All about CubaInteresting facts about Cuba

Immigration Regulations: Every visitor should have a valid passport issued in his name and a visa or tourist card, except those who come from countries with which Cuba has visa-exemption agreements. Tourist cards both individual and group can be requested from Cuba’s consular representatives, travel agencies and airline offices.

Customs Regulations: Personal effects, jewelry, still or video cameras, fishing and other sports equipment, two bottles of alcoholic beverages, a carton of cigarettes and up to 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of medicines may be brought into Cuba duty free. In addition, you may bring in other articles up to a value of US $250.00; US $50.00 worth of them will be duty-free, and a 100-percent duty will be due on the remaining US $200 worth. The possession, trafficking, consumption and sale of drugs or narcotics is prohibited. Nor may you bring in pornography, blood derivatives, cordless microphones and telephones, household appliances and/or firearms, except for those duly authorized for hunting. You may bring as much cash as you wish.

On leaving Cuba, you may take up through 23 Habano cigars, either loose or packaged, without having to present any documents. If you want to take more than 23 cigars with you, on your departure you will have to give Customs the original and one copy of the bill of sale from the store where you purchased them. The cigars should be in their original packages that bear the official authorization, including the new holographic seal. If this prerequisite attesting to legal purchase is not met, the product will be seized by Customs.

If you want to take works of art or antiques with you, you must obtain permission to do so from the National Registry of Cultural Assets; in the case of a great quantity of gold and/or silver, you must obtain authorization from the National Bank of Cuba to take it out of the country.

Cayo Largo del Sur is a true paradise for those who are looking for secluded beaches, fine white sand and transparent waters, ideal for diving and practicing water sports. Its size (37.5 square kilometres) makes it the second largest island in the Canarreos archipelago, one of the four groups of isles that surround the island of Cuba. It is located in the south-western part of the Cuban archipelago, at a distance of 177 km from Havana, 170 km from Varadero and 140 km from Nueva Gerona, the capital of Isla de Ia Juventud special district, for merely the refuge of pirates and corsairs and then known as Treasure Island. Thanks to its natural characteristics and the existence of a modern and functional hotel infrastructure that is continually being improved, Cayo Largo del Sur is also an ideal location for wedding trips and honeymoons.

How to get there:

Airline companies from Europe and America and domestic airlines fly directly to Vito Acuña international airport, in Cayo Largo del Sur. It is also possible to arrive by sea, at Puertosol marina, which operates as a free port. In Punta Frances, Isla de Ia Juventud, there are also facilities available for mooring pleasure cruisers.

Sun and sand:

Playa Sirena, (with sand which, thanks to its particular composition, fails to heat up even under the most intense rays of the sun), Lindamar, Tortuga, Playa Blanca, Los Cocos and Paraiso, six magnificent Caribbean beaches, each endowed with its own natural surroundings and which together cover an area of 24 km, ensure thorough enjoyment of the attractions and delights of Cayo Largo del Sur. On the neighboring island of Isla de Ia Juventud, Bibijagua beach, with its exotic black sand, offers a different kind of appeal.

City:

Discovering the delights of Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island), a setting alleged ly recreated by Scottish writer Robert L.Stevenson in his homonymous novel, is a good reason for traveling to Isla de Ia Juventud and getting to know the historical centre of the city. This includes the Workshop of Applied Arts; the Model Prison, a place where Fidel Castro and his fellow assailants from the Cuartel Moncada (Moncada Barracks) were incarcerated (1953); and the Finca ElAbra museum, the temporary residence of Cuban national hero José Marti (1870). A visit to the island is also worthwhile to get to know a musical genre that is specific to this part of Cuba: El Sucu-Sucu.

Nature:

The excellent standard of preservation of the natural environment in Cayo Largo del Sur, which makes it appear as virgin a spot as it was at the outset, is demonstrated by the fact that each year hundreds of turtles come to its fine sands to lay their eggs, leaving behind them a memorable spectacle. On Isla de Ia Juventud, nature tourism enthusiasts can take a trip to see Jungla de Jones, an age-old wood; or discover Los Indios Ecological Reserve and Cayos de San Felipe fauna reserve.

