A visit to Cuba in 2009
residents, tourists and taxis in Old Havana
In the summer of 2009, I had the opportunity to visit Cuba. Bill Rasdell, a well known Indianapolis artist, has visited Cuba several times over the past 15+ years pursuing his interest in its culture and leading groups from American museums, which then built exhibits of Cuban art. It was through Bill's efforts and connections that I was able to visit Cuba. For an American who has lived isolated from Cuba for almost 50 years, the country is full of surprises. Cuba enjoys an active tourism trade, with Europeans and Canadians taking advantage of the climate, sights, facilities and friendly people. The people were welcoming in all of my contacts with them.
During my visit, I stayed in an apartment in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, about 3 miles west of Old Havana. Havana has a population of about 2 million people, decent roads for travel and very few private vehicles on those roads. Each morning during my visit, I walked about 5 blocks to the apartment owner's home for a very nice breakfast, then set out for the day, walking around greater Havana, photographing the sights, talking to the locals (many spoke English) and eating lunch and dinner where ever I happened to be. On most days, this kept me out of the flow of the usual tourist trade and allowed me to experience Cuba in a slightly different way. During the early part of the day, I saw the locals going to work, parents escorting children to school and holding the hands of the young children in the process. One day, I went to the Hotel Nacional and rented a 1956 Buick taxi and driver and saw parts of Havana that I could not reach by walking. On another day, Jose (who owned the apartment where I stayed) arranged for a van and driver to take me outside of Havana, into the province of Pinar del Rio, to see some of the countryside. This is a short summary of that trip.
A few words about the form of government in Cuba. The communist system of government has been a colossal failure worldwide. Sooner or later, it will give way in Cuba to something different. When I visited, Fidel Castro had already turned over power to his brother Raul Castro and change was in the air. You could still see signs with the initials "CDR" or the Spanish words for "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution" painted on walls and billboards, but the energy was gone. At one time, each neighborhood had someone appointed to make sure that the citizens maintained a proper "revolutionary" attitude. But, those agents were gone by the summer of 2009, only the signs remained. I was not followed or questioned during my visit to Cuba. The only time anyone objected to my actions was when I took a photo of the cartoon characters painted on the wall next to one of Fidel Castro's homes, this one in the Vedado neighborhood. A group of young people were walking by, one being a soldier in uniform. He looked at me and my camera and waived one finger back and forth telling me "no photos", so I put my camera away. He then walked on down the street with his friends.
My suspicion is that the leaders of Cuba see change coming and are probably talking to the Chinese communists asking, essentially, how do you allow capitalism in and still retain control? The people of Cuba are smart and energetic and, in the few places where they were allowed to operate independently, the entrepreneurial spirit was there. You see it now in the artist community, which takes very little capital and no labor other than your own. Other Cubans are opening restaurants in their homes or, as in the case of Jose and others like him, renting rooms to tourists.
During my visit, I stayed in an apartment in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, about 3 miles west of Old Havana. Havana has a population of about 2 million people, decent roads for travel and very few private vehicles on those roads. Each morning during my visit, I walked about 5 blocks to the apartment owner's home for a very nice breakfast, then set out for the day, walking around greater Havana, photographing the sights, talking to the locals (many spoke English) and eating lunch and dinner where ever I happened to be. On most days, this kept me out of the flow of the usual tourist trade and allowed me to experience Cuba in a slightly different way. During the early part of the day, I saw the locals going to work, parents escorting children to school and holding the hands of the young children in the process. One day, I went to the Hotel Nacional and rented a 1956 Buick taxi and driver and saw parts of Havana that I could not reach by walking. On another day, Jose (who owned the apartment where I stayed) arranged for a van and driver to take me outside of Havana, into the province of Pinar del Rio, to see some of the countryside. This is a short summary of that trip.
