I bought two juicy mangoes at the market this week, as it is
currently Mango Season in Cuba. Bajan Roommate had previously expressed a deep
satisfaction at the quality of Cuban mangoes in comparison to Bajan mangoes,
which are apparently much juicier and more delicious, but as I was comparing
cucumbers at the market this morning, Ojito, my new best friend, offered me a
slice of one of his best specimens. It was very, very good, so I decided to
splurge. I saved it all day until I’d had my dinner, then put on some Cat
Stevens and CONSUMED IT!!!! Mangoes are so difficult to eat, and there was
juice and pulp evertwhere. My skin and throat are now reacting very badly as I
think I’m a bit allergic to fruit juice, but it was so worth it. The thing
tasted like liquid-solid-mushy ecstasy. I’ve never eaten anything so incredibly
delicious, and a huge part of me doesn’t think I ever will again.
Luckily for her, Bajan Roommate is out for dinner so she
didn’t have to sit through the Great Mango Eating of April 2013, because her
parents are here! What’s more, it’s the holidays! We have no university, in
celebration of the failed CIA invasion of the Bay of Pigs. Hurray! Everyone is making the most of the week we
have off. A large portion of Calle B have travelled to the east of the island
to hike up Mount Turquino, which sounded like a good idea, but I eventually
decided that in actuality, climbing up a mountain in intense humidity wasn’t
something I fancied doing this week. Instead, we decided to get away from ‘real
life’ Cuba and go to Varadero.
***PAUSE IN STORY-TELLING FOR NEWS FLASH::::: Just had a
power cut. It only lasted for like ten minutes, but that is ten minutes that
the fridge was off for. My other mango is in there, I pray to GOD that the
sudden temperature change didn’t disturb its delicious ripening process!!!
************
Veradero is one of the largest tourist resorts in Cuba,
which Lonely Planet describes as ‘wrapped up for tourist consumption and
packaged as a cheap alternative to Cancun’ then continues to detail its: “lack
of history, frequently lack of Cuban people themselves, and lack of one vital
ingredient: magic”. Despite this glowing review, over the past few months I
have sporadically and loudly voiced my zero desire to go there, ever. However, life
in Havana was getting me down.
I don’t want to dwell on negatives because very often living
in Cuba is living the dream: Pina Coladas, palm trees and playa, playa, playa. However,
it can be a bit tiring looking like a foreigner here because we’re a constant
target for hustlers and rambunctious taxi drivers who yell at us in the street
and overcharge us for everything and then get really huffy when we try and get
some banter going. Everything is systematically designed to keep tourists and
Cubans separate, which leaves us in a confusing spot as we’re ‘temporary
residents’, and have Cuban ID, but we’re still treated like tourists and often
can’t access the same things that Cuban people can, either because rules and
legislation stops us or because nobody in their right mind will ever believe
I’m Cuban, no matter how many times I insist I was born in Havana.
Anyway, Erica, who is a calming influence on me, pointed out
that no matter what we do we are always going to be treated as outsiders here
and we’re always going to be ripped off and people are always going to shout at
us on the street, so it’s best to get over it really and just enjoy ourselves.
SO we decided embrace our tourist status! Yolo! Or, even
better, YOLICO!! And off we went to VARADERO. Varadero is NICE. It’s not just resorts, there
are lots of little Cuban houses and many-a casa particular, in fact quite
contrary to Lonely Planet’s opinions, I found there were more Cubans there than
foreigners (possibly because it’s low season and we were staying in Varadero
town.) The beach was stunning, and the best thing was that it was really
shallow for ages so there was a very small risk of heart-stopping-scuba diving
flashbacks. Most excitingly, the sun has become a ferocious ball of constant,
violent heat than managed to penetrate my factor 30 and yesterday I woke up in
a body covered in skin that was going from pink to GOLD. GOLD!!! For some
reason (not sure why, probably sun cream and sun position related), it is the
most uneven tan ever seen. One of my companions, who I shall refer to only as
Moodkiller, told me it looks like a really badly applied fake tan, which was
mean and untrue – in actuality, I look GREAT. This is the colour I was born to
be. I have spent a long time peering in the mirror and moisturising a LOT so
that this skin never, ever falls off (people who know me well will struggle to
imagine it’s possible for me to moisturise any more than I do already, but I’ve
managed it.). I have TAN LINES, which other people can actually see (proving
they’re not in my imagination!) Anyway lets just hope this isn’t a one off, and
the tan continues to WAX and NOT wane!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We came back a day early because we couldn’t find
accommodation for the last night of our trip. Ana-Maria didn’t know we were
back so we went out for dinner, and then this morning I had to go and ask her
for more breakfast. She was very amused to see me, and even gave me chicken
breast for dinner (!!!!) Then today I decided to continue indulging myself and
bought some treats. I got some fake designer flip flops ($6), one packet of
cotton wool ($0.95 – I know right, absolute rip off), some books about Cuban
Culture from a homeless man ($6, an obscene amount to pay for second hand books)
and then treated myself to a mani-pedi, for only $3! Moodkiller pointedly told
me “of course that’s a complete rip off, you know.” But I beg to differ. The
woman was really nice to me and at the end of the day, it’s better to have
someone be nice to you because you’re paying them than have no one be nice to
you at all (something I learnt at Power Plate in Austria). Plus she shaved of
some of the bottom of my foot which had gotten all hard from lack of socks, AND
she offered to set me up with her 25 year old son, after the usual “do you have
a boyfriend in Cuba?” No. “Oh! Do you have a boyfriend in England?” No. “Oh!
Neither!?” (It’s surprisingly usual to have one in both). Unfortunately he
lives in Camaguay, but he is a chef (!!!), so it’s not all bad news!
I will end on an even more positive note, because last night
I had the Coolest Experience of my Life. We went out to a club in a castle/fort
that overlooks the ocean and the harbour. It’s an outdoor affair and the views
are lovely. They play ‘house music’ there, which, if I’m honest, is a music
genre I do not understand, but my cursory awareness of the music scene in
Manchester informs me that house music is very ‘a la mode’ at the moment.
Anyway, being a naturally gifted and enthusiastic dancer, after dodging a few
bouncers I managed to get myself where I belong: on the stage. The DJ was to my right, and my good friend Nick (who ended the night
in a very sorry state, but we won’t talk about that) was to my left. I should
mention that about a month ago, I participated in a particularly spectacular
freestyle session outside a club called Fresa y Chocolate (because I am not
only mind-blowingly good at dancing but also a genuine rap genius). Since then,
our notoriety as the UK’s Greatest New Rap Stars has been spreading like
wildfire. After hanging out on the stage for a while and trying to befriend the
DJ (trying and failing, if I’m completely honest, but haters gonna hate, and he
was a hater) I spotted a microphone in the middle of the stage. With it I saw
my opportunity to finally fulfill my 2012 New Year’s Resolution (“kick start my
rap career”), and so after confirming
that the microphone was switched on, Nick and I decided to grasp the chance to
flex our MC skills.
Rapping in Cuba is great, because nobody has a clue what
you’re saying. If you can’t think of anything to say, just make a noise that
sounds like a word that rhymes, and nobody knows that it isn’t a real word,
because they all speak Spanish! They just assume you’re a legend! I can’t
remember many of the rhymes that I ‘spat’, but I remember looking out over the
sparse crowd in the fortress courtyard and feeling like a Rap Goddess. It’s a
memory that I will treasure for the rest of my days.
Gotta go because I need to pee.
Over and OUTT!!! M.C. S-COLL!!! xxx
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