CUBANO AUG INCLUDING GUIDE to the BEST PLACES to EAT, DRINK, DANCE and STAY in HAVANAAUG 2016 1 Lahabana
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SUMMER A LO CUBANO AUG INCLUDING GUIDE TO THE BEST PLACES TO EAT, DRINK, DANCE AND STAY IN HAVANAAUG 2016 1 lahabana. com magazine
LA HABANA.COM is an independent platform, which seeks to HAVANA GUIDE showcase the best in Cuba arts & culture, life-style, sport, travel and much more... The ultimate guide to Havana with detailed reviews of where to We seek to explore Cuba through the eyes of the best writers, eat, drink, dance, shop, visit and play. Unique insights to the photographers and filmmakers, both Cuban and international, who place that a gregarious, passionate and proud people call home. live work, travel and play in Cuba. Beautiful pictures, great videos, opinionated reviews, insightful articles and inside tips.
HAVANA LISTINGS
MAY 2016 3 lahabana. com magazine
EDITORIAL
¡Qué calor! Boy, it’s hot! That’s what you hear the most on the street these days in performances of 12 principal dancers from Havana…and all across Cuba. Because August sees the thermometer rise and the ballet companies from the United States, pace of life slow down. Long hot summer days full of humidity fill the month, and Russia, Great Britain, Germany and Italy. you always hope for an afternoon shower that refreshes a little…just a little. You can’t hide from the heat so embrace it and enjoy what the city has in store for you There’s a wide selection of kids’ activities this these days. month, from the circus, to variety shows, to musicals, to puppet shows at theaters, the And what better way than to go to the beach. So in this issue we pack our swimsuits Zoo, the Trompoloco Big Tent, the Aquarium and take you to Juliet Barclay’s pick of the best beach in Cuba: the idyllic Playa and even the Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor. Pilar on Cayo Guillermo. Although you don’t have to go so far to find crystal-clear Our thanks to Jauretsi for her input on how waters and fine golden sand. Several articles dwell on how Havana residents to make the most of your holiday in Cuba spend their holidays at the beaches on the city’s northern coast, the Playas del and how to live like a local on your vacation Este. And not only by the sea, but close to rivers, camp sites or visiting relatives to Cuba. in the provinces. And to top the summer day, take a stroll However, if you’re looking for other things besides swimming and tanning, the down the Malecón in the evening, when the capital has great things to do in the summer. Music-wise, the Hip-hop Festival temperature is milder and the sea breeze takes place from August 25 to 28, the Rap Festival from August 13 to 18, and Verano refreshes everyone who sits on Havana’s in Jibacoa, Cuba’s top electronic music festival, from August 5 to 7. The Jibacoa most famous lounge. Read about it in the festival combines beach and music, so it’s great for killing two birds with one article We’ll Always Have the Malecón. stone. And for a folkloric taste of Cuba, the Timbalaye Rumba Festival (August 26- Havana in the summer—and in any other 30 in Havana & Matanzas) will open at the Regla district across the bay with the season—is fascinating. So take advantage of performances of several folkloric dance and music groups. it, appreciate it, love it. If you like ballet, this month offers a special treat: Ballet Royalty (August 20 at the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso) an exceptional opportunity to enjoy the Abrazos! The LaHabana.com Team
AUG 2016 CONTENTS AUG 2016 lahabana. com magazine 50 Summer on the Litoral SUMMER Norte Northern Shore Visiting Family A 54 and Friends in the LO CUBANO Summer 10 Pitfalls to Avoid (or “Save Your Cuban Holiday”) 08 We’ll Always Have the 56 Malecón
Cuba on vacation 14 Daring to Dream the 60 Olympics Live Like a Cuban 17 63 Surviving Dominoes Summer days! 22 HAVANA LISTINGS As sure as the day is long 25 VISUAL ARTS Cuba’s best beach PHOTOGRAPHY 29 DANCE MUSIC Summertime the Cuban way 32 THEATRE FOR KIDS Summer in Havana 36 EVENTS Beach Party 39 HAVANA GUIDE FEATURES Verano in Old Havana RESTAURANTS 42 BARS & CLUBS LIVE MUSIC The Delightful Rivers of Cuba 46 HOTELS PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION
AUG 2016 lahabana. com magazine 10 PITFALLS TO AVOID (or “Save Your Cuban Holiday”)
By Jauretsi
This may seem like a scary essay on bad things in Cuba, but I assure you, it is every bit just as positive. You see, any one of these challenges can arise during a stay, but with a little foresight and smart packing, you can evade the bad stuff like Neo dodged the Agents in Matrix. Every country has its own version of things to watch out for. In Havana, at least, there is no need to double check your shoes for hidden scorpions nestled in your socks like Costa Rica; however, if you travel deep into the countryside in eastern Cuba, you may have several creepy crawlies to protect against. So here it is, we present you with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Cuba is not one of those places with a drugstore around the corner, nor is there is Best Buy nearby for techy needs. Heed the following, and be a hero on your Cuban holiday.
AUG 2016 8 lahabana. com magazine SUNSTROKE You would think most people know this by now, but there’s always a few cocky travelers who wish to challenge the sun. This summer, temperatures are easily reaching up to 90 °F 32 °C (and more), so pack those SPF’s in your beach bag. Waterproof is even better. If you do happen to fall asleep in the sun, or carelessly got get caught up drinking daiquiris outdoors unbeknownst to your sunburn, fear not, a few home remedies by a local Cuban can make all the difference. First off, Vinegar is a healer to dab on a sunburn. An aloe plant is master remedy for sunburns, and can sometimes be found where vegetables are sold. To avoid the whole mess on long walks, hold up an umbrella while walking the hot streets of Havana. It is good to know that parasol culture is still alive in Cuba. Another common Cuban accessory is the hand held fan, à la Karl Lagerfeld. The classic shop to purchase one is named La Casa del Abanico en la Habana 1 Vieja (Obrapía 109, e/ Mercaderes y Oficios). 2. MOSQUITOS This is the Caribbean. Rains can make for a humid day, and worse yet, a fertile breeding ground for pesky mosquitos. The past few years has seen a rise in Dengue fever in Cuba, so make it a priority to pack mosquito spray for your next trip. Dengue can be areal vacation killers as well as giant health risk. Symptoms can begin 3 to 14 days after infection. If you prefer to avoid toxic deet chemicals found in over-the-counter producers (such as OFF), consider using Dr. Scholls Big Spray, which contains natural oils. We’ve road tested it, and it works. Smart for children too. If you’ve already been bitten and need to heal, try some toothpaste on the affected area. If you can get to a local farmers market, try applying one of the following: chopped onions, aloe vera, raw honey, or lime/lemons to the skin. In addition to mosquito spray, if your vacation includes a trip to the rural forests of Viñales, you may want to pack a little citronella candle to guard your room through the night.
AUG 2016 9 lahabana. com magazine ASTHMA If you’re the type to suffer acute asthma, Havana streets can sometimes trigger some wheeziness due to the car exhaust of some vintage vehicles. Cuba does not have the standard emission testing of United States for vehicles, so expect a few cars to spit out black smoke. There is also no smoking laws inside clubs, so expect some smoky nightclubs (Hello Gato Tuerto). It’s nothing a rescue inhaler cannot fix. The other precaution to be mindful of is which “casa particular” you are renting from. Please ask to see photos of the rooms in advance. Luckily, Airbnb provides the luxury of scooping out the home before confirming. Some rooms (very rare, though) have no windows, which can collect a musty smell. Others can have mold building in the walls (note: some hotels can also have mold build-up too). If you detect this early, ask for another room. If you are stuck for the night, take a walk outside, visit the pool or backyard for fresh air. In dire cases, the foreigner’s hospital, Cira García, is located near in the Playa district. Your flight ticket comes with automatic insurance, and the clinic will be able to provide you with a quick nebulizer to get back on your feet. The second home enemy is dust mites, which might be found in old mattresses. Many Cubans do not replace mattresses every six years as recommended by allergy experts. If you are sensitive to dust mites, bring an allergy bed cover for mattress and pillows (easy to pack). Bad sleep equals a groggy traveler. This can save your holiday slumber and keep you focused, alert, and ready to build fun memories to last a lifetime. 3 DIARRHEA This curse is the most dreaded sentence for any holiday—be it Cuba or India. Nothing kills an adventurous holiday like Montezuma’s Revenge. For starters, DO NOT DRINK tap water. Even if a local friend offers you a glass, and tells that they never get it. Keep in mind that locals may have developed an antibody over the years, unlike your delicate American tummy which will violently respond to the same glass of water. The instruction is simple: Bring a bottle Pepto-Bismol. It cannot be bought in Cuba. If you don’t use it, better yet! Now you can leave a gift to a friendly local or fellow traveler. Pay it forward. Pepto now comes in little cute pink pills if you can’t carry a liquid bottle in your rollaway bag. Forgot the Pepto? Here are some home remedies: yogurt, ginger, apple cider vinegar, banana and chamomile tea. For the uber sensitive, brush your teeth with bottled water and be mindful of ice cubes served in drinks via street vendors. Most of the fancy paladars are trustworthy with ice-cubes since most of their clients are foreigners… and who wants to upset their clients? If you feel the slightest tiny case threatening your health, drink LOTS of bottled water to wish it away. In serious cases of dysentery, please visit the Cira García Clinic 4AUG 2016 10 lahabana. com magazine ANIMAL WATCH
During the month of May and partially June, the little nuisance of sea lice can be found roaming some beaches. The little critters stick to your clothes, so if you take a dip in the ocean, just shower afterwards or remove bathing suit. Another trick is the application of oil sunscreen, which prevents the lice from sticking to your body. Jellyfish is another bummer that comes around mostly in the summer season. The beaches are mostly safe, but if for any freak chance you get stung, it is wise to know 5 that a good paste of meat tenderizer or papaya is good to reduce pain. Another home remedy for stings is plenty of vinegar, or applying a paste made of baking soda. Good old-fashioned ice packs do wonders too. When diving on the island, also be mindful of lion fish with their poisonous spears. In terms of other animals in your general circumference, fear not, a Cuban crocodile will not face you unless you wander in swampy areas. Also, take note, if you spot a tarantula in Cuba walking into your home (a frightening sight for any tourist), be aware that it is NOT poisonous. For the most part, the Cuban tarantulas prefer to live in trees anyways.
LIGHT THEFT
I will preface this section by saying that Cuba is one of the safest places to travel. Due to the lack of gun culture by the general population (police are able to carry guns), it is not common to hear of “stick-ups” on the corner. In general, it is safe to say that Cubans are not violent people, compared to some neighboring Caribbean countries. Having said all this, don’t be careless or cocky. Hold on tight to your iPhones. In a country with zero Apple stores, you can imagine the determination to snag an iPhone, and much more to resell it on the black market. Put your phones away while on vacation. Due to the lack of wifi on every block, this should be an exercise in living off-the-screen, so take advantage of that. You can Instagram when you get home. If you’re an American, you will most likely be carrying a fair share of cash, so be smart about where you leave it in the hotel or home. The bigger hotels have safes in each room. Most homes do not. It is always wise to befriend your housekeeper and tip her kindly to protect your goods. If all else fails and your cash is gone, remember that Western Union works in Cuba; however, it is not possible to send money to a foreigner. In this case, you will need to find a resident Cuban to pick up the money, in return for a “thank you” tip for spending the energy to go save your bootie. 6 AUG 2016 11 lahabana. com magazine 7. SEXY TIME 8. SCAMS Cubans can be wildly creative with their Take one trip to Cuba and you will notice the most storylines when trying to extract money from beautiful people in the world. Add to the fact Cubans love you. My favorite is the person trying to sell to flirt and can get a little frisky with strangers. If you you fake cigars. The story goes: “My Mother plan to do the horizontal mambo with a local Cuban, be [or wife] works at the Cohiba factory, she safe. Wear a “Jimmy Hat” aka condom. Here’s the state takes some cigars for herself, which I will sell of STDs in Cuba. All Cubans are offered free medical to you for a better price.” If you are trying to checkups. This means Cuban medicine focuses lots impress your boss back home with a box of on preventative medicine, and watches other forms of Cuban Cohibas, it will be quite embarrassing to problems very early in their onset. The other side of the discover you got him a box of fakes. Avoid any coin is that prostitution seems to be a big money maker tall tales from the street and go to an official for some families with women begrudgingly sacrificing seller with boxes that are properly stamped their bodies to make ends meet in a difficult economy. by the government. This is one item you do On the topic of HIV, Cuba put a big leash around the not want to find on the black market. The AIDS epidemic in the 1980s by quarantining any person other scam happens rarely but it does. There diagnosed positive. That means quickly removing family are times when a local offers to exchange members from their households and shipping them off your money into CUCs at a better exchange to isolated medical camps to be treated. As crazy as rate. In rare instances, the foreigner can be that sounds, it put the cabash on AIDS in Cuba with few holding fake bills. Careful with strangers who known cases arising since then. There are still plenty of exchange your money. This only works if you other STDs that can still be contracted, especially with are referred by a trusted family friend who has the high frequency of sex with outsiders. Trust us, you your best interest at heart. In general, we just don’t want to play Russian roulette with your private ask you exercise basic intelligence you would parts. We repeat. Use caution and wear a rubber. use in any country. Ask how much a ride costs before getting into the taxi. A dishonest taxi driver can overcharge you after reaching your destination, putting you in an awkward position. You may agree upon $30 for your ride, but upon arriving to the destination, it is not $30 pesos as he said (equivalent of little more than $1.00 USD). Instead, the driver changes his story and its now $30 CUCs (which is approx. $33 USD). I blame more the crappy economy than the individual who is trying to feed his family. Still, nobody likes to be played for a fool. Just keep your scam-alarm on at all times.