A few words about the form of government in Cuba. The communist system of government has been a colossal failure worldwide. Sooner or later, it will give way in Cuba to something different. When I visited, Fidel Castro had already turned over power to his brother Raul Castro and change was in the air. You could still see signs with the initials "CDR" or the Spanish words for "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution" painted on walls and billboards, but the energy was gone. At one time, each neighborhood had someone appointed to make sure that the citizens maintained a proper "revolutionary" attitude. But, those agents were gone by the summer of 2009, only the signs remained. I was not followed or questioned during my visit to Cuba. The only time anyone objected to my actions was when I took a photo of the cartoon characters painted on the wall next to one of Fidel Castro's homes, this one in the Vedado neighborhood. A group of young people were walking by, one being a soldier in uniform. He looked at me and my camera and waived one finger back and forth telling me "no photos", so I put my camera away. He then walked on down the street with his friends.
My suspicion is that the leaders of Cuba see change coming and are probably talking to the Chinese communists asking, essentially, how do you allow capitalism in and still retain control? The people of Cuba are smart and energetic and, in the few places where they were allowed to operate independently, the entrepreneurial spirit was there. You see it now in the artist community, which takes very little capital and no labor other than your own. Other Cubans are opening restaurants in their homes or, as in the case of Jose and others like him, renting rooms to tourists.
The Vedado neighborhood and a little more
Vedado is the name of the neighborhood where Jose's house and the apartment are located. This neighborhood is large and is located west of Old Havana with the Atlantic Ocean on its north side. The streets in the neighborhood are swept manually, as the photo at left shows. The apartment where I stayed was clean and comfortable, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a nice living-dining area with a small kitchen. The bed room had a window air conditioner, which made sleeping on those hot, humid nights comfortable. I did not experience any electric blackouts or interruptions during my 10 days in Cuba, although I have heard that happens. We did not eat any meals in the apartment. Instead, breakfast was served at Jose's house, a short walk away, with lunch and dinner taken where ever I happened to be when meal time arrived. Ice cream is available, and I made several stops at an ice cream shop in park a couple of miles away (and this shop was open 24 hours per day).
Housing in Havana is a mixed bag, with many buildings looking as if they had not been touched by paint or repairs since 1959. You could also find well cared for homes that any American would be proud to own. East of Havana, I saw Russian built multi-story, multi-family housing units that were an obvious reflection of the Soviet style of construction. Very depressing.
There were several parks throughout Havana which the neighborhood children and adults use, for playing or just to sit and visit. A park near my apartment has a life size bronze of John Lennon sitting on a bench, and this is a popular tourist stop. Odd, because when he was alive, the Beatles music was banned in Cuba. As a general rule, the local restaurants where I ate did not have great food. Before leaving, I was told that if I wanted a good Cuban sandwich, "go to Miami." That was generally true, with a couple of exceptions. But, I did not go to Cuba to eat. A neighborhood restaurant, the Union Francesca de Cuba, served a delicious pineapple ice cream, as well as having a good menu so I visited that place for dinner more often than any other.
The schools were still in session when I visited. The children wore uniforms to school and small children were usually escorted to school by a parent or grandparent, holding hands along the way. I bought flowers at a flower shop one day, to add to Jose's breakfast table, and experienced first hand the dual currency system in Cuba. The flower shop was not approved to accept the "CUC" pesos that we tourists receive when money is exchanged at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. The lady did, however, gladly take them as long as I was not public about what I was giving her. "CUC" stands for "convertible units of currency" and they are issued in paper notes, called "pesos," and coins. The local currency looks different and is also called pesos, but at the flower shop I learned that my one peso CUC note was worth 25 or 26 local pesos. This dual system of currency keeps the Cuban nationals out of the tourist places and keeps tourists out of shops open only to the locals. As a tip, I gave the flower seller a tube of toothpaste that I brought from the US. It was a tremendous hit, more so than the one peso CUC that I paid for the flowers. I had been told in advance that personal care items are scarce in Cuba, so I brought several packages of gum and tubes of toothpaste and used them as tips or gifts. They were always appreciated.
