 miles to shore and return and the conditions at the dock were not the best for safety issues, so the decision was made to cancel the shore activities. Initially we were told we could not go swimming off the ship. Yet we could go and did go when the officials left. It was refreshing to get into the water. 

We got back on board and Mike gave a talk on coral reefs and their projected future. Lunch, then a nap on the sun deck was in order. The sails were set and we sailed slowly to the east past a shoreline dotted with resorts. My guess is the dollars from those resorts  does not make it inland.

This evening we had our Captains Farewell reception and dinner. The hard working staff always had a cheerful can do attitude and the food has been over the top on this whole experience. I can honestly say we have yet to have a meal which was not excellent. 

Tonight we sail to Cienfuegos. 

12/16

Our last full day in Cuba: 

We awoke as we are sailing towards Cienfuegos. The plan is to take on the Pilot at first light and be docked at 0800. I am sure we will be getting our temps taken again. 

Today we should visit the Benny More Escuela de Arte for insight into Cuban Music and Art. Lunch is to be at the Casa Prado roof top. then we will be doing a walk about Cienfuegos.

The Doctor who was there to take our temperers returned to the ship to  talk to us about the Cuban health care system. There are three tiers to the Cuban health care system, clinics, hospitals and specialists.   Doctors are placed in local town as residents living above their clinic. When the Doctors live in the community they get to know the people and their medical history, thus able to better serve their patients.  When a local doctor referred a patient to the hospital or specialist he is involved with the extended treatment and follows up with the patient in the hospital. As a result of the Special Period doctors often prescribe holistic remedies.  

Our busses took us to the Benny More Escuela de Arte. Benny More was an musician/composer who lived in Cienfuegos who composed many songs and was best known for the mambo pieces. He lived from performance to performance and died of alcoholism in 1963. 

Here students, 7-9th graders, presented their art, musical talent, and dance. These presentations were by beginner students and they were amazingly talented. The dance students were in a testing phase and we got to see some of their performances.  It was interesting to learn the students were selected for various disciplines and instruments given their talent and physical characteristics. The instruments they use while in school are loaned to them while they are in school and as they advance the leave the instrument behind for another student. In this school they also take courses in the other studies such as math, science, etc. 

We made our way to our lunch spot for another great meal. There was a choice of fish, chicken, or pork, with or without a Cuban Sauce. I talked to the head waiter and learned the sauce was a mix of tomato sauce, cumin, garlic, onion blended and reduced. I don’t know if I can recreate this great mixture. 

After lunch we went to see a group of elementary students involved with a performing group called Abracadabra. This was a great high energy, audience participation performance of a fairy tale style story. These kids were full of energy. This is a program to give the kids social exposure and a way of them giving back to their community.  To participate in this program they are up practicing 2 hours before their school day starts and their parents are highly involved in many aspects of the practice and performances. This was a moving experience, because  every once in while, full grown men get to learn from a child. 

After the performance we were we invited to interact with the children and I noticed Fabio chatting with one particular girl. I took a few pictures of this interaction and later learned the little girls name was Luna and she is the niece of his girlfriend. I later showed him the pics and loaded them onto a thumb drive for him to take back to her. 

We then walked back to the main Plaza via a pedestrian street where we stopped in a pharmacy and a state store. The pharmacy was interesting as they had several natural remedies available. Remember the Special Period, as there was also a lack of man made pharmaceuticals the Cubans went to the hills and rediscovered their natural remedies and incorporated them into their health care system. 

In the state stores we observed the various items people could buy such as clothing, garden tools, cooking implements and shoes. All the items in these stores are manufactured in Cuba and the prices are highly subsidized. A pair of shoes would cost about $0,80 US and an ax was being sold for about 150 Cuban Pesos or about $6 us dollars. 

The street was alive with activity as we made our way to the Plaza. We spent some time walking about before we headed back to the Panorama II to pack as we leave tomorrow. 

Our trip home was uneventful with the exception of delayed flights. 

One thing I have learned as we have traveled is simply this, people are great and make the best of their situation and for this I have great admiration.  I would like to return to Cuba in a few years just to see if there are any big changes. I do hope the spirit of the people is not changed. 

ABRACADABRA !!!!

Fabio and Luna 

Benny More'

Government dry good store 

Panorama II

Yank Tanks 

  

Isla de Juventud

12/14

Isla de Juventud : 

Last night we anchored in Siguranea Bay. Isla de Juventus is off the beaten track and far behind on it’s exposure to tourism.  It is said this island was the inspiration for Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is also significant in the history of Cuba as this is where one finds the prison Presidio Modelo, modeled after the Illinois State Prison in Joliet, Illinois. This is the prison where Fidel Castro was incarcerated after a failed revolution attempt. 

We have opted to dive today as we are told this is some of the most pristine diving in Cuba. We understand we will find black coral yet not a lot of reef life. The boat ride to the dive site is about 2 hours and we take a short cut through the mangroves where we will fish for our lunch. 

