June 4th was the day that I got picked up in an American Classic Car... and absolutely failed at life and forgot to ask what kind it was. But I got picked up and with an Italian couple was taken to Trinidad. I met a guy who offered one dollar cheaper to take his classic car than to take the bus.. and it included pick up.. instead of having to take another taxi to the bus station. The Italian couple said what tons of other people I met in Cuba said, they wanted to come to Cuba before the Americans arrived and were very surprised to meet an American. As we were driving it started raining. It had been pretty cloudy the last few days so I figured it was just a little front we were driving through, however when we got to Trinidad, it was POURING. The driver took me to a casa particular. A casa particular is basically a room for rent in someones house to make extra money. I absolutely loved the idea because I am usually seeking out this sort of accommodation in every country I go to. It gives you so much of a better idea about life in a certain place, rather than just staying with other backpackers, none of which are ever from the country you are in. So yeah, you are in the country, but you can't get to know the people of the country unless you seek out some other sort of adventure.
So I got dropped off at a Casa of a beautiful Cuban family. Part of the family lived downstairs, and the room where I would stay was upstairs. They had two rooms for rent and then the 4 members of the family shared on bedroom. I had my own beautiful bathroom, and not the greatest bed I've ever slept in. The mother and father only spoke in Spanish but were so sweet and I was welcomed with an amazing mango juice. Davis, their son is 18 and really enjoys studying English so spoke perfect english even though I kept trying to speak in Spanish to him, he wanted to practice. The daughter was 12. Sadly as it was raining a ton, I didn't want to do much. Trinidad is apparently the sunniest place in Cuba and it never rains. There were two guys waiting to catch the bus as I arrived and they told me they had perfect weather one day and went to the beach, and then the next day it was raining as well. Eventually it kind of let up a little bit so I decided not to waste a day and to head out and check out the sights with my little plastic poncho. The Italian couple thought I was crazy but it was lovely because there was no other tourists walking around so I got some great pictures. The streets were just pouring down with water. After that I went back and hung out more with Davis and we practiced more english, and I helped him write down the lyrics to some American songs that he had been working on translating to study. I had a .70 cent Cuban pizza for lunch and then had my house mom make me dinner for $3. A Special price we negotiated since I didn't have very much money to spend everyday. The dinner insanely huge. Soup, plate of rice, beans, veggies, fish, and ice cream for dessert.
The next day, sadly it was still really rainy outside. Again I had my house mom cook me breakfast. She made a scrambled egg (which they call a tortilla), a huge plate of fruit, some cheese slices, and the delicious mango juice again! I decided to visit the museum, which was less than impressive. The rooms were so stale and old, the best part though was the view tower. I walked all over the place in the rain trying to see if there was anything to do, but even the tour agencies said not really anything.. even the tours were cancelled. I did however remember reading on wikitravel about taking some salsa lessons. So I headed to the address on the page and asked if they knew anything about it. They first tried to sell me some cigars, and then eventually walked me over to where the salsa classes were. The salsa teacher said he would be free in 20 minutes and I could wait outside or hang out there. It was essentially a huge empty living room with salsa music blasting and he was teaching a lady at the time. I waited and then sadly an Aussie couple walked in just before our lesson would start. So the lesson was very very basic and simple and I had learned everything we had done in Colombia and in South Korea when I did lessons there. As the class went on the teacher kind of figured out that I knew more than I said I did. Afterwards we were talking and I asked if he was going out salsa dancing and that since I was traveling alone and didn't know anyone if he minded if I joined him and his friends. He of course said he would love that. So later on we met and went out for a really fun night salsa dancing. He and his friends were incredible dancers. many of them were dancers in shows and had a blast trying to get me to booty shake and salsa dance with several of them.
