Published In The Great North Arrow, August 2022: Flora, Fauna & Faux Pas in Cuba

- jim Young

“Animals are born who they are, accept it and that is that. They live with greater peace than people do.” - Gregory Maguire

It’s been 2 long years since we’ve had the opportunity to return to our favourite Caribbean Country - Cuba. So when the opportunity came up for a holiday in June, we were champing at the bit to go.

“Why would you want to go to Cuba in June?” is the question we are asked most. It’s a fair question, as the real temperature is often in the 30’s with a few extra degrees caused by the humidity tacked on to make it feel even hotter.

But when you’re on vacation and the biggest challenge of the day is getting from the swim up bar to the beach bar to the ocean, extreme temperatures don’t seem to be as much of an issue, so we have often willingly accepted the challenge.

What we hadn’t counted on however, was that while it’s only been 2 years since we’ve been to Cuba, it’s been 7 years since we’ve been to Cuba in June. It wasn’t so much that we’d forgotten just how hot the heat was, as the fact that well, we are 7 years older now and time has taken its toll when it comes to pushing limits.

However, we endured and had a great time in spite of it all.

Flora and Fredo

Like most tourists we came prepared with a suitcase full of treats for the maids, servers and staff at the resort. While we felt the impact from shortages of supplies here in Canada due to the pandemic, it was even harder for the Cubans who suffer from shortages due to the U.S. embargo at the best of times. Simple household commodities that we take for granted, including but not limited to toilet paper, are in high demand in Cuba and very much appreciated.

Typically, it’s the housekeeping staff and servers in the restaurants and bars that receive the bulk of the handouts, but many tourists will go out of their way to ensure some are also distributed to the maintenance staff, the lifeguards and the gardeners.

Fredo was one of those gardeners we met and befriended. Prior to knowing we had gifts for him, we struck up a conversation with Fredo.

Jobs at the resort are envied among the Cubans, but most are not easy jobs. Here at Cayo Coco, the nearest town is on the mainland so all workers must travel to and from the resort by bus, an hour and a half trip each way. They work 10 to 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week.

Dressed in knee high, rubber boots, long pants and a long sleeved shirt, Fredo’s wide brimmed  straw hat offered some shade, but little relief from the heat.

Fredo’s hat, adorned with pins from Tim Hortons as well as flags of various countries, most being from Canada, tells the tale of many of the guests he has met on the job. (Pins of U.S. flags were noticeably absent from the collection.)

We added to Fredo’s collection with a pin of the Flag of Ontario. I explained to Fredo that, like Cuba, our country was also divided into provinces, this pin being the flag of the province that I lived in, in Canada.

Fredo was anxious to tell us all about the flowers and plants that he trimmed and cared for. He identified many of them for us and answered all our questions. Then, Fredo turned, holding his hands out wide as if presenting the world to us, saying “This is MY garden,” with a pride that simultaneously humbled me and shamed me for every time I have thought to myself or said aloud “my job sucks”. 

"This is my garden," Fredo proclaims with typical Cuban pride.

“This is MY garden”, Fredo said. Not, “This is my job,” or “This is where I work”, it was “This is MY garden”. We should all learn to take that kind of pride in whatever it is that we do.

Fauna

While sitting in the shade of the pool bar, enjoying a snack, we are entertained by the birds that swoop in to pick up dropped crumbs, as well as those intentionally left out by the tourists. One of the most common birds at this resort is the Grackle. The Greater Antillean Grackle that inhabit Cuba are very similar to the Grackles we have here in Canada.

They are accustomed to the tourists and many are brave enough to land on the backs of a chair while eyeing a crumb on the table, make a simple hop to the table, scoop it up and then a quick hop back to the chair back where he will enjoy the morsel before repeating the process.

I watched one Grackle perform this routine several times. Then he opened his beak and made a sound that was unlike any of the sounds the Grackles had been making. He paused and then repeated this call.

A second Grackle swooped in, landed on the back of another chair, eyed up the situation then made his leap to the table to pick up our offering. Once he had the morsel of food in his beak, the first Grackle flew off.

It was as if the first Grackle had filled his quota, but before leaving, wanted to make sure his buddy knew there was food for the taking available. I was awe-struck by the communication and cooperation I had witnessed between these 2 friends.

Faux Pas - “Louisa and Not Louisa”

Inevitably we meet many new friends whenever we visit Cuba both among the tourists as well as the Cubans. Of course my ability to remember names and faces doesn’t magically improve once we reach the island so I still struggle with that.

We met Louisa feeding the many cats that inhabit the resort and as My Shirley also brings treats for the cats, we struck up a conversation with her. (Yes it’s true, cat ladies are all attracted to each other.)

We spent some time conversing with Louisa over a few cocktails and realized we had much in common.

The next day as I saw Louisa walking by, I approached her and struck up a conversation. The lady let me go on for a while before confessing that she wasn’t Louisa. Louisa got quite a kick out of the story when I later related it to her.

That afternoon we saw Louisa sitting at one of the tables and approached her again. Once more she denied being Louisa, saying, “I’m the lady you keep thinking is Louisa.” I was caught off guard a second time but before I had a chance to apologize, I saw the sly smile on “Louisa’s” face. That time, I had been had. And from that moment on, my faux pas became a running gag as she earned the moniker “Louisa or Not Louisa”.

I fear my future trips to Cuba are limited and may have come to an end. But what a time those trips have been!

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