AUG 2016 12 lahabana. com magazine BATHROOM ALERT
Supplies are low in Cuba, and is most apparent in the bathroom stalls of the island. Enter most lavatories and you’ll find the lack of toilet paper, hand soap, or paper towels. The air drying machines are almost laughable. The initial intention is to turn them on, put your hands under them, until one feels the weak breeze, and ultimately wipes hands dry on pants instead. The best way to combat this shortage is to bring a ton of mini- Kleenex packs. Too much is never enough. You can always leave spare packs behind to friends. If you are a germ-phobe, bring a bottle of Purell to remove any TECH STUFF additional bacteria. The general rule is that Havana has Snapped a lot of brilliant vacation10 photos? Accomplished some inspirational writing on gotten better at supplying toilet paper (depending on your trip? Remember that this summer may experience a few blackouts in Cuba, thus which type of establishments you frequent), but if you making your computer vulnerable to crashes. We suggest to NOT leave your computer travel to the outskirts of Cuba (i.e. Vinales, Cienfuegos, plugged into a wall during your day missions, nor at night while you sleep. Another or deeper out there), be prepared to visit the “no- tip is to bring a surge protector on your trip. If you don’t want to carry cumbersome toilet-paper” zone. God is in the details. Bring Kleenex hard drives, then we suggest you bring lots of SD camera cards which sort of act like and your friends will love you. a backup hard drive for your photos after you fill up a few, and keep them safe in a tiny plastic container. Also, if you can, bring a bunch of USB sticks. You may befriend a musician or filmmaker who wants to offer you music or a film. In Cuba, locals do not use WeTransfer or YouSendIt.com websites for large data transfers. Conversely speaking, you may want to offer music back as a gift to someone. Overall, USB sticks are golden in Cuba and the main form of spreading digital files, so feel free to leave some as gifts as well. 9 AUG 2016 13 lahabana. com magazine CUBA ON VACATION by Victoria Alcalá
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Every country has its own rhythm. Cuba, where the workers are guaranteed one month of holidays every year, follows a beat in the working world that increases in momentum from the start of each year, after the Christmas festivities during “winter” and it picks up in intensity when spring arrives. And in June, with the advent of summer, the heat starts to slow down daily routines. With just the mention of high temperatures in the month of June, there will always be someone who proclaims: “If it’s this hot now, just wait for July and August!” Biorhythms are on the downward spiral after the first fortnight of July. Almost everyone has booked their vacations, institutions are being manned by only the few indispensable souls, students have wrapped up their examinations and schools are deserted, some offices only stay open by a miracle… By the end of July this pace has dwindled by leaps and bounds and in the month of August the country has practically grounded to a halt. (Here’s a historical tidbit: A Sunday just after lunch in the first days of August turned out to be the perfect moment for the English to capture Havana.) Some people have said that we should just eliminate these two months from the calendar. If you have left some minor health issue to be looked after in July or August and you are going to see a doctor, it’s quite possible you will be told that the doctor won’t be back until September. If you want to fix that pesky dripping faucet, you won’t be able to find a plumber. If you would like to make some electrical repairs, the technician will not be available. If you have finally put together some spare cash to get those closet doors redone, you’ll find that the carpenter has picked up and gone to visit his relatives in
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Guantanamo. Nothing will get examined, yesterday…”, without knowing that they are fixed, repaired or built in those two months quoting a famous saying attributed to Friar and everyone disappears from their habitual Luis de León as he returned to his duties in locations: they may be at the beach or the University of Salamanca after a four-year enjoying the countryside. sabbatical…in jail. As the Cuban national days of July 25, 26 In September, Cuba’s labor and social pace and 27 draw near, the board of directors of picks up speed at a dizzying rate until the companies will postpone any discussions that close of the year. That short December break could imply greater effort; they postpone all is never like the one in the summer but there analyses until September and immediately are those who prefer it because they can start planning their “Vacation Strategy.” enjoy the film festival, the FIART International Some places will shut down for the month of Arts and Crafts Fair, Jazz Plaza or just August even though they are virtually closed visit with friends and family, preferably in as of July 25, and maybe just a tad earlier… Remedios with its parrandas or in Bejucal At the end of July and throughout August with its charangas. But if you analyze it very the only thing exponentially increasing is the carefully, the perfect thing would be to book consumption of electricity because we are your vacation in September: just think about all using our air conditioners and fans. The it, you could enjoy three whole months of county’s demand for power in those months well-deserved R and R. is gigantic and even though during the rest of the year almost everyone is busy making sure those electrical devices are going to be providing the necessary coolness indoors, there is never any guarantee that some of these devices won’t be breaking down, going up in smoke or exploding… When the final days of August roll around, you see signs that people, tanned and in a good mood, are starting to get back to “normal.” Here come the plumbers, electricians and carpenters, etc. back to their regular spots. Doctors return from their holidays, students and teachers begin to get classrooms ready and mothers are running around getting school uniforms shipshape and buying school supplies for the kids. Offices are filling back up and all the work shifts are being organized again. The on-the-job business is resumed and someone always states “As we were saying
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LIVE LIKE A CUBAN by Jauretsi / photos Y. del Monte
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Greetings fellow traveler. We’d like to pose a mission of sorts for your next vacation to Cuba. Call it a challenge, call it an opportunity, or call it a riddle. Whatever you’d prefer. All you need is a sense of adventure and wide open eyes to navigate the terrain. Ok. Let’s get to the point. Traveling in Cuba as a local versus a foreigner is a whole different ball of wax, but you came and asked for the real Cuba, correct? Here’s a guide to get you started. For starters, we ask you to structure your trip using only “moneda nacional,” that is the term for local pesos, versus the tourist money (aka Convertible Pesos). For the diehards in this experiment, we ask you to consider the monthly wage of an average Cuban, that is, approximately equivalent to $20-$50 a month. Let’s assume you saved money all year long, and have only $10 to spend a day (and that is highly generous for what most Cubans spend on one day’s vacation). Therein lies your challenge, to enjoy the fruits of the island, on this stipend per day. If you are coming from the United States, bring items that are valuable to sell (batteries, USB sticks, old cell phones, etc). Most Cubans have a side hustle in addition to their regular job. When you are low on cash, now you have some black market goods to sell to strangers. Remember, in Cuba, it’s all about alternate forms of income. In order to melt into the atmosphere, it is impotent to use local colloquial language. When approaching a Cuban to begin conversing, muster all confidence of a Cuban and belt out “¿Qué bolá?!” which is the equivalent of “Wassup?” So commonly spoken is this phrase that President Obama used these words when greeting local comedian Pánfilo on National Television.
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Instantaneously, Cubans drew a laugh and these cars are above ground. For example, nodded their heads in approval, almost as if you stand on Neptuno Street, on the tip if Obama now has “Cuban cred.” The other of Prado in Habana Vieja, just put your hand oftenly used word is “Asere” which translates up in the air when you see an old car drive exactly into “Brother”, as in “Asere, ¿me by. How will you know? Most likely, the car puedes decir la hora?” (Hey Bro, can you tell will be packed with bodies. With a little me the time?). Sometimes it can be used in patience, waiting, and smiling, the right car all multiple tones to express anger or love. It will eventually pass by and scoop you up. usually depends on what type of emotion you Slowly you will learn the main avenues for throw behind the word. Máquinas (Línea, 3ra Avenida, 23rd St, etc). If you’d like to continue this task with utmost If you ride across town, from Havana Vieja authenticity, you’ll promise to avoid big hotel to Miramar, the ride will be 10 pesos (approx lobbies, with all its Western toys, gift shops, half of CUC1). If you you go beyond Vedado and accessible products. Instead, stick to the and past the Miramar bridge (for example, public Wifi Parks to check all your emails, a journey from Havana Vieja to Siboney, or at the very least, stand on the sidewalk the ride becomes $20 pesos (almost 1 CUC). beside a hotel, which is where all the true this means your transportation will not locals maximize a Hotel’s Nauta reach. To be destroying your new budget. For a true chat online like a resident, download the app experience, I assign you to ride a large bus at IMO before arriving. For some reason, it is least once in the week. Standing like sardines the strongest video chat to be used in Cuba, in a packed bus is the ultimate Cuban sort of like Cuba’s version of WhatsApp. All experience. Buses cost 40 cents of a peso those times you see Cubans laughing or (less that 2 cents of a CUC!). crying in the park with a mother, brother, Now that you know how to get around, find or lover, approximately 99% of the time, a local party. I’m not talking about the air- they are using IMO to relay their most conditioned VIP rooms at Factoría de Arte intimate feelings in public. You will be able Cubano catering to foreigners. No, I’m talking to purchase black market NAUTA cards at about the down and dirty pastimes. Free is the parks by keeping your ears open to a better for a local Cuban. Purchase a bottle wandering stranger’ s whisper, “Tarjeta de of rum and walk to the Malecón, Havana’s Enterrrrnet”. biggest couch, and begin your “people- For transportation, you’ll need to zip around watching.” Subcultures tend to cloister on town at lightning speed, but must forsake the specific blocks. Some have cute hetero kids, convenience of a yellow taxi parked in front some are the gay blocks, and some are just of major hotels. Instead, you will become quiet corners with privacy to chat with an old familiar with the local transportation, also friend. What is your flavor? Pick your block referred to as “Máquinas.” These old vintage by walking all up and down the Malecón on a cars shaped like an almond (thus the reason Friday night. This night of partying will cost for its nickname “Almendrones”) ride up and you $1-2 if you share a bottle of rum. Another down specific streets only. I like to refer to street to spend a weekend evening is Calle G. them as Cuba’s subway system, although The tree-lined promenade welcomes
AUG 2016 19 lahabana. com magazine independent thinkers, otherwise known as different price ranges for renters: one is María, loved on the Playa del Este coast, is “freakies.” A bit Bohemian, a bit skateboards, for foreigners, and the other is for locals. a good start. While you are at it, bring your and a bit rockers, this street gravitates the Your challenge will be to find a place within iPod and power speaker, and blast those artistic freaks, and there is never a dull night the local offerings. You may need to enlist tunes on the beach. You may start a dance on this avenue. It is intersected by 23rd and a Cuban friend to rent for you, since most party on the sand. Expect to clash with the Línea streets, both main avenues for the renters will shun you upon discovering you surrounding reggaeton tracks blasting out of “Máquina” cars to drop you off. See how it’s are an “extranjero” (foreigner) renting at a neighbor’s towel as well. Just sit back and all coming together? local rates (this is easily explained by the soak in the breathtaking beach and locals This leaves us with the limitations on amount the renter is paying for a license to wafting around, almost like a nightclub in where to sleep at night. Remember, in this rent rooms or apartments as a self-employed the daytime, except the men and women experiment, you are not allowed to rent worker). have less clothes on. Children run amok from a room at a major hotel. If you choose to Ready to hit the beach? Forget to fancy Yacht towel to towel, making this Cuba’s favorite book Airbnb, you must stick to the humble Club that charges $10 per entrance fee, with pastime for the whole family—a hot sunny day budget. Truth be told, most Cubans scour all its five-star service and wooden reclining mixed with cold beers. the website Revolico for rentals. The site is chairs. This time, you are going to the locals’ Now, what about Food? Well, this category sort of a Cuban version of Craigs List, filled beach in all its raw glory, and packing your seems to be the most delineated topic of with listings ranging in apartment rentals, own lunch, beers, and beach chairs. Santa conversation between locals and foreigners. tech needs, and shopping. Revolico has two
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CUCs to reserve a private driver for a full day drive to Varadero, roundtrip. Instead, take yourself to the Viazul Bus Station in Nuevo Vedado and reserve a ticket on the Varadero bus for only $10 CUC (note: the buses are air-conditioned too). Once hopping off the bus, just stroll the streets of Varadero looking for the famous Renters Logo (resembling an upside down anchor) which indicates the Cuban resident is renting rooms in their home. If you negotiate tough enough, you may find a home for $10 a night. Other local venues that Cubans take their families to are the Seaquarium, the Circus, the Natural Hot Springs, and Baseball Games. If you find yourself in Santiago (the other side of the island), try hitchhiking on a “camión” or “camioneta.” The buses are harder to locate, so most trucks will stop and pick you up. Beware, they could get packed to the gills, and safety is not high on the radar, but this If you have snobbish tastes of an American things. All these products cost roughly a was the adventure you asked for. foodie, this part of the experiment will be few cents in pesos. The famous spice store If you wander outside of Havana, the two your biggest concern. Your budget will not on Mercaderes (in Habana Vieja) offers a most important things in your arsenal of allow for fabulous daily dinners at Riomar treasure trove of Spices from Cinnamon to necessities is a roadmap, and the functioning or Otramanera, two deliciously culinary Curry. Some local markets sell simple pasta ability to speak Spanish. If you can’t defend paladars enjoyed by tourists or wealthy boxes and fresh fish. Now, imagine how yourself using Spanish, we suggest you Cubans. Street vendors instead offer creative one can be with that. stick to the Havana area, where a decent pizza (at times, appearing like frostbitten After you’ve mastered the art of simple percentage of residents can maneuver frozen foods), croquettes (hit or miss), or living, you are ready to venture outside the through busted Spanglish at the very least. hamburgers (not the typical robust American capital. Remember you are not allowed to If you choose to take this mission, we ask burgers with fixings). Some peso dinners rent exorbitant REX cars ($80 a day), nor you bring a ton of patience, humility, an are surprisingly tasteful and golden finds. reserve a tidy vintage car with driver. One open heart, and a little coin purse (for It’s a bit of a roulette game, with an ounce option is a nice scenic trip outside Havana frequent tipping to local angels who inform of instinct. There is one saving grace in all via train. A classic electric train leaves from you in times of need). Cuba is a nation of this chaos—the farmers market. Keep an Casablanca (just a ferry ride away from the contradictions, but it is also a country full eye open for fruits or vegetable markets all Havana Harbor) towards Matanzas, making of unlimited potential and resilient people around Havana Vieja, Centro, And Vedado. this a scenic 4-hour train ride. The Viazaul who make lemonade out of lemons. As the Typical finds in Cuba include Pineapple, buses are probably the biggest provider of updated phrase is repeated often on the Guava, Eggplant, Malanga or Taro, Bananas, transportation all across the island. Just to streets. It’s not easy, but it isn’t impossible. Plantains, and Cucumbers, among other compare fares, a foreigner can pay up to $200
AUG 2016 21 lahabana. com magazine SUMMER
by Nicolás de Camors DAYS! Photos Alex Mene and Ana Lorena
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Every year as the final days of June are coming into view, we always say the same thing: “If it’s like this now, imagine what it will be like in August.” When what we call winter in Cuba has finally disappeared and the fresh showers of April and May are a distant memory, that burning body heat takes over. No hand fans, electric fans or air-conditioning systems, lemonades or cold beers can fight it off. After the first summer season blast, we begin to dream about water, whether in pools, rivers or ponds. But as a rule, what comes to mind is the beach. Then we have to make the decision about whether we are going to rent a cabin, a house or an air-conditioned room in a hotel. It depends on the budget which in almost all cases is meager. Most of us opt for daily treks to the beach, complete with huge parasols or tiny camping tents. And so the preparations begin. First, what food to take? Let’s hope nobody suggests rice and vegetables with fish or even buying a plate of imitation fried rice. The number one preference is a tie between congri and tamales, two foods which I think really don’t go together. Everything else can vary but there should always be something fried, croquettes made of
AUG 2016 23 lahabana. com magazine some unidentified ingredients and maybe something for dessert. All these food elements are in the realm of the females in the family; the men are in charge of refreshment: bottles and coolers with ice water, lots of ice cubes and soft drinks—only a few lean towards the natural fruit juices, perhaps scared away by the odious task of peeling, chopping, blending and straining. If the budget allows, a stash of beers or Havana Club rum (or both) and something to snack on. And among these masculine preparations, the set of dominos will always be there. The ladies add their bulky bags of large and small towels, hats and kerchiefs, pareos, sandals for the sand and others for the pavement, a big bottle of drinking water to rinse your feet before putting on the second sandals, sunglasses, soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, eau de toilette, several kinds of lotions (sunblock and moisturizer for after the swim), two kinds of brushes, a large comb and a small comb, cosmetics, a book or a magazine and a bunch of those enigmatic objects that reside in the depths of a woman’s purse. And if there are kids, they need their life- savers, flotation devices and rafts, shovels, rakes and pails, plastic beach toys, clothes, shoes and just about everything else. Our women-folk tend to have the gift of being the memory of the family. Just when we are there with water up to our armpits, feeling cool, free and without a care in the world, suddenly somebody (usually a man!) can be heard to complain: “Jeez, woman! You forgot the can opener!”