Active tourism:

Both Cayo Largo del Sur and Isla de Ia Juventud have international diving centres and offer fantastic conditions for enjoying this activity in areas such as Punta Frances, Playa Sirena and Los Batlenatos keys, which are also ideal locations for underwater photography. The presence of coral formations right next to the coast also makes it possible to go snorkeling. Fishing can be carried out in the area around near by Cayo Piedra, Cayeria Los Majáes, Cayos Alcatraces and Cayos Pedraza. Trips on a yacht or catamaran are recommended to Cayo Iguana, a small, natural, Caribbean Jurassic Park; Cayo Rico, Cayo Los Pájaros, Cayo Rosario, Cayo Cantiles and Cayo Sigua. Those keen on speleology tourism have a fantastic opportunity awaiting them:
to visit the caves of Punta del Este, on Isla de Ia Juventud. These were declared a National Monument thanks to the historical value of the cave paintings found on the walls, with such a unique style that they are considered the most important in the Antilles.

Leisure and restaurants

The majority of the selection of restaurants and leisure opportunities can be found at the hotels themselves or at the Plaza del Pirata.

HAVANA (AFP) — Hurricane Gustav rapidly gained strength Saturday as it bore down on western Cuba after ripping through the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, leaving 85 people dead.

“Data from an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Gustav continues to rapidly strengthen and now has maximum winds 115 miles (185 kilometres) per hour with higher gusts,” the US National Hurricane Center said.

That made Gustav “a dangerous category three hurricane” on the five-notch Saffir-Simpson scale — equal in strength to Hurricane Katrina when it made landfall in the southern United States three years ago.

The western province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth in the south were put on the highest level of weather alert.

Tens of thousands of residents were asked to leave their homes in advance of Gustav, which was forecast to hit Cuba later Saturday.

“It will produce a storm surge and torrential rains in the western part of the country,” warned Cuban meteorologist Jose Rubiera.

Gustav brushed past the Cayman Islands late Friday, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Barreling earlier across Jamaica, however, it killed at least 11 people. In Haiti, it left 66 dead plus 10 missing. In the neighboring Dominican Republic, the death toll stood at eight.

At dawn Saturday, the center of Gustav was located about 410 kilometers (255 miles) east-southeast of the western tip of Cuba, the National Hurricane Center, based in Miami, reported.

It was moving northwest at around 19 kilometers (12 miles) per hour. If it keeps its present course, the center said, it could hit Louisiana — the same state hard hit by Katrina — in the early hours of Tuesday.

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding told reporters Friday that the storm had displaced between 3,500 and 4,000 people in his Caribbean island nation.

“I am concerned that there are still a number of persons who are still unaccounted for,” Golding said.

Streets in the normally bustling capital Kingston were soaked and reeking with the stench from overflowing sewers. Powerful gusts sent metal roofs flying and threatened to wreak havoc on banana production.

Although the heaviest of the rains had subsided, many Jamaicans worried about returning home. “It is all wet and I am afraid to sleep inside there,” said Kingston housewife Charlene Markland.

In Cuba, a fragile and aging housing stock is highly vulnerable to hurricanes. More than two million people live in the capital Havana, where many colonial-era buildings, crowded with families, are prone to cave-ins.

Anxiety meanwhile grew on the American side of the Gulf of Mexico.

In New Orleans, officials began busing out residents on a voluntary basis in anticipation of Gustav, and considered mandatory evacuations to prevent a repeat of the devastation and deaths of 2005.

President George W. Bush declared Friday a state of emergency in Louisiana and Texas — enhancing their access to federal disaster relief coordination and funding.

Katrina killed around 1,800 people, mostly in the New Orleans area, as it made landfall on August 29, 2005 as a category three hurricane, after reaching category five over the Gulf of Mexico.

Three major oil producers — BP, ConocoPhillips and Shell — on Thursday evacuated workers from their facilities in the gulf where nearly a quarter of US crude oil installations are located.

LOCALIZACIÓN DEL COMPLEJO

Debe su nombre a Santa María, uno de los cayos pertenecientes al archipiélago de Jardines del Rey en el noreste de la provincia de Villa Clara. Dista 10 Km. del aeropuerto local Las Brujas, 50 Km. del centro de la ciudad de Caibarién, y 116 Km. del Aeropuerto Internacional Abel Santa María de Santa Clara.

