ʻO ka mea mua e paʻa i kou maka, ʻoiaʻiʻo, nā ʻōmaʻomaʻo momona, nā lāʻau pāma lehulehu, nā kumu lāʻau a me nā pua. Hoʻomanaʻo ʻia nā villa ʻino i ko lākou nani kahiko. ʻO nā Cubans like ʻole e hoʻokūkū kekahi i kekahi i ka hoʻonaninani kino (ma ke ʻano o nā peʻa a me nā ʻō ʻana) a me nā lole waihoʻoluʻu. Ke nānā mai nei nā kiʻi o nā kipi koʻikoʻi iā mākou mai nā kiʻi pena, nā kiʻi kiʻi, nā frescoes ma nā paia o nā hale, e hoʻomanaʻo ana iā mākou i nā hanana i hala a me ka moʻomeheu o ke ʻano e noho aliʻi nei ma ʻaneʻi. A, ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻo ke kani ʻana o ka nalu ʻAkelanika, kahi i hoʻopau ʻia e nā leo mele Latin mai nā mea haʻiʻōlelo o nā kaʻa Lūkini a me ʻAmelika e hala ana. Ua hoʻomaka kaʻu huakaʻi ma Havana, a ukali ʻia e kahi kaula o nā kikowaena mākaʻikaʻi nui ʻē aʻe, nā kūlanakauhale kalana liʻiliʻi a me nā kauhale liʻiliʻi, i kekahi manawa he mau hale.
Ma nā wahi a pau, ma nā wahi a pau a mākou i noho ai, hālāwai mākou me nā kaʻa lio - lawe lākou i nā kānaka a me nā ukana like ʻole. ʻO nā bipi nui, hoʻopaʻa pālua ʻia, ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻokaʻawale ʻia, e like me nā māhoe Siamese, i ko lākou ola ʻana e palau i ka ʻāina me ka palau. Hoʻohana ʻia nā hoki, nā bipi a me nā kao e ka poʻe mahiʻai e lawe i nā waiwai. Me he mea lā ua ʻoi aku ka nui o nā holoholona ma mua o nā kānaka e hana ana ma ka mokupuni. A ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea nona ka "uku" iā lākou me nā huila, hoʻomāinoino a me ka hahau ʻana. I koʻu holo ʻana i ke kaʻa, ua ʻike au i kahi hiʻohiʻona weliweli, ʻoiai ua hāʻule kekahi bipi ʻuʻuku ma waena o ke alanui, a hoʻomaka ka mea alakaʻi e kīkē i ka holoholona ʻilihune. ʻO nā ʻīlio alanui, kahi nui o lākou ma nā alanui o nā kūlanakauhale ʻo Cuban, ʻaʻole lākou i ʻike i ka lokomaikaʻi kanaka: luhi, ʻaʻole lākou e hāʻawi iā lākou iho, makaʻu i nā mea hele a me nā neʻe. ʻO nā hale me nā manu mele e kau ʻia e like me nā lei ma nā paia o nā hale a me nā pou: nā manu e make mālie ma lalo o nā kukuna o ka lā wela, "ʻoluʻolu" i nā poʻe me kā lākou mele. ʻO ka mea pōʻino, nui nā hiʻohiʻona kaumaha o ka hoʻohana holoholona ma Cuba. ʻOi aku ka nui o ka ʻiʻo ma nā papa o nā hale kūʻai ma mua o nā huaʻai a me nā mea kanu - ʻo ke koho liʻiliʻi o ka mea hope i hahau iaʻu (ma hope o nā mea āpau!). ʻO nā wahi hānai ʻai ʻole no nā pipi - me he mea lā ua lōʻihi ko lākou ʻāina ma mua o ka ululāʻau. A ua ʻoki ʻia nā ululāʻau ma kahi ʻano nui a lawe ʻia i ʻEulopa no nā hale hana hale. Ua hiki iaʻu ke kipa aku i ʻelua hale ʻaina meaʻai meaʻai. Aia ka mua ma ke kapikala pono'ī, akā makemake wau e haʻi hou aku iā ʻoe e pili ana i ka lua. He kihi mālie, aia he kanaono kilomita ma ke komohana o Havana, ma ke kauhale o Las Teraza. Aia ma laila, i ka eco-restaurant "El Romero", hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻāʻo i nā ʻano meaʻai meaʻai, nā huahana i ulu ʻia i loko o ka māla ponoʻī o ka mea nona a ʻaʻohe mea hoʻohui kemika.