The next day the sun had finally came out and I wanted to adventure to the beach. I heard there was a bus you could take, however for some reason, the bus just randomly decided not to show up. I'm sure that they are in kahootz with the taxi drivers so they can all earn more money. This Argentinian couple that I met we were determined to not take a taxi but figure out another way to get there. So we found a local bus outside of the city center going to La Boca.. which is where all the locals go to enjoy the beach which worked out perfectly because it was a Sunday. There were tons of families out and enjoying , and of course all sorts of Havanna club rum floating around. One family came over to talk to us because the Argnetinan guy looked a little bit like Che, so they asked if he was related since they were from the right country, it fit the match. Then we ended up playing with the kids, laughing, and hanging out with this Cuban family. They invited us to a family members Cuban house down the street to eat with them but we felt that was too much! La Boca wasn't exactly a beach but it was definitely a place to swim. After the family went in to have lunch we still wanted to try and get to the other beach. Apparently it is the second nicest beach on the main island of Cuba. So we were asking taxis, and people about how we could get there. Randomly as we were walking down the street there was this huge, really old bus that we flagged down. They told us they would take us to the beach for $1. The beach was really nice and there was a few people there and a few resorts that were all inclusive.. This time with wristbands. We swam, and I enjoyed a nice little nap. The clouds once again started rolling in and we were not exactly sure how we were going to get back, but Argentina couple to the rescue.. She found a guy with a huge van who would take us back to the city center for two dollars! Our lucky day because literally as we got in, it started pouring cats and dogs again. When I got back I took another salsa lesson but this one was for free because my teacher decided after we got to hang out more that I didn't learn anything and deserved another, harder class.
While we were driving, we had a pretty interesting discussion with the people in the car about the American dream. All three of the Cubans dream about moving to America, buying nice clothes, having better smart phones than the ones they have, and being able to do whatever they want. However, it seems that they don't exactly understand what is expected and how hard people work to achieve this dream. Not to say that Cubans are not hardworking, but their attitude towards work and accomplishing things at a certain pace is different than how an American might do something. So hard work is different between the two countries, which I absolutely agree with. Things are very very expensive, especially as someone who would come in and probably be gardening or possibly cleaning, life isn't easy or glamurious as it is in movies like people perceive it.. I've been there and lived that. While of course I was born into a very very lucky life. After college I saw that, its' tough to survive for most people because of the high costs of paying for a car ( which is kind of an essential in most US. cities), insurance, health insurance, education, rent.. All these things add up to a lot of money and in the end of the day, for people just starting to work or their careers doesn't always leave much play money like the Cubans think. Of course the Cubans disagreed with our conversation but it was an interesting one. The thing that it seems that every one has in Cuba.. despite their job, money, etc etc, is happiness. They are all out enjoying one another. Sure they have smart phones, but they can't quite use them in the capacity that we do because they don't have enough money to pay for the service, and in most places there is no 4g service. To use the internet even is a struggle and most cannot afford it. So they are like sterotypical Cubans that you see in movies, on their front patios, hanging out in rocking chairs, sometimes watching TV, the kids playing with coke bottles in the streets, and from the outside is truly does look like a simple life full of happiness and simple pleasures.Cubans don't agree with this, but that is just my opinion from the outside.
The following day I had negotiated with a friend of my host moms to go on a horseback riding tour for $8, less than half of the normal price. Yet another perk of traveling in Cuba during the off season. He also was able to cut my "national 'park" entrance in half just by saying I was a student in Havanna. It was myself and one Japanese girl and then our tour guide. We were taken through groves of mango trees, a beautiful valley, and then an awesome water fall to swim in. The water was super refreshing. The Cuban humidity and head it absolutely killer. Again, I took another salsa class when I returned.
