Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization

What's New:

  Annual meeting

Wed May 23, 2012, 7-9pm
 
Twenty Ninth Street Community Room
Southwest corner of 29th St, across from Cantina Laredo and Arhaus Furniture. (Former A-1 Sushi)

*Learn about Boulder's sister municipality in Cuba and opportunities to travel to Cuba.
*Election of officers and Board.
*Set goals and priorities for upcoming year.
*Meet and share experiences with participants of past trips to Cuba.

CUBA TRAVEL

We are pleased to announce that the Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization has been granted a non-academic educational/people-to-people license to travel to Cuba by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Our next delegation is JUNE 2012, to eastern Cuba and Havana.

We plan to offer delegations to Cuba in late November 2012, and Spring break 2013. Please contact us for more information: bocusco@yahoo.com.

 June 2012 Delegation to Cuba Preliminary itinerary

 The intended focus of this trip is the Cuban education system, with emphasis on pre-K through high school, environmental, and public health/medical education. 

Delegation participants must be members of or join the Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization and be approved for travel by the Board of Directors.

Estimated travel costs:  The Sister City Organization will arrange flights to/from Miami and Cuba, transportation in Cuba (a tourist van/bus), bilingual sister city representative and bilingual Cuban guide/interpreter within Cuba, hotels or guest houses in Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Baracoa, and Havana (double occupancy, includes breakfast), Cuban health insurance, and some other related travel costs (visas, some baggage fees, etc.). Travelers will be responsible for travel to and from Miami, most meals (other than breakfast), drinks, optional activities, and personal expenses.  Estimated cost, including flight from Baracoa to Havana and three nights in a 4-star hotel in Old Havana is $2700 ($300 single supplement).

Boulder-Cuba June Education Delegation to Eastern Cuba and Havana

PRELIMINARY  ITINERARY

DAY 1 (Saturday, June 2): Fly from Miami to Holguin. Meet our bilingual guide/interpreter from our host organization, ICAP (Cuban Friendship Institute) for orientation and discussions on historical and contemporary Cuba. Stop at sites in Holguin before leaving town. Travel by private tourist bus from Holguin to Santiago de Cuba; late lunch stop in historic town of Bayamo. Potential late stop at Basilica del Cobre. Spend the evening in Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city. Group dinner a privately owned restaurant. Evening free for music at the Casa de la Trova, or Afrocuban dance performance. Night at Hotel Casa Granda.

DAY 2 (Sunday, June 3): Spend day in central Santiago. See Moncada barracks, Rum Museum, Museum of Carnival, and other cultural/historical sites. Trip (by taxi) to historic cemetery with guided tour by Santiago historian José López.  Evening meal at a paladar (privately owned restaurant). Evening optional cultural event.

DAY 3 (Monday, June 4): Spend morning in Santiago de Cuba. Meet with education specialists and/or scientists of BIOECO to talk about biodiversity and environment of eastern Cuba. After lunch, bus trip to El Morro fortress (UNESCO World Heritage site) guarding the bay, learn about the history of colonizing the island; then take 1 ½ hour bus ride to Guantánamo City. Meet with ICAP representative Adriana o Ana Teresa. As there is little foreign tourism in Guantánamo City, this is an opportunity to experience a typical Cuban city. Evening activity—After a talk by historian José Sánchez Guerra on the history of Guantánamo Bay, enjoy some of the rich culture of Guantánamo province: Casa de Changüí, or Casa de la Trova for music; modern dance, Afrocuban or Haitian dance performance, or people watch on the main square.. Night at Hotel Guantanamo, where you will have ample opportunity to mix with Cuban guests.

Day 4 (Tuesday, June 5): After breakfast, take 1 ½ hour bus ride to Boulder’s sister municipality of Yateras, a mountainous rural region famous for its coffee and citrus fruit production. Program in Yateras to be determined in conjunction with ICAP Guantanamo to focus on education. It will include visits to library, primary school, rural ‘doctors house’ and/or health care center in Palenque, the capital of Yateras. Visit in late afternoon to provincial Art School in Guantanamo City. Evening: optional cultural activities in Guantánamo City. As there are few motorized taxis in Guantánamo, travel like the Cubans and get some Cuban Pesos from your tour leaders to go back to the hotel in a horse drawn wagon or in a bicitaxi. Night at Hotel Guantanamo.