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As sure AS THE DAY
is long AUG 2016 25 lahabana. com magazine
By Andreas Clark
Just like two plus two make four, when summer arrives, when summer vacation finally arrives, those old games that everybody has always played show up on the streets again with very few changes. And it’s on the streets because on our Island over half of our lives take place on the streets, outside our front doors. Starting with childhood games, the street calls us, incites us and demands our presence.
First you see one kid outside his door, then another and another. Not long after dawn, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, dressed in shorts (today’s shorts are the same ones worn yesterday and the day before yesterday), most are shirtless and some are shoeless…they look each other over without a word, and often without having had breakfast yet, and the rejoicing starts. An expert eye can make out four or five marbles in a closed fist. The challenge gets taken over to a corner. Marble hits marble, meters away, with an accuracy at hitting the target that’s worthy of Billy the Kid. The game goes on until there are so many playing that waiting for your turn takes forever until, suddenly, someone takes out a ball. You can play a lot of things with a ball…for example “el quemao”: you throw the ball until you hit a player. You can also play “cuatro esquinas” or just throw the ball back and forth with or without a glove. And you don’t even need a ball. Sometimes all you need is a tin can and a stick— this is called “kikirilata.”
And how much better can it get if you actually have a soccer ball? Or worse, depending on the neighbor’s attitude. Those soccer balls always need the company of scrappy old school desks photo by Ana-Lorena to stand in for the goal nets. The goal that makes
AUG 2016 26 lahabana. com magazine it through the legs of those desks gets more ovations and cheers than any one of those professional efforts by Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar because it’s not easy to handle a half-inflated soccer ball, evading six or seven devils on your tail and having it pass through a space that’s just one meter wide and half a meter high…now that’s what we call scorring a Goooooal!
And what if we don’t have a baseball or a soccer ball or marbles? What if all we have is a tremendous desire to play? That’s when the miracles start happening. That’s when the “pegaos” and the “cojíos” take over and furious running back and forth ensues, playing hide-and-seek and God help whoever has left the door of their house open because the entire neighborhood is one big hiding place, especially that lovely little made-to-measure coffee table with the huge flat-screen TV on it. Then there is that eternal game of “bad guys vs. good guys” (cops and robbers) which often disintegrates into a shoving match, bad language and the occasional knock on the head. They have also been known to end in a shouting match about who did what to whom.
By mid-, the exuberance has reached such a pitch that you can see neighbors shaking their heads and praying for a thunder storm, tsunami, tornado, earthquake…anything to calm down the noise in the street and let everyone finish sleeping in. If you’re lucky, nothing will happen. But if the gods that day are actually listening to these petitions, Armageddon is the result. Its starts to pour cats and dogs and contrary to what that neighbors had prayed for, what couldn’t get any worse suddenly gets worse. photo by Ana-Lorena
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The water falling from the heavens refreshes all the black, white, mulatto, yellow and every skin color in between of all those impossible Havana kids. Whoever was tired gets energized. Whoever couldn’t go , suddenly has their motor running at top speed. And that’s when the real fun starts! Racing through puddles, splashing any poor devil that gets in the way, standing under the overflowing drain pipes…complete mayhem.
But all good things must come to an end. There is a magic moment just at the end of the afternoon, not a minute earlier, when everything is over. You can hear the chorus of mothers’ voices all over the block yelling in unison: “Dinner!!!” Woe to the kid who doesn’t race home after that announcement. Chaos has ended. Neighborhood calm reigns supreme… until the sun rises again the next morning.
photo by Mene
AUG 2016 28 lahabana. com magazine CUBA’S BEST BEACH by Juliet Barclay / photos Robert Pujol
Urban travel sophisticates may try and persuade you that to find the real authentic Cuba, you need to get away ’ from’ the beach. While this may be true, you will be missing out on crystal-clear waters, fine golden sand whether in a virgin backwater in Isla de la Juventud or in mecca-to-decadent tourism in an all-inclusive in Varadero. Let’s be honest: they all have their virtues! In this piece, Juliet Barclay sets out to find the best beach in Cuba…it’s a tough assignment, but someone has to do it! ’’
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However does one find the best beach in Cuba? There are an awful Cuba is surrounded by around nine hundred cays, small islands of the lot to choose from and most of them are fabulous. The longest and sort that pirates used for burying their treasure. One of the smaller most famous is Varadero on the north coast, where you would be ones off the northwest coast is Cayo Santa María, which is the proud hard put to it to walk the length of the beach in a day, especially after host to Playa Ensenachos. Its beach is extraordinary: a long curve of all the cocktails that you somehow find yourself drinking en route. A soft white sand, almost deserted, leading down to a huge expanse of brisk early morning walk soon becomes a late morning saunter, then shallow aquamarine water as warm and as clear as air, which gradually a wander lunchwards, then a yawny shuffle out onto the beach, then deepens to dark blue in the distance. Ensenachos is not only one of a very stationary session under a shady palm tree. Varadero has white the best beaches in Cuba but probably one of the best in the whole sand, blue sea, masses of good hotels, lots of things to do and even Caribbean. The sand has a texture similar to talcum powder and it more people to talk to. It’s particularly good for families with small feels like double cream between your toes when you stroll through the children and the staff of the larger hotels can be relied upon to keep shallows. them amused whilst their parents chill out.
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But it is the final beach, Playa Pilar on Cayo Guillermo that is really the star of the show. When you’re shivering in the bus queue in mid- January, this is the kind of tropical fantasy you longingly conjure up. It is a perfect bliss of rolling sand dunes, a beautiful bay, warm turquoise water and authentic rustic charm unspoiled by deckchairs and morning cocktails. The Meliá hotels on Cayo Coco are the best places to stay (www.solmelia.com) and from there, when you tire of your morning daiquiri, you can easily visit this very special beach which is the stuff that dreams are made of. Go on, close your eyes for a moment and imagine you’re already there, floating in the shimmering shallows, sucking a mango and knowing that stretching ahead of you is day after day of utter and unmitigated idleness on what is without a shadow of a doubt the best beach in Cuba.
AUG 2016 31 lahabana. com magazine SUMMERTIME the Cuban way
photo by Mene
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By Andreas Clark
Summer is a hot, magical time when families tend to get together and share experiences, chat and catch up with everybody. s enjoy the season in a great variety of ways. Our temperaments and our climate are the principal ingredients.
The island of Cuba is lucky to have a huge number of wonderful natural sites. Some of them are virginal, others are very popular, but they all become scenarios for relaxing and taking part in healthy leisure activities. Each of our provinces has its own special charm. There are those famous for their beaches, others for mountainous landscapes, and others for their rivers and waterfalls. The most fortunate of them manage to bring together all of these attractions into one single site. Many people like to get out of their homes to spend a few days in these little paradises. Others prefer to take daytrips to the beach, returning home just before nightfall so as not to miss out on any of the city’s many nighttime activities.
The months of July and August are famous for providing an intense cultural panorama all over the Island, especially in Havana. Dance and theater companies have prepared very attractive shows, usually including a series of premieres and also reruns of some of their more popular plays and shows. Concerts abound and they cover the full range of musical genres—something for every taste, age bracket and social group. Summer concerts take place both in theaters and al fresco, and this is one of the reasons why many vacationers like to stick around in the cities at night.
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This summer promises to be an especially rich and novel season in many respects. Part of the reason is due to the enthusiastic way in which private business initiatives have been springing up these days. Just a few years ago, it was really difficult to find somewhere with a unique ambience to spend some time with family, friends or the love of your life. Nowadays, this has changed quite a bit. Cafés, bars, restaurants, pastry shops and other similar places have been opening their doors everywhere, providing the settings we need for those pleasant moments in our busy lives. Even though sometimes their prices make these places a little out of reach, these are new options that have been welcomed onto the scene.
Playing sports such as volleyball, basketball and tennis, parlor games such as chess, checkers and Parcheesi has become a summer highlight, particularly for children and teenagers. The National Sports Institute, INDER, has fitted out special spots in every municipality so that such activities can be enjoyed with quality and in an organized manner. Their experts are right there to guide anybody who is interested in learning about any of these pastimes. Since Cuba is basically a country of movie-lovers, the summer months give us more time to take in a great variety of films, either on TV or in the capital’s movie theaters. Both have scheduled movies that will be sure to appeal to audiences. Groups of friends also get together to watch the digital versions of the latest movies in the comfort of their own homes.
And those who enjoy a good book, from time to time will find many opportunities for this during the summer. Book sellers seem to blossom all over the city in the summer so that no matter how old you are, you will be able to find something to your liking. Book publishers, institutions and literary clubs hold street events, bringing readers and authors together on an informal basis, such as the well- liked and popular La Noche de los Libros [Book Night]. Among the vacationers who flee urban centers to find refuge in glorious natural settings, there are some who indulge at the same time in their love of research and photo by Mene
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learning, getting away to discover more about their island, whether it is in terms of history, nature or about the people who live in other regions. We can include here the speleologists who pursue their passion for delving into the mysteries of our caves.
During daytime hours, cities also offer many interesting things to do. Many museums and amusement parks plan special summer programs. There are a number of arts and crafts fairs to be visited: the most outstanding one is Arte en La Rampa at Pabellón, centrally located in El Vedado’s most famous stretch of 23rd St, La Rampa. Recreation, culture and history create a fascinating package in the Rutas y Andares Project which is sponsored by the Office of the Historian of Havana. By going on short guided strolls through areas of interest, you can learn about the past and the present at the very sites where significant events occurred.
And in closing, one last thing: Cubans start thinking about how they are going to spend their family vacations many months ahead of time. Summer therefore gets transformed into a very attainable and undeniable dream come true.
photo by Mene
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SUMMER IN HAVANA photo by Ana-Lorena
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By Margaret Atkins
It’s August in Havana. The scarlet flamboyanes* are beginning to shed the blossoms that have been an explosion of color ever since May. We start seeing the first avocados and those incredible mameyes.** And there is heat, heat and more heat. Late in the afternoon, we get torrential rainfall that seems to be announcing the end of the world. Warm fat raindrops are barely able to cool down the scalding pavement. Kids run out into the rain and play in the puddles. And then it suddenly stops. With a bit of luck, we get a fleeting rainbow, but the gorgeous sunset is a regular feature. When the evening rolls in, especially in the downtown areas where houses are close together, people sit on the sidewalks to chat and play dominoes. Out come the chairs, the music, the fans. This often goes on till midnight or later, when the night air brings some relief from the heat and finally one can get some sleep. The Havana Malecón also fills up with folk who are searching for some breezes or groups of young people with guitars, lovers, street vendors.
At sunrise, the sea is remarkably calm, smooth as glass—“like a plate” is the Cuban expression. Cubans love to go swimming in this almost warm waveless sea; it’s an amazing blue like the cloudless sky. Those who are able to afford it, rent houses by the beach and others are just happy to go swimming every day at Playas del Este—the beaches to the east of Havana. They go by bus, taxi, motorcycle or whatever other transportation is available. Or they go photo by Ana-Lorena AUG 2016 37 lahabana. com magazine
to the beaches that lie to the west, which are a little closer—but not as pretty—and they all return in the * Flamboyan: flowering tree late afternoon, tired, salty and happy. noted for its flamboyant display of flowers, hence the name. In Houses generally keep their windows and even their English it is given the name of doors open, waiting for the welcome breezes of fresh Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant. It air and visitors. Friends and relatives arrive from other is also one of several trees known provinces to spend a few days in the capital. These are as Flame tree. days for happy get-togethers, some drinks or beers, ** Mamey: name of an evergreen going to the circus, puppet shows for kids, the zoo or tree and its fruit, also known as the aquarium. City streets are overrun by pedestrians mammee or mammee apple and the public transportation is more impossible than usual. Queues at the popular Coppelia Ice Cream Parlous in Vedado are longer than ever. You start to see people with tans; skirts get shorter and necklines drop. And for those of us who choose to stay at home, national TV channels have special programming that includes copious packages of kid’s shows and endless movie shows. The kids are out of school and their parents have saved up their holiday time and their money for the summer. Some mothers, however, who have to go on working take their children to the office and so it’s not uncommon to see many workplaces filled with youngsters who are allowed to take over by common consensus.
By the end of August, and back-to-school day on the first Monday of September already in sight, a round of goodbyes, preparations for the ride back to the provinces, and shopping takes over. The summer that had begun with some given by the most popular music groups now ends in the same way, singing and dancing. To say that summer is over at the end of August is somewhat of a joke though because the heat continues until the end of September and often, right through to October, and it is not uncommon to get very warm days in November and December, too. As a popular slogan says: “Cuba is an eternal summer.” photo by Mene
AUG 2016 38 lahabana. com magazine BEACH PARTY by LOU Photos Alex Mene
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The University of Havana has developed a custom that has nothing to do with academic matters—in fact, it couldn’t be more different. This new “extra-curricular” activity, which rapidly gained in popularity, began on the last day of the European Football Cup. A group of fun-loving college students decided to organize a beach party where they could enjoy the beach and the sun, and at the same time watch the final on a portable TV set. The party was so successful among the students that since then it has become a monthly event held on one of the beaches on Havana’s coast.