Aia i loko o ka papa ʻaina ka laiki a me ka pī ʻeleʻele, ka maiʻa palai, nā hua salakeke a me nā ʻano ʻuala wela, eggplant a me nā kīʻaha paukena. Eia kekahi, pono e hana ka chef i makana liʻiliʻi no kēlā me kēia o nā malihini: kahi mea inu ʻawaʻawa a i ʻole nā mea ʻono i ke ʻano o ka sherbet. Ma ke ala, i ka makahiki i hala aku nei ua komo ʻo "El Romero" i nā hale ʻaina maikaʻi loa he ʻumi ma Cuba, ʻaʻole poina i ka poʻe kali e haʻi. Maikaʻi loa nā kumukūʻai kūloko, e like me nā hale hoʻonohonoho āpau i hoʻolālā ʻia no ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi (ʻaʻole hiki i ka poʻe kūloko ke kūʻai aku i kēlā ʻano waiwai). ʻAʻole hoʻohana ke keʻena i ka plastic, nā napkin pepa a me nā mea ʻē aʻe i hoʻopau ʻia i ka hale i ʻole e hoʻopuehu i ke kaiapuni (ʻo nā mauʻu no ka cocktails e hōʻike ʻia ma ke ʻano o ka ʻohe reusable). ʻO nā pōpoki alanui a me nā moa me nā moa e komo mālie i ka hale ʻaina - ʻaʻole manaʻo nā limahana e kipaku iā lākou, ʻoiai ke ʻōlelo nei ke kulekele o ka hale ʻaina he kuleana like ko kēlā me kēia mea ola me ke kanaka. He mea hauʻoli wale kēia hale ʻaina iaʻu, no ka mea, ʻaʻohe mea ʻai Cuban ma ka mokupuni: pizza, pasta, hamburgers, a inā ʻoe e noi i kahi mea ʻai meaʻai, ʻoiaʻiʻo nō me ka cheese. Nature pono'ī, piha i kona mau kala, i hoʻomanaʻo mai iā mākou aia mākou i loko o nā ʻāpana: nā wailele nani ʻole, nā kahakai one, kahi e hāʻawi ai ke one i kahi waihoʻoluʻu ʻulaʻula, e like me ka waimaka, ka wai moana ʻālohilohi, e ʻālohilohi ana i kahi mamao me nā kala āpau. o ka uliuli. ʻO nā flamingo a me nā herons, nā pelicans nui e hāʻule ana me he pōhaku lā i loko o ka wai i ka ʻimi ʻana i ka iʻa. ʻO nā manaʻo noʻonoʻo o ka heluna panalāʻau, ʻo ia kaʻu e ʻōlelo ai, he ʻano maikaʻi loa a waiwai: ʻaʻole i haʻalele ke kiʻi alanui iaʻu. No laila, no ka hana ʻana i nā kiʻi like ʻole a me nā mea hoʻonani alanui, hoʻohana ʻia nā ʻāpana kaʻa kahiko, nā ʻōpala paʻakikī, nā mea hale a me nā ʻōpala ʻē aʻe. A no ka hana ʻana i nā mea hoʻomanaʻo no ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi, hoʻohana ʻia nā kini alumini - nā pāpale, nā mea pāʻani a me nā ʻeke wahine i hana ʻia mai ia mau mea. ʻO nā ʻōpio Cuban, nā mea aloha i nā graffiti, pena i nā puka komo a me nā paia o nā hale me nā kiʻi kiʻi ʻokoʻa, ʻo kēlā me kēia mea nona ka manaʻo a me kāna ʻike. Ke ho'āʻo nei kēlā me kēia mea pena e haʻi i kāna mea ponoʻī iā mākou: no ka laʻana, pono e hana pono a ʻaʻole e hoʻopuehu i ke kaiapuni.