DAY 5 (Wednesday, June 6): Return to Yateras to continue visits. Visit Yateras’ famous  Stone Zoo on the way and chat with self-taught sculptor Angel Iñigo. In Felicidad or Palenque visit with early childhood specialists or other educators. Learn about changüí music that originated in Yateras and is the basis of the Cuban son and meet some of the local musicians. Return to Guantánamo City for an early evening dance performance by Danza Libre and opportunity to meet the dancers and talk about art education in Cuba. Night at Hotel Guantanamo.

DAY 6 (Thursday, June 7): After visit to CEPRU, (Ecological Processing Centre for Solid Urban Waste) to learn how CNN Hero of the Planet Irania Martínez turned a noxious dump into  a recycling center and orchard, bus 4 hours from Guantánamo to Baracoa. We will pass through dry tropical forest, and then up over the mountains via the famous La Farola highway to the wettest area in Cuba. Learn about  poet/educator/hero José Martí. Stop at Martí museum and beach in Imías for lunch if possible. Late afternoon arrival in Baracoa. Meet with our host, historian Elexis Fernández Rubio to learn about the history of Cuba’s oldest European settlement and more about our program in Baracoa. Evening meal at local paladar with Cuban friends, and optional music at Casa de la Trova and/or Casa de la Cultura. Night in Baracoa at El Castillo, an 18th century fortress turned hotel.

DAY 7 (Friday, June 8): We will have a very full day of activities including a walking tour with Enrique Florian, city architect of Baracoa, founded in 1511. Tour of several artists’ studios with art historian Rosendo Romero and learn more about art education in Cuba. Visit early childhood center, elementary school, or middle school. Afternoon choice of visit with archeologist Roberto Orduñez to the archeological museum situated high above the city in a cave with displays of Taíno culture; city museum located in an old Spanish fort; or sendero del cacao to learn about how chocolate is grown and harvested. Evening dinner with Cuban friends at paladar followed by a musical performance at the Casa de la Trova or Casa de Cultura. Lots of music and activity in Baracoa most nights! Night in Baracoa: El Castillo.

DAY 8 (Saturday, June 9): Day learning about the environment and environmental education in and around Baracoa. Activities include 1 ½ hour bus ride to Humboldt Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site) with park specialists to learn about the different types of mangroves protecting the bay, and a hike to learn about some of the many endemic species found in this area. We will meet with environmental education specialist Rafael Milhet to hear about programs for children and adults living in and around the Park. On the way home we will have a late lunch and optional swim at Maguana, a lovely white sand beach, and talk with the park specialists about the coexistence of tourism and environmental protection. Back in Baracoa we will talk over dinner with anthropologist Víctor Oscar Pérez about the use of traditional medicinal practices, followed by free time to enjoy the lively musical ambience of Baracoa. Night in Baracoa: El Castillo

DAY 9 (Sunday, June 10): AM flight from Baracoa to Havana. Depending on plane arrival time, bus tour of Havana sites for orientation. Learn more about José Martí and go to the top of the Marti monument in Plaza de la Revolución for fabulous views of Havana. Meet and lunch with North American ICAP representative at the beautiful Casa de Amistad (Friendship House.).Please feel free to ask questions about anything you’ve seen or experienced in Cuba. : Most museums close at 2 pm on Sunday, so this would be a good time to visit the handicraft market or Callejon de Hamel for rumba and art 3-5 on Sunday. Or enjoy a peaceful  drink at the historic Hotel Nacional gardens overlooking the Malecon. Learn about the many famous guests that stayed there in pre revolutionary times.  Evening: Visit La Cabana fortress and see Cannon Ceremony or attend a Cuban flamenco performance at La Mesón de la Flota restaurant. Night in Old Havana: (Hotel TBD)