The following day I decided to rent a bike and head back to the beautiful beach because I didn't get to spend so much time out there as I would have liked and the reef was very close to where the sand was so I could easily swim out there and snorkel. Sadly... I forgot my goggles but enjoyed biking despite all the sweat! It was a really pleasant ride and my bike wasn't too bad. Plus I could go exploring. I was a little bit annoyed that in the areas closer to the resorts they charged you to "park" your bike.. So I went back to the smaller places in between where there were still little shade umbrellas and no one charging to park your bike. I fell in love with the little area I stayed at. All the Cubans couldn't believe that I biked all the way there and back in the same day. Which to me seems funny because they are all biking all over the city, but I guess going long distances isn't their thing? After I returned I had another salsa lesson. The joy of salsa dancing with a guy who knows how to salsa dance, is that you just kind of go with the flow and as long as you have a basic idea of what your partner is doing you can follow easily. I went out a few more nights in Trinidad with Yero, my salsa teacher and his friends. "La casa de musica" was an outdoor stage area with tons of space for people to dance.. Set up by the government. You could see all sorts of different performances during the week, and it turns out there are "la casa de musica" in every touristy city in Cuba. But it's great since the locals are enjoying the performances and dancing as are tourists. I genuinely fell in love with the simplicity of Trindad. While yes, it was super touristy, it was also still small enough to walk around everywhere, talk to as many locals as you would like, and lots to do. I'm glad I ended up spending the few days longer than I had originally planned. The nights of salsa, the beach days, and the other surprises that came in Trinidad were awesome.
My next stop was Santa Clara, where I would get to see Che Guevara's tomb and mausoleum. In Cuba there are two bus lines. One is Astro which is only for Cubans or people living in Cuba... despite what Cubans tell you. It is about 1/10 of the price of the other bus line. Viazul. Because less people were heading to SC from Trinidad, I couldn't arrange for another cheap taxi in between. When I arrived in SC there are a huge group of people standing outside the station trying to rent rooms in their casa's. Sometimes I talk to the people to try and negociate a deal, other times it's better to just walk around the center and look for the signs on the houses (there are little blue anchor signs outside of the houses where people rent their rooms), but since I knew I could probably get a better deal with all of them there.. I talked to one guy who accepted my offer to stay in his room for $10. I wouldn't commit until I saw the room but usually they are pretty nice. So I took a $1 bike taxi.. after much negotiation (he wanted $4, but it's only 1 mile or so), he took me to the house. It was nice, the owners daughter was watching some spongebob, and turns out he has a niece living in AZ. While I was talking to the owner, the guy who sat behind me on the bus walked in.
We started chatting and he had a terrible hangover from the night before in Trinidad and was feeling so ill on the bus, so didn't talk to me. But immediately we had lots and lots of travel stories to share and went out to get some dinner together at a peso restaurant and a beer in the plaza. Lukas is my age from Austria and a top travel notch travel partner in my trips. We had a ton of things in common. He had studied abroad at UW in Madison, completed his Masters in Hong Kong, and been on lots of backpacking trips. He currently was just on a two week holiday from work, he is currently working in Germany.
After an amazing night of rest we had some breakfast in the house together before we set off the explore Santa Clara and see the sights. We used our map and walked everywhere, Che's Mausoleum, a viewpoint, a park, stopped at a random fruit stand where we bought a pineapple for .25 cents and the lady offered to chop it up for us while we ate on the side of the road. Then the railroad memorial park where the last battle
in the Cuba Revolution took place. As we were walking back to the center, we found a cool little patio bar and thought we would stop in, rest our feet and get a beer. While we were chatting, I offered to take a picture of a huge group of Cubans enjoying their afternoon... which later led to a huge dance party with them, and joining in on the beers and their party.. We had some arm wrestling matches, drinking matches, salsa dancing, and just a lovely time. They all worked at a resort one a nearby beach and they had the rest of the day and the following day off so were having a little party. This party continued until the wee hours of the night. We pitched in what we could to cover the towers of beer as much we we could, then later, they took us out for pizza. Later on in the night, we met up with some other Austrian girls that Lukas had met in Trinidad and went to a live music venue. And some late night burgers on the way home. It went down as a crazy day of adventure.