Housing in Havana is a mixed bag, with many buildings looking as if they had not been touched by paint or repairs since 1959. You could also find well cared for homes that any American would be proud to own. East of Havana, I saw Russian built multi-story, multi-family housing units that were an obvious reflection of the Soviet style of construction. Very depressing.
There were several parks throughout Havana which the neighborhood children and adults use, for playing or just to sit and visit. A park near my apartment has a life size bronze of John Lennon sitting on a bench, and this is a popular tourist stop. Odd, because when he was alive, the Beatles music was banned in Cuba. As a general rule, the local restaurants where I ate did not have great food. Before leaving, I was told that if I wanted a good Cuban sandwich, "go to Miami." That was generally true, with a couple of exceptions. But, I did not go to Cuba to eat. A neighborhood restaurant, the Union Francesca de Cuba, served a delicious pineapple ice cream, as well as having a good menu so I visited that place for dinner more often than any other.
The schools were still in session when I visited. The children wore uniforms to school and small children were usually escorted to school by a parent or grandparent, holding hands along the way. I bought flowers at a flower shop one day, to add to Jose's breakfast table, and experienced first hand the dual currency system in Cuba. The flower shop was not approved to accept the "CUC" pesos that we tourists receive when money is exchanged at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. The lady did, however, gladly take them as long as I was not public about what I was giving her. "CUC" stands for "convertible units of currency" and they are issued in paper notes, called "pesos," and coins. The local currency looks different and is also called pesos, but at the flower shop I learned that my one peso CUC note was worth 25 or 26 local pesos. This dual system of currency keeps the Cuban nationals out of the tourist places and keeps tourists out of shops open only to the locals. As a tip, I gave the flower seller a tube of toothpaste that I brought from the US. It was a tremendous hit, more so than the one peso CUC that I paid for the flowers. I had been told in advance that personal care items are scarce in Cuba, so I brought several packages of gum and tubes of toothpaste and used them as tips or gifts. They were always appreciated.
Old Havana
plaza and Cathedral of Havana
Old Havana is a regular stop for tourists. The entire area called "Old Havana" is about 2 miles long, north to south and 1 mile wide, east to west, although its boundaries are not specifically fixed or marked. Within this area are treasures from the distant past, a few new additions along with residential housing, and tourists mingled throughout. The locals who depend on tourists can also be found here, especially artists selling their products. I was surprised to find individuals and small groups of singers who entertain for tips and then offer to sell you a CD of their songs. Unlike some other poor countries, tourists are not endlessly pestered for money by beggars young and old.
Necropolis de Colon
entrance to the cemetery
Bill Rasdell suggested that a visit to the largest cemetery in Havana would be a good use of my time. I did not agree, but because of his persistence, I decided to go. What a great use of time! The first thing one notices in this cemetery of over 2 million graves is that the Communists of Cuba, unlike those in China for example, did not destroy all of the Christian symbols, and excellent art work, that adorn the graves in this cemetery. I spent the better part of a day walking and photographing in this cemetery, and would never have imagined that is how I would spend one of my few days in Havana. One of the cemetery workers explained to me that they can stack 8 caskets on top of one another in each of the grave sites. On those larger family sites, the square box whose top you see in some photos is where the bones of up to 200 departed can be placed, allowing the 8 full casket sites to be reused by later family members. A very practical system where land is not plentiful.
Cuban churches
restoration in Old Havana
The government of Cuba has been hostile to organized religion and, over the course of 50+ years, religion has become less important in the lives of everyday people. Two observations about this attitude and its evolution. First, Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998. Since that visit, the attitude of the government has been less hostile towards religion. In fact, I saw evidence of repair and restoration work on several churches in Havana. Second, I visited a Catholic church, St Rita de Casia, on a Sunday morning to see what mass was like in a communist country. I arrived around 8 am, shortly before the doors were opened. Once opened, I went inside and for the next hour and a half, maybe 30 adults, almost all of whom were women, showed up and perhaps 15 children ages 6 to 14, or so. The women separated the children into age groups and held small group sessions that seemed to be akin to the Sunday schools that are common in the US. A priest never arrived, so I left about 9:30 am. If religion is to be revived in Cuba, from my observations, it will be from the efforts of the women of Cuba.