DAY 10 (Monday, June 11): Havana. Meet with early childhood and special education specialists. Meet with Ana Lourdes of the Office of the Historian of Havana, and take a walking tour to learn about renovation and preservation efforts in Old Havana. Visit a primary school in Old Havana. Visit the Museum of the Revolution.  Evening optional. We will try to attend a concert, or ballet performance.  Night in Old Havana: (Hotel TBD)

DAY 11 (Tuesday, June 12): Havana. Meet with early childhood and special education specialists or visit the Escuela Taller in Old Havana: (La Escuela Taller Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos - Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos Workshop). This unique institution was established in 1992 to train youth in the arts, crafts and theoretical knowledge to rehabilitate and preserve their architectural heritage. The school teaches young people archeological and restoration skills necessary to sustain the physical heritage and cultural heritage of Old Havana. Afternoon  Depending on the interests of the group we will visit the Colon cemetery or taxi to the Hemingway House/Museum Finca la Vigía or take the ferry to Regla to learn about santería.  

Night in Old Havana: (Hotel TBD)

DAY 12 (Wednesday, June 13): Transfer to Havana airport. AM fly from Havana back to Miami, with enough time to catch connection to Denver.

READ ABOUT OUR JANUARY 2012 DELEGATION:

CUBA IS CHANGING

By Spense Havlick 02/12/2012 Boulder Daily Camera

Boulder resident Biff Bilstein chats with children in Yateras

Much has changed in Cuba since the Boulder-Cuba sister city organization visited Guantanamo Province in 2010. January of this year marked the tenth anniversary of the establishment of a sister city relationship with the municipality of Yateras in the mountainous eastern tip of Cuba. With our own official U.S. Treasury Department license the Boulder people to people organization flew (a 60-minute flight) from Miami to Santiago de Cuba with gifts of humanitarian supplies, baseball equipment, artwork from a Boulder elementary school, and books featuring Cuban artists.

Eighteen people from the Boulder area spent time in four major areas over the 12-day visit. The cities included Guantanamo City seat of the provincial capital for Yateras, Baracoa where Columbus landed in 1492, Santiago de Cuba renowned as an early capital famous for its extensive cemetery where most revolutionary heroes are resting including Jose Marti, and of course Havana with her 2.5 million residents.

Eastern Cuba

Changes we observed on our recent trip included an elevated level of genuine friendliness toward us as Americans. Our friends in the Cuban Friendship Institute office who have served as hosts in years past welcomed us with a warmth that was almost like family. In previous visits to Yateras and Guantanamo the greetings were cordial but there may have been some uncertainty about the reason for our visit. Of course when you see the same mayor, the same lead doctor at the hospital, the same vivacious librarian (in Palenque) the same musicians at the Casa de Changui, and the same painters and sculptors in their tiny studios there is bound to be a unusual bridge of friendship built despite the disagreements of the two national governments.

There were many more privately owned restaurants in Baracoa and Guantanamo City.

Another pleasant surprise was a change in the expanded menu in the restaurants. Instead of just rice and beans (with a potential chicken morsel) today you find shrimp, fish, lamb, pork, beef, the obligatory pollo and ample vegetables such as tomatoes, green beans, carrots, cucumber, and fresh lettuce. Ice cream was very abundant with chocolate and coconut ice cream ranking as our favorites.

The group enjoys lunch at a private restaurant in Guantanamo.

In terms of changes in transportation the camel-like blue buses of Havana have been moved out to rural areas and replaced by more modern metroliner buses supplemented by rebuilt 1953 and 1954 Chevrolets, Buicks and even Cadillacs serving as taxis in Havana and Santiago. The Chinese government has given Cuba an entire passenger train set that runs between Havana and Santiago. But horse-drawn taxis and pedi cabs are the major transportation modes, along with bicycles in all of eastern Cuba.

Housing continues to be the No. 1 chronic problem throughout all of Cuba. No matter how dilapidated most of the housing was every housing unit had a rice cooker, running water, electricity, and a color TV. Last week the Raul Castro regime announced a grant to add home additions for families who qualify according to criteria of sub-standard housing, large family size and difficult proximity to close family relatives. Yet for tourists new or refurbished hotels were more common and many more private bed and breakfast lodgings (casas particulares) were available than just two years ago. We did encounter in some hotels tepid water, in some cases no water and in one major hotel, the Hotel Casa Granda in central Santiago the only elevator was out of order which made carrying luggage up four levels a struggle. In the rural areas of eastern Cuba we felt very safe day or night not only because there were so few automobiles but also because crime rates are very, very low. Cubans are not permitted to have firearms.

