Lyn's Log, 7th February 2007
Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos, Cuba.
N22º07', W80º27'
12,907 miles.

Cienfuegos, like Santiago, is at the head of a large bay but this time the entrance was via a narrow but deep channel between two low rocky headlands. The marina was five miles inside the entrance on the outskirts of the city. The commercial shipping goes to a different part of the bay. There were large concrete finger pontoons with electricity and water, not considered drinkable. In Santiago there were toilets, working, and washbasins and showers without any water. In Cienfuegos they provided few facilities, though there was diesel and a small shop with a little fresh food that we otherwise found difficult to buy. The staff were particularly friendly - without asking for money or gifts! There was a small fleet of German charter yachts which to our surprise seemed much in demand. The town was within walking distance but we much preferred to catch a ‘bus’. These were horse drawn carts carrying eight passengers, happy to trot to the centre or back for one convertible peso each. They were not officially allowed to take tourists but as the fare for locals was just one local peso, it was much to their advantage. They would take you to within a few streets of the centre and hope not to get caught by the police.

Cienfuegos is centrally placed along the south coast about 350 miles from Santiago. As we approached the marina, we were struck by how pretty the town looked, with parks and stately buildings ('palaces') at the water's edge, almost Venetian in aspect. The marina was in the wealthiest part of town. Between the marina and a large hotel was a new park where fanciful concrete sculptures were being laid out in a park. There were other small park areas with shady gazebos. Next to the hotel was a large palace with an eastern look about it. It was covered with intricate carvings in what looked like ivory around all the windows, doors, corners and edges. The inside was equally ornate although we did not pay to look around. An elderly lady in a long gown and white satin turban was playing a grand piano to the visitors in the entrance hall. Next to the marina was another beautiful building built in the 1920’s as the Cienfuegos Rowing and Yacht Club. It had been a very impressive place before the 1957 revolution, but had fallen into disrepair until being renovated by the government five years ago. It had become a restaurant and social club, and a large terrace for partying. We heard the loud music from many birthday parties for both young and old whilst moored in the marina. A long flight of wide marble steps led to the main entrance and huge reception hall. Around the walls were some of the cups and trophies won by the rowing club in the past, and pictures of the building at different stages of its life. We had a couple of good meals in the restaurant.

In the city there were still some buildings very much in need of repair but with people still living or working in them as best they could. The central square though was beautifully maintained with the cathedral on one side and a large theatre on another. While we sat in a bar opposite the theatre eating a sandwich, a man made a sketch of Andrew which was rather good, and inexpensive, so he did one of me too (see pic). I got my hair cut in a large unisex hairdressers come beauty parlour that seemed much emptier around lunchtime. The lady did a good job in quarter of an hour and charged me five convertibles.

Unfortunately a couple of museums we thought we would visit, were closed. We found a man who changed some more convertibles to pesos and visited the meat and vegetable market, and another bread shop. The previous bread we bought was soft and we were able to cut the mould off before we finished eating it, but this last lot was more like cellulose crisp bread, dry but not going mouldy.

On Tuesday, Hans and Dorly, together with another Dutch couple, took a taxi to Havana. The winds were still strong and we were both suffering from head colds, so we did not leave till Wednesday.

Have you heard of the “Green Flash” phenomenon? When the sun sets over the sea on a perfect, cloudless horizon in the tropics (see pic), at the last moment you are supposed to see a vivid green flash. Sunset after sunset we sat on deck with our drinks and nibbles watching in hope. We have never once seen a green flash, but it still makes an event in our day, “The Green Flash Show”, as we have come to call it.