When I reached Jose's house for breakfast that day and told him where I had been, he said the church I visited is a common gathering point for the "ladies in white." These are the mothers and wives of political prisoners who meet at times unknown to the authorities, dress in all white and do not speak a word to anyone. It is their silent protest and the Cuban authorities find that offensive. My first thought was that it would have been interesting to see and photograph this silent protest. On reflection, it occurred to me that my camera and I might have been visited by the police, wanting to know who I was and why I was taking photos of the ladies in white. I would have taken the pictures anyway, and wished that I had the chance.
Another interesting twist on religion and communism: on the east side of Havana Bay, there is a very imposing and easily seen statue of Jesus Christ. It is maybe 30 feet tall and, of course, was erected prior to 1959. A few years ago, this statue was hit by lightening, knocking the head off. A great debate followed: should the communist government spend money to restore a symbol of a religion that it actively suppressed? In the end, restoration won out. Odd isn't it; a communist/atheist government spending money to repair a statue of Jesus Christ?
When I reached Jose's house for breakfast that day and told him where I had been, he said the church I visited is a common gathering point for the "ladies in white." These are the mothers and wives of political prisoners who meet at times unknown to the authorities, dress in all white and do not speak a word to anyone. It is their silent protest and the Cuban authorities find that offensive. My first thought was that it would have been interesting to see and photograph this silent protest. On reflection, it occurred to me that my camera and I might have been visited by the police, wanting to know who I was and why I was taking photos of the ladies in white. I would have taken the pictures anyway, and wished that I had the chance.
Another interesting twist on religion and communism: on the east side of Havana Bay, there is a very imposing and easily seen statue of Jesus Christ. It is maybe 30 feet tall and, of course, was erected prior to 1959. A few years ago, this statue was hit by lightening, knocking the head off. A great debate followed: should the communist government spend money to restore a symbol of a religion that it actively suppressed? In the end, restoration won out. Odd isn't it; a communist/atheist government spending money to repair a statue of Jesus Christ?
What else is there to do in Cuba?
sports stadium in Havana
Public parks are found all around Havana. But, what else is there for the local citizens to do when they are tired of sitting on a bench and talking? The answer is: quite a lot, and more if you have transportation, public or private, to reach some of the distant sites. I addition to public and private transportation, hitch hiking is very common. In Havana, there are places where the locals stand around, waiting for someone to stop and offer a ride. In the countryside, you will see folks on the roadside waiting for a ride. Because of the heat and sun, these countryside waiting places are often under a bridge or some shady place.
Communist countries were known to support sports, and Cuba is no exception. I saw some very large sports stadiums, but was not able to witness any events because baseball season was over, so no baseball games. Also, an inter-American track and field/boxing competition was underway in Venezuela during my visit to Cuba and the Cuban athletes were there.
In addition to sports, I passed an amusement park in Miramar, saw several theaters showing movies and live plays, there is a zoo in Havana, the Malecon (the common name for a road along the Atlantic Ocean) is a popular hang out for young people, the National Botanical Garden south of Havana is a treat and, for artists and art lovers, there is nothing like the Callejon de Hamel. For those with money, the Hemingway Yacht Club, in Miramar, is a surprise to see in a communist country, with yachts visiting from the US and other countries I was told. I visited a large public park in Pinar del Rio province that was used by young and old for picnicking, swimming and overnight stays. Another surprise was the La Moca Resort, with nice lodging, a fine restaurant and tranquil scenery also in Pinar del Rio province. For those interested in flowers, Cuba has a delightful place called the Orquideario where orchids are raised.
