I wish Dan and I could take credit for all the photos, but I had a lot of grainy shots and Dan was his usual reserved-shooter self (well, not always). Several other people on the trip have uploaded their photos to share and because we want to give you a really good feel for the trip, I've used a lot of them. I'd like to thank them...
Thanks to President Obama's loosening of certain policies, there is now somewhere around $1.5 billion in remittances sent each year to Cuba from family members (about 80% in the U.S.) and U.S. citizens are now free to visit their relatives in Cuba. When they go, they bring as much stuff with them as possible! This picture is typical of one person's packages. Along with a flat screen TV and a laptop. Most private businesses in Cuba are started using money from relatives in the U.S. who also bring materials and supplies. We had a nice dinner off of new Fiesta-Ware at one of the Paladares (private restaurants). I doubt this is news to anyone, but the relationship is not good. The latest U.S. annual report on terrorism still lists Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism despite the fact that they can't back it up! Here's a short article from the LA Times about this Cuba still on U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. And if you'd like to read some more, Stuart, our trip leader, just emailed us this - a letter from Kathy Castor from the House of Representatives to Barack Obama. It's an excellent summary of what we have both seen and learned about contemporary Cuba. This is a photographer we saw on our first day in Havana. He's using what is essentially a pinhole camera - with a plastic screw cap that lets the light in. He shoots a paper negative, processes it by hand in chemicals at the back of the camera and then reshoots the negative image, processes again and finally has a positive print. All for one CUC (about a dollar). We had a group shot taken. If we get the digital version, I will post it.
Photos: Dan mint syrup:
1 cup sugar 1 cup water 2 big handfuls mint leaves per drink: 1-1/4 ounce mint syrup big sprig mint leaves 1 ounce lime juice 1-1/2 ounces light rum club soda To make mint syrup: Mix water with sugar in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Stir until the sugar dissolves (about a minute). Then turn off the heat. Toss in the mint and let it steep off the heat for an hour or so - smooshing the mint around every once in a while. Strain out the leaves and store in the fridge till you're ready to use. To make cocktail: Pour syrup and mint leaves into a tall glass. Muddle together with a muddler or a spoon (we bought a great muddler at Cost Plus - worth having). Stir in lime juice, muddle some more. Add crushed ice and stir. Add rum and stir. Fill glass with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a slice of lime if you want to get fancy. The home page that you are on is a blog. That way anyone looking at it will be able to find what's new. The other pages (links at top) are for specific segments of the trip and include lots of great picture galleries, music and links.
Newer blog posts go to the top of this page, so they are easy to find. I'll definitely be posting more because I am still so excited. If I update the other pages, I'll make a note here in the blog. The other good thing about this page being a "blog" is that you can comment or ask questions... |