Two buildings in Santiago de Cuba

These are the only two photos of buildings taken in the city of Santiago. In the blog section about the city of Havana, which follows later, there are multiple photos of buildings in Cuba. 

Classical Guitarist and then some

This guitarist performed during dinner at Restaurante Zun Zun, a paladar in one of the older historic neighborhoods of Santiago de Cuba.

Dance performance: Ballet Folklorico de Oriente

The audience for this special daytime performance was from several different countries. The artistic director of the dancers choreographed a series of presentations to depict the history of Cuba. 

Cigars and Shopping

This cigar roller was demonstrating the work in the Melia hotel lobby. We had an amazing tour of a cigar factory later in Havana, but were prohibited from taking photographs there.

Gifts can be purchased and taken back to the United States if they are educational or artisanal.
 

These amusing wooden models replicate the popular old American autos.

El Morro

There are many forts named El Morro in various Spanish countries.  This fortress was built in 1633 [?] to protect the harbor and city of Santiago against pirates and invaders.  

Miscellaneous Photos

This woman appeared very poor, despite her colorful dress, and was asking for something. Beggars do not typically ask for money; they ask for a "pen" by making a writing motion on their hand. Then you can choose to give them a pen or other object, which they would be able to sell, or you can choose to give them some money, or extra toiletries from the hotels. Or you can choose to ignore them. 

Mango tree at hotel in Santiago de Cuba. Mango trees were plentiful throughout this region.  

When mangoes were first imported to the American colonies in the 17th century, they had to be pickled due to lack of refrigeration. Other fruits were also pickled and came to be called "mangoes", especially bell peppers, and by the 18th century, the word "mango" became a verb meaning "to pickle".  [Source: Wikipedia]

Who Knew?  

Mango peel and sap contain urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison sumac that can cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis in susceptible people. Cross-reactions between mango contact allergens and urushiol have been observed. Those with a history of poison ivy or poison oak contact dermatitis may be most at risk for such an allergic reaction. Urushiol is also present in mango leaves and stems. During mango's primary ripening season, it is the most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii. [Source: Wikipedia]

Tour guide stops bus for liquor store run. Objective:  Ron/Rum.

Las Divas, a group of five a cappella singers, harmonized beautifully during a tour of Casa Velazquez, functioning as a museum showing colonial decor.

Not sure what to say about this guy who was stationed outside an apartment building we visited to find the studio of the artist, Mr. Aguilar, and his son. Long hair guy speaks English and told me he has friends in the U.S. Our tour guide says this elaborate headpiece is REALLY HIS UNCUT HAIR.

Free the Cuban Five

Throughout our trip, we saw posters and billboards with the slogan, Free the Cuban Five, and photographs of the five men imprisoned by the United States. On our last night at a private paladar dinner, we were approached by a Canadian woman who demanded that we make efforts to change our government policy concerning the embargo and concerning the imprisoned men.


Research here at home led to: The International Action Center, founded by Ramsey Clark, in 1992.  Posted on their website is an article by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of City University of New York, titled, "The CUBAN 5: Why a global movement demands freedom for these political prisoners in the U.S." A rally was planned for Washington, D.C. for April 17-21, while we were on this trip. See the link below which gives some idea of the political forces operating, probably in Florida by Cuban expatriates.

http://www.iacenter.org/cuba/cuban5-johnjay042012/