Читать книгу 100 Places in Cuba Every Woman Should Go - Conner Gorry - Страница 26

HILARITY (OR FRUSTRATION, DEPENDING ON my mood) ensues whenever I mention to Cuban friends Parque Lenin and my desire to go to the rodeo. “What rodeo in Vedado?!” they ask me, in a loud voice, gesticulating with their hands like Cubans are wont to do. “There’s no rodeo in Vedado. Have you gone mad?” I am then forced to clarify, sounding out slowly, like a child: “Not Parque Lennon, Parque Lenin: L-E-N-I-N. As in Vladimir Ilyich.” Such are the trials of a native English speaker in a Beatles-crazed, USSR-influenced, Spanish-speaking land. Similarly sounding, these two parks couldn’t be more different in concept, layout, and purpose. While Lennon Park is easily accessed from any point in the central part of the city, the 1,655-acre park named after the Soviet ideologue is way out on the suburban outskirts, more of a draw for local families and school trips than the stuff of tourist itineraries. Nevertheless, the vast green expanses, varied activities and sites, and chance to mix and mingle with Cubans of all stripes and types make a good side trip—especially if you’re traveling with the little ones.

You’ll recognize the entrance to the park when you start seeing grazing horses and a larger-than-life-size statue of revolutionary hero Celia Sánchez Manduley, rifle swung smartly over her shoulder. This multi-purpose park was one of her bright ideas, designed to encourage Cubans to get out and enjoy nature, art, sports, and other healthy pursuits; it’s one of the major public projects of the revolution and though a bit rough around the edges in spots—for instance, you’re better off bringing a picnic or buying some barbecue from the cluster of cafeterias than visiting one of the depressing restaurants on the grounds—a recent influx of Chinese investment is having an impact. Attending an event here provides some of the most raucous, authentic experiences around and will place your finger firmly on the pulse of Cuban culture. The twice annual rodeo is a hoot, attracting real cowboys (and girls) from the surrounding countryside to compete in heavily contested calf roping events and the like, and the national dog breed show, while not Westminister, is a very serious affair, with well-heeled Cubans parading their pedigreed pooches, including the Cuban-bred Havanese, (called a bichón habanero by locals)—a white puff of a lap dog heavily sought after. If you happen upon a pigeon race, held occasionally here, do not hesitate to hang around to see tough looking characters taking bets, adding soiled pesos cubanos to growing wads as big as a bagel, while others coo at their birds and brandish heritage papers before potential buyers. When the competitors fly in to view, their owners whoop and holler, running flat out as they coax their birds to the finish line. The last one I went to was a Matanzas-Havana race—these birds flew over 70 miles without breaking a sweat!

Internationally sanctioned dog shows happen in Havana each April and November.

There’s a small amusement park, a lake for row boating and horseback riding as well here; for something more adrenaline-pumping, you can zoom around the palm-shaded meadows on an all-terrain motorcycle. Directly south of the park is the Jardín Botánico Nacional, with an astounding collection of palms from around the world and the oasis known as the Jardín Japonés, replete with a giant koi pond and the requisite pagoda. If you’re out this way, detour to the Parque Zoólogico Nacional, the highlight of which is an African safari bus jaunt with hippos, elephants, lions, tigers, and other exotic animals. Many of these beasts were imported in 2013 thanks to a bilateral agreement between Cuba and Namibia, which donated the animals; their travels and successful insertion into the zoo was splashed all over the news and papers for weeks.