Note
September 26, 2005 at 2:07 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
As important as the posts and photos here are the fact that they are all being posted directly from Cuba.
I have a running bet with a friend in Matanzas who claimed that things like blogging and photoblogging were impossible from Cuba.
He’s going to owe me a cerveza very soon… 
Voices of Cuba #9
September 26, 2005 at 2:00 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
Enrique owns and built the 57 Pontiac I had for a week while in Santiago de Cuba.
He works in construction and claims he isn’t a mechanic, but just likes to “tinker” a little.
In this case, “tinkering” means installing a turbodiesel engine from a delivery truck, a Toyota Tercel steering system and a 5-speed transmission from a Toyota 4×4, in addition to 4 disk brakes from a late-model Skoda.
The thing looks harmless enough, but turn the key and it rumbles and shakes like a soviet tank. It sips less fuel than his father’s Hyundai Accent, and diesel is way cheaper than gasoline here.
He’s been running it this way for 10 years now with no problems, but would like to fix up the body a little.
Voices of Cuba #8
September 26, 2005 at 1:55 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | 4 Comments
Celino is in 1st grade, and wants to be a baseball player in Havana.
Voices of Cuba #7
September 26, 2005 at 1:55 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
En cada barrio, revolucion.
Kids rehearsing for the festivities of the 45th anniversary of the “Comites de Defensa de la Revolucion”, to be held on September 28th.
Voices of Cuba #6
September 26, 2005 at 1:54 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
En Cada Barrio, Revolucion.
These kids were rehearsing for the festivities of the 45th anniversary of the fouding of the
The groups were founded 45 years ago as a way to protect the revolution against propaganda and espionage and make sure that every neighborhood followed the party line.
They have since evolved into voluntary neighborhood watch programs, community assistance and sophisticated peer to peer support groups.
Voices of Cuba #5
September 26, 2005 at 1:53 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
Julio is taking a break from school to help his sister care for her 2 month old son.
He loves talking about politics, and follows all the news out of Venezuala, Cuba and the United States.
He knows the capital of every single US state and can name every single US president and the years during which they were in office.
Voices of Cuba #4
September 26, 2005 at 1:52 pm | In Santiago de Cuba | No Comments
Martha sells sandwiches and refrescos at a peso bar near Santiago de Cuba.
She claims to have cousins that emigrated to the US during the “special period” after the fall of the USSR, that now wish to return to Cuba because they are unsatisfied with their lives in the US.
Voices of Cuba #3
September 19, 2005 at 3:36 pm | In Sancti Spiritus | 1 Comment
When not in school, Mercedes sells art created by her family in the Trinidad markets.
She plans to get a job planning the yearly carnival in Santiago de Cuba.
Voices of Cuba #2
September 19, 2005 at 2:24 pm | In Villa Clara | No Comments
Yadin is the owner of the beautiful, sprawling casa I stayed at in Santa Clara.
She’s a computer programmer, but instead rents out a casa because it pays more.
She’d like to return to programming but the wages are lower compared to renting out a room.
Like all other Cubans I met she loves Cuba and is proud of her country, but wonders about the economy and how her kids will cope.
Voices of Cuba #1
September 19, 2005 at 2:21 pm | In Sancti Spiritus | No Comments
Jose was my guide on horseback from the West Part of Topes de Collantes over to Trinidad.
My horse (which carried all of my baggage, including my bike) is one of 6 that he owns, which are fed, supplied and cared for medically by the State.
He makes his living by teaching horse riding and guiding people across the mountain, and has a permanent smile across his face.
He’d like to visit Canada one day to see a dog sled.
