TRIP REPORT for December 2024:
Living on shaky ground
Mother Nature decided to shake things up in Cuba on Nov. 10, and she
hasn’t completely stopped her agitation of the situation. A pair of strong earthquakes,
topping out at 6.8 on the Richter scale, turned some homes to rubble and
severely damaged many structures in Pilón, Marea del Portillo and the
surrounding region. The aftershocks have continued since then, but are
gradually abating.
Although the tremors could go on for months, they have been lessening in frequency and strength. And, in my limited on-the-ground experience in early December, some jolts seem to be very location specific. On one occasion during my two-week sojourn in Pilón, I felt a single bump, as if someone had briefly grabbed and elevated one leg of my chair, then dropped it to the floor a second later. Meanwhile, across town, the same tremor was sizeable enough to send people fleeing from the polyclinic and other nearby buildings.
Naturally, people are fearful. They’ve been traumatized by what they’ve been through – and are enduring. Authorities have assessed homes and declared some of them structurally unsound. Others have been deemed safe for occupancy, despite cracks creeping like vines along the walls. However, people who still have homes don’t necessarily feel safe sleeping indoors, especially those whose residences are in apartment buildings.
How much more shaking will your cracked wall withstand? How big will the next quake be, and when will it hit? It’s impossible to predict such things. Some folks are sleeping in the ground-level homes of neighbors and family members or in tents, if available, despite spending necessary time in their apartments during the day. Whenever the ground starts to shake again, though, even people on the first floor often bolt to the yard.
And yet, people are coping. They’re getting on with life, as best they can. They’re going to work and attending church. Kids are going to school. They are dealing with the new normal of fear, coupled with continuing power outages and shortages of food and other necessities.
Despite the compounded daily struggles, there is a small blossom of optimism in the Marea del Portillo and Pilón area: the resort is open! The recently rebranded Resonance Musique Marea hotel officially reopened as I was heading for the Holguín airport to catch my flight back to Canada in mid December. Thus, unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any ceremonial hoopla, if there was any to see.
I think it was what you might call a “soft” reopening. Ever-lamentable Sunwing hadn’t managed to effectively relaunch their renamed resort on its website, which made it appear as if they’d dropped it from the roster. Marea was promotionless. Therefore, not many tourists arrived during that first week. Now, a few weeks later, people are beginning to come in bigger batches.
ASIDE: If a heap of money has been spent to renovate and update a resort, one would think the company that manages the place might want to make sure people could easily book a package, wouldn’t one? Sometimes it seems as if Sunwing is trying to slowly kill the Marea resort complex, one coffin nail at a time. However, those who work there and love visiting the place keep pushing the nails out and yelling: “I’m not dead yet!” – to rip a quote from Monty Python’s annals. But, I digress.
Although the tremors could go on for months, they have been lessening in frequency and strength. And, in my limited on-the-ground experience in early December, some jolts seem to be very location specific. On one occasion during my two-week sojourn in Pilón, I felt a single bump, as if someone had briefly grabbed and elevated one leg of my chair, then dropped it to the floor a second later. Meanwhile, across town, the same tremor was sizeable enough to send people fleeing from the polyclinic and other nearby buildings.
Naturally, people are fearful. They’ve been traumatized by what they’ve been through – and are enduring. Authorities have assessed homes and declared some of them structurally unsound. Others have been deemed safe for occupancy, despite cracks creeping like vines along the walls. However, people who still have homes don’t necessarily feel safe sleeping indoors, especially those whose residences are in apartment buildings.
How much more shaking will your cracked wall withstand? How big will the next quake be, and when will it hit? It’s impossible to predict such things. Some folks are sleeping in the ground-level homes of neighbors and family members or in tents, if available, despite spending necessary time in their apartments during the day. Whenever the ground starts to shake again, though, even people on the first floor often bolt to the yard.
And yet, people are coping. They’re getting on with life, as best they can. They’re going to work and attending church. Kids are going to school. They are dealing with the new normal of fear, coupled with continuing power outages and shortages of food and other necessities.
Despite the compounded daily struggles, there is a small blossom of optimism in the Marea del Portillo and Pilón area: the resort is open! The recently rebranded Resonance Musique Marea hotel officially reopened as I was heading for the Holguín airport to catch my flight back to Canada in mid December. Thus, unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any ceremonial hoopla, if there was any to see.
