Steven’s Cuba Blog

Will Hydro-Québec help solve Cuba’s energy woes?

Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to have dinner with a family friend who used to occupy a rather senior position at Hydro-Québec, one of the world’s premier authorities on hydro-electric power generation and transmission.

After a while, the conversation turned to Cuba (as it does so often with me…), and I was surprised to find out that there were, in fact, high-level discussions going on in the late 80s to build a large network of hydro-electric dams in Cuba. Apparently, these talks have recently been restarted.

Today, nearly all of the nation’s electricity is generated by nine plants, which are running on either oil or gas power. Largely based on ex-USSR technologies, these plants can be costly are difficult to repair as the parts needed are no longer manufactured and must be custom-ordered. The increasing number of blackouts in 2004 and early 2005 testifies to the problem, although recent measures taken by the Cuban state have helped rectify the situation somewhat. Regardless of its uptime, electricity reaches everywhere in Cuba; for better or worse. You find power lines in the most remote locations, and even the tiniest of villages has lights and television.

Despite the fact that Cuba does not have very large rivers, four sites were identified as being favorable to damming; it was asserted that on hydro-electricity alone, Cuba could go a long way towards power self-sufficiency.

The initial project never went through not because of economic or political concerns, but environmental ones. During and after the difficult “periodo especial” which Cuba went through following the fall of the Soviet Union, environmental protection became a huge priority for the state, since manufacturers and producers “could no longer ignore the possibility of a future with very limited resources.”

Because of necessity, conservation, self-sustenance and environmentalism became the keywords of the day. Organic inner-city gardens began sprouting up; 90% (!) of Havana’s fresh produce is from local farms and gardens. The bicycle made a comeback in force - to this day, I can personally attest to the fact that Cuba in general, and Havana specifically, is one of the greatest cities to cycle in. Eco-tourism is taking off all over Cuba, with health spas and uber-specialized health clinics all over the island.

Given the growing sense of eco-responsibility at the time, it didn’t make sense to flood hundreds of square kilometers of land - destroying countless species of flora and fauna that exist only in Cuba - and invest billions in hydro-electricity while nuclear energy was also being invested in (The two nuclear reactors are over 50% complete but are now mothballed).

Nuclear Central, Jurugua, Cuba

However, recent advances in hydro-electric manufacturing and production have allowed damming with minimal effect to the surrounding environment; our growing understanding of ecology also allows gives us more flexibility in gently displacing species - and, soon, entire ecosystems - without destroying them. Consequently, there is fresh interest in large-scale hydro-electric development in Cuba.

Solar, wind and other renewable resources are also high on the list of Cuban researchers and power producers. Regardless of the economic, political and social causes behind it, the truth is that Cuba is now in a very interesting position with regards to the use of renewable energy. The current economic climate leaves Cuba little choice but to slowly consider abandoning fossil fuels, and move on to become one of the first countries in the world to adopt environmentally-friendly, renewable power.

Google Earth has high definition satellite imagery of Havana

Google Earth, the famous mapping and geo-locating application from Google, now has some high-definition satellite photos of Havana. Unfortunately, the rest of the cities in Cuba are still in low-def, but they should be soon to follow. Also missing are the street names; hopefully they’ll be included soon.

The Capitolio and Prado.

The Plaza de la Revolucion.

Havana Flyover.

It’s funny how the colors seem so different from eye level than they do from a bird’s eye view. The familiar reds and whites of Havana buildings and the lush greens of the trees and grass seem so much more vibrant from the ground.

Also, looking at it in Google Earth reminds me how huge of a city Havana really is. It’s big and sprawling, yet so much of it is easily accessible by foot, like Paris or Budapest.

Sueño de Cuba

Brett Gaylor - whom I met at the Montreal Videologgers meetup - has a beautiful little video clip from when he visited Cuba back in 2003.

It’s incredible to look at this and remember that just a couple of months ago I was walking those very same streets, getting ready to leave the wild island that so warmly welcomed me into its heart for over two months.

I love video.

U.S. Treasury - Major League Morons

I learned via just a minute man that the U.S. treasury has finally decided that Cuba can’t play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. It blows my mind that they would make such a stupid call; actually, no, it doesn’t. Could you just imagine how awesome it would be if the Cuban team played and beat the Americans, on their home turf no less?

