Looking for Communists in Cuba is perhaps a natural for people like me who lived during the Cuban missile crisis and the Cold War, which led to the now 50-year U.S. embargo of Cuba. Now that Americans can go there again, many of us will look for signs of the island’s Russian-dominated past. Russia had a presence there from 1962 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. It took me awhile to quit glancing over my shoulder for evidence that we were being observed. But except for some Russian first names of people born since the ’60s, many left-behind Lada and Moskvich automobiles and some buildings that look much like those in Eastern European countries, I could find nothing. One day we visited a park dedicated to Lennon – yes Lennon, as in John, not ‘Lenin,’ as we had all had heard. The park features a life-size statue of the late member of The Beatles, cast in bronze and seated on a park bench with these words inscribed on a plaque: ‘Diras que soy un sonador, pero no soy el unico,’ which translates as ‘You say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.’ Unveiled in 2000 by none other than Fidel Castro himself, it’s one clear sign of the changes in Cuba, since Beatles music was banned for many years. I expected billboards of the Castros, but when it comes to Fidel I saw only one likeness of him. He’s pictured with Ernest Hemingway, who is revered by the Cubans. I saw nothing of Raul Castro, now the country’s president. But after leaving Havana for the cool, green Sierra del Rosario Mountains to the west, I became acquainted with a project initiated by the Russians that’s today a wonderful legacy. Until the Revolution, the area that is today Las Terrazas had, for years, been stripped of trees by people cutting and burning them to make charcoal. Erosion in this mountainous area was rampant, much as it is in Haiti, where the countryside has befallen the same charcoal-making circumstances. In 1967 Fidel Castro, with help from the Russians, had the ravaged valley terraced and created a lake from the San Juan River. More than 8 million trees were planted in a huge reforestation effort and jobs initiative on the 12,000 acres of terraces around the lake. In 1985, Las Terrazas and its surrounding 65,000 acres were named by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. Sierra del Rosario Reserve now protects nearly 1,000 plant species and 98 species of birds. It’s a great destination for bird watchers and nature lovers who come from all over the world. (
.) Today the terraces of Las Terrazas, an hour from Havana, are named for the teak, cedar, mahogany and pine trees, which were planted as a part of that project. Colorful concrete cottages and apartments, shuttered to catch the breezes, were built on the terraces for the workers. They later provided homes for the mountain people and a place where they could have jobs, health care and education. Its valley location offers a measure of protection from the hurricanes that occasionally wash over the island. Today Las Terrazas is a desirable community of artisans with a hotel, a couple of restaurants, a coffee shop and a small museum. The trees have grown to a thick forest all around the valley, which is filled with birdsong and fluttering butterflies. Cuba’s only zipline crosses the valley and the lake, which has a fine beach for swimmers. Today most Las Terrazas dwellers have gardens and work either in tourism or in an art-related occupation. (
Meet one of the artists in my blog
.) Nearby on another mountain is a restored coffee plantation operated in the early 1800s by French expatriates from Haiti. The coffee-drying and sorting processes can be clearly imagined with the restoration. Although they’re not restored, the mossy stone outlines of former slave quarters can also be seen. A fine-dining restaurant now is operated at the coffee plantation because many tourists come to the area. Two miles away are the Banos de San Juan, a series of river pools and small waterfalls on the San Juan River with sunning platforms above them. Sunlight filters through the stands of bamboo, and the orange-red blooms of hibiscus provide flashes of bright color. Birds fill the trees overhead where tiny orchids bloom in the canopy. A restaurant is above the highest of the waterfalls and a thatched bar and grill below serves snacks and cold drinks to swimmers and others. Several covered platforms were the scene for group picnics during our visit. A dozen rustic, thatched huts on stilts were arrayed over the hillside. Climbing up a ladder to check out the sleeping area, I found a cross-ventilated 10-by-10 platform for sleeping. Showers and washrooms are housed in buildings below. Travelers’ checks
People-to-people tours to Cuba can be arranged through many tour operators holding a license from the Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control. They include well-known tour operators such as National Geographic, Roads Scholar, Tauck Tours and Insight Travel and are framed around subjects such as architecture, art, birding, music and culinary. I traveled with
Delaware-based Creative Travel Inc.
: 302-658-2900. It has Cuba tours with openings in October and one to see in the New Year. There are several travel guides available to research travel to Cuba, but you’ll have limited opportunities to do things independently on the people-to-people itinerary, so it’s my recommendation that you research your trip closely, ask questions and choose one that best suits you. Tour companies provide you with a Cuban visa and are audited by the U.S. Department of Treasury to make sure they live up to what they say they are going to do. Realize that you will be without the use of credit or debit cards, cell phones and Internet for much of your stay. Wear sturdy shoes because you’ll be doing a lot of walking on cobblestones and uneven surfaces. Prepare for the Caribbean heat, although I found it to be breezy and comfortable during my visit in May. Bring a sweater and mosquito repellent for a visit to Las Terrazas.
