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Island Nations
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Hotel Nacional 1930 where the celebrities stayed and played
Some celebs who enjoyed the hotel
Dreadful pizza with hunks of cheese
Chevy Bel Aire
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Cuba Si/Cuba No
Story and photos by Yvonne Mason
Cuba has intrigued me since I was very young. Perhaps it's the stories my Aunt Olga told me upon her return after a two-year stay in that country during one of the times Fulgencio Batista was its president. Perhaps it's the memory of watching my parents dancing to the Spanish language song “Bésame Mucho”, or that I once saw the unforgettable and adorable Lucy and Desi Arnaz of movie and television fame snuggling at the Chi Chi Club in the southern California desert city of Palm Springs. I had to see this country – both compelling and forbidden – for myself.
Studio of Kelvin & Kadir Lopez
It's fact: Much of what goes on in Havana, the capital city of the country, has to do with the past, which I discovered in a part of its nightlife. One spot I visited was the Tropicana's “Under the Stars Saloon”, founded in 1939, where I sat through a rather tacky, mildly amusing fifties-style production, featuring young show girls barely wearing any attire on their bodies, but each wearing enough feathers elsewhere to single-handedly clothe each performer. The show's music was more Las Vegas than Cuban, and I thought the snacks – sparkling wine and rum – were of poor quality.
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba, also in Havana, gives a real feeling of the forties and the fifties. Crooner Frank Sinatra and many other Hollywood stars, including Ava Gardner, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper and even author Ernest Hemingway spent much of their time in this hotel, which opened in 1930, during the time Cuba was a prime travel destination for Americans. Montages of celebrities line the walls of one large hall, and the bluff in front is a great place to linger over a pina colada.
For me, the food – for the most part – was dreadful and smothered in mayo. I did find a few really good restaurants. Most were the privately owned and not really legal “paradors.” The best restaurant I encountered was Dos Hermanos, where my husband and I tried lots of fresh, well-prepared fish – gorgeous shrimp and paella redolent with saffron and other spices.
Museum of Chocolate
Chocolate from the Museo Del Chocolate in Old Havana was divine, especially the Chocolate Artesanal Aurora, a chocolate bar made with the best Cuban cacao as well as the chocolate; the Chocolate Amargo and the hot chocolate. In this indulgent atmosphere one finds chocolate-inspired graphics dating back to Victorian times gracing the walls. This shop is definitely one of the highlights of Havana. So why are the majority of restaurants so bad? I believe the owners just don't care.
Cars are everywhere in this city. You'll find cars of every color and shape, including United States' cars of the fifties and cars made in Russia. Most are kept in good condition, or at least in running condition. I truly loved seeing all these cars, and I became entranced with the little “cococabs”, adorable little cabs that resemble coconuts. Of course, they are more expensive to ride in than regular cabs.
For some reason well-known artists are allowed to take delivery of new cars and to live in very nice homes. These people, who travel frequently to the United States to participate in art shows, are treated very well, which pleased me.
Cococab
Havana's homes are a series of contradictions. Half are elegant and beautifully maintained, while the other half are falling-apart no-roof hovels. The Cuban beaches were clean and the water warm. In addition, I discovered the charming, historic cities of Trinidad and Cienfuegos in good repair, and I saw miles and miles of small houses and farms covering the countryside.
The only billboards I saw were propaganda boards of Fidel and Ché on the way from the airport to Havana; the Cuban people seemed to be removed and usually not friendly. I also found the United States dollar worth only eighty cents to the Cuban dollar. This hurt.
Even though I've now traveled to Cuba, I don't feel I really know the country. For me it's still an enigma, and I doubt I'll return.
© Story and photos by Yvonne Mason, 2010
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