Cuba Libre

sophalina — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:37:00 GMT

Cuba has been getting a fair bit of attention in the media recently, and most of it is negative, related to an oppressive political regime that is severely restricting the freedoms of the Cuban people, particularly when it comes to the press. The transition of Fidel Castro out of office did not bring about the kinds of changes that were expected, which is not all that surprising when you consider that his successor is his brother Raúl. Compared to its neighbour, the capitalist USA, Cuba provides an incredibly intriguing example of a surviving communist regime. So when I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Cuba with some fellow Aussies, who were like me doing university exchanges in Mexico, I didn’t have a much of an idea of what to expect. What I found was one of the most valuable and surprising travel experiences I have ever had.

Cuba has so much to offer to the open-minded traveler, precisely because the way that Cuba caters to tourists (an important part of their national economy) is quite different to most countries. As a group of young students between the ages of 20 and 23 we weren’t looking to stay in five star hotels, but there is no youth hostel network in Cuba. There is, however, a more informal accommodation network, made up of “casas particulares”. For around $10-15 a night, many Cubans provide a room in their house for tourists, usually offering breakfast and dinner as included or additional extras. This is a huge change from standard backpacking – instead of meeting other travelers from around the world, you’re meeting the locals. You eat real Cuban food, sleep in their homes and rock in their rocking chairs. If you can speak Spanish, it is an incredible opportunity for insight into the psyche of a culture so different to the dominant capitalist ideology.

We'd been told to take cash over as the ATM networks were unreliable or unavailable or both. There are two currencies in Cuba, one for tourists and one for locals. It gets confusing, and it means that Cuba can be either very expensive or very cheap, depending on how good you are at getting off the beaten track, and how well you can pick the people trying to rip you off. The internet is expensive and internet cafes are few and far between in Habana, which means they are virtually non-existent in the smaller places. Another huge difference in our travel experience; all of a sudden we were off the web.

Habana first appeared to me kind of like a city in a futuristic sci-fi movie; deserted by its original inhabitants and reoccupied by "survivors". This leap of the imagination was prompted by the deteriorating state of the once impressive colonial buildings, a disrepair that is the simple result of little to no restoration since the 1950s. At night, the city is dark and poorly lit, with very few cars on the streets, yet many young people wander in groups, or linger in doorways. There is a significant police presence, and the constant patrolling of the streets has contributed to making Habana a very safe city, in spite of its somewhat tatty appearances. One of my hosts later expresses to me her appreciation for this safety, that she feels it is undervalued by other cultures. She has a point – there are not many urban inner-city environments in the world where it is normal and perfectly safe for 8 year old children to wander unaccompanied to and from school or play.

Habana is a city that offers up a feast for the eyes. Vintage American cars are all of a sudden commonplace, people line up for icecream in the street and wait in lines for pretty much everything you need to buy. Reminders of the revolution are everywhere - while the lack of commercial advertising is obvious to the Western tourist, the government advertises one thing - the revolution. It is more than a part of history - Castro's revolution is part of modern day Cuba.

Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead in Mexico

sophalina — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:46:00 GMT

It is a fairly broadly accepted truth that Mexicans have a different, more complex relationship with death than those north of the border. The long-standing traditions of the Mexican culture have spawned further celebrations around the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, the most obvious of which being Halloween. This year I had the opportunity to witness this most famous Mexican tradition in action, but I also saw the cracks that are appearing in the multi-faceted and complex modern-day Mexican culture.

Día de los Muertos, in its purest traditions, is a time for the living to reestablish contact with their lost loved ones. Cemeteries burst with colour as they are adorned with elaborate floral decorations, and they fill with the families of those who are buried within its confines. The traditions vary from town to town and region to region, but generally those loved ones left behind will light candles and stay in the cemetery for the entire night, when the spirits will join them for this one time of the year. The next morning, food is cooked and eaten and the dead are honoured and remembered by the presence of their family.

Today, traditions are changing. There is another Día de los Muertos tradition that is trampling the original, and unfortunately it comes from tourism. The towns that most famously established themselves as places retaining their traditional ways are converting into drinking grounds overrun by tourists, many of whom appear to have little concern for the heritage of the religious holiday. It is difficult to see how the tradition can survive in these conditions.

I started my Día de los Muertos holiday in Morelia, the capital city of Michoacán. Morelia is a great example of a city that has adapted its traditions to encourage tourism; throughout the week leading up to the 2nd of November there were plenty of exhibitions, performances and displays around the city, most of which could be enjoyed free of cost. We saw groups of mariachi performing in the zócalo, watched a parade wind through the streets, witnessed a light and fireworks show at the main cathedral and wandered through candlelit recreations of flowering cemeteries in the various squares of the city, whilst sampling the food and soaking up the atmosphere. We spent our night at a costume party and reveled with the locals in the festive spirit of the city.

The next day we headed to Patzcuaro, a small town that is renowned for its Day of the Dead celebrations and as a result receives thousands of tourists from all over Mexico every November. The unfortunate side effect of this is that the town becomes completely overrun, and unlike the much larger Morelia, it doesn't have the organised infrastructure to cope with the influx of visitors.

We took a boat to the Isle of Janitzio, where we were promised to witness the traditions of this religious holiday in one of their best manifestations. The atmosphere was so lively that at 2am it still did not feel late, because everyone was still out on the streets. First we climbed to the top of the island, where hundreds of young people had gathered to get drunk. That is all - the monument of the island becomes an outdoor drinking zone and for the teenagers who gathered there, that's what Día de los Muertos is all about. More than a bit disappointed, we went back down to the cemetery and there we found the traditions being observed, but they were well buried beneath layers of tourists and extremely intoxicated locals. Indigenous women kneeled at the graves of their loved ones, wrapped in blankets against the cold, as tourists trod a path around them taking photos of their mourning. The mood was not eery, or supernatural, as it supposedly should be. It was simultaneously rowdy and subdued, echoing a tradition being lost piece by piece.

The Day of the Dead celebrations form a cornerstone in the Mexican tradition, and are a source of cultural pride for the country. The roots of this tradition are seriously under threat. Despite the negative tone of this article I truly enjoyed my time in Morelia and Patzcuaro for the holiday, but I came away with a real sense of loss for the traditions that make the Mexican culture so unique and fascinating. I can only hope that the Mexican people, particularly town councils and event organisers, will also recognise the danger and move towards creating a religious holiday that both celebrates the traditions and helps to preserve them.

Soph's journal

Cuba Libre

Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead in Mexico