Nuestro Resort ocupará un frente de playa de arena blanca y aguas cristalinas color turquesa de aprox. 2,6 kilómetros. Su exuberante vegetación y su rica variedad de fauna, le han merecido la condición de Reserva de la Biosfera, y la convierten en uno de los destinos más exóticos del Caribe Cubano.

El Resort en total contará con 2780 habitaciones divido en 4 hoteles, un Club Premium, con habitaciones y servicios para los clientes más exigentes, además de un pueblo turístico, único en Cuba, en tamaño y en oferta de servicios gastronómicos, centros comerciales, salud y belleza, que dará apoyo a los hoteles del Resort.

En la primera fase, contaremos con 2 hoteles que sumarán un total de 1308 habitaciones además de la 1era fase del Pueblo Turístico.

RESUMEN DE SERVICIOS MÁS RELEVANTES DEL RESORT.

• 21 Restaurantes, de ellos 14 Temáticos.
• 28 Bares que incluyen una Discoteca con capacidad para 500 plazas
• 2 teatros para espectáculos con capacidad para 1200 plazas cada uno.
• Jazz Café
• Bar Bolera
• Centros de Negocios.
• 27 Salones de Reuniones.
• Banco Financiero Internacional.
• SPA de 2200 m2. ( Centro de salud y belleza)
• 2,6 Km de frente de playa
• Club Premium único en Cuba.
• Pueblo turístico de más de 45000 m2 de servicios y facilidades.

SERVICIOS GARANTIZADOS CON LA APERTURA DEL 1ER HOTEL NOVIEMBRE 2008 HASTA FEBRERO 2009 624 HABITACIONES

4 Restaurantes: 1 Buffet, 2 a la carte: Marinero e Italiano (2 visitas a 1 restaurante a la carta x semana de estancia) 1 Grill de Playa, 4 Bares: 1 Lobby Bar, 2 Bar de Teatro, y 1 Bar Mojado, Disco, Tiendas de Souvenir en el lobby, Centro de Negocios (servicios de teléfono, Internet y fax) Servicio Médico, 2 Salas de conferencias, 1 piscina con Jacuzzi y área para niños.

FACILIDADES EN LAS HABITACIONES

Junior Suites con 2 camas ¾ ó 1 cama king, todas las habitaciones equipadas con: Teléfono, TV vía satélite, baño privado con bañeras y ducha, secador de pelo, agua caliente y fría, caja de seguridad, minibar con agua, cervezas y refrescos (reposición diaria), aire acondicionado, corriente 220 volt, balcón o terraza, plancha y tabla de planchar. Máxima ocupación 3 adultos o 2 adultos con un niño.
Igualmente tenemos disponibles Junior Suites Ocean View y Suites.

OTROS SERVICIOS INCLUIDOS

• Piscina adultos y área especial para niños
• Canchas de tenis Animación diurna y nocturna
• Voleibol y Beach tenis
• Beach Tenis.
• Petanca/ Boccia
• Animación diurna y nocturna
• Iniciación al buceo
• Deportes náuticos no motorizados (catamarán, windsurf, snorkel, Kayack, etc )
• Estacionamiento
• Mini Club ( Niños de 4 a 12 años)
• Bebidas nacionales y selección de bebidas internacionales
• Bicicletas

SERVICIOS NO INCLUIDOS

• Renta de autos
• Servicios médicos
• Buró de turismo
• Tiendas
• Deportes Náuticos Motorizados
• Centro de Negocios (servicios de teléfono, Internet y fax)
• Cambio de moneda
• Oficina de correos
• Servicio de Niñera
• Lavandería
• Bebidas Internacionales Premium (Carta de Bebidas)
• Servicio de Habitaciones 24 hrs
• Paquetes de boda disponibles.

SERVICIOS GARANTIZADOS Y DISPONIBLES CON LA APERTURA DEL 2DO HOTEL FEBRERO 2009 MAYO 2009 – 684 HABITACIONES

8 Restaurantes: 2 Buffet, 4 a la carte: Marinero, Italiano, Español, y Cubano, 2 Grill de Playa, 8 Bares: 2 Lobby Bar, 4 Bares de Teatro, y 2 Bares Mojados, Disco, Tiendas de Souvenir en los lobbys, 2 Centros de Negocios (servicios de teléfono, Internet y fax) Servicio Médico, 4 Salas de conferencias, 2 piscina con Jacuzzi y áreas para niños.

