Category: Central America & Caribbean

Beer in my left hand, cigar in my right, keyboard in front of me, and I am wondering how I am typing. OK, so there is no cigar for now (there was before but I will talk about that later). Welcome to Cuba and an almighty friendly hello it is. Cuba is a conundrum with so many polar opposites that produce conflicting views. On one hand you have amazing people who are as amiable and welcoming as they come, while on the other you are viewed as a prime revenue source which is to be freshly squeezed to provide much needed money to a population that officially earns very little and survives by a thriving underground black market network. If you need something, find someone you can trust and ask. Unless the risk is greater than the reward, he (or she) will know someone who can help out. For example, credit cards are pretty much useless to a backpacker so cash is king. Compared to all other currencies the US dollar is penalized by 10% due to it being, well, from the USA. Meaning that although the official rate is US$1 = 1 Cuban CUC, after the normal exchange penalty and the 10% you get 86.5c to the dollar. Now, by talking to 'friends' I exchanged mainly at 90c but I am sure I could have got more, I was just glad to be beating the system. If you're a used car salesman, a company CEO or any other wheeler dealer, Cuba is a place for you. And what a great place it is (new entry into my top 10 list).

You have choices of where to stay during your visit but the best choice for most is the 'Casa Particulares', which are live-in homes of residents converted to suit travelers. Not hard to find (look for the upside down blue anchor) and the ones I stayed in were all great quality. 25cuc a night seemed to be a standard price but by just saying 15cuc was always met with a 'ok, but just don't tell the other guests' response (hmmmm. Made me wonder if they were only paying 10). Breakfasts and dinners (at most) were offered (of varying quality, but usually great). In fact the food in Cuba was really good. The mora rice (brown) mixed with beans that accompanied most meals I will miss for it's simplicity, unlike, the guava fruit, a standard at breakfast. It tasted alright but came with those 'timebomb' seeds that were like little rocks. Every chew was filled with anticipation as to whether this was the time for one of your teeth to break. And many a seed there was.

As with my past visits to communist countries there are pitfalls to be able to call your neighbor "comrade". The Internet can only be received in designated public parks after the purchase of 'login' cards (I found no site restrictions,  surprised!)  Supermarkets only have the most basic of processed foods and varieties of the same food type are non-existent. Quality gets replaced by necessity, efficiency gets replaced by bureaucracy. I found that catching a bus from city to city nearly impossible as the number of buses were way too low for the number of tourists. This led to the catching of a shared taxi (collectivo's) from place to place. Due to the 60 years of the American embargo, the collectivo's were tourist attractions in themselves. Mostly American cars built in the 1950's, or earlier. Jumping in was a blast from the past. Big V8 engines with incredible amounts of torque, all manual gears with some having their gear shift lever on the steering column and, bench seats in the front that traversed from one side of the car to the other. Brings back memories of my younger years with friends that were obsessed with old Chevrolets (good one 'Barker', still think of you mate). But it was not only the old cars you would see plying the streets. Old motorcycles, some with sidecar attached can be frequently seen (caught one of these partially on my way back to the airport; when it rains in Cuba it rains hard and it is never fun catching a plane wet, hence partially). Tractors from years gone by still work the land but these are dwarfed in number by horses with either cart or plow attached. Oh yeah, check the wheels if you use a horse drawn cart as transport, solid rubber tyres make for a teeth chattering ride. Roads in Cuba can best be described as needing a resurface. Many a pothole or crevice inhabit the roads, even in Havana. Luckily traffic is sparse which makes for good bike rides, enjoyed my 50 km one in Viñales very much.

Of the 5 places I visited during my stay in Cuba, Havana was my favorite. Old Havana contained the oldest buildings but many of these had been restored meaning that the decaying Central Havana was the place for me (a few km's away). Here, life went about it's business without an attachment to, or need for, any tourists. At night, the sounds of TV shows drifted from wide open doors of people's houses allowing any nosy passerby (me) to quickly peer in when walking by. Both adults and children (and an abnormally high number of topless men) would be out in the streets, talking with neighbors, playing music from their parked car. A man once started to openly sing so the whole street could hear. Music is a major part of the Cuban way of life, it's everywhere. I think the thing that struck me the most in Cuba was the resilience of the people, their spirit and friendliness. After all they have been through it is not uncommon to hear the sound of laughter. Yes, the unique cars and architecture contributed, but for me the people are what makes Cuba the special place it is.

Sorry about this but sometimes I want to add pictures that are really only for me to check out in the distant future, for when I'm old and grey(er). The thought process for these went along the lines of "when in Cuba do as the Cubans". It takes quite awhile to smoke a Cuban cigar, it took me a total time of 168 photos. I was trying to get a bit of Havana in the background and the early morning sun was in the wrong position. You get to feel pretty sick after smoking a full cigar. Breakfast didn't hit the spot that morning. By the way, don't worry Mum, I haven't started smoking and, after that cigar, it won't be anytime soon.

(The baseball cap is of my newly acquired (and only) baseball team, Pinar del Rio (6 time champions, depending on who you talk to). If you ever come this way I advise that you get one. Not only is it a constant conversation starter with the locals, it also got me a mohita at a bar from the owner, which was very nice,  thanks).