Around 10 am, the first shorebirds begin to arrive carrying tents, dominos, balls, coolers, umbrellas, refreshments and food to get through the day. And of course a CD player. What party can go without music? The place slowly begins to fill and there is little room to walk. The party is held at a closed beach to avoid unpleasant and unwanted visitors that may spoil the fun. Admission is through tickets that are sold at the different faculties a week prior to the get-together. The people arrive in different forms of transportation: trucks, buses, cars, whatever gets them to the beach. By noon, the sand is filled with sun worshippers, dancing couples and others who simply like to take it easy and sip their refreshment of choice.
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Those who are more athletic throw balls over the net in an attempt and are sleeping on the sand, their faces red as tomatoes, and oblivious to play something that resembles volleyball. By this time, some are to the roar of the multitude around them. already feeling hungry and start taking out the supplies they brought One good thing about this beach party is that most of the people from home. Others, however, prefer to buy their food (fried chicken, know each other or have at least crossed each other’s path sometime hot dogs, hamburgers, etc) right on the beach. or another at the university campus. There’s a flow of positive energy The day flies by and with the sunset, a band begins to play. The show thanks to the healthy recreation. includes dancers and competitions with the participation of the More and more youth join the dancing. Come to think of it, the name audience. “beach party” is almost an excuse to hold this large outdoor party. Not By 7 pm, the effects of an entire day at the beach are evident in some many people actually bathe. Most of them just want to hang out with of the people. The sun, the sea, the partying have made them drowsy their friends in a pleasant and safe atmosphere.
AUG 2016 41 lahabana. com magazine VERANO IN OLD HAVANA By Victoria Alcalá photos Y. del Monte
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Planning ahead doesn’t seem to be very high on the list of virtues for Cubans, even though they do have quite a few. That’s why we go out into the neighborhood at dawn looking for a fuse to replace one that has just blown in our home, for a thermometer if it looks like the kid is a bit feverish or for a couple of tablespoons of flour for the béchamel sauce for our croquettes. Therefore it’s no surprise to anyone that July and August find many Cubans without any sort of vacation plan. In other words, they haven’t reserved a hotel, a house on the beach or a spot in the campismo, depending on the state of their personal finances. And that’s not to mention not having booked a bus ticket to visit the mother-in-law in Cienfuegos and not knowing how to keep the kids entertained. Luckily there is always someone thinking for us and, at least in Havana, each summer brings new options to choose from that will make those two months something different for our offspring who demand a “prize” for having passed into the next grade in school (as if that wasn’t their primary job in life). And so that gives us a handy excuse to not give the house the thorough cleaning it needs, to put away dozens of buttons needing to be sewn on until the day before school starts, to turn a blind eye to the kitchen shelf that needs a new coat of paint or to refuse to run to the office for some unforeseen job that needs to get done. Old Havana is an unending source of entertainment: let’s add our names to the list of those who would like to erect a monument to Eusebio Leal while he is still alive. The Rutas y Andares [Routes and Walks] is a program, which for the modest price of five pesos for up to three adults and theree children on each ticket (that’s
AUG 2016 43 lahabana. com magazine less than one peso per person if all six covered by the ticket participate) provides visits to just about all the museums in the Historical Center of Havana, entertaining and instructive tours guided by experts and an infinite number of workshops for the youngest ones in the family so that they can learn how to dance with Danza Teatro Retazos, create a bonsai, produce hand-made paper, start a stamp collection or draw their own comic strips. Grandparents who must so often be excluded from family outings because of those annoying ailments of old age may take the option of going on “virtual visits”, which allow them to enjoy the city through audiovisual materials accompanied by interactive chats designed for all tastes… and they are free of charge. Add to that the fact that Old Havana is a show in itself: you can walk along its streets and discover the buildings that have been restored, stroll along the newly amenable Avenida del Puerto with its lovely Alameda de Paula and its Maritime Promenade, rummage through the giant arts and crafts market that is Almacenes de San José, be astounded by the “living statues” or by the hullabaloo of stilt-walkers. Of course, those of us with children can stop to see the El Arca Puppet Theater or the Parque de la Maestranza amusement park. For those preferring to commune with nature, the deer sculpted by Rita Longo welcome all to the Havana Zoo on 26th Street in Nuevo Vedado, or you can visit the National Zoo with its African Savannah and Lion Habitat, Parque Lenin, the Botanical Gardens, Parque Metropolitano, ExpoCuba… all these palces all offer so many possibilities, at modest entrance prices. You can spend the entire day breathing in the clean air, lounging
AUG 2016 44 lahabana. com magazine on the grass while watching the youngsters run around in complete safety, using up (thank God) all that delightful childhood energy. Cultural options abound: concerts, theater premieres, trova get-togethers, the Circus, the Puppet Theater, exhibitions at museums and galleries. And it’s not just in El Vedado or Old Havana. For example, the artist Kcho’s El Romerillo Workshop is always cooking up something new. The En Guayabera Cultural Center in Alamar, the suburb on the far eastern side of the Havana Bay tunnel, has something for every age and taste, although it schedules activities particularly for young children. The Museum of Fine Arts schedules jazz, song and trova concerts on Sunday mornings, and on Thursdays at noon there is always a kids’ program. The recently spruced up Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor is open for games and learning experiences as well as for its ice cream treats. Just a few steps away from Cuba’s top ice cream palace, at Pabellón Cuba, popular musicians perform every day in the early evenings. Or maybe there’s something right on your block—Just a few days ago, the garden at my home was transformed into a scenario for magicians and clowns brought together by the Municipal Board of Culture. For those of us who cannot conceive of a summer without sand and sea, there is always the option of daily trips to the beaches to the east of Havana or to the seashore in Miramar: lots of water, lots to eat and just for the minimal effort of wearing your bathing suit under your clothes. So you really don’t need to spend your time planning for summer in advance…you can still enjoy an action-packed summer vacation at the drop of a hat.
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The Delightful RIVERS OF CUBA
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By Ricardo Alberto Pérez
We Cubans may be fortunate enough to live on an island with gorgeous sandy beaches and turquoise seas that can put any other such scenery to shame, but many of us prefer to swim in fresh waters, particularly in rivers. We take daytrips inland just for that reason, or camp out for several days. Another option is taking advantage of the numerous campismo sites which have set up simple cabins and facilities close to the most important Cuban rivers.
Imagine fresh clean streams, surrounded by wonderful natural scenery often backed up by mountains and valleys and overrun with lush vegetation taking in a wide variety of species of plants. Endemic fauna inhabits these areas to complete the picture greeting all visitors.
We have chosen a few specific locations on the Island which will beautifully illustrate these vacation spots. Many of them are quite close to our cities yet they seem to have an unending capacity to surprise us with their existence and they clearly are a vital contribution to the Cuban identity.
One of these places is the Canímar River in the province of Matanzas. It flows out into the sea through a steep shoreline, something like a canyon. In its vicinity are sites rich in legends and archeological finds. Río Canímar Tourist Park is one of the most comfortable facilities of its kind in the entire country, just 27 kilometers from Varadero Beach. One of its attractions is a boat trip down the river, surrounded by hills. It is a rugged trip with no shortage of unexpected twists and turns, allowing visitors to communicate with nature.
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Thousands of years ago this spot was a veritable paradise At the Campismo Río La Mula facility you can enjoy swimming for the natives, providing fresh water, abundant hunting in the ocean if you like because it is located right at the spot and fishing including many species of fish and shellfish. where the river flows into the sea, part of the lovely eastern Nowadays, its geography presents us with majestic reminders coast of Cuba. If you are in an ecological frame of mind you of that past. When you spend some days here, not only can can enjoy swimming in the water holes in the river that form you feel like you are travelling back to that past but you are natural pools, protected from the sun by a canopy of leafy guaranteed a very relaxing time. vegetation.
Far from Canímar, in the eastern part of Cuba, the La Mula Other visitors are delighted by the prospect of hiking in the River in Santiago de Cuba Province has the distinction of hills to reach the Poza Los Morones or, on the southern slope flowing down to the sea from the highest mountains in ascending to Cuba’s highest peak, Pico Turquino. Cuba, the Sierra Maestra. Some years ago, a campismo popular facility was built to provide accommodations for While we are in the far eastern end of the Island we can the thousands of people who like to visit every year. The also visit the city of Baracoa, the first town to be founded experience is certainly one that is not too common in our by the Spanish when they were colonizing Cuba. Only 10 modern world. kilometers from that city lies the campismo base called El
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Yunque, on one of the shores of the Duaba River that flows through this area, right at the highest point of Baracoa’s massif. The name is due to how much the outcropping resembles a metalworker’s anvil (yunque).
Anywhere you roam in this area, the sound of the rippling Duaba River currents will be your accompanying soundtrack. A natural lookout gives you the chance to observe the full extent of the landscape of mountains and rivers, the Atlantic Ocean and Puerto Santo Bay where Admiral Christopher Columbus landed on his first journey to the New World. For the more adventurous travellers, there are spots where you can pitch your own tent, set up your campsite and at the same time enjoy the site’s recreational facilities, such as an audio/video rec room, horseback riding and a dance floor.
El Yunque is the ideal base from which you can also take excursions to the waterfalls or to the top of El Yunque in the company of experienced guides to learn about one of the most picturesque sites having the greatest biodiversity and the most endemic species in the area. This is the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, a protected area that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are just three of the many rivers flowing through our Island. Their charms have captivated vacationers for years and are certainly worth exploring. What you get are many memorable experiences and the desire to go back again and again.
AUG 2016 49 lahabana. com magazine on SUMMER the LITORAL NORTHERN SHORE NORTE
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez photos Alex Mene and Ana Lorena
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About 56 kilometers east of Havana, on the road to Varadero, lies a stretch of territory known as the Literal Norte, or Northern Shore, with its group of beaches and facilities which become very popular every summer (truth be told, it is popular the year round). Generations of Cubans have very special memories of this area; many milestones in our lives have occurred just a few meters away from the sea that defines us. For over 40 years, I’ve been lucky to have seen how this bit of nature has been thoroughly enjoyed and, to some extent, transformed by human activity. Everyone from my generation will never forget that in our youth, in the 1980s, the Campismo Popular reached incredible heights. Several such sites equipped with cabins and accessory facilities were opened on this northern shore and fortunately some of them still survive. Just a few days ago I took off on a tour of these with a bunch of friends. Not only was it a sort of trip down memory lane, but it revealed that even though the times have changed, people who go to them still enjoy themselves the same way. Since this area has access to both hilly terrain and seacoast, a great variety of attractions are offered. You can barbecue a fish that you have just caught, you can spend hours at a pool playing games organized by the activities coordinator, you can practice all sorts of sports or hike in the hills to a wonderful lookout. It’s the perfect opportunity to come into direct contact with nature, especially when it comes to observing the iguanas and different species of birds. Parallel to the coast is a stretch of exuberant vegetation mainly made up of those
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picturesque flowering plants known in Cuba as uvas caletas, in English, or seagrape or baygrape. There is nothing better than to wind your way among them on horseback. The campismo sites rent out both guides and horses to enjoy this leisure activity. Further east, between the estuaries of the Jibacoa and Canasí rivers lies a seven- kilometer stretch with a wide variety of accommodations, at a range of prices: Villa Loma and Villa Trópico hotels, and the Los Cocos, Las Caletas, El Abra, La Laguna, Playa Amarilla and Peñas Blancas campgrounds; Peñas Blancas in particular is blessed to be right on the Canasí River where it joins the sea. The Memories Jibacoa Hotel is found in the same area, providing relaxing accommodations for foreign tourists. Another option is for campers to take their own tent and pitch it in the campgrounds authorized for such purposes. The area is also well-known for having good diving and watersports that require heights, such as windsurfing, paragliding and parachuting. If what you are looking for is a place to get away from it all, far from the madding crowd, but to get close to people you love and be able to do some swimming, there are some tiny ideal beaches to be enjoyed. One of the most famous such beach is known as Playa de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Beach) on a hidden cove that’s practically invisible from the highway (hence, the name Lover’s Beach). The Northern Shore extends east to Puerto Escondido on the Bacunayagua River. There are five campismo sites here, but unfortunately their facilities are much deteriorated these days and so a vacation there is not such a good idea. Only the adventurous would give it a try despite this
AUG 2016 52 lahabana. com magazine warning. However, the adventurous or the very young (say, a bunch of high school or college buddies) will be rewarded here by an amazing natural setting. Nighttime on the north shore is a whole other story—there is always somebody around with a guitar and immediately a group gathers around a bonfire (which can be both romantic and an effective way to chase away the insects). Other vacationers will go looking for the discos in the neighboring areas or participate in pools activities. Don’t forget the lure of a good game of dominoes or those wonderful moonlight walks by the sea. So, if you’re the kind who does not mind roughing it, a campismo site may be just the place to spend your summer holidays.
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By Ricardo Alberto Pérez photo by Mene VISITING FAMILY and FRIENDS in the SUMMER
Nowadays it’s pretty commonplace that many Cubans don’t live in the same place where they were born. In the last few decades we have been seeing many more people moving from area to area on the Island, as a result, these people are leaving behind relatives and customs. It’s natural that they always hope they will get to return to them from time to time. The summer vacation is the ideal time to get back to strengthen those wonderful bonds of love and identity.
This is the reason why some of the vacation travellers during July and August aren’t heading out to hotels or campgrounds. Instead, they’re off to visit the homes of both close family (parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, cousins…) and even more distant relatives. It is a time to rediscover those family ties and catch up on news.
