I was a little disappointed when we arrived and found a guard at the gate to the base. But after my friend and taxi driver schmoozed the woman in charge, we went right in.
I worked quickly so as not to abuse the privilege and made some images that I liked.
This boat was for sale and the owner was proud of it.
Across the river there were some “pleasure” craft.
To get back and forth, you simply pulled your way across.
The Village: https://wp.me/p4fUlX-18V
Head directly south from Havana and in about 60 minutes you will come to Surgidero de Batabano. A very small fishing village on the south coast of Cuba.
Old buildings and modest houses.
Dirt streets and canals divide the town.
The water is mostly stagnant and polluted.
The main streets.
Fresh pork.
The Fabrica de Ceramica is a generations old family business in Trinidad, Cuba. It’s worth visiting to photograph or shop.
Lots of interesting pieces for sale.
While looking around and photographing, the old man himself came out to spin a few pieces for us.
In the next room, others went to work putting on the finishing touches.
In case you missed part one:
Can’t Live Without Water: https://wp.me/p4fUlX-18y
I am happy to report that our friends who live in the country now have plenty of water. Water in both houses, water in the kitchen, and water in the bathroom.
It took quite an effort to locate a submersible pump. One was found several provinces away.
Installed and wired.
Lots of water.
Two tanks were purchased and delivered.
One for the main house …
… and one for the smaller house.
Now: a working shower.
and water in the kitchen.
Also a faucet located near the new semi-automatic washing machine.
Again, this would not be possible without the support of my small group of friends, most of whom have been to Cuba and know the hardships people are forced to endure.
The family thanks you and I thank you.
My good friend Romnis took me to Cero to walk and photograph. It’s a rough neighborhood and there are no tourists here. All the more reason to go. We found this overgrown pipeline and followed it for a while until we discovered a way underneath.
This woman cautioned us because it was muddy and slippery.
Then, off she went.
From the other side, we could see that it was used quite often.
I really didn’t want to go, but my new friend and bici driver was persuasive. After all, I made it all the way to Santiago de Cuba. I might as well make a “record of the event”.
Main entrance to the cemetery.
It was not crowded, but there was a steady stream of Cubans waiting to visit.
I believe the body lies below ground here.
It’s all about the revolution.
Father of the country.
Many of the guards were women.
Interestingly, the river that must be crossed to enter the cemetery is covered over on both sides of the bridge. I’m sure it’s to hide the dirty water, trash, and foul smell.
I had been to a hospital before to visit a friend who had emergency surgery. It was a small local hospital and was in very poor condition.
A Visit To A Cuban Hospital: https://wp.me/p4fUlX-ri
This time I went to visit the maternity ward of a large hospital in the center of Havana. I was expecting much better.
Let me say that the word “ward” certainly applies here. Ten or twelve beds are lined up on opposite walls in each room. There is no air conditioning so the huge windows are open most of the time. Of course the lights draw many mosquitoes inside at night. Zika and Dengue carrying mosquitoes included, I’m sure.
The other problem with the huge windows is that they have no shades so half of the beds are always in the hot sunlight. The women must move around all day to stay in the shade.
Everyone had to bring their own fan to provide some relief from the heat. The women also brought their own food, sheets, pillows, towels, soap, and a bucket to use to flush the toilet. The one Shared bathroom was only cleaned once a day and there was standing water in the shower.
Don’t forget to bring something for the doctor if you want good care.
Outside the wards, people hang out at the windows and ……
Smoke.
Here are two videos made with a cell phone.
I love to photograph old boats. Old wooden boats with layers and layers of paint. Each applied by a different owner. Old working boats, well worn from years of use and abuse. Old boats with frayed rope, tied, and re-tied to serve a special purpose. Old boats with stories to tell, if they could speak.
A lot of places in Cuba keep their boats behind fences and no amount of persuasion, verbal or otherwise ($$), will get you into the base.
In Santiago de Cuba I was surprised when my bici taxi driver told me that there was no fence and no problem to visit the base.
I heard someone calling “café ? café ?” I looked up and saw this older woman waving at me from her balcony. She pointed to a doorway at street level and waved me up.
She wanted to talk.
She showed me her ration book and explained how it worked. I already knew about this system of subsidizing certain basic foods such as rice, beans, cooking oil, sugar, and coffee; but I listened anyway.
She wrote her address for so that I wouldn’t forget to visit again sometime.
After drinking coffee and showing me her apartment, we went out on the balcony.
That’s the way things happen in Cuba.
Water is heavy and there are tons of it looming on rooftops everywhere in Havana.
The old buildings have been divided into many more rooms and apartments than they originally held and everyone needs water.
Structures that are cracking and crumbling from years of neglect are expected to hold new plastic tanks and the old ones made of concrete. When full, there is a lot of added stress on roofs and concrete block walls.
Why store water on the roof? Because there is little pressure in the water lines that run beneath the streets. The water “flows”, mostly at night. People fill their rooftop tanks with small electric pumps and rely on gravity to provide the pressure to their faucets.
Check out: https://wp.me/p4fUlX-Ei
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