A memorable and surprisingly hot summer

HAVANA – July is only halfway through and we’re already dreading August. There is no doubt that this summer — a time for vacations — will go down in the history books.

First there’s the record 101-plus degree temperature recorded in Veguitas, a town in the eastern province of Granma. 

Then, as if the tail of the comet and without order of importance, the announcement of the more than seven billion pesos that will be taken from the budget and converted into salary increases, pensions and retirement payments. A bold decision for sure, more political than economic, and that only time will tell if it is justified. Because it has broken an old rule that stressed that increased productivity led to a raise in salary, not the idea of improving one’s monthly earning to incentivize the worker and his or her production, as well as the well-being of the elderly.  

And in Havana we have the reopening of Coppelia, the famous ice cream parlor, with its 16 flavors of ice cream and scores of hungry people lined up like those who once did at Moscow’s Red Square when, for unquestionable reasons, one found it necessary to solemnly visit Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

Fortunately, and in addition to joy, so far we have not had to regret deaths due to the heat — as has been the case in other countries — but there have been electrical blackouts in different localities on the Island, or the rupture that kept Güines, in Mayabeque Province, without electricity for about 48 hours. I was told by a senior official of the Electric Company, whose anonymity I swore to keep, that there are orders to cut wherever it is necessary, but not to touch the “City of Wonder,” which will soon celebrate its 500th anniversary.

There are good options available for tourists too. Tourism officials say that it is “the low season.” Therefore, many travel to Varadero. And here’s something for psychologists and psychiatrists to explain: when people return from the world-renowned beach town, usually after a weekend — cause the bank account won’t allow for much more — friends and relatives don’t ask about the sand or the water, or even the many attractions and nautical activities available, instead they ask about the food, what they ate and if the buffet offerings were good…

Then there’s the fact that there are no cruise ships to be found in Havana Bay, something we can thank Mr. Trump for. The most relevant and recent visit to the Bay was by a flotilla of gray Russian warships. It reminded me of a faded picture of the Cold War.

Places in the city with air conditioning are like a heavenly gift for many. Be they an escape to an emergency room in the hospital, or a visit to a private restaurant where binomial quality-price reigns. A place like La Rosa Negra Restaurant. What a relief it is for eyes mistreated by dust of the Sahara and a stomach desirous of a filet of the finest fish escorted by sautéed vegetables and boiled malanga (a root vegetable) with its creole sauces. These, I guess, are the things that help to cool the sweaty skin and soothe one’s body and soul.

If you want it cool, there’s the Convention Center, where the Assembly members have put an end to a number of laws (Fisheries, National and Electoral Symbols) where one needs to find shade in order to read them, as well as to find a local fisherman who can explain their views on the new norms.

These days you find few people on the streets despite the efforts of the local TV stations promoting the many public activities. And those who take to the roads do so to distract the children and grandchildren during the summer vacation months. Meanwhile at home, the TV programming remains the same and lacks diversity. Thank God for the infamous “package,” that flash drive containing soap operas and serial programming from Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Brazil, among many others, that helps to monopolize the running commentary while one stands in lines almost anywhere, or while conversing on the telephone.

Ours is a heat that forces even the stray dogs in Centro Habana to walk under balconies in order to avoid the sun; it is the heated debates on social networks, for whatever the reason; it is the waiting in lines in search of some chicken; it is the fact that there’s less traffic on the streets and fewer almendrones (the old American cars) to be seen; it is also the dream of a trip by train to Santiago de Cuba, now that this mode of transportation is back in style; then there’s the longing for an ice-cold Cristal Beer which are nowhere to be found; and finally, the need to take things calmly and patiently because the summer heat seems to make us more combustible than that little space of time called winter that arrives from the north. 

Havana is really a wonderful place that has been recently converted into a sauna for locals and foreigners. Some would stress that it leads to less toxins in the body.

“Live it” is the official slogan for this season. And that’s what we’re doing, living it…