All of this reminds me of a wonderful personal experience. When I was a kid I used to love going with my parents to visit the farm that belonged to my aunt and uncle just a few kilometers away from the
AUG 2016 54 lahabana. com magazine city of Remedios, famous for its parrandas. Playing with my cousins, seeing the animals and the fresh fruit on the trees, the beautiful landscape that included a river and all the undergrowth made me feel like I was living an adventure. by local inhabitants and visitors alike. The Santiago de Cuba carnival, for instance, is Something special always happens on these considered the best in Cuba. occasions between guests and hosts. People living in the country have a tradition whereby In the midst of this summer parade of they always share the best they have in their people going to and fro, new inter-personal homes: the best bed, the best food or the best relations are bound to crop up. New love electrical fan. Often two groups are created affairs are born and in some instances on these visits: one group is made up of the new families are formed. Friendships are youngsters, the other one is composed of bolstered and we can interchange customs adults and each one defends its own particular including everything from eating habits interests. The younger folk tend to prefer to new recreational possibilities. Hosts going on excursions, playing volleyball or will always show off the best of their football, and going to discos and dance parties neighborhoods or cities. in the evenings, while the adults will set up the domino tables, roast some pork and make sure Sometimes these trips are the result of everything is in place for a carefree stay. sincere friendship. Every year hundreds of young people come to Havana from all over When the relatives live in the countryside, the country to study at universities. In many horses will probably become the major cases they make great friends in the capital, attraction for the city slickers. Going on living with them for the greater part of horseback rides becomes an exciting activity, each year. In order to reciprocate, they will and sometimes the horsemen and women will often invite their Havana buddies to spend engage in some improvised races. An added some time at home with them during their bonus of these rides is that you can also vacations. discover some lovely scenery far away from everything. I am sure that most Cubans have enjoyed trips of this sort and have been able to relax Some of these summer travellers will go and return to the daily grind refreshed with a specific objective in mind, such as and, as they say on the street, “con las like attending carnivals and other regional pilas cargada,” that is, with their batteries festivities. These often have quite a different recharged. flavor from the ones celebrated in Havana. The carnivals in Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo and Bayamo, just to mention three, are always described as highly original and well-attended
AUG 2016 55 lahabana. com magazine WE’LL ALWAYS have THE MALECÓN
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By Eloy Castillo
During the long, suffocating, dark days of the Special Period, there were basically just three things to do in Havana in the evenings: drink that bitter sparkling wine that didn’t even come in a bottle, go with a couple of buddies to cool off in view of the sea by sitting on the Malecón wall, or, when all else failed, go and sit on the Malecón wall and drink that sparkling wine.
That notion of going to the Malecón to kill some time, bad or good, didn’t start then. It dates much farther back. In fact, it is such an ancient notion, that you could say that the desire to sit on the Malecón was a characteristic of Havana residents even before there was a Malecón. That’s why it was invented.
In the early 19th century, plans began for a promenade for that open space of pointy-tipped rock (diente-perro) and sea, and by 1859, the greatest Cuban engineer of the era, Francisco de Albear, was commissioned for the job. He quickly drafted a plan but the Spanish government took so long to fund the project that Albear had enough time to construct the aqueduct bearing his name and which today still constitutes one of the principal sources for supplying water to the city.
It wasn’t until 1901, during the US occupation, that engineers Mr. Mead and Mr. Whitney finally got busy on the project; however, one year later, only a scant 500 meters had been built. It continued to be put together in intermittent spurts and stretches right up to 1959. It was a great wall that drew a line around most of the city and which should be included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest park bench in the world.
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But all that is past history. Today it’s a different story. and Casablanca on the opposite shore and cruise ships. When I look out my window, I see cruise ships passing, And, yes, the seagulls are flying over the bay again. filled with tourists from Yuma-land and I can also see the Young (and not so young) couples in love, or who haven’t white-sailed boats going to a fro, and some motorboats fallen in love just yet, go and sit on the Malecón’s wall to speeding like never before. Time flew by and at one time talk about nothing, about life, about their ex’s, to end up Havana Bay had become so polluted that no seagulls kissing under that same nocturnal sky that will witness ventured there any more. But people kept on going to other couples just like them kissing, that same night, the the Malecón during the late afternoons for a breath of night before and the night after that. Because the wall is fresh air, to strum a guitar, to cry the blues and to drink fantastic for that, for beginning new relationships—and a beer, nevermore that sparkling wine, no matter how also for breaking them up when they run out of steam. typically Cuban it was. Luckily, shipping activities have It’s not only couples at the start or the end of their love been relocated to the brand new Special Development story, or groups of friends who call that long, white, hard Zone and Container Terminal at the Port of Mariel. So bench their own, night after night. The wall also caters practically the only boats you see today in the Havana for solitary figures who feel the need, or desire, to be Harbor are ferries that go to the fishing villages of Regla alone; they arrive at sunset, escaping their homes and
AUG 2016 58 lahabana. com magazine the heat, telling their wives and kids that they’re going fishing. And you will see them there, hour upon hour, with the most sophisticated fishing equipment, casting their lines into the waters over and over, persistently yet unsuccessfully. But they never give up in their efforts, right up to dawn when they decide it’s to head back home with happy faces and not a single fish. Dawn is also when the folk decked out in running gear show up; some run and some walk along the wall, eager to look better and more eager still to be seen doing it. And then there are those truly solitary souls who have tired of their solitude but haven’t been able to get rid of it. Both men and women, sitting at some spot, their backs to the city, staring at the sea in the face as if they were begging, screaming for a miracle at the top of their lungs, for some man or woman to save them from lives that aren’t going anywhere.
The Malecón is also a mini-mart of knick-knacks, candies, warm, roasted or sugar-coated peanuts; plush toys and flying colored lights going back and forth, to the sky, to infinity and beyond; flower sellers, strolling musicians with maracas, guitars and bongos, playing sons, guarachas, boleros and even congas in sparkling keys being punctuated by the sound of coins striking Bucanero and Cristal beer bottles. And there goes the ubiquitous pink Chevrolet convertible, overflowing with tourists who are taking it all in with envy, wanting more and more. This wall that borders the northern shore of the city is all that and more. But it provides no protection from the advance of the sea; instead it metamorphoses into an amazing scenario whenever the gigantic waves break against it, rising into the air meters above sea level, white foam spattering the grey pavement and creating salty rivers along the sidewalk. The wall doesn’t define the end of the city but the start of the Island; it defines the city but it doesn’t enclose it because Havana keeps on jumping past the Malecón, it assails it whenever it likes with proclamations, slogans and also with offerings of thanks to Yemayá.
This paper island afloat in a “mare nostrum” that doesn’t besiege us but serves as a gentle bridge for whoever comes and goes: our Malecón becomes the door, wide open and democratic, where Cubans expose themselves to the salty spray and the ebb and flow of destiny. What a tremendous metaphor for the Cuban people in the crash of never- relenting waves and the eternal nature of the rocks facing the sea. Here we are, stuck in the middle of the Gulf Stream, against hell or high water, always smiling and always happy.
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By Andreas Clark
My neighbor Ramón, the guy who lives in the apartment downstairs, holds a record that few athletes have been able to obtain and which is the envy of everyone. He’s been to the last three Olympics and now the Games in Rio are going to be his fourth round. Ramón is no athlete, or anything even remotely like it—he works as a technician for Cuban TV.
What luck! Always in the front rows, this neighbor of mine has really been there, experiencing it all in the flesh and making sure that the rest of us in Cuba get to enjoy the Games on the small screen. Through his efforts over the past twenty years, we saw our Cuban athletes’ victories, as well as defeats, sometimes more the former rather than the latter. But he didn’t get to see—due to age differences—our legendary fencing ace Ramón Font become the first Cuban Olympic Champion, in fact the first champion of the Americas, winning his medal at the first modern Olympic Games in London, England in 1900. Of course nobody else on this Island saw it either because television hadn’t been invented yet!
But if Font was great, there was a man who was even greater and even more enormous, unbeatable until today and maybe forever: Félix de la Caridad Carvajal y Soto, more commonly known in Havana as “El Andarín Carvajal.” And the man never even won a medal. He was a courier for the Liberator Army during the Cuban War of Independence against Spain and it was said that he would run about fifty kilometers every day carrying rebel correspondence back and forth. When the war ended, whether by inclination or simply because there wasn’t anything else for him to do, he became a mailman, continuing his back and forth habit, always on foot. Since walking was his thing, he would wear posters on his chest and back as he walked around the city, eking out an existence in the advertising game.
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And so it went until in 1904 “El Andarín” learned about the St. Louis Olympic Games and he got CUBA AT the OLYMPICS it into his noggin to compete in the Marathon. Now he went out into the streets wearing a new poster asking people for money to help him pay for his dream. He earned a bit but it was barely enough to pay for passage to New Orleans. That left him more than one thousand kilometers to cover to get to St. Louis. How did “El Andarín” do 1900 it, without a cent in his pocket? It was obvious: bit by bit, walking all the way. You can image Carvajal’s condition when he reached the starting-line. But wait, the story continues. He appeared wearing a long-sleeved shirt, trousers and his beloved mailman’s boots. All the other runners couldn’t stop laughing at the sight until one Good Samaritan offered to shorten both his sleeves and trousers, if not to give him a more “sporty” demeanor, at least to make him a bit more aerodynamic.
Believe it or not, very early in the race, Carvajal took the lead in the group…so much so that there were ten kilometers between him and his closest rival. But he was hungry. They said that he hadn’t had a hot meal in days; not a hot or a cold meal, in fact nothing, because he hadn’t eaten at all. As luck would have it (bad luck!) he noticed an apple tree growing beside the road and he stopped to gulp down some fruit. That was a bad idea. But if you were in his place, who’s to say you wouldn’t have done the same thing? After downing all those apples, which, to make matters worse were not ripe, the least that came over him was an attack of vomiting.
We won’t even mention what else attacked him. All in all, and despite the many stops his body begged him to make along the way, Carvajal managed to cross the finish line in fifth place. Of the 32 athletes who began the race, he was
AUG 2016 61 lahabana. com magazine RAMÓN FONST one of the 14 who actually finished the marathon. And _ Fencing unexpectedly, his ranking improved when the first-place runner, an American named Fred Lordz, was disqualified for having done most of the race comfortably seated in 4 Gold medals his coach’s car. As a result, Carvajal moved up a notch to 1 Silver medal fourth, just one place away from a medal. And they say that the apples were not to blame; in fact, everything started because of them!
MIJAÍN LÓPEZ With his tour de force, Felix Carvajal had conquered the _ Greco-Roman wrestling impossible and his fellow Cubans at that time celebrated his fourth place as a glorious success, something that 2 Gold medals was unthinkable in a country where, from number two on down, everyone is a loser. So much so that only one other athlete on the Island has managed to have Cubans celebrate for her having come in second. That athlete was Ana Fidelia Quirot ,who achieved it at the Central American and Caribbean Games at Ponce in 1993, just a few months after having suffered severe burns over 38 percent of her body. It was by her sheer will that she won the silver medal for the 800-meter race, something she repeated at the Atlanta Olympic Games. ALBERTO JUANTORENA _ Track athlete I saw her then, I didn’t even have a TV and I really didn’t care much for sports, but my curiosity got the better of 2 Gold medals me when I saw the crowd of people pressed to the grille of a Havana window, watching that unforgettable competi- tion on a black-and-white Soviet television set. The sound was bad and the picture was even worse, but we could just make out all the scars accompanying that Cuban woman who was running after her dream. When Ana Fidelia cros- sed the finish line, even though she came in second, peo- ple started shouting, hugging one another, laughing and crying, all together. It was then that I realized, as I realize today, that we are all Ana Fidelia. The year was 1993, as I said before; we were living through the worst of the Spe- PEDRO LUIS LAZO DRIULIS GONZÁLEZ cial Period, and that woman symbolized us. With all of our troubles, with all of our pain, each in our own way, each _ Pitcher _ Judoka with our suffering and our sweat, we were carrying on day 1 Gold medals after day so that each one of us could achieve what every 2 Gold medals 1 Silver medal single person dared to dream. 2 Silver medals 2 Bronze medals AUG 2016 62 lahabana. com magazine SURVIVING DOMINOES
photo by Mene
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By Andreas Clark
When they tell the story about how four fun- loving Cubans, partial to rum, the guaracha and pork, who haven’t seen each other in three weeks suddenly meet, and immediately make plans to have a great time next Sunday, to bring their wives and kids (if they have any) to sit around a table from noon to midnight, we might think that something is not quite right, that this story has got to be all wrong. But it isn’t so far off; all that’s missing are a few details. First, at the table there have to be glasses half-full with rum, two ice cubes per glass. And if the rum is Havana Club Añejo Especial, all the better. It’s not that expensive and normally there is no hangover. Next, they are going to spend the afternoon playing a game that originated in the Far East, requiring concentration, memory, knowledge of mathematics, logic and tons of common sense. Do you get the picture? They’re playing dominoes.
As in poker, dominoes is one of those games that isn’t played with the tiles you have, but with the ones you don’t have and especially, with the head of your opposition, and above anything else, you play with your partner against other partners. That’s what makes it important because cooperation between partners will make all the difference.
For starters, one has to decide on the opener: even or odd? Each couple has to make photo by Mene
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that choice about a tile selected at random and placed face down in the center of the table. At that moment, invariably, one of the people designated to choose will say: los hombres no paren (Men don’t give birth), a play on words, specifically par (= even) resembling parir (= to give birth)]. Therefore, their choice will be on the odd or, the not-even. If they guess correctly, they get to open and if perchance they have it in their hands, they will undoubtedly start off with la caja de cerveza (the case of beer), the double nine. This is not the same as the double eight, which is called la caja de muerto (casket for the dead, or coffin).
If you don’t have the case of beer, sometimes you can have the caja de laguers (case of lagers), starting with another double because that is going to increase the possibility by one hundred percent that right off the bat you are going to see your opponent tocar madera (tapping on the table to pass) and begin the game in the sort of bad mood that is going to last right up to the end. But if you should begin with anything less than a double, something is wrong: it means that the person who opened hasn’t got a clue about how dominoes are played.
But watch out! That isn’t necessarily so bad because what is important is to win, and to win in dominoes you have to play well. Nobody better for this than the person who sits down at the domino table knowing nothing about the game. The worst that can happen to you is to sit down to a game and discover that one of your opponents, or even worse both of them, have never played before. If you win, it won’t be recognized as a real victory photo by Ana-Lorena because winning over beginners isn’t really winning. However, if you should lose, and that does happen— unfortunately it happens much more frequently
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than you would expect—it will be a defeat that will be rubbed in your face over and over again, for the rest of the afternoon and in the most serious cases, until the day you die.
One of the central rules of dominoes is that nothing is relative and what has the most weight at the domino table is to forget the rules. Even though you may have heard it said that dominoes is a game invented by a mute, they also say that if others are talking, you should shout. Of course shouting just for the sake of shouting isn’t the point; you have to know what to shout and then shout as if you were the sixth dan Master of Dominoes, recently graduated from the Shaolin Temple, for example, crying out sin cola nacen los patos (ducks are born tailless) when you put a five down or when you hit the table with your tile exclaiming te cogió la puntilla (you got caught by the nail) revealing your contribution of the zero-one tile. Or screaming agachao (crouching) at whoever suddenly puts down a tile, which, had they done so two turns back, would have avoided making their partner pass their turn… and demanding dale agua (give it some water) whenever you think that the person shuffling the tiles before the game starts is doing it too slowly, too carefully or with something nasty in mind.
