Our second day in Cuba and we got out of Havana. We went to visit Las Terrazas in the Pinar
del Rio Province. Las Terrazas is part of UNESCO's Biosphere Reserve. Most of it is deforested coffee plantations. They deforested using terracing practices. Hence the name.
The community of Las Terrazas was formed when the government gave the people living in the park a choice. They could move out, stay on their land, or move closer together to try to improve the community with steady housing, a school and medical services. We were there on a Saturday, so school was out, but some of the schoolchildren were enlisted to come and sing for us, the teachers and one doctor came to answer questions about the community. We dropped off the school supplies we had brought from them and also met an artist who reuses the paper from the village to make prints and cards. The endeavor benefits the community as a whole.
We had a delicious lunch and were treated to a great band - in Cuba, if you stand still for too long, a band will form around you, you will be enticed to dance and then purchase a homemade CD. Luckily, every single band in Cuba makes you want to dance. Thanks to L for the last-minute salsa lessons. Otherwise, I would have been lost.
The community of Las Terrazas was formed when the government gave the people living in the park a choice. They could move out, stay on their land, or move closer together to try to improve the community with steady housing, a school and medical services. We were there on a Saturday, so school was out, but some of the schoolchildren were enlisted to come and sing for us, the teachers and one doctor came to answer questions about the community. We dropped off the school supplies we had brought from them and also met an artist who reuses the paper from the village to make prints and cards. The endeavor benefits the community as a whole.
We had a delicious lunch and were treated to a great band - in Cuba, if you stand still for too long, a band will form around you, you will be enticed to dance and then purchase a homemade CD. Luckily, every single band in Cuba makes you want to dance. Thanks to L for the last-minute salsa lessons. Otherwise, I would have been lost.
On the way back, we stopped in "Fusterlandia." This is the home of Jose Fusta, considered the "Picasso of the Caribbean." His vision has taken over his house, his block and parts of the neighborhood. It was overwhelming and magnificent at the same time. The humor and exuberance expressed in his mosaics is infectious. The artist himself hangs out in his pool a lot and that was where we found him.
Later, we dined at Nao. A privately run restaurant that was deliciously decorated. Art, warm interiors, unique curios. We had a nice meal, in stark contrast to the slab of fish and potato (and visible roaches) from the night before at the state-owned hotel. Shudder.
Then it was off to the Buena Vista Social
Club. This is one of those touristy-but-who-cares-because-it-is-awesome kind of things. Music, dancing, a celebration of everything Cuban. It was a fantastic night.
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