MONDAY night, August 8, 2016- 6 p.m.
The First Leg of the Journey
What an adventure I had today. Huberto stopped over to get the last two
nights’ rent and offer for his friend to drive me to the airport on Wed. when I
get back. Then, when I happened across a
bank, I went in to change money and Huberto was there and got me a great cut in
the line of about 25 people. Then he
sent me to the phone company to buy AA batteries for my camera. But they wanted me to stand in another line
of about 20 people. A nice lady helped
me and told me I could buy the batteries at photo shop in the Italia
Boulevard. I walked another mile and a
half and found a store with a line. It
looked like an electronic store, so I waited.
I bought the 4 Maxcell batteries there for $2.40. and headed back down the
main boulevard (for locals), which would lead me to Central Park which would
lead me to the tourist boulevard, where I thought I could buy more nice silver
earrings for my sisters. Instead, I
stumbled across a local art mart, which consisted of about 50 different
vendors. There I bought the earrings for
1/3 of the price of the place I was headed for. When I got to the tourist boulevard, I got
about ½ mile in and HAD to stop for a beer; it is so blasted hot, here. And beer is the same price as water. There was a great Cuban band and about 10
guys next to my table kept singing every song at the top of their lungs. It made me want to stay, so I got a Pina
Colada. Everybody was salsa dancing
there. There were so many tourists, that
all the bars in the neighborhood ran out of beer. So I had to then order a Pina Colada.
Ariel with One Leg
The original artesian Mercado that I was headed for no
longer had the vendor with silver earrings, so I headed back on the side
street…and there was the man with one leg.
At the first bar, he –and a couple others had made eye contact with me,
which I just nodded hola to and then ignored.
He welcomed me so heartedly from another bar that had a
Cuban band that I stopped and had a mohito with him. Somehow, I ended up buying 20 Cuban cigars
from him. I only wanted one, but when he
convinced me to try one- which I took one hit off of and put out, I learned
that he had gone down the street and picked up a pack of 20, and said, “You
can’t just buy one.” He was a promoter
at some other dance club. He said he’d
pay 5 and I could then pay only ten. I
told him I didn’t want 20 cigars. He
said, “I thought you said you wanted one for all of your students.” “They’re in FOURTH GRADE!” I told him, “I only
wanted one to show them what product Cubans are known for making!” So we were stuck. Hence, I ended up buying 20 cigars for
$15. AND, he told me he salsas and
would teach me if I’d meet him at his club at 9 o’clock, after my dinner with
the woman and her daughter from Norway.
I got out of there as fast as I could, claiming that I needed a siesta.
Now I’m home and sweating profusely. It is 4 p.m. and I have been out walking
since noon. I didn’t even get any food
yet today so my dinner with the two Norway women will be much welcome. I have lost weight walking for hours each day
and sweating like a pig!
I did put the ½ glass of water on church steps, so my
obligations to the fortune teller are fulfilled.
It turns out Saint Barbara is a Yoruba (Nigerian ethnic
group) Santaria (witchcraft) symbol!
Still, she is a warrior, and good to wear.
In the mean time, I can’t find my blasted plane reservations
to get to Mexico!
Tiding me Over and the Pig
Farmer/Traditional Healer
I just ate my leftover shrimp from one meal and stuffed
octopus and baked plantain from another of my previous meals, so I am doing
good until 7 o’clock dinner tonight.
This morning after I
met the woman and her 21-year-old daughter (who had a pierced ring in
her nose, like a bull) from Norway, I met two
gay men (in this same hotel lobby) who are from
Denmark. One was a half-Chinese retiree
from the oil market, and the other a retired pig farmer who is now a
traditional healer. When I told him I
had a bum knee, he had me clasp my hands then told me that the right knee
is hurting because of something that’s
not working with my father, husband or workplace. If I had clasped my hands with another finger
on top, it would indicate I have trouble
with my mother or children, which obviously couldn’t be the case. He said it is
“Emotional Healing Therapy.”
So I got his card and
have already given Carolyn his email address because he can do healings over Skype!
No shit!
…only in Cuba!
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