FACILIDADES EN LAS HABITACIONES

Junior Suites con 2 camas ¾ ó 1 cama king, todas las habitaciones equipadas con: Teléfono, TV vía satélite, baño privado con bañeras y ducha, secador de pelo, agua caliente y fría, caja de seguridad, minibar con agua, cervezas y refrescos (reposición diaria), aire acondicionado, corriente 220 volt, balcón o terraza, plancha y tabla de planchar. Máxima ocupación 3 adultos o 2 adultos con un niño.
Igualmente tenemos disponibles Junior Suites Ocean View y Suites

OTROS SERVICIOS INCLUIDOS

• Piscina adultos y área especial para niños
• Canchas de tenis Animación diurna y nocturna
• Voleibol y Beach tenis
• Beach Tenis.
• Petanca/ Boccia
• Animación diurna y nocturna
• Iniciación al buceo
• Deportes náuticos no motorizados (catamarán, windsurf, snorkel, Kayack, etc )
• Estacionamiento
• Mini Club ( Niños de 4 a 12 años)
• Bebidas nacionales y selección de bebidas internacionales
• Bicicletas

SERVICIOS NO INCLUIDOS

• Renta de autos
• Servicios médicos
• Buró de turismo
• Tiendas
• Deportes Náuticos Motorizados
• Centro de Negocios (servicios de teléfono, Internet y fax)
• Cambio de moneda
• Oficina de correos
• Servicio de Niñera
• Lavandería
• Bebidas Internacionales Premium (Carta de Bebidas)
• Servicio de Habitaciones 24 hrs
• Paquetes de boda disponibles.

SERVICIOS PRIMERA FASE DEL PUEBLO TURISTICO (MAYO 2009):

Este hermoso y espectacular centro de ocio, de más de 45000 m2 de servicios y facilidades, único en su tipo en toda la Isla de Cuba, perfectamente diseñados para ofrecer a todos nuestros clientes una satisfacción garantizada, estará provisto de: centro comercial (tiendas de artesanía, souvenir, joyería etc.…), oficina de correos, salón de belleza, Club Cubano, Gimnasio, un fabuloso y lujoso Spa, una Plaza para espectáculos.

Dentro del Pueblo Turístico en su primera fase nos encontraremos con los siguientes servicios gastronómicos:

Restaurante Japonés
Restaurante Gourmet
Restaurante Italiano
Beer garden & Hamburguesería
Piano Bar
Heladería $
Discoteca $
Bar Bolera $

Servicios que ofreceremos en el Gran SPA: Salón de Belleza, Boutique, Sauna para Hombre, Sauna para hombres y para mujeres, Piscina de Relax, Piscina Fría, Piscina caliente, Baño de vapor Unisex, Ducha Vichy, Chorrojet, Suite de tratamientos, Sala de Fangoterapia, Sala de Hidroterapia, 4 Salas de masaje integral, 2 Palapas de masaje en exteriores, 3 Palapas de Relax.

La segunda fase del Resort contará con 2 hoteles más, y la en segunda fase del Pueblo Turístico adicionaremos 4 Restaurantes temáticos, 6 bares, salones de reuniones y área de juegos infantiles.

Además en esta fase inauguraremos el Club Premium del Resort, que contará con 100 habitaciones exclusivas para satisfacer las necesidades y demandas de nuestros clientes más exigentes.

BARCELÒ CAYO LARGO
Cayo Largo del Sur, Archipiélago de Los Canarreos, Cuba
Teléfono: 0 (53) 45 248080 Fax 0 (53) 45 248088www.barcelo.com
comercialbarcelo@cayolargo.co.cu
www.barcelocayolargo.com

LOCALIZATION OF THE HOTEL

Just 10 minutes from the International Airport Vilo Acuña. Cayo Largo del Sur, jewel of the archipelago of The Canarreos, offers him its beaches that extended for 24 Km.; open to the Caribbean Sea, with excellent conditions for the recreation outdoors and the enjoyment of nautical sports, fabulous marine landscapes and funds of surprising beauty for the practice of the diving, as well as an attractive fauna that contains multiple species among those that stand out, turtles, gulls and pelicans.