We were up early and off the boat for a zodiac ride. When we arrived at the dock got fitted with dive gear and signed the paperwork. The one snag was the dive boat was having mechanical issues and the mechanic was pulling parts and pounding on them. As we were waiting for the boat to be fixed the dive shop gathered some coconuts and offered us a coconut full of great water and then the flesh.

We learned the problem with the boat was the pump which brings in sea water to cool the engine was broken. It seem the repair was being made with one wrench, a block of wood and a hammer. The pump was eventually repaired and installed and they fired up the engine. With much commotion and discussion the repair was not really complete as a gasket had blown. This did not deter the mechanic. He pulled the pump off and made a gasket from some cardboard and grease. Yes Cubans do more with less. 

Finally at about 1200 the boat was declared sea worthy and we loaded up and were off. We made our way across the bay  stopping to catch lobster for lunch. After a good long boat ride we arrived at the first dive site #26 Monkey. The depth was about 50 feet and we got a good long dive in. The reef was heathy with abundant life. We then made our way to the second dive site for a very shallow dive 30 feet. On this dive there was good reef life but the reef was covered in brown algae, yet we did see a ray and barracuda and a lion fish. When we surfaced we had the most wonderful lunch of lobster tail, and seriously this was the best lobster I have ever had. By the way the mechanic and deckhand was also the cook.The lobster was served with rice, veg and fruit. 

Caracara and Red Tail Hawk, Egrets, were observed as we awaited the dive boat repair. 

We sailed directly back to the Panorama II, and were allowed to board directly, rather than having to go all the way into the dock, clear customs and then zodiac back to the boat. 

The group which did the city tour said they had a great time as the town basically turned out to greet and host them. Sounded like they had a great time.  It was a tough decision and we are glad we went diving to say we have been diving in Cuba. 

Set The Sails, we are at Sea

12/13 Day at sea. 

This was a day at sea as some stops are a in flux and sea conditions all make things happen as they happen. Today the Captain set the sails and the favorable winds gave power,  

Up and at um Coffee and breakfast. Downloaded pictures and chatted with Jeff about photos and Cuban History. Just Amazing the History of Cuba. 

Today Jeff presented  photography sessions and Fabio talked about using technology to present science. 

Scuttlebutt is a compressor went out and hence the AC was not working that great. Reports are it is being fixed and things should cool off a bit. 

SPECIAL PERIOD AND RECOVERY 

The collapse of the Soviet Union, decimated the Cuban economy. The country lost approximately 80% of its imports, 80% of its exports and its Gross Domestic Product dropped by 34 percent. Food and medicine imports stopped or severely slowed. Perhaps most immediately impactful, however, was the loss of nearly all of the oil imports by the USSR; Cuba's oil imports dropped to 10% of pre-1990 amounts.

The effect was felt immediately. Entirely dependent on fossil fuels to operate, the major underpinnings of Cuban society—its transportation, industrial and agricultural systems—were paralyzed. There were extensive losses of productivity in both Cuban agriculture — which was dominated by modern industrial tractors, combines, and harvesters, all of which required oil to run — and in Cuban industrial capacity.

The early stages of the Special Period were defined by a general breakdown in transportation and agricultural sectors, fertilizer and pesticide stocks (both of those being manufactured primarily from oil derivatives), and widespread food shortages. Australian and other permaculturists arriving in Cuba at the time began to distribute aid and taught their techniques to locals, who soon implemented them in Cuban fields, raised beds, and urban rooftops across the nation.

Organic agriculture was soon after mandated by the Cuban government, supplanting the old industrialized form of agriculture Cubans had grown accustomed to. Innovative modes of mass transit had to be rapidly developed. For a time, waiting for a bus could take three hours, power outages could last up to sixteen hours, food consumption was cut back to one-fifth of their previous levels. Although starvation was avoided, persistent hunger, something not seen since before the Cuban Revolution, suddenly became a daily experience, and initially, malnutrition in children under five was evident after just a few weeks of these food shortages.

The United States law allowed humanitarian aid in the form of food and medicine by private groups. Then in March 1996, The Helms-Burton Act imposes penalties on foreign companies doing business in Cuba, and allowed U.S. citizens to sue foreign investors who use American-owned property seized by the Cuban government.

The Cuban government was also forced to contract out more lucrative economic and tourism deals with various Western European and South American nations in an attempt to earn the foreign currency necessary to replace the lost Soviet oil via the international capitalist markets. 

Additionally faced with a near-elimination of imported steel and other ore-based supplies, Cuba closed refineries and factories across the country, eliminating the country's industrial arm and millions of jobs. The government then proceeded to replace these lost jobs with employment in industrial agriculture and other homegrown initiatives, but these jobs often did not pay as well, and Cubans on the whole became economically poorer. Alternative transportation, most notably the Cuban "camels" — immense 18-wheeler tractor trailers retrofitted as passenger buses meant to carry many dozens of Cubans each — flourished.