Eia naʻe, ʻaʻole au i ʻike i nā hana nui mai ka ʻaoʻao o ka lehulehu a i ʻole mai ka ʻaoʻao o ke aupuni e pili ana i ka hoʻolei ʻana i ka ʻōpala ma ka mokupuni. ʻO ka mokupuni ʻo Koe Coco, ka mea kūʻai nui loa a kaulana hoʻi no kona mau kahakai, ua like ia me kahi hoax piha… Akā ʻo ka neʻe ʻana ma kahakai mai ka hōkele hōkele, ʻike ʻia ʻaʻole pēlā. ʻO ka pinepine, ʻo ka plastic, kahi hōʻeha maoli o ka kaiaola holoʻokoʻa, ua paʻa i ke aʻa i ka ʻāina kūlohelohe a "hopu i ka ʻāina", e koi ana i ka poʻe noho o ke kai, nā mollusks, nā iʻa a me nā manu o ke kai e hoʻomoe ma hope. A i ka hohonu o ka mokupuni, ua ʻike au i kahi ʻōpala nui o ke kūkulu hale. He kiʻi kaumaha maoli, huna ʻia mai nā haole. Ma ka puka wale nō o kekahi o nā kahakai, ua ʻike au i ʻelua mau pahu no ka hōʻiliʻili ʻana i nā ʻōpala a me kahi palapala hoʻolaha kahi e noi ʻia ai nā mākaʻikaʻi e mālama i nā mea kanu a me nā holoholona o ka mokupuni. ʻO ka lewa maoli o Cuba he pohihihi loa. Noʻu iho, ua hoʻoholo wau i ka poʻe Cubans, luhi i ka ʻilihune, loaʻa ka hōʻoluʻolu i ka inu ʻana a me ka hula. ʻO kā lākou "makemake" no ka honua holoholona a me ka mālama ʻole ʻana i ke ʻano, ʻo ia paha, ʻo ka nele mua o ka hoʻonaʻauao kaiaola haʻahaʻa. ʻO nā palena o ka mokupuni, wehe ʻia i ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi, ua pani paʻa ʻia no nā kamaʻāina ponoʻī: 90% o ka heluna kanaka e ʻike i nā ʻāina ʻē wale nō mai nā pale o nā kīwī kahiko, a ʻo ka Pūnaewele ma aneʻi kahi waiwai i loaʻa i ka poʻe waiwai loa. ʻAʻohe hoʻololi o ka ʻike me ka honua o waho, ʻaʻohe loli i ka ʻike a me ka ʻike, no laila ke kū nei ka stagnation ʻaʻole wale ma ke kahua o ka hoʻonaʻauao kaiaola, akā i ka ʻano etika i nā mea ola a pau. I ka wā e ʻike mālie ai ka honua holoʻokoʻa "ʻo ka Honua ko mākou home maʻamau a pono e pale ʻia", ʻo Cuba, ma ke ʻano he honua ʻokoʻa ma waena o nā mokupuni o Latin America, a me ka honua holoʻokoʻa holoʻokoʻa. e wili ana ma kona axis, e noho ana me na manao kahiko. I koʻu manaʻo, ʻaʻohe kūʻokoʻa ma ka mokupuni. ʻAʻole au i ʻike i nā poʻohiwi i hoʻopololei haʻaheo a me nā helehelena hauʻoli o nā kānaka, a ʻo ka mea pōʻino, ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke ʻōlelo aku ua aloha nā Cubans i kā lākou hoʻoilina nui ma ke ʻano o ke ʻano. ʻOiai ʻo ia ka mea hoʻokipa nui, no laila e pono ke kipa aku i ka mokupuni o "kūʻokoʻa".