Remedio, Cuba - Blast from the Past

Road trip! Nothing would make your stay in Cuba more worthwhile then a little outing into the interior, Cuban style. I was so glad to take a rare opportunity to go inland and leave endless paperwork, searches, prying eyes of uniforms and controls of so called "international" marinas behind. Tobi and I tasted the dust of real Cuban roads, towns and people. I am very proud of this, as you can probably tell.

The word on the street was that Remedio is worth seeing and you just hitchhike and pay few bucks to a driver taking the risk. Drivers of private cars in Cuba are fined if caught with foreigners in their cars. Because hitching foreigners in private cars puts no US dollars into regime’s coffers, is therefore illegal. And what a treat it is to ride 50s and 60s Plymouths and Fords kept on the roads by industrious Cubans. These poor people make good use of their ingenuity, patience and hard work to make up for shortages and lack of parts and materials. Their poverty, in the true spirit of communism, is blamed on outside powers, namely the US. Don't get me started here. I grew up in similar nonsense minus the warm weather.

Remedio is famous for its beautiful cathedral built by the Spaniards and rich in gold ornaments. So we were told. Unfortunately we didn't get to see if it was true or not, as the building was closed, but town was pleasant enough to walk around and exchange glances with curious residents. Tobi even had her go at the local clothing store and fished out a gorgeous blue third hand Banana Republic shirt (with the Value Village tag still attached!) which, because of the setting we found very amusing. Banana republic phrase, in our minds at least, is not synonymous with clothing label, but also describes dubious regimes around the world. Remedio is a one-day-visit town and after cooling off in a colonial house converted to an upscale bar we hitched our ride back home. I loved the ride back the most. Sunk in the back seat of 63 Plymouth I felt like a million bucks. I love Cuba and I love Cuban people. Oppressive and enslaving system is what I am allergic to.

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