Día Cinco - Camagüey

Today is July 3rd, Raúl Castro's 84th birthday. We left Santa Clara this morning for Camagüey a city that is over 500 years old. It had originally been located on the northern coast but was moved inland and surrounded by narrow, intricate streets to avoid pirate attack. 

On most of our drive we saw sugar cane fields and fields with various types of cattle. The highway was planned to be 8 lanes but there was only 3 in one direction. So all the lanes were somewhat shared. We also continued our talks and documentary viewing. We were able to finish A Man of Two Havanas. I highly recommend it. A line that moved me was, "Who needs bombs when you have (U.S.) congressmen?"

One of the main topics we discussed was the embargo the U.S. has with Cuba. Something I am learning about in much more detail. It does not just cut Cuba off from the U.S.  It cuts Cuba off from anyone who also trades with the U.S.  That is A LOT of countries. If a boat ports in Cuba in cannot port in the U.S. for 6 months. That is insane. INSANE.  Cuba is cut off from so many resources and that is evident when you look around. There is a scarcity of medicine, building materials and car parts just to name a few. It strangles the people of Cuba. I truly hope the lifting of the embargo moves forward quickly. 

Fun fact of the day: I asked if Cuba has some sort of legend or scary animal like our "boogeyman" or Mexico's "chupacabra." It is called a "güije," a small furry creature that lives in the forrest and scares small children. 

We arrived to Camagüey! What charm and character this little city has! We first went to Martha Jimenez' art studio. She is a well known contemporary Cuban artist but has art around the world. She focuses on painting, sculpture and engraving. She often includes the following elements into her work: the feminine aspect, air/sea and satire. She designed the bronze sculptures outside her studio. 

We had lunch and then took a short bicitaxi ride through the narrow streets of Camagüey to visit various plazas. Our bicitaxi had been painted by Martha Jimenez! The sewing machine is often depicted in her work as well, representing work and her mother. 

After that we headed to a children's dance school. The children must tryout to enter the school. All live in the area of Camagüey. Teachers for this school and all others are paid by the state. Their goal is to turn children into artists of dance and theater. They truly did a wonderful performance expressing the art. There were solo and group performances. The ages of the students range from 9 - 16. They have performed and won at festivals in such countries as Germany  and Switzerland. They are heading to Zurich next month. 

After the performance we headed to our hotel in Camagüey. The hotel was built in the 30's and has a wonderful view of the city. 

I cannot believe we have been here for 5 days. The days are so enjoyable and culture filled. We have been packing our brains and loving everything Cuban. 

Our bus has a flat tire and is getting repaired. Luckily we do not need it again until Sunday morning. It was obviously unexpected but our passports are onboard. The phrase "A lo Cubano" is coming in handy!