Seriously… what could possibly be the justification for disallowing Cuba to play? Citing the completely idiotic embargo doesn’t do much to add credibility to the Treasury Department’s case; there isn’t a great financial interest for Cuba or for Cuban nationals to participate. It’s a sport, but once again the U.S. government seems intent on infecting the rest of the world with its misguided, malevolent politicking. It would be in the interest of both countries if Cuba participated in the tournament, as the U.S. would be applauded for its diplomatic gesture, and Cuba would have added exposure and credibility on the world stage (something which, obviously, the U.S. won’t stand for).

It’s not America’s blind hatred of Cuba and all things Castro that leads to idiotic outcomes like this; every U.S. government in recent memory has had to cater to the immensely powerful Miami Cuban exile community, or severely cripple their chances of winning an election. The way the districts are divided in the U.S., it’s nearly impossible to win an election without their support.

Funny to think that if the electoral system was shaped just a little differently in the United States, Cuba would be allowed to be play baseball in a supposedly international tournament.

Hmmm… this post was supposed to be about baseball, wasn’t it? I guess the Cubans I’ve met are right when they say that “every conversation eventually degenerates into politics”, and my blog is obviously no exception…
Let them play!

Update:

Canadian International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said yesterday that U.S. bids to play host to future Olympic Games will be damaged by the Bush administration’s decision to prevent Cuba from playing in next year’s inaugural World Baseball Classic.

[…]

“Certainly it’s important for any country that’s bidding for the Games to be able to represent with confidence that athletes and coaches from around the world will be able to come to their country.”

[…]

“Sports should be separated from politics,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Bob Contiguglia said. “That’s been a FIFA and an IOC philosophy, and we concur with that philosophy. In soccer, we’ve played Cuba in sport on many occasions and it’s never been a problem. We’ve had teams go to Cuba and they’ve come here. So it seems kind of short-sighted that the administration would do that.”

Havana Rhythms

When most people think of Cuban music, they automatically think of Salsa, Son and other typically Cuban beats. Indeed, as a foreigner, these are the most common sounds I hear on the Island. However, Cuba - and especially Havana - has a burgeoning underground music scene. Alternative, Hip Hop, Experimental, and all sorts of fusions and fringe-mixes are cropping up in some of the small bars and clubs around town.

Searching for more on “independent” (not sure how independent it can be…) music in Cuba, I came across “The H Music“, a website featuring free downloadable tracks and bios - and not much else, at the moment - of new and unique Cuban artists, such as Telmary (who I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never heard of before):

Sin tener un disco personal, Telmary muestra, a modo de impresionante carta de presentación, sus colaboraciones con artistas como Gema & Pável, Pío Leyva, Yusa, Issac Delgado, Gerardo Alfonso, Aceituna Sin Hueso, Giraldo Piloto, Lucía Huergo, X Alfonso, Kelvis Ochoa y Francis, además de enrolarse en conceptos grupales de carácter intermitente como el proyecto Rotilla, Cool Cool Filin, Los Otros (con William Vivanco y Kumar) y, por supuesto, Interactivo. Xis y DJ Dalua, de Brasil, y Guillaume Fageon, de Francia, también han contado con sus servicios, y hasta en alguna ocasión alternó con el mismísimo Afrika Bambaataa. Todas estas experiencias le han permitido redondear su propuesta, nutrirse de vibraciones antes de lanzarse en protagónico. Por ahí circula una maqueta que nos enfrenta al resumen de esas sesiones, con verdaderos éxitos potenciales si la difusión funcionara según presupuestos distintos. Además, tiene de todo: canciones para cautivar al público que pide una simple desconexión y temas donde lo actual, con su carga de contradicciones, está bien presente. Pone la misma convicción cuando canta “Pa´ que enamore” (con su antológica oferta de “pescado fresco” y ese pegadizo pregón de “azucenas, girasoles”) como cuando interpreta “Los revolucionarios” y se cuestiona la doble moral de postulados extremistas con una pregunta sencilla, de todos y para todos: “¿hasta cuándo?”.

“Libre” and “Montuno” (both mixes) are extremely good tracks.