Food-wise, meat and dairy products, having been extremely fossil fuel dependent in their former factory farming methods, soon diminished in the Cuban diet. The people of the island by necessity adopted diets higher in fiber, fresh produce, and ultimately more vegan in character. No longer needing sugar as desperately for a cash crop — the oil-for-sugar program the Soviets had contracted with Cuba had, of course, dissipated — Cuba hurriedly diversified its agricultural production, utilizing former cane fields to grow things like oranges and other fruit and vegetables. The Cuban government also focused more intensely on cooperation with Venezuela once the Socialist Hugo Chávez was elected president in 1998.

Yes it was not a happy time for the people of Cuba, They adapted and persevered.   Today I personally see their fortitude and resilience in making due with what was available. This spirit lives today in Cuba. The people are wonderful, friendly, open, and Proud. Rightfully so they are proud and should be.  Yes Cubans do more with less.  

INDIANA JONES MOUNTAIN JOURNEY

12/12 Trinidad

Our Photo Specialist was Jeff and here is his CV: 

Jeff Litton

Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

Jeff is an environmental filmmaker and adventure cinematographer. His passion for adventure has led him through rural Kenyan villages, atop erupting Guatemalan volcanoes and to the enchanted Galápagos Islands to film Hammerhead Sharks. Being an expedition filmmaker enables Jeff to combine his love for capturing beauty with his drive to protect the environment. In the words of Jacques Cousteau, “people protect what they love.” Inspired, Jeff created UGENA.org, the United Global Environmental News Agency, an online resource to inspire people to care about the environment.

Born and raised in California, he has worked for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary filming sharks and unique fish. His current work leads him around the world on a campaign to save sharks from extinction by prohibiting the consumption and sale of Shark Fin Soup. His film projects can also be found on Google Earth. In 2008 he graduated magna cum laude from the Brooks Institute of Photography where he specialized in underwater cinematography and adventure travel filmmaking.

He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.

We arrived in Trinidad after sailing overnight from Cienfuegos. Actually we arrived in the Port of Casilda.  We had chosen to do a nature hike in the mountains and there were only 4 others who decided on this option.  So after breakfast our boat was boarded by health officials who took our temperature before we were allowed to leave the boat. 

The Port of Casilda was an important stop for Conquistador Hernan Cortez and later as a port where much of Cuba’s Sugar was exported. Today the port is a gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Trinidad. 

We soon boarded a bus which took us to Topes de Collanntes in Sierra del Escambray park headquarters. This was a windy steep road and at times we were not sure if the Chinese bus would make it. At times we had to turn off the Air Conditioning so the bus would have more horse power. Here we transferred to old Soviet era military trucks for a 7K journey into the park. This was a bumpy ride, very much like Indiana Jones Ride at Disneyland. Here we visited Codina, a farm house with restaurant and enjoyed their nature trail, seeing lots of birds and nice scenery. Highlights were woodpeckers, and the Cuban Trogon. The countryside is rough and rugged yet the mountain area is cooler and less humid compared to the valley floor. 

As we came near to the end of our hike we entered an area with steep limestone cliffs with a small stream running in the valley floor. I could start to smell a wood fire and soon saw smoke from a camp fire. As we came around the corned there was a man turning a spit with a whole hog roasting away. This was our lunch, yes it was that good. 

After lunch we boarded the trucks and returned to the park headquarters, boarded the bus and made our way back to Trinidad. 

Our local guide is named Anya and she was very informative about the daily life in Cuba. She did an excellent job in explaining the Rations books the people receive to get their monthly food. For example a person receives 7.5 pounds of rice per month. They take their ration book to the store and receive their allotment as they desire and the book is signed off indicating what they have received. The book is good for the year and the whole family. Members are added and deleted as life progresses. Should they run out of rice before the end of the month they can buy additional at a subsidized rate. Interestingly, a baby receives the same ration as an adult. 

We arrived in Trinidad and made our way to the city center. The Architecture of Trinidad is amazing,original cobblestone streets, where the stones came from the Boston, Mass area, the vibrant colors of the buildings all indicate a deathly day gone by. Here we visited a wood carver who takes the old cedar window shutters and carves portraits of local people. He has visited the US and sold some of his work there.  Here we also enjoyed a local drink called Canchanchara a mix of rum, lime and honey with ice or water, served in a chilled terra-cotta cup. We had a little time to walk about before getting our bus back to the port. 

We had to depart the port by 1700 as there is a local regulation of no entering or leaving harbor traffic during nighttime hours.  Back onboard we recapped the journeys events, from history to archeology, to photography. 

Tomorrow I will cover the Special Period and further explain this time in the history of Cuba.

We will have a day at Sea to catchup on things.  

Indy Style Trucks 

Lunch 

Mike with his photo K-9

The bottom symbol shown here indicates a place where foreigners can stay.