Cuba Now: The The Bay Of Bigs Debacle Remembered

On February 16th 2015 we check out of our Cienfuegos hotel after breakfast and board the tour bus for a trip to The Bay of Pigs (Bahia de Cochinos). First there is a stop only a short distance away at a government rationbook store. We see first hand the system set up by the Castro Regime to ensure that even the poorest Cubans will have not starve or go without basics despite the United States Embargo still in place. The pictures speak for themselves. Next we make a stop at the Benny Moré Provincial School Of Arts. We are treated to performances by some of the outstanding students, brief clips of which are included/embedded in the video. The Bay of Pigs is about 11/2 hours away along the south coast. A stern woman in fatigues and carrying a rifle leads us into a small theater to watch an old disturbing, particularly to us as Americans, propaganda film on the ill conceived Bay of Pigs invasion by exiles and, allegedly, mercenaries. The facts of the fiasco seem accurate enough, but the tone of the film makes us feel as though we’re still enemies. It was the only time we will have this feeling during our time in Cuba. As soon as the film is over, without seeing anything else in the museum, we walk over to a resort on the Playa Giron and relax for a few minutes. After an outstanding lunch at the nearby Hotel Enrique’s “palador” and a lecture about conservation efforts at the Zapata National Part across the way, we reboard the bus for a 51/2 hour ride to the north side of the island to Havana and check into the famous Hotel Nacional where we will be based during the rest of our stay.

This is the third video covering our “Cuba Now” trip. Video was recorded in 1080 HD and stereophonic sound and edited with Final Cut Pro. Most still pictures were taken by Tony and Hessie Guida. Tour member Mary Jane Kilian also contributed photos as noted in the video.

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