AFRO JAZZ CUBA December 10-17, 2016

Transcription

1 AFRO JAZZ CUBA December 10-17, 2016 Approximate Time Educational Activities That Result in Meaningful Contact With the Cuban People DAY 1: HAVANA Arrive in Havana. Check-in to the Melia Cohiba Hotel dinner at Rejoneo paladar (depending on flight arrival time) 8:30pm- DAY 2: HAVANA 07:00-09:00am 09:00-11:00am 11:00am-1:00pm 1:00-2:30pm 2:30-4:00pm 4:00-6:30pm 6:00pm-9:30pm As we take a walking tour around the historical center of Old Havana, we will observe the investment of the city in tourism with on-going restorations around the main squares compared to the dilapidated conditions of many of the buildings off the main avenues. These observations will form the basis for a discussion about the housing policy in Cuba since the Revolution, recent changes in regulations around the exchange of property, and the difficulty residents have in getting materials and permits for repairs. Meet community artists and area residents at the Domingo de la Rumba weekly street party at Callejon de Hammel, a community project promoting art and music. lunch at the Cafe Oriente restaurant in Old Havana At the famous El Floridita Bar, we ll discuss Havana s status as a playground for the rich and famous in the first half of the 20 th -century. Meet with members of the Proyecto Muraleando, a community art collective, which works to beautify the neighborhood with art and provide art, dance and music workshops to locals. Discuss the impact of this project on the local community.

2 DAY 3: HAVANA 07:00-08:30am 8:30-10:30am 10:30am-1:00pm 1:00-2:30pm 2:30-4:30pm 4:30-6:00pm 6:00-9:00pm Visit Guarderia Padre Usera, a day care for children ages 2 to 5 years old, for a discussion about child day care and teen pregnancy in Cuba. Attend a private dance performance of the Compania Irene Rodriguez. Then meet with Irene and her company for a conversation about dance in Cuba. Lunch will be at El Divino paladar. We ll continue our discussion of the arts in Cuba, and state support of the arts in particular, with a visit to the National School of Art. At the Ludwig Foundation, meet with director Helmo Hernandez to discuss nongovernmental support of art and artists in Cuba. DAY 4: HAVANA 7:30-9:00am 9:00-11:00am 11:00am- 12:30pm 12:30-2:00pm 2:00-3:30pm 3:30-5:00pm 5:00-7:00pm 7:00-9:00pm Visit Convento de Belen, a world-renowned community center and social services facility that serves Havana s poorest neighborhoods, with special focus on the elderly and disabled children. We ll meet some of the seniors and join the center manager for a discussion on the challenges presented by an ageing population. Visit the Abdala Recording Studio at the Guanabacoa School of Music for an exchange about music recording in Cuba, what it looks like now and how it has evolved since the pre-revolution era. Meet with a Cuban artist who teaches papier mache in his home to neighborhood children. We ll discuss the role of community art initiatives in Cuba. lunch at Templete Restaurant Meet with Cuban Jazz musicians for a casual exchange about the current expressions and manifestations of Afro-Cuban Jazz. At the hotel, we will meet with Dr. Carlos Alzugaray Treto from CESEU (Centro de Estudios sobre Estados Unidos) for an exchange on US-Cuban relations. Dr. Alzugaray is a former Cuban diplomat who serves today as the Coordinator of International Strategic Studies. Page 2 of 7

3 DAY 5: HAVANA 7:00-08:30am 8:30-10:00am 10:00-11:30am 11:30am-1:30pm 1:30-3:00pm 3:00-5:00pm 5:00-9:00pm Visit the largest fortress in the Americas: San Carlos de la Cabaña. Discussion of Spanish military and defensive architecture will include an examination of Cuba s enormous colonial value to Spain. At Centro Hebreo Sefaradi de Cuba, meet with Dr. Levy, the head of the community, for a conversation about the challenges and rewards of being Jewish in Cuba. At the Museum of Decorative Arts, we will engage with the era of colonial wealth in Cuba as we tour exhibits of the fine furnishings from some of the finest homes in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. lunch at Versus 1900 paladar Visit the Merger, a collaborative venture by artists Mario Miguel Gonzales (Mayito), Niels Moleiro Luis and Alain Pino. The merger recreates ubiquitous and mundane objects on a grand scale, presenting palatable sociopolitical metaphors. We ll meet with the artists and discuss their work. DAY 6: HAVANA/FINCA VIGIA/COJIMAR 7:00-8:30am 8:30-10:00am 10:00am-1:00pm 1:00-2:30pm 2:30-4:00pm 4:00-6:00pm 6:00-9:00pm We ll discuss the importance of tobacco in the Cuban economy and learn about the history of the cigar in Cuba and the production process with a visit to a cigar factory. trade thoughts about writer Ernest Hemingway s affinity for Cuba with visits to Cojimar, the fishing village which inspired his novel The Old Man and the Sea (1954 Nobel Prize winner), and Finca Vigia, his home on the island for two decades. Lunch will be in Cojimar at the Ajiaco Paladar. At the Havana Club Museum of Rum we ll learn about the history of rum making in Cuba and discuss its contributions to the economy and cultural identity of the island. End the visit to Old Havana at the outdoor handicraft market, where we ll have ample opportunities to meet and converse with local artists. Page 3 of 7