And there is something, or rather someone, who is always present at the domino table: the Prowler. That’s the person who doesn’t talk much, who circles around all the players, looking at everyone’s tiles, wearing the face of a philosopher, but never uttering a single word. The Prowler observes every tile, making it look like they understand every move and grimacing with approval or disapproval. But they are really envious, dying to play, but knowing full well that whenever they try, they lose big time. It doesn’t matter how many long, long nights they have tried to apply reason, to understand and to learn that damned game of dominoes, playing all alone in front of their computer screen. That person is me! photo by Ana-Lorena
AUG 2016 66 lahabana. com magazine HAVANA LISTINGS
VISUAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY DANCE MUSIC THEATRE FOR KIDS EVENTS
HAVANA GUIDE FEATURES RESTAURANTS BARS & CLUBS LIVE MUSIC HOTELS PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION lahabana. com magazine FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH AUGUST 31 El vinilo contraataca presents silk-screen posters in 33rpm record format. VISUAL THROUGH Cuadros de una exposición, exhibits works by AUGUST 31 Eduardo Abela, Héctor Frank, Danilo García, Rocío García, Víctor Manuel Gómez, Javier Guerra, Juan Manuel Hernández, Sofía Márquez ARTS de Aguiar, Michel Mirabal, Pedro Pablo Oliva, Nelson Ponce, Zaida del Río, Eduardo Roca (Choco), Rubén Rodríguez, Onay Rosquet, Aziyadé Ruiz and Carlos Zorrilla.
GALERÍA ARTIS MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH Sujetos y predicados exhibits works by X THROUGH SEPTEMBER 12 JULY 17 Alfonso, Iván Capote, Yoan Capote, Ariamma Relatos de una negociación, by Belgian-Mexican artist Francis Alÿs, Contino, Francisco de la Cal, Humberto exhibits paintings, drawings, sculptures, videos, documents, objects and Díaz, Adrián Fernández, Adonis Flores, Alex actions that reflect critically on contemporary society. Hernández, Liudmila y Nelson, Alien Maleta, Meira y Toirac-Marón, Yusnier Mentado, Jorge THROUGH AUGUST 22 Otero, René Peña, Susana Pilar, Mabel Poblet, Mens sana in corpore sano. Sport in classical antiquity corroborates the Carlos Quintana, Jennifer Rico, Fernando significant role of sport in Ancient Greece through 20 ceramic pieces from Rodríguez, Enrique Rottemberg and Ronal Vill. the valuable Lagunillas Collection and two Greek coins from the National Numismatic Museum FUCINA DES ARTISTAS THROUGH Hábitat, by Nestor Siré, delves into the AUGUST 19 association between the spatial and the EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO. MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES social, based on the impact of non-state THROUGH Cardinales is a group of paintings in which Cuban artist production forms, the sale of homes, and the AUGUST 29 Carlos Alberto García used a mixed technique on cloth. The legal regulations and social practices that medium- and full-scale pictures were created especially for reformulate the urban space. It also addresses this occasion. The artist has defined his work as “very much everyday practices, tinged by a spiritual, connected to early 20th-century avant-gardes, especially emotional and experiential component, which Expressionism. occur within doors.
FACTORÍA HABANA THROUGH Clara Porset…el eterno retorno vindicates an artist who is AUGUST 20 considered one of the most important designers of the 20th century. photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano
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GALERÍA GALIANO CENTRO DE ARTE THROUGH Como el que no quiere las cosas. For the critic Nelson AUGUST 15 Herrera Ysla, “I do not know if I am looking at a painting CONTEMPORÁNEO or a catchall…What is vital, essential, is the emotion when we realize that we have been deceived by the painter’s WIFREDO LAM magnificent craft.”
GALERÍA VILLA MANUELA THROUGH Como la primera vez, Casas, pays homage to the life and SEPTEMBER 2 work of the late Ramón Casas, bringing together small- and medium-size drawings and sculptures from the last two decades of his production. The three-dimensional proposals combine elements of wood, metal, plastic, textile and other materials, in compositions that are generally upright, looking like obelisks or monumental towers.
GALERÍA VILLENA THROUGH Apuntes de viajes, by Pedro Pablo Oliva, is a collection of AUGUST 22 over 100 small-scale drawings, inks and watercolors, which have been made intermittently over the last few months, during which the artist has travelled from country to country in order to carry out his projects.
TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE GRÁFICA DE LA HABANA THROUGH Muestra colectiva por el 55 Aniversario del Taller SEPTEMBER 15 Experimental de Gráfica. The artists, members of the Experimental Graphic Workshop, will undertake the work of another absent artist, according to their esthetical affinity.
TALLER LA MARCA THROUGH Bonito color exhibits the creations of tattoo artist Yaimel AUGUST 14 López. Ten copies of the poster of the exhibition, plus T-shirts, and postcards will be on sale.
VITRINA DE VALONIA THROUGH- Las ciudades oscuras exhibits comic fantasy-themed comic OUT AU- GUST strips created in 1983 by Belgian draftsman François Schuiten and French screenplay writer Benoît Peeters. The comic strips are set in an imaginary continent located in a parallel world, invisible to ours.
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CENTRO DE DESARROLLO DE LAS ARTES VISUALES THROUGH AUGUST 5 Cuba iluminada, by multi-prized photographer Héctor Garrido. This is his latest photographic project, “Illuminated Cuba,” to which he has dedicated the past six years of his life. During this time, Garrido has photographed 250 figures in the fields of culture, art, science, society and sport in Cuba. A job which he defines as “undoubtedly one of the most important in my career” not only professional-wise, but because through this project he met the woman who is now his wife, Cuban actress Laura de la Uz. An exhibition not to miss.
CASA DEL ALBA THROUGH Balcón Latinoamericano, exhibits photos of Fidel Castro. AUGUST 13
FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO THROUGH AUGUST 31 Una noche. Imágenes de la Cuba musical Vanguardia, by Mike Magers.
FOTOTECA DE CUBA THROUGH Hereros, pastores ancestrales de Angola, by Sergio AUGUST Guerra from Brazil delves into the lives of kuvales, one of the subgroups in which the Herero people in southwest Angola are divided. Excellent pictures of great artistic and anthropological interest, concerning marriages, ritual bathing or male circumcisions and other aspects of photos by Huberto Valera Jr. this culture and its relationship with water, its pastoral economy, their nomadic way of life, the practice of polygamy, of organization of life among women, etc. PHOTO GRAPHY AUG 2016 70 lahabana. com magazine DANCE
LA BAYADÈRE AUGUST 12 & 13, 8:30 PM; AUGUST 14, 5PM GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO
Performance by the Laura Alonso Ballet Company. GEDE IN CONCERT AUGUST 12-13, 8:30PM; AUGUST 14, 5PM, TEATRO MELLA
Performance by the GEDE Company directed by Santiago Alfonso. The company combines modern and contemporary dance, theatrical codes and popular dances with a renovating and experimental spirit.
MÁS QUE FLAMENCO AUGUST 11, 7PM MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. SALA TEATRO
Performance by the ECOS Flamenco Company.
BALLET ROYALTY AUGUST 20, 8:30PM GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO
An exceptional opportunity to enjoy the performances of 12 principal dancers from the American Ballet Theater, the Boston Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet. the Mikhailovsky Theater Ballet, The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, the Berlin Opera and La Scala, in a program that includes scenes from La Sylphide, Giselle, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake (Black Swan Pas de Deux), Las llamas de París, The Dying Swan and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. AUG 2016 71 lahabana. com magazine
The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wednesdays: Interactivo, El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) and Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside. MUSIC In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular CONTEMPORARY Don Cangrejo featuring good live music with artists of the likes of Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens, Interactivo, Diana Fuentes, Descemer Bueno, David Blanco, just to FUSION name a few, Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar— both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
BALNEARIO UNIVERSITARIO EL CORAL EN GUAYABERA FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 1PM-1AM SUNDAYS / 5PM Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Discotemba Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art TERCERA Y 8 expressions. MONDAYS / 5PM
CAFÉ CONCERT EL SAUCE Baby Lores SUNDAYS / 5PM La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García
CENTRO CULTURAL BERTOLT BRECHT WEDNESDAYS / 11PM Interactivo
CASA DE LA AMISTAD SUNDAYS / 9PM Rock ’n’ Roll with Vieja Escuela.
DIABLO TUN TUN SATURDAYS / 11PM Gens
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SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL FRIDAYS / 9PM Electronic music with Sarao
HAVANA HARD ROCK EVERY OTHER FRIDAY / 6PM MUSIC Soul Train, a show of soul CONTEMPORARY FUSION musicnorteamericana SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS / 6PM Rock cover bands
SUBMARINO AMARILLO MONDAYS / 9PM Miel con Limón
CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL SUNDAYS / 5PM Qva Libre
DON CANGREJO AUGUST 5 /7:30PM Buena Fe
HOTEL ARMADORES DE SANTANDER FRIDAYS / 8PM Trumpet player Yasek Manzano and DJ Wichi del Vedado
LA TROPICAL. JARDINES SATURDAYS / 9PM Sarao Audiovisual Project
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CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR CASA DE LA MÚSICA HABANA
ALL DAYS Popular dance music AUGUST 28, Dancing with Chepín and 5 PM, 11 PM 6 PM Bonne (with a popular dance competition) MONDAYS Sur Caribe 11 PM
FRIDAYS NG La Banda 11 PM
SATURDAYS Lazarito Valdés y 5 PM SALSA Bamboleo TIMBA
CABARET PICO BLANCO. HOTEL SAINT JOHN’S TERCERA Y 8 WEDNESDAYS / 10PM WEDNESDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music (Vacilón) Alain Daniel
CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL DIABLO TUNTÚN MONDAYS / 11PM THURSDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music Popular dance music (NG La Banda) THURSDAYS / 5PM Popular dance music JARDINES DEL 1830
CASA DE 18 FRIDAYS / 10PM FRIDAYS / 8:30PM Azúcar Negra Iván y Fiebre Latina SUNDAYS / 10PM SATURDAYS / 8PM Grupo Moncada Ahí Namá
AUG 2016 74 lahabana. com magazine
Jazz Café Café Jazz Miramar
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to SHOWS: 11 PM - 2AM extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only MUSIC an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz This new jazz club has quickly established itself musicians, but the open-plan design also provides as one of the very best places to hear some of for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat. Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel. the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. UNEAC A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your AUGUST 18 La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the 5 PM showman Bobby Carcassés thumbs up from us.
CAFÉ MIRAMAR MONDAYS Lunes de la Juventud 4 PM
SATURDAYS Reinier Mariño (guitar) and his 10:30 PM group
CASA DEL ALBA
AUGUST 12 Ruy López-Nussa (drums) y La 8PM Academia
FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO
AUGUST 13 Zule Guerra (singer) 10:30PM JAZZ
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EL JELENGUE DE AREÍTO BOLERO, TUESDAYS / 5PM Conjunto MUSIC Chappottín WEDNESDAYS Trova / 5PM FOLKLORE, THURSDAYS Conjunto Arsenio / 5PM Rodríguez FRIDAYS / 5PM Rumberos de Cuba SON AND SUNDAYS / 5PM Rumba
GATO TUERTO FRIDAYS / 5PM La Hora Infiel, with TROVA music, visual arts, literature and more. FRIDAYS / 9PM Osdalgia DAILY / 8PM Gato Tuerto Nights, hosted by Julio CASA DE 18 CENTRO IBEROAMERICANO DE LA DÉCIMA CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE Acanda WEDNESDAYS Héctor Téllez AUGUST 6 / 3PM Ad Libitum Duet THURSDAYS / Trova with Frank / 8PM 4PM Martínez AUGUST 28 / El Jardín de HOTEL TELÉGRAFO THURSDAYS José Valladares 5PM la Gorda with / 8PM SUNDAYS / 6PM Singer Leidis Díaz FRIDAYS / 9:30PMPM trovadors from FRIDAYS / 8PM Leidis Díaz every generation Ivette Cepeda SUN / 4PM Georgeana CLUB AMANECER ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA CAFÉ TEATRO BERTOLT BRECHT CASA DE LA AMISTAD FRIDAYS / 5PM FRIDAYS / 8:30PM AUGUST 27 / 3PM SATURDAYS / 9PM Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez Obbiní Batá (folkloric group) Rafael Espín and guests
Roberto Javier DELIRIO HABANERO FRIDAYS / 10PM Son en Klab CABARET EL TURQUINO. HOTEL HABANA LIBRE PABELLÓN CUBA CASA MEMORIAL SALVADOR ALLENDE SATURDAYS Sonyku FRIDAYS / 11PM TUESDAYS / Trova with Fidel Díaz AUGUST 26 / 6PM / 10PM 4PM and Ihosvani Bernal Mónica Mesa Ángel Quintero and guests DIABLO TUN TUN FRIDAYS / 4PM Tres Tazas with trovador THURSDAYS / 5PM Silvio Alejandro CASONA DE LÍNEA Trova with Ray Fernández SUNDAYS / 8PM
Trova HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC LE SELECT CASA DE ÁFRICA SATURDAYS / 9PM FRIDAYS / Grupo Moncada JULY 9 / 4PM DOS GARDENIAS 9:30PM Bolero Night Folkloric group Obiní Batá WEDNESDAYS / 10PM Haila María Mompié
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CLASSICAL MUSIC
CASA DEL ALBA BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ SATURDAYS Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles. AUGUST 7 , En Confluencia, dedicated to guitar. 4PM 5PM
AUGUST 14 , Young Composers. SALA GONZALO ROIG. PALACIO DEL TEATRO LÍRICO NACIONAL 5PM AUGUST 28 Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina. 5PM AUGUST 21 , De Nuestra América. Guests: Reinier Mariño and his group 5PM TEATRO MARTÍ AUGUST 28, Seis por Derecho, with guitarist Bárbara Milián and guests 5PM FRI, SAT & Les Miserables, musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg SUN, FROM AUGUST 19 TO and Alain Boublil, adaptation and production by Alfonso SEPTEMBER Menéndez. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO. MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES 11 AUGUST 6 , Alejandro Falcón (piano) and Rodrigo Sosa (quena) will 7PM play folkloric pieces, Latin American popular genres and SALA ERNESTO LECUONA. GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA classical music. Guest musicians: Barbarito Torres (tres), AUGUST 6 Teatro Lírico Nacional in concert. Ruy López-Nussa (percussion), singer Bárbara Vicens 7PM and the String Quartet of the Orquesta de Cámara de La AUGUST 4 Camerata Cortés in concert. Habana. 5PM AUGUST 14 Concert Todo por amor, with the performance of Camerata 5PM EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO. MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES Martin.
