Hello from Cuba (8) - Bicycle Rides, Camellos and Cannon Shots
Hotel Habana Libre, Sunday, April 10, 2005, 11:10 am
After picking up the bicycle on Thursday, I finally took my
first ride on Friday afternoon through the beautiful residential
area of Vedado. We had had a tropical downpour in the early
afternoon, so the streets were a bit wet and it was about
4 pm or so by the time I got out. Of course, by that time,
rush hour traffic had already started and there were thousands
of people in the street, waiting for buses. The bicycle was
a pretty new mountain bike, but it seems that all the gears
and derailleurs were totally screwed up and I constantly had
problems with the chain. 2 of the 3 chainrings in the front
didn''t work at all and I had a pretty hard time getting along
with the bike.
But even more so than the technical difficulties, the stares
I got from all the locals were a really unnerving experience,
especially since there were so many people in the street.
You don't see too many modern bicycles on the street, and
even fewer are ridden by women. Of course the guys whistle
at you at every turn, which, as I am told, is totally part
of the culture and not a threatening gesture. Nevertheless,
I did feel rather unnverved with this experience.
Bicycles in general are basic means of transportation here,
not recreational vehicles. And considering that even a very
basic new bike at maybe $100 or so is worth 5, 6 or even 10
months of state salary, it's not surprising that they tell
you never to let the bicycle out of your sight. And riding
through the streets I almost felt as if I was surrounded by
a group of lions that were ready to pounce to capture their
prey.
So as a result I decided, I'd rather not attract that much
attention to myself and I decided to hand the bike back to
the owner. The last thing I wanted is for the bicycle to get
stolen, so I decided I'll wing it with regular transportation
options and do more walking, getting some exercise at the
same time.
A "camello": a ride for 300+ people.
In the evening my friend Pedro and I decided to catch the
"GuaGua" again and we took a "Camello" (a very large bus with
2 humps, pulled by a truck engine) from around the Capitolio
to the other side of Havana
Bay to the old fortress of "El Morro" which was built
in th 16th century. The Camello was so full that one of my
feet couldn't touch the ground and the hydraulic doors coulnd't
close because people were hanging out the door. Certainly
an experience.....
Every day at 9 pm they have a ceremony at the fortress where
they have a few men dressed up in old (colonial?) uniforms
and they shoot off 2 cannon balls across the bay to commemorate
La Habana's military past. El Morro and Las Cabanas is an
interesting area with a museum and numerous stores selling
tourist merchandise. After the ceremony we caught another,
much less overstuffed, GuaGua back to the western side of
La Habana and we had another very affordable dinner in the
Barrio Chino.
This time my intestinal system was okay and I caught a good
night's sleep to rest up for the weekend.
Interesting and useful books about Cuba:
Related Articles:
"My
Post-Cuba Reflections: Appreciation and Balance"
"Cuba
is Calling - Why I selected Cuba as my language study destination"
Hello from Cuba (1) -
First Impressions"
"Hello from Cuba (2) - Rain
in Vinales"
"Hello from Cuba (3) - Hiking
Vinales and Exploring Nature"
"Hello from Cuba (4) - Bureaucracy
Galore - The University of Havana"
"Hello from Cuba (5) - Another
Mind-Twisting Experience"
"Hello from Cuba (6) - The
Student Experience and Political Insights"
"Hello from Cuba (7) - Fun
and Recreation"
"Hello from Cuba (8) - Bicycle
Rides, Camellos and Cannon Shots"
"Hello from Cuba (9) - Havana
Neighbourhoods"
"Hello from Cuba (10) - A
Country Excursion"
"Hello from Cuba (11) - Inside
a Cuban Home"
"Hello from Cuba (12) - Contrasts
and Contradictions"
"Hello from Cuba (13) - Exploring
Downtown Havana"
"Hello from Cuba (14) - Field
Trips and Interviews"
"Hello from Cuba (15) - Getting
ready to say 'Goodbye, Havana'..."
"Hello from Cuba (16) - The
final day"