The Best of Bacu
Below is the best that I have found in this challenged country. I´m sure there is more that I have not seen although just about everything in my guidebook has turned out to be major hyperbole. I now understand that if you write a truthful guidebook (truthful as in objective comparisons to other travel destinations) about a so’so place then no one will buy your book. For instance, Lonely Planet says La Fontana Restaurant is where ¨you will think you have died and gone to Spain¨ a mediocre restaurant which might be OK in Bacu, but I suspect Spain has a lot better everywhere. And it calls the national art museum ¨world-class¨, but that seems like a far stretch because to me since it would be very second-rate in NYC, London or Paris. Here is my list…
Racism
Maybe the only bright spot for the revolution was the mandate to end racism. It seems to be quite a success here. I see all races living as one people – Bacuans. Now I did not ask any black folks if they agree with this assessment so maybe I am off the mark. Like-wise Bacuans seem to be very accepting of sexual orientation. I immediately noticed outwardly gay men whose flamboyant dress is so different than the normal Bacuan attire. I also got to hang out with some El Capitolians who included a gay man and his transvestite ¨friend¨. It was an odd day. They have all been odd days on this island. The only hopeful sign I have seen here that there will be some way to fix this mess when/if the regime ends is this equality and ¨we’re all in this together¨ attitude. I wish I was optimistic that this is enough, but hopefully they will surprise me when the time comes.
Safety and Security
This is probably the safest large city that I have visited. The scams are being played out all over the place, but no one is trying to rob you in the traditional sense. And I doubt many violent crimes ever occur here. I think it is a combination of Bacuans treating everyone well, being friendly and there is also the ever-present state watching every move and happy to throw a criminal into what I suspect to be horrible prisons. Most crime seems to be bred from when wealth and poverty are mixed and Bacu doesn’t have a large spectrum as far as wealth goes. Rio (and maybe upcoming Bogota) should provide an interesting comparison.
The Architecture
There may be no better place on Earth to find as interesting buildings as exist in El Capitolio. There is something for every taste and probably you’ll find a lot of buildings that appeal to you. While many of the mansions are in pretty good shape and a lot are even restored, the same is not true for the row houses, apartment buildings and other buildings. In fact, a lot of them have already fallen down (lots of holes between buildings where they stood). I seriously doubt many of the buildings can be saved. Either they cannot be physically repaired due to too much loss of structural integrity or the world will never fund the amount needed to do the job. There is also the issue of where the expert craftsmen would come from to do the work since I see little evidence that they still exist in this country. So, the architecture is great, but it is also very sad.
The Boulevards
The water-side Malecon, Avenue of the Presidents, Prado and a few others are spectacular. I especially like the streets with parks/sidewalks running up the middle. Although landscaping is not a highlight in Bacu, it is maintained very well on the main roads.
Taxi Drivers
These are the guys and gals I like the most. A lot of them speak excellent English and they tend to tell you what is on their minds. That is usually something pretty negative about their country. Yesterday’s highlight was Cristobal who was educated in hydraulic engineering in Russia for six years (probably in the 1980s). Driving a taxi is a good job for someone with his credentials. He is also one of the ambitious ones who also gives city tours to Russian, Spanish and English speaking visitors. He cleared something up in my mind. He told me that Bacuans live until they are 25 after which they just exist. This seems to answer why they seem to be a bit deadened to me. It explains a lot about what I see here. Each day I wonder what it was like fifty years ago cultural-wise.
Baseball
It is the national sport and every kid plays some form of it. I liked seeing the kids who only had enough gloves for the kids in the field so they trade the gloves to the other team when they switch. Gloves, baseballs and bats are out of the reach of many, but that does not stop them. One form is to use a tennis ball and your hand as the bat. If the fielding team gains control of the ball before you reach base then you are out. Another version involves a shortened broom stick and a plastic bottle cap for the ball! Every pitch is a knuckle ball! These kids have talent. I saw balls get crunched and kids that could throw a ball a mile and with great velocity.
Vieje
The old section of El Capitolio is truly an outstanding piece of history. No hyperbole with this one in the guidebooks. This is truly world-class. The churches are works of art, the plazas are open and beautiful, and the buildings are interesting albeit falling down. The architecture here is not as varied as the city as a whole due to being the old section, but there is a great feeling to the area. The only negative is the number of tourists, but so many side streets allow you to escape the Disney feeling.
Miramar
This section contains most of the embassies and the wealthy folks (Friends of TBO, I presume). The houses are stellar and the streets are wide, clean and dressed up with landscaping. Most of the embassies are old mansions. Exceptions include the Russian embassy which is clearly a bunker with a multi-story antenna inside. I assume it was built to listen to the U.S. It is probably the ugliest building (well that is a stretch because with all the beautiful buildings in this city there is also an amazing amount of ugly ones most of which are post-revolution).
Healthcare and Education
These are the two items always quoted by people speaking highly of Bacu. I include them because they are definitely bright spots for third-world nations, but I am very doubtful that they are systems which we would be clamoring for in North America, Japan and Europe. They have excellent infant mortality rates and they live as long as most wealthy countries. I am a bit suspicious about the regime providing the numbers because things don’t add up from what I have seen, but I’ll leave it at that. I was told by a National Geographic reporter working undercover that they throw a lot of pre-natal prevention at it in order to maintain the level. I asked about the lack of equipment and medications and she agreed that you don’t want the prevention to fail and thus require real medical help.
Tags: bacu, Travel
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