AUGUST 13 , A choral meeting between the Philadelphia Boys Choir AUGUST 21 Pentagrama de la lírica nacional, with the participation of 7PM 5 PM and Chorale, directed by Jeffrey R. Smith, y the Vocal Leo opera singers of the Teatro Lírico Nacional. chamber choir directed by Corina Campos.
AUG 2016 77 lahabana. com magazine THEATRE
El muro Génesis Éxtasis: un homenaje a TEATRO MELLA SALA EL SÓTANO la madre Teresa de Ávila GRUPO KOMOTÚ TEATRO DEL SILENCIO / PUESTA EN ESCENA DE RUBÉN SICILIA, TUESDAYS THRU TEATRO BUENDÍA AUGUST 5 Y 6, 8:30PM; AUGUST 7, 5PM THURSDAYS, 6PM TEATRO BUENDÍA / PUESTA EN ESCENA FLORA LAUTEN , FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, Rerun of the 2014 comedy show on the Premiere by one of the most experimental 8:30 PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM 20th anniversary of the popular Komotú companies in today’s Cuban theater. For the always lucid Norge Espinosa, Group from Guantanamo. “Teresa of Avila, obsessed with the Proyecto Julieta idea of founding monasteries, temples, places of worship, is the focal point Adulterios SALA EL SÓTANO of the play, conceived through texts SALA ADOLFO LLAURADÓ LA BERNARDA / PRODUCTION: TONY ARROYO by Raquel Carrió, Eduardo Manet and TEATRO EL PÚBLICO / PRODUCTION: ALEXIS FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 8:30PM Flora Lauten…[This is] a show that erases DÍAZ DE VILLEGAS MARTES, MIÉRCOLES Y any idea of a biography of a saint and JUEVES, 8:30PM Juliet survived her beloved; 60 years we find in it passions, fears, hopes and The play is based on Woody Allen’s one- later, she is still grieving his death and battles that unveil her as a woman whose act Central Park West that deals with tells the story among the character that only weapon is her faith….It is a sober adultery between two couples who are visit her and the memories that haunt production that emphasizes the idea of friends. her. legacy and the act of founding.” El baile A Pululu La derrota SALA ABELARDO ESTORINO TEATRO NACIONAL DE CUBA. SALA TEATRO RAQUEL REVUELTA TEATRO DE DOS / PUESTA EN ESCENA DE AVELLANEDA JULIO CÉSAR RAMÍREZ, AUGUST 12, 6PM TEATRO PÁLPITO / PRODUCTION: ROBERTO CENTRO PROMOTOR DEL HUMOR / CARLOS SILVA, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND Monologue based on Abelardo Estorino’s PRODUCTION: OMAR FRANCO, AUGUST 5 Y 6, SUNDAYS, 8:30PM play of the same name, in which a 8:30 PM; AUGUST 7, 5PM A production that combines dance and woman in need sells a necklace, quite Comedy show that examines major theater in which one of the younger against her feelings. The play touches events in the nation’s life, from members of the company makes his on the complex family relations in Cuba the fall of the socialist bloc to the debut as director. today. reestablishment of Cuba-US relations.
AUG 2016 78 lahabana. com magazine FOR KIDS
Jugando espero COPPELIA ICE CREAM PARLOR THURSDAYS, 2PM Games and other attractive activities for the kiddies. Los payasos burladores y burlados TEATRO NACIONAL DE GUIÑOL AUGUST 12, 5PM; AUGUST 6, 7, 13 & 14, 11AM & 5PM Puppet show by Teatro Papalote Las noches del cafetal TEATRO NACIONAL DE GUIÑOL August 18 & 25, 5pm; August 19, 20, 24 & 25, 11am y 5pm Puppet show by Los Cuenteros El león y el ratón TEATRO DE TÍTERES EL ARCA FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, THROUGH JULY 14, 3PM Opening of the play by Mexican puppeteer Mireya Cueto, adapted by the multi prizewinner puppeteer Adalett Pérez.
photos by Huberto Valera Jr.
AUG 2016 79 lahabana. com magazine EVENTS IN HAVANA
Rutas y Andares 2016 The successful, traditional summer tours organized by the City Historian’s Office since 2001 bring the rich cultural heritage of Havana closer to its people and visitors alike. The program is focused on visits to museums, tours around the city and workshops. Tickets will be on sale at Museo de la Ciudad, Museo de Arte Colonial, Convento de San Francisco de Asís, Museo Casa Natal de José Martí, and Maqueta del Centro Histórico, starting July 5, Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sundays, 9:30 am-noon. The Quinta de los Molinos wil have I a sales point on its premsies for its Special Ruta, Mondays-Friday, 9:30am-4pm. Detailed information at the Centro de Información Cultural, Oficios #8 e/ Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja, or call 7866 4035 / 7864 4336-37 (ext. 107). Purchasing tickets for the Routes gives free access to the museums included therein, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 m to 5pm, and Sundays from 9:30 am to pm. The Routes “Imaginaries of a City,” “Ethnographic Museums” and “Old Havana Pharmacies” will have a guide every Tuesday, at 10am. Guided tours begin Tuesday, July 12 until August 16. The remaining days, the museums included in each proposal may be visited freely.
AUG 2016 80 lahabana. com magazine EVENTS IN HAVANA
RUTAS (ROUTES) IMAGINARIES Will focus on the reconstruction ART IN ETHNO- Nature and art: objects from OF A CITY of Havana environments from the GRAPHIC MUSE- popular culture and decorative art UMS colonial era to the present day, created by the peoples of Africa and the transformations of spaces due Asia in their historical development to social interaction, customs, (visits to Casa de África, Casa de popular traditions, festivities and los Árabes and Casa de Asia), and walks within the walled city and Latin American Printmaking (visits El Vedado. Visits to Museo de la to Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín, Casa Ciudad, Museo de Arte Colonial, del Benemérito de las Américas Casa de la Obra Pía, Museo de Benito Juárez and Casa Simón Naipes, Museo de la Cerámica, Bolívar). Museo Napoleónico and Casa del Vedado
OLD HAVANA Learning about pharmaceutical ART IN ETHNO- Butterfly Conservatory;, History PHARMACIES forms: ointments, essences and GRAPHIC MUSE- of the Quinta de los Molinos; UMS electuaries. Visits to Museo Trees at the Quinta; Animals, Care Farmacia Taquechel, Museo de la and Handling; Bonsai Growing; Farmacia Habanera y Farmacia Ornamental & Wild Birds, Pigeons, Johnson. Care and Handling; Ornamental Plants at the Quinta
FACTORÍA HA- Videos and lectures on the SPECIAL ROUTE Opening of the Azpiazo-Castro- QUINTA DE LOS Butterfly Conservatory;, History BANA exhibition Signos. Arte, industria ON FIDEL CAS- Resende firm, where Jorge Azpiazo, MOLINOS of the Quinta de los Molinos; TRO’S 90TH y viceversa. Design in Cuba; BIRTHDAY Fidel Castro and Rafael Resende Trees at the Quinta; Animals, Care artistic and educational projects served as lawyers from 1950 to and Handling; Bonsai Growing; from 1960 to 1990. Lectures on early 1952. Visits to Casa de África, Ornamental & Wild Birds, Pigeons, projects from 1960 to 1990 and Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín, Casa Care and Handling; Ornamental serial publications. Showing of Simón Bolívar, Casa Juan Gualberto Plants at the Quinta documentaries Telarte by Idelfonso Gómez, Armería 9 de Abril, Museo Ramos, Variaciones by Humberto de la Revolución and numismatic THE ARTS Lectures, exhibitions, fashion Solás and Héctor Veitía, and Utopía collections, with interpretation shows, Q&A with artists, music posible by Felipe Dulzaides. services for the deaf shows
AUG 2016 81 lahabana. com magazine EVENTS IN HAVANA VIRTUAL WALKS FOR THE ELDERLY
AU- Planetarium AUG 10 Palacio del Segundo Cabo: Great European GUST Museums: National Gallery 2 AUG 11 Casa de las Tejas Verdes AUG 3 Palacio del Segundo Cabo: Great European Museums: National Gallery AUG 18 Museo de Bomberos de la República de Cuba: AUG 4 Vitrina de Valonia stories of fires and firemen AUG 25 Casa Víctor Hugo: Wifredo Lam and París
AUG 5 Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín: contemporary Ecuadorian crafts AUG Centro Hispanoamericano de Cultura: 9 & 16 Great Spanish and Latin American writers AUG 9 Planetarium (Baldomero Lillo, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Rubén Darío and Gabriela Mistral)
ANDARES (WALKS) (A selection of the most popular tours in previous editions) WALKING WITH The imprint of Africa in our culture, Walking along the path of Francophony, Illustrious Writers in THE WALKERS Havana, Martí and his imprint on the Havana trip, the Colón Cemetery, Good and bad practices in heritage restoration
ARCHITECTUR- Urban landmarks in the traditional and modern city: Parque Central (with interpretation services AL WALK for the deaf), Alameda de Paula, Traditional Malecón, Plaza de la Revolución, La Rampa and Calle Paseo
OPEN HOUSE AT Visit to the restoration project of Havana’s Capitolio. Tours are held twice a week and tickets will THE CAPITOLIO be sold individually for each tour. Once you buy your ticket, you need to register at Centro de BUILDING Información Cultural (Oficios 8, entre Obispo y Obrapía, La Habana Vieja).
AUG 2016 82 lahabana. com magazine EVENTS IN HAVANA Arte en La Rampa JULY 1-SEPTEMBER 18, TUESDAYS-FRIDAYS, 2-8PM; SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, 10AM-8PM. CLOSED MONDAYS AND JULY 30, PABELLÓN CUBA As is customary every summer since the year 2000, the Art at La Rampa Crafts Fair opens its door at the Pabellón Cuba, emblematic building of 1960s Cuban architecture, with an attractive offer that includes the sale of serigraphs, footwear, clothing, costume jewelry, fans, household goods, furniture, ornaments, and much more. Fashion shows, concerts and activities for the kiddies will also take place during the Fair. This edition will have 50 individual stands and around 10 from the Cuban Fund of Cultural Property, as well as products from Egrem, Artex, Génesis, ICAIC, UNEAC, Abdala, Editorial de la Mujer, Casa de las Américas, Distribuidora Nacional del Libro, Centro Provincial del Libro and Casa del Abanico. The provinces of Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Artemisa, Mayabeque and Havana will be represented by their craftspersons. Specialized stores, like the Tienda del Mueble (furniture) and designer Freixas (clothes) will also showcase their wares. The music programming that is always present at the Pabellón Cuba ( Fridays, Saturdays & Sundayus, 6pm) includes popular musicians Polito Ibáñez, Ernesto Blanco, Interactivo and Telmary, among others. And the photographic exhibition Soldado de las ideas Soldado de las ideas will open with photos taken of Fidel Castro by Liborio Nodal and Ismael Francisco.
Cubadanza AUGUST 1-12 TEATRO NACIONAL DE CUBA The two-week long International Workshop on Cuban Modern Dance, Cubadanza, aimed at professional dancers and students, teaches different Cuban popular rhythms and dances from which Cuban modern dance draws on and shows how the pelvic region and the undulation of the torso, among other characteristics, are the fundamental basis of the Cuban technique of modern dance. According to the availability of the company for the period in which the workshop will take place, it will possible to attend rehearsals and demonstrative lessons with first dancers of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba.
AUG 2016 83 lahabana. com magazine EVENTS IN HAVANA Jornada de Hip Hop AUGUST 25-28 VARIOUS VENUES IN HAVANA The early 90s saw hip hop take roots in Cuba as a new form of expression, and the mid-90s the opening of this festival with the performances of the most important rap groups in Cuba. A predominantly young, enthusiastic audience attends the concerts, and also take part in the colloquium with discussions on hip-hop culture and issues regarding this type of music, which has delved into controversial aspects of Cuban life, such as racism, still latent in Cuban society.
Simposio y Festival de Rap AUGUST 13-18 LA MADRIGUERA Besides the usual well-attended concerts, this rap festival and symposium, which is organized by the Cuban Rap Agency, proposes an interesting program of workshops, lectures, Q&A with musicians on the situation of the genre today and its future.
Timbalaye, VIII Festival Internacional de la Rumba Cubana AUGUST 26-30 , HAVANA AND MATANZAS Created to delve into the patrimonial basis of rumba, the International Cuban Rumba Festival in its 8th edition will be dedicated to the 130th anniverssary of the abolition of slavery and the 50th anniverssary of Miguel Barnet’s testimonial novel Biografía de un Cimarrón about a fugitive slave. Rumba is one of the most authentic manifestations in Cuban culture. Widely popular and 100% Cuban, it was born as a process of hybridization of elements of different origins, in which the legacy of African cultures played a predominant role while it exhibited significant Spanish components. It emerged in Cuba in the late 19th century, and developed after the abolition of slavery. More than a music and dance representation, rumba is a way of life, a philosophy that contains a mystique connected to religions and affiliations. It does not need specific instruments—the clapping of hands is enough to get a rumba going. For the people in the neighborhoods and in the streets, rumba is suited to their lives, to their emotions. And this is what Timbalaye, a yoruba word that refers to feasible dreams and projects, is all about.
AUG 2016 84 lahabana. com magazine FESTIVAL DE VERANO EN JIBACOA August 5-7 Jibacoa Beach, Mayabeque province
This is the top electronic music festival in Cuba, which takes place by the sea, at the popular Jibacoa Beach on the northern coast of Cuba, approximately 60 km east of Havana. The festival is attended by around 30,000 people, most of them college students. This is three days and nights of non-stop music and dance by the sea with rock bands like Osamu, Karamba, Nube Roja, Primera Base, Revelación Urbana and En Fusión; DJs Lejardi and Xander Black, just to mention a few. Concerts start in the evening and last all night till dawn. Bring your own tent or rent one at the beach!