Highlights for our group were the Stone Zoo near Yateras; seeing the conversion of a toxic city dump into an urban garden and composting center in Guantanamo City, exploring the rainforest and manatee lagoons of Humbolt National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage site), an Afrocuban dance troop performance, meeting master artists and historians in Baracoa, and strolling through old Havana.

Sculptor Angel Iñigo Blanco at Yateras' Stone Zoo.

The best summaries from our Boulder-Cuba sister city trip are quotes from first-time Cuba visitors such as "They have been a fun people to get to know and come to understand." " It exceeded my expectations at every turn, meeting our sister city children was a heart opener." "The most musical place I have ever been." "The rare opportunity to interact with Cuban people, to share our commonality and friendship, I will never forget this trip."

The next sister city trip to Cuba will be May/ June and it will have an educational focus. Two experienced leaders will be accepting applications next month. Details are available at bouldercuba.org

John Tayer's turn at bat.

Spense Havlick is a founding member of the Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization and is a member of the Camera's editorial advisory board. He and Kate Hennessey, the president of BOCUSCO, were trip leaders on this recent journey to Cuba.

Shipping medical equipment and supplies to Eastern Cuba

Since 2006 the Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization has been raising funds to sponsor the shipment of medical equipment and supplies to Guantánamo province in conjunction with Denver-based Project C.U.R.E. www.projectcure.org. We are pleased to announce that the first FIVE 40’ cargo containers have arrived at their destinations: a container of hurricane relief supplies following the devastion of Hurricane Ike; as well as containers to the main hospital in Guantánamo which serves the entire province including Yateras; the Guantánamo Pediatric Hospital; the main hospital in Baracoa, and the hospital in Palenque, Yateras.

We would like to thank all of the donors, sponsors and volunteers who have contributed to the success of this project. Thanks to everyone’s efforts and generosity, we have been able to provide one of the poorest provinces of Cuba with such supplies as X-ray machines, anesthesia machines, mamography units, operating tables, stethoscopes, microscopes, laboratory supplies, defibrillators, and much more.  Please visit our HEALTH committee page to learn more about health care in Yateras and our health related projects. THANK YOU!!

About the Boulder-Cuba Sister City Organization

The Boulder Cuba Sister City Organization (BOCUSCO), is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-political, all-volunteer citizen network which exists to create lasting partnerships to promote cultural sharing, understanding and exchange between itizens of Boulder, Colorado and the municipality of Yateras, Guantánamo, Cuba. Yateras, located in the mountainous easternmost Cuban province of Guantánamo, became Boulder’s sixth sister city in 2002. Although many of our exchanges and activities involve the community of Yateras, we are also involved in projects, such as health and environmental projects, in other areas of Guantánamo Province including Guantánamo City. Boulder has other sister cities in Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Tibet, Kenya and Tajikistan. BOCUSCO organizes activities, with support from the Boulder community, through its five committees: Arts and Education, Environment and Sustainability, Health, Music and Dance, Sports.

Current Projects

Since 2005 BOCUSCO has been working in collaboration with U.S. government-licensed organizations to ship mountain bikes, wheelchairs, medical equipment and supplies, school supplies, athletic equipment and footwear to Yateras.

In addition to those ongoing shipments, we have prioritized projects for 2011-2012 for which we are currently raising funds. We will continue to sponsor the delivery of medical supplies and equipment to Guantánamo province in conjunction with Denver's Project C.U.R.E. www.projectcure.org; help Yateras renovate their community library by providing donations of supplies and Spanish-language books, and work with environmental organizations on educational campaigns to protect endangered and endemic species in eastern Cuba.

BOCUSCO is also dedicated to bringing more awareness of Cuba to the Boulder community through speakers, music, film, food and dance.

(updated September 2011)

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