HAVANA, Cuba — Channel 2 anchor Justin Farmer and political reporter Lori Geary traveled with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to Cuba. The Governor and a 43 member trade delegation traveled to the communist country to increase exports from Georgia. Last year, Georgia exported more than $40 million dollars worth of goods, including poultry, soybeans and grain.
The delegation met with leaders from the Cuban government who gave them several lectures on how the U.S. trade policy is hurting the country. Governor Perdue agreed to take their message back to Georgia's congressional delegation but made it clear this was a business trip, not a political one.
Channel 2's Lori Geary filed this report once our crew returned to the United States. Internet and cell phone service, especially to visitors, is extremely limited in Havana.
You can't help but be amazed at how time stood still in Cuba. There are so many scenes right out of the 1950's - from the cars to the architecture and in so many ways, the culture. If you're lucky enough to find internet service, it's extremely slow. Think back to the dial-up days. There was no cell service for us. The people are extremely friendly and very welcoming to Americans.
I brought along a bunch of baseballs and when I would give them to a cab driver or our maid it was as if they'd won the lottery! Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was when we saw four kids playing outside in a field near a main street with an old rubber ball. I happened to have four baseballs left. They couldn't believe their eyes and started jumping up and down immediately! It was well worth lugging those baseballs throughout Cuba!
We were able to do some interviews on the rooftop of our hotel. You never could get used to the heat and humidity. We kept saying we would never complain about a long, hot Georgia summer again! Whew! The views were spectacular.
You could definitely see the American influence with a replica of the U.S. Capitol in the middle of Havana. There is also Spanish influence with an abundance of beautiful architecture, much of it in need of repair.
The cars are unbelievable! You feel like you're in a movie from the past - 50's Chevrolets, Dodges and a very few "new" Mercedes. The old American cars have been repainted, rebuilt and they're still running. Surprisingly, we saw very few broken down on the side of the road. Cubans pile into these cars and think nothing of it, they're probably just very fortunate to have a mode of transportation.
There are signs of the Castros everywhere. Right in Downtown Havana, we toured the Plaza Revolution and saw the yacht Fidel Castro came over on in 1959. It was quite a site because it's enclosed in glass with armed guards outside.
They have a mural of caricatures of former Presidents Bush and Reagan, thanking them for making the Revolution stronger. There's a lot of propaganda as you drive through the streets.
We followed the delegation this morning to the Partagas Tobacco factory where they hand make the world famous Cuban cigars! Our cameras were not allowed in but the group tells me it was something to see! Each one must make 100 cigars each day. If their bosses find four that were not made properly, they'll have to make 104 the next day. There is also someone who sits and reads the newspaper to the workers everyday!
We left Cuba looking back one last time, many of us commenting this may be the last time we'll visit here unless U.S. sanctions are lifted. Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba and they're not allowed to bring back anything of Cuba origin, except for art. I'm dragging along a huge hand-painted turtle made out of paper back for my 2 year old little girl.
One thing is for sure, if the sanctions are ever lifted, Cuba would have a lot of work ahead to prepare for potential American tourists!