AUG 2016 85 lahabana. com magazine
HAVANA’S best places to eat
Los Mercaderes
EL ATELIER BELLA CIAO CAFÉ BOHEMIA CAFÉ LAURENT LOS MERCADERES OTRA MANERA EXPERIMENTAL FUSION HOMELY ITALIAN CAFÉ SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN CUBAN-CREOLE INTERNATIONAL
Beautiful colonial house.Polpular Beautiful modern decor. Interesting décor, interesting Great service, good prices. A real Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, Attractive penthouse restaurant place whit great food and good menu. Interesting menu and good home from home. salads & juices with breezy terrace. service. service. Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado Calle 19 y 72, Playa Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ (+53) 7-836-2025 (+53) 7-206-1406 (+53) 7-831-2090 Lamparilla y Amargura. H.Vieja Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7861 2437 (+53) 7-203-8315
CASA MIGLIS MEDITERRÁNEO EL COCINERO CORTE PRÍNCIPE RÍO MAR D.EUTIMIA SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION HAVANA INTERNATIONAL INTERNACIONAL ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL CUBAN/CREOLE Contemporary décor. Great sea- Oasis of good food & taste in Interesting and diverse menu. Industrial chic alfresco rooftop Sergio’s place. Simple décor, with a buzzing atmosphere view. Good food. Absolutely charming. Excellent Centro Habana Beautiful terrace. spectacular food. Cuban/creole food. Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar Calle 13 #406, e/ E y F, Vedado. Miramar Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Centro Habana (+53) 7-832-2355 (+53) 5-255-9091 Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-832 4894 (+53) 7-209-4838 (+53) 7-864-1486 (+53) 7 861 1332 http://www/medhavana.com
LA FONTANA IVÁN CHEF EL LITORAL SANTY NAZDAROVIE SAN CRISTÓBAL INTERNACIONAL SPANISH INTERNATIONAL SUSHI/ORIENTAL SOVIET CUBAN/CREOLE
Consistently good food, attentive Authentic fisherman’s shack Well designed Soviet décor Deservedly popular.Consistently Brilliantly creative and rich food. Watch the world go by at the servicing world-class sushi. excellent food & service. service. Old school. Malecón’s best restaurant. great food. Kitsch décor. Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado Jaimanitas Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-202-8337 San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Vieja (+53) 7-830-2201 (+53) 5-286-7039 (+53) 7-860-2947 Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-9697 (+53) 7-860-9109
AUG 2016 87 lahabana. com magazine
TOP PICK Style of food: International El Litoral Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened.
Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201
Style of food: Soviet TOP PICK Cost: Moderate Nazdarovie Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale. Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon.
Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947
TOP PICK TOP PICK Style of food: International Otra Manera Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Beautiful modern décor and good food.
Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet & sour sauce and grilled pineapple
Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa (+53) 7-203-8315
AUG 2016 88 lahabana. com magazine
TOP PICK Style of food: Contemporary fusion La Guarida Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy.
Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you.
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047
Style of food: Traditional TOP PICK Cost: Moderate Café Bohemia Type of place: Private (Paladar) Best for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban.. Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building.
Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www. havanabohemia.com
TOP PICK Style of food: Spanish Iván Chef Justo Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)
Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime. Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahi-mahi served with organic tomato relish. Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches. Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540 AUG 2016 89 lahabana. com magazine
TOP PICK Los Mercaderes Style of food Cuban creole Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar)
Best for Beautiful colonial house.Polpular place whit great food and good service.
Don’t miss Wonderfull balcony view to the clasic street.
Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ Lamparilla y Amargura. Habana Vieja (+53) 7861 2437 y (+53) 5290 1531
TOP PICK Casa Miglis
Style of food Swedish-Cuban fusion Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar)
Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana.
Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries.
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana www.casamiglis.com (+53) 7-864-1486
AUG 2016 90 lahabana. com magazine CUBAN
FARM The Mediterráneo Havana Restaurant is recognized today as the first true experience of a farm- to-table restaurant in Cuba. A tour of the farms allow our customers to know firsthand about the ecological agricultural system used for growing the products that they will later enjoy at our restaurant.
Calle 13 No. 406 e/ F y G, Vedado. Havana Reservations: +53 78324894 [email protected] www.medhavana.com TO TABLE De la Granja a la Mesa
AUG 2016 91 lahabana. com magazine
HAVANA’S best Bars & Clubs
Corner Café
TRADITIONAL BARS EL FLORIDITA 1950S TRADITIONALS SLOPPY JOE’S BAR CERVECERÍA ANTIGUO ALMACÉN DE LA MADERA Y Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Guest performers include BUENA EL TABACO Recently (beautifully) renovated. Touristy but always full of life. VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS Microbrewery located Great cocktails. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. overlooking the restored docks Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte Simply brilliant. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271 Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1299 Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana (+53) 7-866-7157 Vieja
CONTEMPORARY BARS EL COCINERO ESPACIOS TABARISH FAC
Fabulous rooftop setting, great Laid back contemporary bar with A comfortable place to chat / X Alfonso’s new cultural center. service, cool vibe. a real buzz in the back beer- hang out with your friends. Great Great concerts, funky young garden. service. scene. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma. (next to the Puente de Hierro)
(+53) 7-832-2355 (+53) 7-836-3031 (+53) 7-202-9188 (+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica.deartecubano
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CONTEMPORARY BARS/CLUBS
TOP PICK DON CANGREJO BOLABANA CORNER CAFÉ SANGRI-LA Sangri-La CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Love it/hate it—this is the Packed night after night with For the cool kids. Basement oldest Friday night party a young dressed-up clientele Great live music every day. bar/club which gets packed place and is still going wanting to party. Don’t go very frequently by locals. at weekends. Good tapas. Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the strong. Outdoor by the sea. looking for Buena Vista Social Club! Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/ Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa Revolución (+53) 7-264-8343 club. (+53) 7-204-3837 (+53) 5 -294-3572 (+53) 7837 1220
Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar GAY-FRIENDLY (+53) 5-264-8343 CABARET FASHION BAR CAFÉ BAR LAS VEGAS HAVANA MADRIGAL
Can get dark and smoky but great A superb example of queer class Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the drag show (11pm) from Divino—one meets camp, accompanied by a staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a of Cuba’s most accomplished drag fantastic floor show. gathering spot for all types of folks. acts. San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar Habana Vieja Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-264-8343 (+53) 7-867-1676 (+53) 7-831-2433
Corner Café TOP PICK CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Best for Frequently by locals. Great tapas.
Don’t Miss Live music every day.
Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución
(+53) 5-264-8343
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TOP PICK Espacios CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people.
Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden.
Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921
CONTEMPORARY Bolabana TOP PICK
Best for Trendy new location near Salón Rosado de la Tropica.
Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana Farándula.
Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa
TOP PICK BAR / TRADITIONAL Sloppy Joe´s Bar Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History.
Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean.
Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja, (07) 866-7157
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TOP PICK Fábrica de CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Arte Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone
Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
GAY FRIENDLY Fashion Bar TOP PICK
Best for A superb example of queer class meets Havana camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.
Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm
San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS TOP PICK Bertolt Brecht Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music.
Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354
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AUG 2016 96 lahabana. com magazine HAVANA’S best live music venues
CONCERT VENUES
KARL MARX BASÍLICA SAN FÁBRICA DE SALA THEATRE FRANCISCO DE ARTE COVARRUBIAS ASÍS TEATRO NACIONAL World class musicians perform X Alfonso’s new cultural center. A truly beautiful church, which Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s prestigious concerts in Cuba’s Great concerts inside (small and regularly hosts fabulous classical most prestigious venues for a best equipped venue. funky) and outside (large and music concerts. multitude of events. popular!). Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución. (+53) 7-203-0801 Asís, Habana Vieja Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)
SALSA/TIMBA CAFÉ CANTANTE CASA DE LA CASA DE LA SALÓN ROSADO MI HABANA MÚSICA MÚSICA DE LA TROPICAL CENTRO HABANA MIRAMAR Attracts the best Cuban The legendary beer garden where musicians. Recently renovated A little rough around the edges Smaller and more up-market than Arsenio tore it up. Look for a with an excellent new sound but spacious. For better or worse, its newer twin in Centro Habana. salsa/timba gig on a Sat night system. this is ground zero for the best in An institution in the Havana salsa and a Sun matinee. Cuban salsa. scene. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa (+53) 7-878-4273 Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, C. Habana Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-203-5322 (+53) 7-860-8296/4165 (+53) 7-204-0447
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CONTEMPORARY
CAFÉ TATRO DON CANGREJO EL SAUCE TEATRO DE BERTOLT BRECHT BELLAS ARTES
Think MTV Unplugged when Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Great outdoor concert venue to Friday night party place and is hear the best in contemporary & Small intimate venue inside musicians play. Hip, funky and Cuba’s most prestigious arts still going strong. Outdoor by the Nueva Trova live in concert. unique with an artsy Cuban museum. Modern. crowd. sea.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, (+53) 7-830-1354 (+53) 7-204-3837 (+53) 7-204-6428 Habana Vieja.
TROVA & TRADITIONAL
BARBARAM GATO TUERTO TRADICIONALES SALÓN 1930 PEPITO´S BAR DE LOS 50 COMPAY SEGUNDO Late night place to hear fabulous Some of the best Cuban Nueva The 1950s traditionals, a project Buena Vista Social Club style set Trova musicians perform in this bolero singers. Can get smoky. created over 10 years ago, pays in the grand Hotel Nacional. small and intimate environment. tribute to the Golden Era of Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224 Cuban music: the 1950s. Hotel Nacional Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808 Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ (+53) 7-835-3896 Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761
JAZZ
CAFÉ JAZZ JAZZ CAFÉ MIRAMAR
Clean, modern and atmospheric. A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, Where Cuba’s best musicians jam the best jazz players perform and improvise. here. Somewhat cold atmosphere- wise. Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Galerías de Paseo Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO
Intimate and atmospheric, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous.
Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402
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Hotel Nacional de Cuba HAVANA’S Best Hotels
SIMPLY THE BEST…
IBEROSTAR SANTA ISABEL SARATOGA TERRAL PARQUE CENTRAL Luxurious historic mansion facing Stunning view from roof-top pool. Wonderful ocean front location. Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Plaza de Armas Beautiful décor. Newly renovated. Central Narciso López, Habana Vieja Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201 Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-6627 Vieja (+53) 7-862-8061 (+53) 7-860-8201
BOUTIQUE HOTELS IN OLD HAVANA
FLORIDA PALACIO DEL HOSTAL VALENCIA CONDE DE Beautifully restored colonial MARQUÉS... Immensely charming, great value. VILLANUEVA Cuban baroque meets modern Delightfully small and intimate. house. Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja minimalist For cigar lovers. Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037 (+53) 7-862-4127 Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja Mercaderes #202, Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293
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BUSINESS HOTELS MELIÁ COHÍBA MELIÁ HABANA OCCIDENTAL H10 HABANA Oasis of polished marble and Attractive design & extensive MIRAMAR PANORAMA professional calm. facilities. Good value, large spacious Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi. modern rooms. Modern. Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7- 833-3636 (+53) 5-204-8500 (+53) 7-204-3583 (+53) 7 204-0100
FOR A SENSE OF HISTORY AMBOS MUNDOS MERCURE SEVILLA HOTEL NACIONAL RIVIERA A must for Hemingway Stunning views from the roof Eclectic art-deco architecture. Spectacular views over wave- aficionados garden restaurant. Gorgeous gardens. lashed Malecón
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado Paseo y Malecón, Vedado Vieja Vieja (+53) 7-835 3896 (+53) 7-836-4051 (+53) 7- 860-9529 (+53) 7-860-8560
ECONOMICAL/BUDGET HOTELS BOSQUE DEAUVILLE SAINT JOHN’S VEDADO On the banks of the Río Lack of pretension, great Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Good budget option with a bit of Almendares. location. Popular. a buzz
Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-204-9232 Habana (+53) 7-833-3740 (+53) 7-836-4072 (+53) 7-866-8812
HAVANA’S Best Hotels
AUG 2016 100 lahabana. com magazine HAVANA’S best private places to stay
Sueño Cubano
MID RANGE - CASA PARTICULAR (B&B) 1932 MIRAMAR 301 HABANA JULIO Y ELSA Visually stunning, historically LUXURY HOUSE Beautiful colonial townhouse with Cluttered bohemian feel. fascinating. Welcoming. great location. Hospitable. 4 bedrooms private luxury villa Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Centro Habana with swimming pool Habana Vieja. Habana (+53) 7-863-6203 (+53) 7-861-0253 ( +53) 7-861-8027
UP-SCALE B&BS (BOUTIQUE HOSTALS) SUEÑO CUBANO CAÑAVERAL HOUSE VITRALES CASA ESCORIAL Old palace carefully restored, But undoubtedly the most Hospitable, attractive and reliable Attractive accomodations with a seven rooms, suites with beautiful about private homes in boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms. panoramic view of Plaza Vieja bathrooms and featuring 24 hour Cuba Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente service. Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja 39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Vieja Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Habana Cuba (+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278 6148 Inquisidor. Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607 (+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse.com/canaveral. 53 78660109 home.html?lang=en 39 339 1817730
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APARTMENT RENTALS BOHEMIA BOUTIQUE CASA CONCORDIA TROPICANA SUITE HAVANA APARTMENTS Beautifully designed and spacious PENTHOUSE Elegant 2-bedroom apartment Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish A luxurious penthouse with huge in restored colonial building. beautifully decorated apartment colonial interiors with cheerful, roof terrace and breath-taking Quality loft style décor. overlooking Plaza Vieja. arty accents. 360 degree views of Havana and San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, the ocean. Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Plaza Vieja Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Ignacio, Habana Vieja Centro Habana Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 (+53) 5-829-6524 (+53) 5-254-5240 www.havanabohemia.com www.casaconcordia.net (+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com LUXURY HOUSES VILLASOL CASABLANCA MICHAEL AND RESIDENCIA Rent Room elegant and well- Elegant well-equipped villa MARÍA ELENA MARIBY equipped. Beautiful wild garden formerly owned by Fulgencio This leafy oasis in western Havana A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion and great pool. Batista. Beautiful wild garden. has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. with 6 rooms decorated with Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29 colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+34) 677525361 (+53) 5-294-5397 XV furniture (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456 www.havanacasablanca.com (+53) 7-209-0084 Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559
Bohemia Boutique TOP PICK Apartments Red
Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning
Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected]
(+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567 www.havanabohemia.com
AUG 2016 102 lahabana. com magazine Bohemia Boutique TOP PICK Apartments Blue
Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning.
Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
Sueño Cubano TOP PICK Best for Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service.
Don’t Miss Relax at any of the four terraces, feel the mellow touch of antique and original Cuban furniture. Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja 53 78660109 / 39 339 1817730 WWW.SUENOCUBANO.COM
TOP PICK Cañaveral House Best for Large elegant villa away from downtown Havana. Great for families or groups of friends.
Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch out on the lawn of the beautifully kept garden.
9A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La Habana
(+53) 295-5700 http://www.cubaguesthouse.com
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