Adventures through Cuba

It's a short drive from Rancho Luna to the town of Trinidad, we are being driven by Fillippe, a grumpy taxi guy who speaks no Enlish and has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. His old yellow Lada has springs that poke our bums, but he charges a fortune for that privilege.

On the way we see many horses, rancheros on horseback, horse carts, they are everywhere. Its green and lush here - a true tropical island, it smells of sultry blooms and salty humidity. One of the most fascinating things about Cuba is that you are never far away from the sea and that sea breeze is present wherever you go.

There are many fascinating things about Cuba, most cannot be explained, like the nurses uniforms. This really perplexed us to no end, you see nurses dressed in something that could only come from a mail order sex shop, super short white nurse dress, fishnet stockings and lace granny panties showing from the hem. Their heads are adorned with the nurses cap, just like the Second World War style. Its mind boggling.

When we asked our Havana friend Marlene, she laughed and laughed and when she stopped laughing she finally said, "Well yes, Cuban nurses think their job is very sexy, so they dress for the job."

The other element that fascinated us about Cuba, were the men walking around with their birds in the cage. You see it all over Cuba, a man and his bird out walking. We have asked many people and most did not know what we were talking about but these scenes were real. The birdcages hang in windows, on lampposts, from tree branches, and in the hands of young men walking down the street. They are small, modest, made from wood, and are seemingly an integral part of Cuban life.

According to one source in Trinidad, the tradition is passed down from generation to generation to keep the culture alive. The songbirds as they are called are an important part of every day life. As such, the songbirds are well fed, given time in the sun, and are even taken along on errands, similar to us with our pet dogs. It's common to see Trinidadian men walking the streets with a birdcage in hand, only to momentarily hang the bird up on a wall to buy groceries or catch up with friends.

The cultural significance of the songbirds and birdcages is apparent. As Cubans are not big on domesticated pets and you will see that most dogs and cats are homeless and roaming free, as taking care of an animal is a luxury, which has placed songbirds as the pet of choice because of their low price, even free if you can trap them yourself, and high numbers, which increase even more during the bird migrations from Florida.

Canaries and blackbirds are the most popular, whilemariposas, painted buntings, are more rare and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Mockingbirds andtocoloros, Cuban trogons (the national bird of Cuba), can also be found in Trinidadian homes. Someone told us that approximately 80% of homes have at least one birdcage and this estimate is very believable with songbirds adorning the entrances, windows, or family rooms of the majority of homes on any given block.

Aside from being present in the home and providing owners with companionship, the songbirds can also earn owners a small income. During the month of March, before the hot summer season takes its course, numerous competitions, exclusively for Cubans, take place to determine the best songbird. The winning bird is judged by the quality of its singing and similarity of its songs to a human whistle. Depending on the state of the economy, the victorious owner can take home a prize of 40 CUC to 100 CUC (R600 - R1500). Many people can also win money, albeit illegally, by betting on the victor. These competitions are another incentive for owners to properly take care of the songbirds and their cages.

There was never a dull moment as we strolled the vibrant streets of Trinidad and settled in our casa, in La Boca. We will spend a month here. Living with Cubans, like Cubans, being fully integrated into their community, family and society. Read next week on Trinidad - one of the mostinterestingfacts aboutTrinidadis perhaps its sweet history. On the outskirts of the town you'll find Valle de los Ingenios, or the Valley of the Sugar Mills. Trinidadwas once the largest producer of sugar in the region, and there were more than 70 operational sugar mills in the area. But that part is for next week. Ola!