Communist countries were known to support sports, and Cuba is no exception. I saw some very large sports stadiums, but was not able to witness any events because baseball season was over, so no baseball games. Also, an inter-American track and field/boxing competition was underway in Venezuela during my visit to Cuba and the Cuban athletes were there.
In addition to sports, I passed an amusement park in Miramar, saw several theaters showing movies and live plays, there is a zoo in Havana, the Malecon (the common name for a road along the Atlantic Ocean) is a popular hang out for young people, the National Botanical Garden south of Havana is a treat and, for artists and art lovers, there is nothing like the Callejon de Hamel. For those with money, the Hemingway Yacht Club, in Miramar, is a surprise to see in a communist country, with yachts visiting from the US and other countries I was told. I visited a large public park in Pinar del Rio province that was used by young and old for picnicking, swimming and overnight stays. Another surprise was the La Moca Resort, with nice lodging, a fine restaurant and tranquil scenery also in Pinar del Rio province. For those interested in flowers, Cuba has a delightful place called the Orquideario where orchids are raised.
Hotel Nacional and Hotel Riviera
Hotel Nacional
The book titled The Godfather is sometimes called historical fiction because the names, quotations and some events are products of the writer's imagination, but most of the story is based on historical facts. It was made into a popular movie, and later The Godfather II was released, continuing the story. In the movie The Godfather II, there is a birthday party scene where the leaders of the US mob are meeting in Havana and one is trying to persuade the Corleone family to invest $2 million in a hotel that the mob was about to build in Havana. He explained how the government of Cuba was friendly to the mob and would protect its interests. That birthday party happened in the mid 1950s at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, a Cuban landmark since it was built in the 1930s. The mob was raising money to build the Hotel Riviera, which was built, opened and operated by the mob for only one day. Knowing this, I wanted to visit the Hotel Nacional, sit on the veranda and imagine the meetings, bribes, scheming and plotting that took place in the 1950s. I also wanted to visit the Hotel Riviera, to see what the mob's money bought.
The Hotel Nacional is a very nice hotel, the veranda overlooking the entrance to Havana Bay and the Atlantic Ocean provides a comfortable place to relax and think. On one of my visits to this hotel, I watched the wedding photos being taken of the bride, groom and wedding party. It also has an air conditioned room where you can rent a computer and freely obtain internet access. [As an aside, air conditioning is rare in Havana, so this air conditioned internet access room in the heat of late June was a double treat.] I obtained internet access on 4 different days during my visit to Cuba and was able to get to any web site I wanted (I read the NY Times, as well as accessed other web sites), gather news from any source and read whatever I wanted. There were no internet restrictions or censorship during my visit to Cuba. If you want to rent one of those 1950 vintage American cars that are now taxis, the Hotel Nacional always has several parked in its driveway, awaiting customers.
Entering the Hotel Riviera was like stepping back in time. The lobby looked as if it had not changed since that date in 1959 when it opened for business. On the Saturday evening when I was in Havana, I had dinner in its main dining room. There was no air conditioning, the food was average, the service was good and the piano player/entertainer was excellent. You could tell that she was a trained concert pianist and was most comfortable playing music you would hear at a symphony. During her break, she stopped at each of the 4 or 5 tables that were occupied (out of 30 tables in the dining room) and offered to sell a CD with recordings of her performing.
America has had its differences with the government of Fidel Castro, but we owe him and his compatriots a big "thank you" for one of his actions. When Castro took over Cuba, the mob lost the protection that it enjoyed under the bribe soaked government of Fulgencio Batista. Castro kicked the mob out of Cuba. The mob's investment in the Hotel Riviera provided a one day return. On that first day that the Hotel Riviera was open for business, Castro and his forces entered Havana, Batista fled and the Hotel Riviera was closed. Had Castro not done that, the mob would have continued to run its gambling and prostitution business in Cuba without any restrictions, and the money from those activities would have been imported into the US to further criminal enterprises in this country. We would have had the equivalent of Afgan war lords just 90 miles south of Florida, with no legal way to shut off the activities or sources of money.