Cuba Chronicles, Chapter Five

UPRISING

Carretera Central from Colòn to Santa Clara city, Tuesday September 6th, 2005, 5:30am
With the aforementioned farm animals urging me to wake up, I literally rolled out of the hard bed onto the floor, took a cold shower - there was no hot water in this little guest room in the backyard - and got dressed. The funny thing about cold showers is how great they feel after a hot day at the beach or on the bicycle, but how awful they are in the morning before the sun comes up. I was literally talking to myself out loud into putting each body part under the low-pressure stream of water, soaping it up, then rinsing it off: “Ok, and here comes the left arm! The left arm is getting cleaned… time to rinse it off Steve. And it’s rinsed! Followed by the right arm…”

Once again, the pre-dawn road to Santa Clara was beautiful, flat and straight. However, unlike the short 80km of the previous day, this trip would be 50% longer - 120km. Despite this, I was in high spirits. The strong tailwind I had and the many motivational billboards along the way - Venceremos! - kept me going strong until about a quarter to 1pm, when I reached Santa Clara.


A big, clean, attractive city with few tourists, the first thing you see upon entering the city from the North-West (after the billboards about quitting smoking, teen help hotlines and reminding you to always use a condom) is the huge Che Guevara mausoleum and memorial complex, which I visited the next day.

Biking into the city from this direction also lets you enjoy an awesome downhill from the outskirts into the heart of city. Flying past crowded horse-drawn carriages filled with smiling girls and old taxis honking at the car in front of them is especially rewarding after a long, straight, somewhat monotonous ride on the highway. I easily found my casa just a couple of blocks away from the city’s beautiful main square, settled in, and enjoyed a well-deserved shower - lukewarm.

This casa was one of my favorite ones throughout my entire trip. The owner, Yadin, was really, really, cool. We hit it off from the start, and got along very well the whole time I was there. A former computer programmer, she left IT to rent out a room in her beautiful 2nd floor flat. She’s also got two adorable and very bright kids.

/** (Plug)
Casa de Yadin
Bonifacio Martinez 60, between Sindico (E.P Morales) and Caridad (gral. Roloff)
Santa Clara, Villa Clara
Cuba
Tel: (053) (42) 206754
Tel2: (053)(42)274760
*/

Disclaimer - I will occasionally post the addresses of my favorite casas here. This is not an endorsement nor a service I provide, and I receive no commission or compensation for references. Nevertheless, if you do decide to stay at one of them, I’d appreciate if you mentioned that you heard about them from me, “Steve, el muchacho con la bicicleta naranja.”

After I unpacked and settled into my very comfortable, air conditioned room, and took my shower, I got dressed, and walked back to the beautiful town square / park that I flew by at 40km/h just an hour ago. It’s amazing how different the experience of visiting a city can be based on your method of transportation. No matter where you are, whether you’re walking, bicycling, on a bus or driving through the city, you’ll see a totally different side of it. Biking through the city on my in, I was struck by the symmetry of the streets and buildings, and the thought that this city was probably the most “modern-looking” city overall I’ve been to in Cuba so far.

Leaving my casa on foot along the same route led me to a similar impression, albeit from a different angle. People here seem to be, at first glance, somewhat more well-off in general than the other places I’ve been to. The pedestrian-only town square - center of most activity - is bustling at any hour of day or night, with people young and old sitting on the benches, laughing, just talking about everything and nothing. It was mid-afternoon, so all the uniformed students had just left class and were converging on the town square to hang out.

The boys in their white dress shirts - and I mean white; I’ve never ever seen anyone manage to get a piece of clothing so bright white - and the gorgeous girls in their also-white dress shirts and decidedly-too-high-for-their-age brown suede skirts were meeting, playing pranks on each other, talking about the teachers they love and hate. All of a sudden, I felt really, really relaxed, and comfortable. I lied down on an empty bench (it was in the sun, and everyone usually chooses the benches in the shade - and move along with the shadow when the sun starts hitting them again), took out my moleskine notebook, and started to write - about everything and nothing.

Right about then, two students, both spanish-looking classic beauties, walked by me, looked me up and down, and smiled. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be older than 17, so all I could do was smile back.

Yeah, I think I’ll hang in Santa Clara for a few more days.