ROOMS

Total 306
Standard Hotel 110
Standard Bungalow 184
Suite Hotel 12

FACILITIES IN ROOMS:

Telephone, TV via satellite, private bathroom with bathtub, dilutes hot and cold, safe, amenities, hair dryer, conditioned air, minifridge, current 220 volt, balcony or terrace, facilities for handicapped, additional beds and cot. All the rooms have view to the sea, view pool or view to the garden.

RESTAURANTS

Restaurant Buffet “Olazul”
07.00 – 10.00 Breakfast
19.00 – 22.00 Dinner

Speciality Restaurant “Velamar”
12.00 – 15.00 Lunch
15.00 – 18.00 Coffee Break
19.00 – 22.00 Special Dinner

Speciality Restaurant “Opalino”
19.30 – 22.00 International cuisine

SNACK

Snack “Opalino”
10.30 – 11.30 Continental Breakfast
12.00 – 15.00 Lunch
15.00 – 18.30 Snack

BARS
Bar “Opalino”
10.30 – 18:30

Bar Ranchòn “Velamar”
10.00 – 18.00

Bar “Daiquirí”
24 Hours

THEATER
Bar Salón Daiquiri “22:00 – 24:00”

OTHER SERVICIOS INCLUDED

• Pools 2
• Pool for children
• Jacuzzi
• Cancha de tenis 2
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Mini fútbol
• Day and night entertainment
• Gymnasium
• Babyclub
• Bicycles
• Nautical Sports not motorized
• National drinks and a selection of International drinks.
• Safe deposit box in rooms

OTHER SERVICES NOT INCLUDED

• Rent a Car
• Room Services
• Medical Services
• Phone, Internet and Fax Services
• Exchange Currency
• Shop
• Tourism Desk
• Massage
• Sauna
• Beauty Salon
• Laundry Service
• Mail
• Babysitter
• Premium Drinks
• Internet

The careful steps being taken by the Cuban Government when marketing its environment – to ensure its preservation – do not deny, however, an orderly access to its natural virtues, whose international demand has been steadily increasing.

Cuba counts with six zones that have been declared by UNESCO Biosphere World Reservation and more than a hundred protected natural areas. There are 14 national parks making the island and adjacent keys a potential destination for those who love enjoying nature.

Places like Viñales Valley – awarded as a World Cultural Landscape – stand out for being the habitat of more than 6000 of upper plants and around 13 000 fauna specimens, none of them poisonous or harmful to humans.

Bird watching is a most popular option for Nature tourism lovers. More than 400 species of birds have been reported (around half of them are endemic from Cuba). The Cuban archipelago is blessed by hundreds of migratory species that stop over due to its geographic position.

Ecotourism in Cuba has reached a particular development on the Zapata Swamp, The Escambray Mountains, the keys north of Ciego de Avila province, the northeast side of Holguin and Southeast of Granma.

BARCELO SOLYMAR
CARRETERA “LAS AMERICAS” KM.3
VARADERO, CUBA
TEL. (534)-5614499, Fax. (534)-566-8798
E-mail: reserva@solymar.gca.tur.cu

LOCATION

A mere 2 hours from Havana and 25 minutes away from the Varadero International Airport “Juan Gualberto Gomez” , Varadero offers an idealist beach, the perfect place to combine rest and relaxation with an wide array of exciting activities. This recently opened beach front hotel is conveniently located at a short distance from downtown Varadero.

TOTAL OF 525 ROOMS

Standard Hotel:328
Suite Hotel:4
Standard Bungalow:120
Suite Bungalow:73

• Private Bath with tub.
• Rooms offer ocean, pool, or garden views.
• Cribs (3 yrs. Max.) and children’s bed (12 yrs. Max.) available in rooms.
• 4 Handicap rooms

Room Amenities

Telephone, Satellite TV, coffee maker, private bath, blow dryer, hot and cold running water, safety deposit box, mini-bar, iron and ironing board, air conditioning, 220 volt power, balcony or terrace, handicap facilities available in main building. In suites Jacuzzi.