The Hotel Nacional is a very nice hotel, the veranda overlooking the entrance to Havana Bay and the Atlantic Ocean provides a comfortable place to relax and think. On one of my visits to this hotel, I watched the wedding photos being taken of the bride, groom and wedding party. It also has an air conditioned room where you can rent a computer and freely obtain internet access. [As an aside, air conditioning is rare in Havana, so this air conditioned internet access room in the heat of late June was a double treat.] I obtained internet access on 4 different days during my visit to Cuba and was able to get to any web site I wanted (I read the NY Times, as well as accessed other web sites), gather news from any source and read whatever I wanted. There were no internet restrictions or censorship during my visit to Cuba. If you want to rent one of those 1950 vintage American cars that are now taxis, the Hotel Nacional always has several parked in its driveway, awaiting customers.
Entering the Hotel Riviera was like stepping back in time. The lobby looked as if it had not changed since that date in 1959 when it opened for business. On the Saturday evening when I was in Havana, I had dinner in its main dining room. There was no air conditioning, the food was average, the service was good and the piano player/entertainer was excellent. You could tell that she was a trained concert pianist and was most comfortable playing music you would hear at a symphony. During her break, she stopped at each of the 4 or 5 tables that were occupied (out of 30 tables in the dining room) and offered to sell a CD with recordings of her performing.
America has had its differences with the government of Fidel Castro, but we owe him and his compatriots a big "thank you" for one of his actions. When Castro took over Cuba, the mob lost the protection that it enjoyed under the bribe soaked government of Fulgencio Batista. Castro kicked the mob out of Cuba. The mob's investment in the Hotel Riviera provided a one day return. On that first day that the Hotel Riviera was open for business, Castro and his forces entered Havana, Batista fled and the Hotel Riviera was closed. Had Castro not done that, the mob would have continued to run its gambling and prostitution business in Cuba without any restrictions, and the money from those activities would have been imported into the US to further criminal enterprises in this country. We would have had the equivalent of Afgan war lords just 90 miles south of Florida, with no legal way to shut off the activities or sources of money.
Miramar
park in MIramar
Miramar is an upscale part of greater Havana, just west of the Vedado neighborhood where I stayed. Many foreign embassies are located in Miramar and some of the nicer homes I saw are in Miramar. The United States has a presence in Cuba, with an American Interest Section which is "attached" to the Swiss embassy. The Swiss embassy is located in Miramar, a nice 3 story building of about 9,000 square feet in total. The American Interest Section is located about 5 miles east of the Swiss embassy, 7 stories tall with probably 10,000 square feet on each floor. Next to the American Interest Section are 135 very tall flag poles, each with a very large black flag, put there by the Cuban government. I was told that each flag represents a Cuban victim of some type of American injustice. The National Aquarium and amusement park are located in Miramar as is the Hemingway Yacht Club, although Ernest Hemingway had no connection with this yacht club. The name was chosen, I suspect, to take advantage of his popularity in Cuba.
Cojimar, Cuba
Ernest Hemingway hangout, Cojimar, Cuba
A few miles east of Havana is the small village of Cojimar, Cuba. It was home to Ernest Hemingway for many years, and was the setting for his book The Old Man and The Sea. Gregorio Fuentes was Hemingway's long time fishing guide who lived in Cojimar until he died in 2002. He was over 100 years old at the time of his death. On the day that I rented the 1956 Buick taxi and driver, we made Cojimar one of our stops. There is a bar and restaurant in Cojimar that reportedly was one of Hemingway's favorites, which makes it a regular tourist stop.