4 DAY 7: HAVANA/MATANZAS 7:00-08:30am 8:30-10:30am 10:30am- 12:30pm 12:30-2:00pm 2:00-3:30pm 3:30-6:30pm 6:30-9:00pm Drive to Matanzas, with a stop at the Bacunayagua Bridge look-out point. The bridge is the highest in Cuba and considered a national monument. As we continue our drive, we ll discuss civil engineering in Cuba and its development in the post-revolution period. In Matanzas, meet with Afrocuba de Matanzas, one of Cuba's most acclaimed folklore groups, for a discussion about African dance and music, which still flourish as an integral part of the island's living legacy. lunch at Romantico San Severino Continue to Ediciones Vigía, an independent publishing collective that began production in Since its founding, the mission of Ediciones Vigía has been to produce handmade books that are not only of literary value but also unique works of art. We will discuss the work of the collective with Rolando Estévez, the artistic director of Ediciones Vigía from its founding in 1985 until We ll take driving tour of Matanzas and then head back to Havana. Matanzas is known as a city of poets and as the birthplace of the dance traditions of Danzon and Rhumba. Throughout the drive we ll discuss the history of poetry and dance in Cuba. Dinner tonight is at Rio Mar paladar. DAY 8: DEPARTURE 7:00am Transfer to Havana Jose Marti airport for your departure flight. NOTE: If it takes less than 30 minutes to travel to a particular activity, the itinerary includes the transfer time in the duration of the activity. If, however, it takes 30 minutes or more to travel to an activity, this itinerary includes a separate line denoting the transfer time. Page 4 of 7

5 ************************************************************************************** Price per person in a DOUBLE room: $5,695 Price per person in a SINGLE room: $6,195 Plus roundtrip charter flights from Miami: $680 (not final) ******* ******************************************************************************* PRICE INCLUDES: Admission and transportation to any Jazz Festival concert (one concert per day). 7 nights of accommodations with buffet breakfast daily. 6 lunches and 2 dinners as per the itinerary. Drink package during lunches and dinner as follows, one glass of: Mojito or Mineral Water 2 bottles of cold mineral water per person per touring day. Airport transfers in Cuba. 6 days of touring in a private, air-conditioned bus, with a licensed, English-speaking guide. Entrance fees as per itinerary. Hotel service fees and taxes. Ya'lla Tours USA information kit and travel bag. Tips for guide and driver and at hotels. Cuban Tourist Card. Cuban departure taxes. PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Personal expenses. Travel insurance ($440 per person), highly recommended. Tips during lunches and dinners (5 CUCs per traveler, per meal suggested). IMPORTANT NOTE: Air schedules are subject to change at any time. You must have a U.S. passport to enter Cuba (valid at least 6 months past your scheduled return date). A $1,000 per person deposit is required upon booking. The deposit is refundable up to 120 days prior to departure, less a $200 per person administrative fee. Final payment is due on August 12, 2016, 120 days prior to departure. Ya'lla Tours USA reserves the right to change the hotels to others of similar quality. Page 5 of 7

6 TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRICE: * The price of the tour is $5,695 per person in a double room or $6,195 in a single room, plus the cost of the charter flights from Miami. The price is guaranteed but if due to circumstances beyond Ya lla Tours USA Inc. s control, our suppliers increase the price, Ya lla USA Inc. will adjust the price accordingly. * Should the number of participants, 120 days prior to departure, be lower than the published minimum number of participants to operate the tour, the price will be adjusted accordingly or the tour will be canceled. DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT POLICY: * A deposit of $1,000 per person is required at the time of the booking. * Final payment is due August 12, 2016, 120 days prior to the group departure. CANCELLATIONS & REFUND: * For cancellation up to August 12, 2016, a $200 per person administrative fee will apply. * For cancellation of 119 to 75 days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 75% of the tour cost will apply. * For cancellation of 74 and less prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 100% of the tour cost will apply. * No refund will be paid for unused services such as: transfers, sight-seeing, meals, hotel accommodations, entrance fees, and others that are listed in the tour program. * Travel insurance is nonrefundable. LAND ARRANGEMENTS: The Tour Operator reserves the right to change the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances. In all cases, Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. will do its best to maintain the content of the tour. The Tour operator reserves the right to change the hotels listed on the tour for others of similar quality. Page 6 of 7

7 RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY: Whereas Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. and the participating airlines and tour operators operate the land tours offered under this program only as agents of the aircraft, railroads, car rental contractors, steamship lines, hotels, bus operators, sight-seeing contractors and others who provide the actual land arrangements, we are not liable for any act, omission, delay, injury, loss or damage or nonperformance occurring in connection with these tours. The Passenger contract in use by the airline concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the airline and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. reserves the right to bring legal action to collect damages in the event that purchaser fails to pay any fees due and owing for services, including cancellation fees as set out in the section entitled 'Cancellations & Refunds'. The parties agree that should legal action be commenced, the prevailing party will be entitled to his/her or its reasonable attorney fees and court costs in addition to the actual damages sustained and proven. Venue for any dispute is Multnomah County Circuit Court, Oregon. This contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Oregon. PASSENGER RESPONSIBILITY: Passenger has read the above terms and conditions and agrees to each of them. Passenger hereby warrants that he/she fully understand each of them. Specifically passenger understands that should he/she cancel their trip for any reason, passenger will be charged the cancellation fee set out in the 'Cancellations & Refunds' section. ENTIRE AGREEMENT SEVERABILITY: This is the entire agreement of the parties and it may be amended only by written agreement signed by both Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. and the client. If any part of this agreement is held unenforceable by a court of law, the rest of this agreement will nevertheless remain in force and effect. TRAVEL INSURANCE: Each tour participant is responsible for paying any applicable fees for cancellation, medical treatment, medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains. Ya lla Tours USA highly recommends the purchase of travel insurance for cancellation (for covered reasons), medical treatment, medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains. Travel insurance is not included in your tour price. Page 7 of 7