RESTAURANTS, BARS and CAFETERIAS

Buffet Restaurants

“Ranchon Tropimar”
Lunch
“Lindamar” Restaurant
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

A la Carte Restaurants
Sol y Arena/Cuban Restaurant
Tropimar/Seafood Restaurant (Lobster Included)
Los Corales/Italian Restaurant 18:30-23:00

** Dress code and 1 visit per stay in one of A la Carte Restaurants.

Snack Bars

Snack Bar “Las Dunas”

Snack Bar “Horizontes”
24 hours

Bars

Sport Bar “Los Delfines”
Lobby bar “SolyMar”
24 horas
Bar “Los Grumetes”
Party Lounge Bar”Solymar”
Bar “Las Redes”
Party Lounge “Los Grumetes”
06:30-02:00

Theater
Live Show every night
20:30 – 02:00
OTHER INCLUDED SERVICES
Pools (2)
Tennis courts (2)
Day and Nighttime activities
Bow and Arrows
Volleyball
Beach tenis
Boccia court
Water sports (catamaran, kayak, aquatic bicycle, diving clinic, windsurf, snorkel, banana boat with limit hours).
Game room
Gym
Club house
Parking
Mini Club (4-12 years old) & Kiddies Park
Jacuzzi
Mini Bar
Room Safe
Domestic drinks

SERVICES NOT INCLUDED

Car rental
Premium Drinks
Medical Services
Telephone and fax
Currency exchange
Photographer
Shops
Tourism Bureau
Post office
Boutique
Premium beverages
Shooting range
Sauna y massage
Babysitter
Beauty Salon
Laundry
Hotel Safe
Meeting hall
Room Service (24 hrs.)
Bikes

Castro has supported Angel Matos disgraceful action in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In an official press release last Monday, the ex leader of the communist country called for a re-evaluation of Cuban sport after a disastrous performance in Beijing and predicted that the next Olympic game in London 2012 are going to be crammed with European chauvinism and arbiter corruption.

“…stunned by the referee’s decision Angel Matos complained first and then kicked the arbiter in the face. Even his own coach had been offered a bribe before the competition, Matos’s dignity was hurt. He could just not stop himself” – explained Castro in official press communication and concluded “… to our taekwondo athlete and his coach, our TOTAL SOLIDARITY”.

Castro’s communication was made public in La Mesa Redonda (a TV political oriented programme) and on the local evening news.

Angel Matos was the champion in the Olympics 2000 and it was a favourite to win but in a middle of a competition Matos attacked the referee and has been banned for life from official events.

Within Cuba, Santiago has attained a culture very much of its own, a rich culture that accurately expresses the character of the territory, its mixture of races and traditions, more varied than in any other part of the island, a condition that has contributed through times to the emergence of prototypes of the national folklore, as all artistic manifestations are performed here.

Santiago de Cuba boasts classics like Esteban Salas, considered the Father of the Cuban Music, intellectual Pablo Laf argue, who was married to Carlos Marx’s daughter, and Pedro Santacilia, who was married to a closed relative of Mexican patriot Benito Juárez, poet lose Maria Heredia, the pioneer of Romanticism in the continent, Emilio Bacardi, Santiago de Cuba’s first mayor and the founder of the first museum-library in Cuba.

Santiago also became the home of important personalities that one way or another became attracted to the city, like the Henriquez family, from Santo Domingo, and French immigrants and their black slaves, who arrived here at the end of the 8 century. These are but a few of the many reasons why Santiago rightly deserves the name of Cultural Capital of the Caribbean.

The foundations for most of the cultural movements that later would become popular in the Caribbean can be traced to Santiago de Cuba, in areas like music, poetry, painting, sculpture and handicrafts.

The Contradanza was developed, and the Cuban son was born here, as was the bolero, the coral songs, and the so-called Santiago traditional Trova (song movement), which combines French violins, Afro-Caribbean traditions, and Cuban country music.

It has institutions devoted to consolidating cultural manifestations in a systematic way, like Casa del Caribe (Caribbean House), the African Cultural Center, the “Antonio Bravo Correoso” Cultural Athenaeum, the Antonio Maceo Research enter, and Casa de La Musica (House of Music).

Santiago is responsible for much of the country’s music development, as confirmed by many international arts festivals, like those of choir, Caribbean music, Terracotta (a visual arts expression) as well as the naive arts encounter at Mella municipality, the Matamoro Son Festival, and the national ‘Pepe Sanchez” Trova and Charanga (at Palma municipality) festivals.