I think it was what you might call a “soft” reopening. Ever-lamentable Sunwing hadn’t managed to effectively relaunch their renamed resort on its website, which made it appear as if they’d dropped it from the roster. Marea was promotionless. Therefore, not many tourists arrived during that first week. Now, a few weeks later, people are beginning to come in bigger batches.
ASIDE: If a heap of money has been spent to renovate and update a resort, one would think the company that manages the place might want to make sure people could easily book a package, wouldn’t one? Sometimes it seems as if Sunwing is trying to slowly kill the Marea resort complex, one coffin nail at a time. However, those who work there and love visiting the place keep pushing the nails out and yelling: “I’m not dead yet!” – to rip a quote from Monty Python’s annals. But, I digress.
The upshot of the Sunwing website booking debacle is that people
found other ways to make reservations! Although I don’t completely detest
flying with the devil I know, I must say, I am rather looking forward to
boarding another airline on my next trip. AirTransat, for example, is providing
air service for packages booked with HolaSun, which can be done via their
website or through Redtag and other travel resellers. At this point, flights
continue to be via Holguín but that means you’re not locked into
going/returning on only one day per week. There are more options when flying
to/from Holguín!
I know the extra travel time is problematic for many people but I look at it as a way to see other parts of the country. In the past, I’ve stayed in Holguin, Bayamo or Manzanillo before or after the flight, either at a casa particular (Cuban B&B) or a resort on the northern coast. This gives me an opportunity to explore Cuba a little more, which I enjoy. There are interesting things to see and do in all three of the aforementioned cities, as well as decent restaurants and hotels, if you prefer that type of accommodation to staying in private homes.
Transportation, of course, is a big factor to consider when making travel plans in Cuba. Now that the resort is including transfers from/to the Holguín airport, it usually makes more financial sense to ride along on their bus or van. But, you could arrange something different, if you want.
During my early-December trip, the Marea resort wasn’t open, so I made my own arrangements for transportation and accommodation. As well, I ate in restaurants more often than I usually do – and I invited numerous friends and their families to join me. I decided to do so because it would give my friends a break from cooking or worrying about food and it would support small business owners, who are important parts of the local economy. And, it was fun!
The fun stuff was an important counterbalance for the non-fun things I saw on this visit to the Granma province. In Pilón, it was shocking and saddening to see the amount of damage wrought by the initial quakes, coupled with the repeated aftershocks. Some structures may never be repaired or replaced. I’m thinking, in particular, of the waterfront park in Pilón. Originally built as a loading dock, when the town was an international shipping port during the sugar cane boom, the massive concrete platform fell into disrepair and sat idle for years. Hurricane Denis, which devastated the area in 2005, also damaged the site.
I had been delighted to see that the former wharf was rehabilitated a few years ago and converted into a park. Dubbed “El Espigon,” it quickly became a popular recreational hub for the community. The November 2024 earthquakes caused severe damage, effectively cleaving one wall right through to the underwater foundation. I doubt that it will be salvaged.
When I posted photos of the damage on Facebook, one friend commented that she had faith it could be fixed – if anyone could do it, Cubans could! I agree with her sentiment but the stumbling block will be supplies. Even before the quakes, it was extremely difficult for people to get cement, rebar and other key building materials. Now, rather than repairing the malecón park, energy and supplies must be directed to home reconstruction.
I know the extra travel time is problematic for many people but I look at it as a way to see other parts of the country. In the past, I’ve stayed in Holguin, Bayamo or Manzanillo before or after the flight, either at a casa particular (Cuban B&B) or a resort on the northern coast. This gives me an opportunity to explore Cuba a little more, which I enjoy. There are interesting things to see and do in all three of the aforementioned cities, as well as decent restaurants and hotels, if you prefer that type of accommodation to staying in private homes.
Transportation, of course, is a big factor to consider when making travel plans in Cuba. Now that the resort is including transfers from/to the Holguín airport, it usually makes more financial sense to ride along on their bus or van. But, you could arrange something different, if you want.
During my early-December trip, the Marea resort wasn’t open, so I made my own arrangements for transportation and accommodation. As well, I ate in restaurants more often than I usually do – and I invited numerous friends and their families to join me. I decided to do so because it would give my friends a break from cooking or worrying about food and it would support small business owners, who are important parts of the local economy. And, it was fun!
