CAYO GUILLERMO, CUBA -- It was easy to see why Hemingway had been
hooked.
As my feet sank in the soft sand, and the warm, clear water splashed
over my feet, I stared across the Atlantic Ocean and understood why
Papa chose Cuba's northern cays to cast his fishing lines. Walking
along Playa Pilar, I could also easily accept the argument that this
was Cuba's most beautiful beach.
Returning to my beach chair carefully placed under a weathered thatch
shelter, I wondered what Hemingway thought when he first saw this
stretch of land.
More than three kilometres long, Playa Pilar is found on the western
tip of Cayo Guillermo, just north of Cuba's mainland, above the city of
Moron. A tourist area in its infancy, the four large resorts that dot
Guillermo's coastline are no more than a dozen years old.
It's an appealing alternative to the parade of resorts, golf courses
and nightclubs in Varadero. With as many as 50 flights coming in each
week from Canada alone, Varadero prides itself on packing its beaches
and setting new visitor records.
Thankfully, Cayo Guillermo has no such aspirations as yet. But within
this area's resorts, the buffets and bars are bustling. Guests from
around the world have come here to trade office chairs for pool-side
bar stools, sip pina coladas and slow down their pace of life to a
tortoise crawl. Though content to be a part of this all-inclusive
world, I was eager to leave the resort's grounds and add a literary
element to my trip: to walk across the same stretch of sand as my
favourite author.Hemingway loved this place. He loved to sail here and
fish here for marlin and swordfish in the 1930s and 40s. A local
resident told me that Hemingway was so inspired by the beach's beauty,
he named his fishing boat the El Pilar. But he had it backward. His
38-foot cabin cruiser was indeed named Pilar, but it was the beach that
was later named after his boat.
Apparently, the name Pilar has two inspirations. In 1926, Hemingway
went to see the bullfights in Zaragoza, Spain, and visited the Pilar
Shrine in honour of the patron saint of Zaragoza. The other inspiration
may have come from his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, who nicknamed
herself Pilar.
Hemingway's boat is now on display at his former property, Finca da
Vigia in San Francisco de Paula, 15 kilometres southeast of Havana.
And, like the boat, Playa Pilar has also been preserved for more than
half a century. It remains wonderfully undeveloped. Even the road
leading to Pilar has remained unpaved and bumpy as it crosses the dusty
landscape.
Once there, the only evidence that there is even a beach to visit is a
small sign set atop two palm tree poles that reads, "Ranchon Pilar."
Walking along a narrow sandy path, I was soon rewarded with a pristine
and peaceful beach with no more than 10 people.
Back on land after a dip into the shallow waters, I marvelled at the
silence compared with nearby resort beaches that echo with the sounds
of roaring watercraft and the screams of tourists parasailing for the
first time. Here, a child's laughter was distinct and carried across
the beach.
Under one thatch-roof shelter sat a shirtless and shoeless wood carver
who displayed his crafts on three rickety tables.
Under another was a group of men chatting -- two in military uniforms,
the third with a clipboard -- charting catamaran excursions to small
nearby islands for snorkelling. A lone restaurant with much-needed
shade and cold beer completed Pilar's social scene.
The hours passed serenely with strolls, reading and an unplanned nap.
Just before dozing off, I imagined the Pilar carving through the water,
with its captain seeking his next big catch.
Touring Havana later in my trip, that image became real.
Wandering its historic streets, I discovered a large outdoor book
market. Noticing mostly Spanish titles, I began to walk away, when one
vendor spotted me and urged me to inspect his small collection of
English books.
At the mention of Hemingway, he quickly found a large book of
photographs. He wiped off the layer of dust before presenting it to me.
Flipping through the pages, one section was titled, "Hemingway and the
Pilar." Sold.
Seeing my delighted expression, he stuck to his price, so the bartering
was brief and he pocketed 20 pesos.
My book in tow, I hit Havana's Hemingway hot spots -- the Ambos Mundos
Hotel, where he stayed from 1932 to 1939, and the El Floridita bar,
where a life-sized bronze statue of the writer greets you at the bar.
Back at my resort, with a mojito in hand, (Hemingway's favourite Cuban
cocktail), I studied the black-and-white images of the author on board
his vessel -- tying lines, peering over the deck, hauling in his catch.
In some photos, he was joined on deck with his fishing buddy, Gregorio
Fuentes, who was an inspiration for Santiago, the main character in The
Old Man and the Sea.
In Islands in the Stream, another novel set in Cuba, the main character
looks across the bay at Cayo Guillermo and asks, "See how green she is
and full of promise?"
More than 60 years later, she remains so, especially in Playa Pilar.
Pack your bags
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