Día Doce - Santiago & route to HolguÍn

Today is our last day in Cuba! We started off downtown in Santiago. We saw a few squares, took a few pictures, almost got our bus stuck (but our driver was awesome) and sweat like crazy in the inferno once again. Santiago is the most populated city in all of Cuba and we were in its busiest area. 

One of the trucks converted to mass transportation with the City Hall of Santiago in the background...

Oldest building in all of Cuba...

 

A cathedral... 

Saw a pharmacy...

Paid a man to use his cab as a photo op...

Then we were off to Mella to a naif artist's studio & gallery. The town of Mella is famous for this type of art and sugar cane. However when we arrived we found out that he was in the U.S. with his artwork was at an exhibition. So we did some exploring, "a lo Cubano." We first visited the local library where there was a children's art project and computer science school. At the computer science school they learn about different software and use of the Internet. 

Jean is so fun to travel with. 

We had lunch in a private house before heading to the airport in Holguín. 

Of course our Cuban tour guide Marlón sent us off by performing "Bailando" one last time before arriving at the Holguín airport. It was difficult to say goodbye to our Cuban guide and bus driver. They truly gave us a very personal experience and I hope in some way, one day we can repay them for what they gave us. 

This visit to Cuba has been more than an understanding of their past and most recent history. It has been more than an open door into a culture deep in the arts. It has been more than meeting people with such an ability to overcome. It has been more than visiting an island surrounded by 3 different bodies of water with a unique geography. It was more than exploring several different cultural influences that have their place in Cuban culture. It has been so much more than I can put into words. I can only hope that other people of the world, our students included, can come to appreciate such a small place filled with so much. I hope that people can open their minds and repair the stigmas so many Americans have about this wonder of our world.