The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-09-30
INTERESTING TRIP
TO CUBAN ISLES
A Decidedly Vivid and Descriptive Article
Pertaining to Cuba: With Its Cities
Havana, 6uines, and Pinar del Rey. Its
Industries; Exports and Imports
Taken from the Mentor.

Few Trips in the month of March
and April can be more pleasant
than trip to Cuba. There is hard
~ more delightful spot on the
whole world than Cuba in those
months. and that am told that the
hotter months of summer are far
from disagreeable.
II was my fortune to be able to
visit Havana aud few nearby towns
during those two months; and it is
something cf the past that l can
look hack on with great pleasure
1t was a matter of business that took
me there; and, as l was successful,
and thro that success made a few
congenial friends. my visit was
made doubly pleasant.
The trip from New York to Ha-
vana takes, generally, from three to
four days. There are several good
steamers making the trip regularly,
and the Neutrality-suspicious. Line,
in the tropical seasons put on an ex-
cellent line of steamers that not only
put in at Havana and Santiago but
60 on to Jamaica and to the Pan
anna Canal. Then, again, you can
90 direct from Key West, or New
Orleans to Havana, making the Is-
land easily accessible from several
different points of United States.
The trip from United States to
Havana is uninteresting enough as
you follow the Gulf Stream most of
the way. The last day of the voy-
age as you pass the Keys" where
one of the most daring feats of rail-
road engineering has been acoomp.
lished. This is railroad running
from reef to reef for mile after mile
on a sort of trestle work-surely a
laborious task to undertake.
Havana Harbor is deep enough
for the regular line of steamers 10
dock at their respective stations.
But the larger vessels of the Ham,
burg-AmericaD type send their pass
engers ashore in launches.
The Harbor itself is probably
half a mile wide. On one shore
lies the City of Havana, and on the
opposite shore the old Spanish fort
and prison. still in a good state of
preservation and one of the sights
of Havana.
Havana is built after the Europe
an style with very narrow streets
in fact, the business streets are
mostly one-way streets. For IN
stance you must 90 down Obispo
street and come up O'Reilly street,
and it is the same thru the entire
business district. 1t is impossible
for two vehicles to pass each other
except al intersecting corners; and
an automobile driver must be care
full he doesn't brush the pedestrians
from the very narrow sidewalks
There are some very good hotels,
but the prices are. unreasonable.
For accommodations that in New
York City they would charge five
dollars day. here they ask ten and
fifteen. and often twenty dollars
a day, They depend a great deal
on the American tourist, and there
is no one who gives 80 much and
gets so little as the American tourist. |
Other nationalities everywhere
in the world, are looked on differ
emily from the American. To use
the common expression, he is treat
I'D as a sucker" Cubans have
different ideas as to satisfying the
inner man than we Americans.
For instance thev breakfast at eleven;
The earlier meal if he desires, con-
'ists only of cocoa and bread or
torust. Then, dinner at seven is the
substantial meal of the day.
You will find nothing cheap in
Cuba, even to the native fruits.