A 19th century Chinese connection to Cuba
entrance to Chinese restaurant row in distance
Students of American history know that Chinese were recruited to live and work in the American west in the mid and late 1800s. Cuba also brought Chinese workers into its country. Some maps of Havana show an area known as Chinatown, located a short walk west from Old Havana. In 2009, all I could find of this Chinatown was a pedestrian only, block long street full of Chinese restaurants on both sides, with outdoor solicitors at most encouraging any passing visitor to stop and eat. In addition, there is a Chinese cemetery in Havana, but it is not well maintained like the Necropolis de Colon.
Partagas cigar factory
plaza inside the Partagas cigar factory
Partagas cigars are a prize to cigar smokers (of which I am not one, but did enjoy the factory tour). Tours of the factory are given to members of the public, and the finished product can be bought in its gift shop. There are entrepreneurs on the streets who will eagerly offer to sell you "genuine" Partagas cigars. They may be genuine Partagas cigars because one of things I learned during the tour is that workers in the cigar factory are allowed to take 2 or 3 cigars home each day, as part of their compensation, although taking a Cohiba cigar (the finest made at Partagas) is probably not allowed.
The tour begins at the "beginning,", where the tobacco leaf arrives at the factory, the stem is removed and separation of the better quality leaves starts the process that ends on the top floor of the building, where the most experienced workers take the leaves and tobacco and hand roll cigars. After rolling, each cigar is put into a wooden tray of 12 cigars, with an indentation to hold each cigar. A wooden top is placed over these cigars and they are stacked on top of other similar trays and large wooden press then squeezes these cigars into a firm and final product, each with a uniform size and shape. Watching this process on the top floor made me feel like I had stepped back in time, into a Charles Dickens novel, as I looked at the well worn, old wooden benches and tables where the workers toiled, saw the wooden presses for the finished products and wondered if anything in that large room had changed since 1920 or so. But, those jobs are among the best in Cuba, I was told. At the front of the large room where these cigars were being rolled was a raised platform with a desk and chair. From that spot, someone would read the news, a book or something else to keep the workers entertained as they performed their cigar rolling tasks. Photographs inside the factory were not allowed, with 2 exceptions. When we finished our tour, in a plaza between two of the buildings that make up the factory, we were allowed to take pictures. The one at left is from the only allowed photo spot. The other photo allowed place (I think photos were allowed because I took pictures) was in the gift shop and inside the private waiting room that is set aside for the best Partagas customers. Because I was with Bill Rasdell, and because of his many connections in Cuba, we were escorted into this private room to wait until the next tour began.
The tour begins at the "beginning,", where the tobacco leaf arrives at the factory, the stem is removed and separation of the better quality leaves starts the process that ends on the top floor of the building, where the most experienced workers take the leaves and tobacco and hand roll cigars. After rolling, each cigar is put into a wooden tray of 12 cigars, with an indentation to hold each cigar. A wooden top is placed over these cigars and they are stacked on top of other similar trays and large wooden press then squeezes these cigars into a firm and final product, each with a uniform size and shape. Watching this process on the top floor made me feel like I had stepped back in time, into a Charles Dickens novel, as I looked at the well worn, old wooden benches and tables where the workers toiled, saw the wooden presses for the finished products and wondered if anything in that large room had changed since 1920 or so. But, those jobs are among the best in Cuba, I was told. At the front of the large room where these cigars were being rolled was a raised platform with a desk and chair. From that spot, someone would read the news, a book or something else to keep the workers entertained as they performed their cigar rolling tasks. Photographs inside the factory were not allowed, with 2 exceptions. When we finished our tour, in a plaza between two of the buildings that make up the factory, we were allowed to take pictures. The one at left is from the only allowed photo spot. The other photo allowed place (I think photos were allowed because I took pictures) was in the gift shop and inside the private waiting room that is set aside for the best Partagas customers. Because I was with Bill Rasdell, and because of his many connections in Cuba, we were escorted into this private room to wait until the next tour began.