REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA REFLECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC TRIP TO CUBA PART TWO - ENTRY AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS We arrived in Miami on Easter Monday. The bishops who went on the trip are: Bishops Rayford Ray - Northern Michigan, William Franklin - Western New York, John Smylie - Wyoming, David Bailey - Navajoland, Michael Milliken - Western Kansas, Martin Field - West Missouri, Mark Lattime - Alaska, Jay Magness - Federal Ministries, Michael Vono - Rio Grande, Dan Martins - Springfield and Bishops and others in the traveling party meet at the Miami Airport me, Scott Hayashi - Utah. Some of us brought our spouses. Amy went with me as a companion and translator as she is fluent in Spanish. She was able to translate in conversations for me with Bishop Griselda, staff members at hotels, read signs, and provide assistance for other bishops as well. Craig Wirth, Communications officer for the Diocese of Utah also went. Craig interviewed all of the Bishops and will provide each diocese with video and photographs for their news reporting. Bishop Franklin was interviewed by the press before leaving New York and had interviews scheduled upon his return. Here in Utah, an interview with the Deseret News has been scheduled for Tuesday and two of the television stations want coverage as well. One said they interested in possibly airing a half hour special. Video reports will, of course, be given to the diocese as well as these reflections. NOTE: LINKS TO THE NEWS REPORTS WILL BE GIVEN LATER IN THIS REFLECTION
Tuesday began with us heading to the Miami Airport to meet the staff member from Cuba Travel. At the airport we were given our visas. (The securing of the visas had been a lengthy process, several months. They were religious visas and had to be cleared through the Religious Affairs department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party - see Reflections on Cuba - Part One). It took three hours, most of which was spent standing in line, before we were able to board the plane for Havana. (A note: there are 195 sovereign states in the world. The United States is the only country that makes it difficult for citizens to travel to Cuba and has an embargo on Cuba. Of the 195 sovereign states only Israel supports the United States in the embargo.) The flight from Miami to Havana took less than an hour. Once we cleared immigration and customs in Havana we were met by Bishop Griselda and Emmanuel (Manny) our tour guide. The tourist industry is a state run operation. Again, there is very little private enterprise in Cuba - this is beginning to change. Manny took us to the currency exchange booth where we exchanged our Canadian Dollars for CUCs. U.S. Dollars have a higher value but there is a penalty placed on them in exchange. (This is because of the U.S. Policy towards Cuba.) Because of this, Canadian currency exchanges at a better ratio than U.S. currency. (More on this is in another and the two Cuban currencies in another reflection.) I heard English spoken by some of the people with what I think was a Canadian accent. I also heard French and German being spoken. The first propaganda sign we saw was in the airport parking lot. At the Havana Airport, we saw the first of hundreds of old cars from before the embargo. The Havana airport is not large. They do not have any boarding ramps that extend from the airport gate itself. This is common in smaller airports. On the far side of the parking lot there was a billboard proclaiming the Socialist Revolution. Billboards and other signs like this were common sights throughout our time in Cuba.
Images of Che Guevara were found everywhere - they were much more prevalent than images of Fidel Castro. (Images of Che were used to advertise Havana Club Rum - I do not think he would have liked that.) Many automobiles made in the U.S. from the 50's were present along with newer cars made in countries other than the U.S. Manny told us to be careful crossing the street because many of the old cars had no brakes! There were very few stores to be found. This is because of the lack of Our Diocese of Utah Communications Director happily poses by an old Chevy. private enterprise. Sidewalks were not in good condition. Houses were a mix of grand and small. There was not much in the way of new construction. However, there are many buildings from the 1800s to the 1950s. Newer construction from the 1980s tended to be Russian. These were large concrete affairs that are, in a few words, serviceable and ugly. I mean really ugly, no design sense whatsoever. Simply slabs of grey concrete in a tall rectangular box shape. Many buildings are in disrepair. Because of the hot humid weather most homes did not have glass in their windows. They had plantation shutters to close them off from the outside for privacy and protection from wind, dust and rain. One surprise was the safety and diversity of people of Havana itself. Bishop Griselda told us that it was safe for anyone to walk throughout Havana at any time of the night or day. People of all races were seen walking, laughing and enjoying the company of one another. In Cuba, only the police are allowed to carry a concealed weapon. Military also carry weapons. (The military presence was minimal. I saw only a few soldiers. So the image of there being a large military presence to keep the people in check is a myth.) An individual may purchase a rifle to hunt. However, he or she is not allowed to keep it in the home. Instead, when the person goes hunting he or she checks it out of a storage facility to which it is immediately returned when the hunting trip is over. In Havana, we stayed in the Presidente Hotel. It was built for a visit of Calvin Coolidge, hence the name.