Cuba: Bayamo - Santo Domingo - Baracoa

[ENGLISH FOLLOWS]
M'embarco cap el sudest de l'illa amb el Luis. La primera parada, Bayamo, una petita ciutat molt tranquila. Ens va passar una cosa curiosa quan vam sopar a una hamburgueseria de l'estat on, de cop, un senyor ens diu si es pot asseure amb nosaltres. Un cop assentat, ens explica que només pot comprar dues hamburgueses per persona però ell volia comprar-ne per tota la familia, així que anava canviant de taula per anar recollint totes les hamburgueses. Una senyora gran va fer la mateixa pràctica poc després.

Aquest exemple no és un cas aïllat, doncs ens hem trobat moltes situacions on la gent busca alternatives per tal d'esquivar una regla. Hem descobert la metàfora de l'olla a pressió, utilitzada al món de l'art cuba. Compara Cuba amb una olla a pressió i descriu petites coses que ajuden a evacuar la pressió d'aquesta olla, com la possibilitat de connectar-se a wifi a les places (fins fa poc gairebé no et podies connectar enlloc), vendre cases, comprar smartphones, fer negocis o aconseguir diners allotjant turistes en cases particulars.

                                                           

Voliem pujar al pico Turquino però estava "tancat" per coses naturals que no vam arribar a entendre, així que vam agafar un camion com els locals cap a Santiago i d'allà un autobus nocturn a Baracoa.

Baracoa és una petita població molt autèntica, totalment a l'est de l'illa. Aquesta població va estar molt afectada l'Octubre passat per un huracà que va devastar la zona, destrossant les collites, arbres i moltes cases. Afortunadament, no va morir ningú i ràpidament la població es va posar mans a l'obra a reconstruir el que el desastre s'havia emportat per davant. L'huracà no s'ha emportat ni l'essencia d'aquí ni l'amabilitat de la gent, així que hi hem estat molt a gust. També, hem conegut gent molt maca aquí, amb els que hem compartit bons moments.

A Baracoa ens ha allotjat una familia encantadora. Com agraiment, vam decidir cuinar-los una truita de patates per l'ultim sopar. No ens podiem imaginar com de complicat era aconseguir tot el que necessitavem per cuinar-la. Va sorgir una reflexió interessant; a casa nostra decideixes el que vols menjar i vas a buscar el que necessites per cuinar-ho, aqui mires el que tens i decideixes què pots cuinar. Van estar tant contents que al dia següent com esmorzar de despedida ens van cuinar ells una truita de patates amb el que havien après.

Estem a l'aeroport i volem cap a Monterrey a Mèxic, on ens espera una nova experiència. De Cuba m'emporto molts aprenentatges, experiències, preguntes, respostes i reflexions. Aquest pais té moltes coses bones, a part de l'amabilitat de la gent, el fet que tothom tingui la possibilitat d'estudiar a l'universitat, sanitat gratuita, vivenda i menjar. Per altra banda, hi han moltes coses que no funcionen, com de què serveix tenir educació universitaria gratuita si una persona que treballa amb el turisme cobra el mateix treballant un dia que un metge treballant un mes? Una persona em va fer una reflexió òbvia, però interessant. Quan el teu veí té exactament el mateix que tu, mentre cobreixi les necessitats bàsiques, tothom està content. Ara bé, quan veus que el teu veí té microones, aire acondicionat i beu cervesa, i tu amb el sou de l'estat no t'ho pots permetre, comences a questionar el sistema.

[ENGLISH]
I head to the south east of the island with luis. First stop, Bayamo, a tiny and quiet city. We had a curious experience when we went for dinner in a hamburguer restaurant from the government, where a guy told us if he could sit with us. Once he sat, he explained us that every person is only able to buy two hamburguers, but he wanted to buy hamburguers for all the family, so he was changing the table to be able to collect all of them. A woman did the same a few minutes later. 

This is not an isolated example, we've experienced many situations where the people is looking for alternatives to avoid the rules. We've discovered the metaphor of olla a presión (pressure pot), used in the cuban art. It compares Cuba with a pressure pot and describes the small things that help evacuating the pressure of this pot, like the possibility of getting wifi in the squares (short ago you almost couldn't get wifi anywhere), sell houses, buy smartphones, make business or get money hosting turists in casas particulares.

We wanted to climb the Turquino peak but it was "closed" due to natural reasons that we didn't understand, so we took a truck, like the locals, towards Santiago and from there, a night bus to Baracoa.

Baracoa is a small and really authentic town, in the most eastern part of the island. Last October, this town was really affected by a hurricane that devastated the area, destroying plantations, trees and many houses. Luckily, nobody died and, in a short time, the population started rebuilding what the disaster took. The hurricane didn't take the essence of this place and the amability of the people, so we've been like home. Besides that, we've met really nice people with whom we've shared so good moments.

In Baracoa we have been hosted by a charming family. As a gift, we decided cooking a spanish omelette for the last dinner. We couldn't imagine how complicated it would be getting all we needed to cook it. It appeared an interesting statement, on our home country we decide what you want to eat and then you look for what you need to cook it, here you look what you have and decide what can you cook. They were so happy with the food that the next day as a farewell breakfast they cooked a spanish omelette for us with what they learned.

We are in the airport to fly towards Monterrey in Mexico, where a new experience is waiting for us. From Cuba I take with me a lot of learnings, experiences, questions, answers and thoughts. This country has many good things, besides the amability of the locals, the fact that everyone has the chance to study in the university, free health, accomodation and food. On the other side, what's the advantage of having free university studies if a person who works for the turism can earn the same working one day than a doctor in one month? Someone shared with me an obvious thought, although interesting. When you neighbour has exactly the same than you, as soon as the basic needs are covered, everybody is happy. But, when you see that your neighbour has microwaves, air conditioning and drinks beer, and with your salary you can't afford it, you will start questioning the system.