Another Day, Another Farm

Today we visited another farm called Alamar Organopónico, but this one was slightly different. Not only was it larger than Finca Marta, it had more animals and was run more by the nearby community. Part of that is because we were closer to downtown Havana. Since we were closer to the main part of the city, the community helped tend to the land, animals, and produce. Isis is the name of the woman in charge ("la buena ISIS") and she runs the farm with a mission, she wants the Cuban plate to be more diverse and to contain more than meat, beans, and rice. She said that Cubans don't customarily eat vegetables. She is introducing new and better vegetables to Cuban homes, cafeterias, and paladares. It was a phenomenal visit! At the end of our walk we got to try fresh sugar cane juice which was a sweet treat, after a farm walk in the hot sun.

Later that day we went to a restaurant in a more rural part of the province. We ate paella in the cutest little neighborhood where Ernest Hemingway used to live. Once inside the restaurant we noticed something intriguing, there was a older man sitting in the corner with medals, certificates, and lots of pictures on display. Since we are SLA students after all, we just had to inquire what the man was displaying. As it turns out, he was friends and fishing partners with Ernest Hemingway. However, he assured us that he always came in first place in fishing competitions.

After lunch we went to the Hotel Nacional, where we met with an economist who explained the dual currency system in Cuba and the general financial systems in Cuba.

For dinner we went to a wonderful restaurant where we salsa'd the night away. Some of us tried rabbit for the first time - it was delicious! After our meal we went to Fábrica del Arte, where we saw the dynamic art gallery, performance space, and popular hangout that Cubans rave about . Finally, we spent some time walking along the Malecón and talking to some locals. The evening ended with a speedy taxi ride back to the hotel.

El Malecón

After dinner and going to Fábrica de Arte