The fun stuff was an important counterbalance for the non-fun things I saw on this visit to the Granma province. In Pilón, it was shocking and saddening to see the amount of damage wrought by the initial quakes, coupled with the repeated aftershocks. Some structures may never be repaired or replaced. I’m thinking, in particular, of the waterfront park in Pilón. Originally built as a loading dock, when the town was an international shipping port during the sugar cane boom, the massive concrete platform fell into disrepair and sat idle for years. Hurricane Denis, which devastated the area in 2005, also damaged the site.
I had been delighted to see that the former wharf was rehabilitated a few years ago and converted into a park. Dubbed “El Espigon,” it quickly became a popular recreational hub for the community. The November 2024 earthquakes caused severe damage, effectively cleaving one wall right through to the underwater foundation. I doubt that it will be salvaged.
When I posted photos of the damage on Facebook, one friend commented that she had faith it could be fixed – if anyone could do it, Cubans could! I agree with her sentiment but the stumbling block will be supplies. Even before the quakes, it was extremely difficult for people to get cement, rebar and other key building materials. Now, rather than repairing the malecón park, energy and supplies must be directed to home reconstruction.
A pair of older apartment buildings that are located behind the
Sorpresa store, near the highway, sustained the most damage of any of the
town’s apartment complexes. Both of them were already in bad shape and, due to
the quakes, one building has been condemned for habitation at this time. I had
to add that last phrase because, after speaking with someone living in that
neighborhood, I learned that the government intends to repair the structure,
even though it is visibly crooked.
When I’d initially heard the building was “condemned,” I assumed it would be torn down. Instead, officials say they will devise a way to shore it up and make it habitable again. My friend who has confidence in the Cuban ability to fix anything should be pleased! Until the engineers work their magic, though, people can access their apartments during the day but must spend the night elsewhere. Some are occupying tents in the field beside the building that were set up as emergency shelters. Others are staying with family nearby or have left the area.
Why would some buildings be so much more badly damaged than others? Why did some homes completely crumble while the house next door is pretty much okay? Those questions rumbled through my mind as I toured around town, doing my own private assessment of the situation. I discussed this with numerous people and the general consensus is that the difference is primarily due to construction materials and foundations. Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the foundations of the apartment buildings near the store were not as solid as they should have been. Thus, both structures are sinking unevenly into the ground.
Many individual homes that I saw had partially collapsed. Perhaps the still-standing section was built at a different time than the rest and its foundation was better. Maybe the cement blocks in the ruined part were not made as well as they should have been, or there was no rebar available and walls weren’t properly reinforced. Those are my best guesses, as well as the possibility that tremor intensity varies from place to another.
When I’d initially heard the building was “condemned,” I assumed it would be torn down. Instead, officials say they will devise a way to shore it up and make it habitable again. My friend who has confidence in the Cuban ability to fix anything should be pleased! Until the engineers work their magic, though, people can access their apartments during the day but must spend the night elsewhere. Some are occupying tents in the field beside the building that were set up as emergency shelters. Others are staying with family nearby or have left the area.
Why would some buildings be so much more badly damaged than others? Why did some homes completely crumble while the house next door is pretty much okay? Those questions rumbled through my mind as I toured around town, doing my own private assessment of the situation. I discussed this with numerous people and the general consensus is that the difference is primarily due to construction materials and foundations. Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the foundations of the apartment buildings near the store were not as solid as they should have been. Thus, both structures are sinking unevenly into the ground.
Many individual homes that I saw had partially collapsed. Perhaps the still-standing section was built at a different time than the rest and its foundation was better. Maybe the cement blocks in the ruined part were not made as well as they should have been, or there was no rebar available and walls weren’t properly reinforced. Those are my best guesses, as well as the possibility that tremor intensity varies from place to another.
Since I was staying in a part of Pilón known as La Trocha, I spent
more time walking and biking around that community. Quite a few homes there had
been pulverized by the quakes. Some people had left and were not expected to
return. For others, that wasn’t an option. One family of four had moved into a
ramshackle shed beside their devastated house. They were making do, and are
living with dignity and kindness, despite their difficult situation. When I
gave them a food package and some money, they insisted on giving me a small bag
of ground coffee in thanks. This was a very special gift because, at the time,
coffee was scarce in that part of Cuba.
