Breakfast in our Casa, mmm delicious, eggs with little potato's, fresh orange- juice, mango's, banana's... yummy yummy...
The casa we are staying in so full of kitch, its crazy! And Célina & Alberto, well i can't really describe them (you just have to come and see for yourselves, hehe)

Its like we got in the middle of a new version of Monthy Python – Well, not réally, its totally different, but equaly surreal, hehe. And in a certain way these people are absolutely brilliant.

2 friends of the people in our casa, youg lads, are coming over to help Alberto a hand, "they are going to come and build a wall on the roof"...
One of them is bringing fresh mint, so we got delicious mint-thee.


We go to Cuba-Tur, where a very helpfull good english speaking Cuban lady helps us with the bookings of our busses to & from Baracoa, our bus to Trinidad, our hotel in Cienfuegos, a little tour tomorrow to 'the Sierra Maestra'... All we need to do is pay.

We walk in the direction of "El Tivoli", an area in Santiago not that far away from the centre. Its a very poor area. People don't have a lot, and what they have is old, needs to be fixed or just replaced. But what they have is very clean, al their houses, cloths... clean. We didn't meet one Cuban yet that was 'smelly'. Its awfull in Cuba how youg and old people need to beg for a stupid piece of soap. I never believe that any 80 year old woman walks around the streets begging for a peso or soap, if she doesn't need to. When you give them something like a stupid penn, they are so pleased and it can only make me feel even more sick. The thing is, it just shouldn't have to be like this here. The system 'provides everything' but its a poor system. No wonder they see us as 3 white rich girls, strolling around true their area. It makes us unable to have 'a normal contact' with people and to get to know them for who they are. We can't blame them for treating us like that as well. Man àre hastling us here, we are 'a living visum out of here' for them... - But i must say, the way they try to impress Western girls, doens't really work... People here do get a very good education, but loads of highly trained people here are for example driving a taxi...

After a while we walk back to the centre – 'El tivoli' leaves us in a strange mood, its very hot and we are hungry & thirsty. We need a 'time-out' and hide in the back corner in the shade of a little terras @ "Don Antonio", a cheap but good restaurant.



After our time out we go to 'El Museo de Carnaval' – (1 cuc)...
When we get out of the museum, we see how a streetmusician is playing good traditional music, and how a local lady with an umbrella under her arm and her shoppingbag in her hand is approaching him. She starts to sing with him in a duet. Its beautiful to see, how 2 people instantly can connect via a song.
Some Cuban people are passing by and instinctly clap the rythm... Although here its most possible a daily thing to happen, for us its touching and it crawls under our skin. But we can't help noticing that the lady who is singing is 'touched' as well. See, this is what Cuba does to me, its truly the country of 'opposites' You are wrestling with totally different feelings in just a few hours of time...
It makes you realise more what you do already know... life is in those little things, a few very small but precious moments – also at home.

- We walk on in the direction of the 'Casa de la Trova', where people come together to hear good traditional musicians play & sing and dance... 'salsa'...
Its 1cuc, but locals who can't pay for it, hang from outside in the windows and enjoy the music just as well. I walk to the bar to order some mojito's...
In the time i'm away, the streetmusician (that we saw just a few minuts ago), is hanging true the window as well. Greet & Gwen are greeting him – a man from the organisation sees him and by the time i'm back with the drinks he is already inside – ready to play some good music!
When we walk out, people are blowing balloons from the balcony... the Cuban people on the streets go totally crazy. Its great to see how big strong man are jumping up like children to get a balloon!
We have one more mojito in 'Patio de Artex' – also a place where traditional bands are playing. No live music at the moment, but good atmosphere.

It looks like its going to storm, so we head back towards our Casa. On our way we stop for a little but nice snack. Its start raining but we also hear music... it really looks like its going to storm, but we are more curious for the Carrebian pageant, where all groups from different Carrebean countries are showing of there clothing, music, traditional dances...
Its so sad for the locals, they must have been looking out for this for weeks... and the rain/storm is spoiling it...



As soon as it really rains very hard, we race to our Casa – we take a shower, also an adventure here... hardly any water comes out of the shower... or burning hot or cold... It doesn't réally look save as well... so we choose for the safer option, a bucket with a cup...

We are having a laugh with it – 'Its all part of the game' hehe, but we do realise very well that loads of people in Cuba don't even have streaming water!





It was a very busy day, not that we were so very active – but al lot of impressions and feelings and thoughts have been rushing true my head & body...

We don't even feel like going to the festivities anymore – we are réally tired and we had enough for today.