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CRASH LAND AT THE HELICOPTER BAR, CIENFUEGOS CUBAJul 30 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Gone but not forgotten I've said it before, Jaime Gonzales Aeroport in Cienfuegos Cuba may not be the smallest international airport in the world, but it definitely is in the top ten on that list. There is a t least one charter flight a week bringing tourists into the are, more in winter, so it technically qualifies as an international airport. However the facilities, at least for now remain those of a small provincial airport. The terminal building s rather small. In fact it is only half the size of the attached patio bar, which is probably the largest structure at the airport , next to the hangers. The tiny terminal building also has to house, an interior bar, and coffee shop, duty free store, in addition to the more mundane, ticket counter, customs, immigration, baggage area and control tower. Considering the often bureaucratic delays one sometimes experiences entering and exiting Cuba, perhaps a large bar is a good idea, This one even includes waiter service on the runway, when the immigration lineup extends out there from the terminal. It is not however the present airport bar, much as I do like it, that I wished to mention. Up until a few years ago, there was a small bar located directly outside the terminal exit. it wasn't much a simple bar and a couple of tables under the palm trees. What made it unique, cold beer aside, was what it originally had been. The bar you see used to be a Soviet Hip Military Helicopter. There it stood, amongst the palms. Looking as if it had crash landed, which for all I know is how it got there in the first place. Still in its camouflage paint with Cuban Air force markings. The only modification was the hole cut into the side, where the bar itself had been added. Those of us you flew into Cienfuegos frequently quickly developed a system to deal with the long line ups and delays when the power went off (always) and the customs baggage x-ray machine broke down. After clearing immigration you quickly walked through the customs area without trying to find your bags among the chaos. Naturally with nothing to be searched you were waved through. Then you walked across the street and grabbed a stool at the Helicopter Bar, ordered a cold Cristol Beer, and relaxed. Eventually the mass of tourists that were deplaning would sort themselves out, clear customs and get on the buses to their resorts. Now you simply strolled back into the terminal, picked up your bags, easy to find now, and cleared a now not overworked customs. On really busy flights you might have to order two beers while waiting, but that's not really a bad thing now is it. As I said the bar is no longer there. A couple of years back, I noticed it was gone. No one seems to know when and why, it just vanished. My theory is the Cuban Air force's bureauocracy finally noticed it was missing and came to claim it back. Of course I also think it was the original crew who were running it. After the crash, I guess they decided to flirt with capitalism.  |
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