I made La Trocha one of my key areas for support on this trip, but I also gave packets of food and medical/health items to people in the leaning apartments and in the villages of Marea del Portillo and Mota. Thanks to the generous donations I received in advance of my trip, I was able to ake quite a lot of supplies, as well as purchase more food at local stores, even though their stock was limited. And, in some cases, I gave people money, which they could use for whatever they decided was needed most.
I have already booked my next trip for Feb. 22 and, leading up to it, I will be consulting with friends in Cuba to find out what is most needed at that point. So far, one of the things on my “must take” list is more tuna! My dried tuna seems to be a cost-effective hit. Although tuna is often available in Cuban stores, it is more expensive to buy it there, and you can’t count on it always being available. Dehydrated tuna is a lightweight protein source that can easily be added to rice or a pasta sauce. I’m glad that my “invention” was appreciated enough to be requested again!
Due to the Canadian postal strike, one generous donation was not delivered until well after my December trip. That much-appreciated USD check will provide a good start for buying tuna (in bulk), acetaminophen and ibuprofen, hygiene and healthcare products, as well as rechargeable lights or any other inexpensive but useful items I come across.
Before my last trip, my dental office gave me several boxes of small tubes of toothpaste, floss and a few brushes – all of which were welcomed by the Cuban recipients! In fact, I gave out many of those items during my road trip with the cultural brigade sent out from Pilón to lift the spirits of children in the surrounding rural communities. These outreach activities were quite well organized and typically included a phalanx of musicians, a poet/storyteller and a clown. The kids definitely enjoyed it, as did their parents!
It may be difficult to get supplies these days, but it isn’t hard to cheer people up a little – send in the clowns, tell stories, play music! Yes, Cubita bella is struggling right now but I have great confidence in the resilient people of that beautiful isle to overcome their hardships. They may be living on shaky ground in many ways but, like my friend said, they can fix anything.
XO ~ Jenny
I made La Trocha one of my key areas for support on this trip, but I also gave packets of food and medical/health items to people in the leaning apartments and in the villages of Marea del Portillo and Mota. Thanks to the generous donations I received in advance of my trip, I was able to ake quite a lot of supplies, as well as purchase more food at local stores, even though their stock was limited. And, in some cases, I gave people money, which they could use for whatever they decided was needed most.
I have already booked my next trip for Feb. 22 and, leading up to it, I will be consulting with friends in Cuba to find out what is most needed at that point. So far, one of the things on my “must take” list is more tuna! My dried tuna seems to be a cost-effective hit. Although tuna is often available in Cuban stores, it is more expensive to buy it there, and you can’t count on it always being available. Dehydrated tuna is a lightweight protein source that can easily be added to rice or a pasta sauce. I’m glad that my “invention” was appreciated enough to be requested again!
Due to the Canadian postal strike, one generous donation was not delivered until well after my December trip. That much-appreciated USD check will provide a good start for buying tuna (in bulk), acetaminophen and ibuprofen, hygiene and healthcare products, as well as rechargeable lights or any other inexpensive but useful items I come across.
Before my last trip, my dental office gave me several boxes of small tubes of toothpaste, floss and a few brushes – all of which were welcomed by the Cuban recipients! In fact, I gave out many of those items during my road trip with the cultural brigade sent out from Pilón to lift the spirits of children in the surrounding rural communities. These outreach activities were quite well organized and typically included a phalanx of musicians, a poet/storyteller and a clown. The kids definitely enjoyed it, as did their parents!
It may be difficult to get supplies these days, but it isn’t hard to cheer people up a little – send in the clowns, tell stories, play music! Yes, Cubita bella is struggling right now but I have great confidence in the resilient people of that beautiful isle to overcome their hardships. They may be living on shaky ground in many ways but, like my friend said, they can fix anything.
XO ~ Jenny
BONUS PHOTOS!
Here are some extra photos from my road trip to Mota with the cultural brigade, plus
a beauty shot of cows enjoying the sunset from their pasture in the hills above Pilón.
And, last but not least, the lovely view at Punta Hicacos, one of my favorite beaches.