Expressions of the cultural development at Cuba’s most Caribbean city are its fourteen museums, twenty-one archives, eight libraries, nine 6 mm and eighteen 35 mm cinema halls, in addition to the Orfeón Santiago, the Coro Madrigalista, the Ballet Company, and the Arts School. Other cultural institutions include two exhibition halls, an amphitheater, ten cultural houses, nine theater halls, two concert halls, several folkloric dance troops and cultural community associations, and the “Antonio Maceo” Revolution Square.

Aunque las autoridades deportivas cubanas suspendieron inmediatamente al atleta de taekwondo Angel Valodia Matos por patear a un arbitro durante la competencia olímpica, el ex gobernante Fidel Castro respaldo su acción brindándole “total solidaridad”.

En un articulo reproducido el lunes en los medios oficiales, Castro llamó a revisar la situación del deporte nacional tras la estrepitosa caída de Cuba en el medallero olímpico de Beijing, pronostico que los próximos juegos del 2012 en Londres estarían caracterizados por el chovinismo europeo,” y la “corrupción arbitral”, y termino dándole un espaldarazo al representante cubano en taekwondo, sancionado por la patada que ha impactado al mundo en las ultimas 48 horas.

“Asombrado por una decisión que le pareció totalmente injusta, protesto y lanzo una patada contra el arbitro. A su propio entrenador lo habían tratado de comprar, estaba predispuesto e indignado. No pudo contenerse”, explico Castro en su articulo, escrito la noche del domingo luego de la clausura de los Juegos Olímpicos.

Y concluyo: ” Para nuestro atleta de taekwondo y su entrenador, nuestra total solidaridad”.
El lunes el texto de Castro fue leído y comentado en el espacio Mesa Redonda de la televisión estatal y en el noticiero estelar nocturno.

El atleta –natural de Holguin– fue medalla de oro en los Olímpicos del 2000 y era la esperanza en el taekwondo para la isla, pero mientras combatía por el bronce en la división de mas de 80 kilos contra el kazajo Arman Chilmanov agredió al Arbitro y quedo descalificado de por vida.

El juez sueco Chekir Chelbat decreto el fin del desafío en el segundo asalto, y la derrota del cubano, quien en ese momento ganaba 3-2, pero se tomo mas del tiempo requerido tras ser lesionado. La patada en el rostro ocasiono que el árbitro requiriera de varias puntadas en el labio inferior izquierdo.
Cuba logro en las Olimpiadas de Beijing dos preseas de oro, 11 de plata y 11 de bronce, cayendo desde el puesto 11 en los Juegos de Atenas 2004 al lugar 28 en esta ocasión.

Pese a justificar a los deportistas isleños y lamentar el mal arbitraje o los intentos de comprar atletas, Castro también se mostró autocrítico.

“Seamos honestos y reconozcámoslo todos. No importa lo que digan nuestros enemigos. Seamos serios. Revisemos cada disciplina, cada recurso humano y material que dedicamos al deporte. Debemos ser profundos en los análisis, aplicar nuevas ideas, conceptos y conocimientos”, comentó.

El ex gobernante dijo que siguió las competencias olímpicas que transmitió un canal de televisión durante las 24 horas.

También hizo alusión a varios de los casos donde se reclamo el arbitraje, como en el boxeo, donde la isla no obtuvo sus habituales preseas de oro y debió conformarse con cuatro platas y cuatro bronces. Castro aseveró que “la mafia” ha logrado “burlar las reglas del Comité Olímpico”.

“Fue criminal lo que hicieron con los jóvenes de nuestro equipo de boxeo para complementar el trabajo de los que se dedican a robar atletas del Tercer Mundo (…). En su ensañamiento, dejaron a Cuba sin una sola medalla de oro olímpica en esa disciplina”.

En sonados casos durante los meses de preparación para las olimpiadas, algunos púgiles de la isla desertaron para probarse como profesionales en otros países.

El anciano líder también advirtió sobre las presuntas circunstancias que rodearán los juegos Olímpicos de Londres, en cuatro años. “No nos dejemos engatusar por las sonrisas de Londres. Allá habrá¡ chovinismo europeo, corrupción arbitral, compra de músculos y cerebros, costo impagable y una fuerte dosis de racismo”, dijo Castro.