The following morning we woke up bright and early to try and catch the bus to Varadero. He originally hadn't planned on visiting there but it's the best beach on the mainland of Cuba so he decided to join me. We took a horse drawn carriage taxi to the bus station and weren't totally sure on what time the buses were. He had a lonely planet, however seems they change the times quite often and there are sometimes no other sources of information besides just showing up to the station. While we were outside, a guy was trying to fill a private taxi, so he gave us one dollar less than the bus price and it would be faster, he just had to pick up one other couple so we hopped in. We headed straight to the beach, after a peso stand sandwich and juice and finding out casa. Lukas and I were also killers together at negotiating prices. He spoke his Italian/ little bit of spanish he knew and his charming looks with the old ladies of the casa's so we could try and get a better price, then I stepped in for the kill and usually got us breakfast included. The house in Varadero was $15 a night each, which apparently is really good for Varadero.. and then breakfast included. We would usually get the breakfast just by asking for some fruit, bread, and coffee, and then the next morning they would always cave and have a full breakfast for us with some eggs, cheese, and sausages sometimes. Varadero was probably a top five beach in the world that i've seen.. Lukas also agreed. Varadero was full of mostly people at resorts but also a good amount of Cubans on the beach which was refreshing. The evening it was kind of raining on and off. But that didn't stop the dream team from having an adventure. There was a large concert going on that night at La Casa De Musica, however the cover charge was $10 dollars, which is very far out of my daily budget of 26 dollars.. So we hung out outside of a little eatery place with benches outside drinking some rum and coke. Lukas met this Venezuelan lady who was visiting her Cuban boyfriend. We had a blast kicking it with her. The following day we were off the Havana.
He had his flight the next day so he took me all around Havana. Again, we found another private taxi that would take us sooner and for a cheaper price than the Viazul bus. This was a huge bonus to traveling with someone else and in the off season. Our house overlooked the capitol and we were in the heart of old havana. It was dropping some rain on us sometimes but we kept going and didn't let it bother us. There isn't a ton to "do" in Havana but it's all about the people watching. We spent a lot of time on the malecon (the boardwalk) people watching as that is where most of the Cubans hang out at night. People are walking down selling popcorn, and all sorts of other snacks and toys, people are drinking their rum and coke, beer. Groups of teen walk by some dancing decked out in Cuban Fashion.
Cuban fashion is quite a difficult one to describe, but actually in a way like Japanese style. The guys usually have some wild haircuts with hair only on the top and none on the sides, or sometimes things shaved into their heads, and clothing is sometimes tight jeans on guys, flashy shirts, flashy necklaces, and crazy shoes. This really surprised me because most of them are very limited with their money, but they chose to spend a lot on clothes. According to the Cuban friends we made, clothes are similar in cost to what someone would pay at a normally priced store like Target in America. If you remember back to my previous posts, Cubans usually make between 12 and 30 dollars a month from their job. Of course to survive many of them do things on the side, but that doesn't give you much money to play with.
While out on the malecon we met a sweet group of Cubans who lived right across the street from where we were sitting. They had us come up to their tiny little apartment and fed us some coffee and some food. They were so sweet and we had a great time talking with them. The next day, Lukas had to catch his flight, and adventured to the airport on the bus.. which is about 1/25 of the price it is in a taxi.. However, later i learned he did have to walk a little bit. But he still made it, despite the fact that all the taxi drivers told him it was impossible. It was on wikitravel and his lonely planet that you could do it. After that I hung out the rest of the day, and then went back to our new friends house for dinner the next day. Again we hung out on the malecon and just chatted. I tried also to visit the Havana Club Rum factory but because it was Sunday afternoon, it was closed. The next day, I decided to walk to the bus terminal.. and actually had planned on taking an Astro bus instead of Viazul to save some money. They denied me without a Cuban ID so I kept walking to the Viazul terminal. While walking, I walked past the Revolution Plaza which later i learned is where Castro used to give all of his speeches. I knew that it must be something important because there were a bunch of buses outside parked and people taking pictures, but it wasn't until I made my way back to Havana that I learned what I'd come across. Every time i had to ask for new directions, people told me I was crazy for trying to walk to the bus terminal, but Lukas said it really wasn't that far. It did end up taking me over an hour to get there but really enjoyed the journey there and to see things outside of the Old town and the city center. Besides that, I had no idea what time the bus for Viniales was. So I had no hurry. When I arrived at the terminal, again I found a private taxi who was trying to collect customers. Another German girl was already with him, so again, I agreed. While driving there, we had a short car problem and we were on the side of the road for a little bit, until the taxi drivers "friend" came over and magically we were good to go again. While in the taxi, Nermin and I were talking and turns out we had the same flight to Cancun. We got along really well, and she was another world traveler. She was a little older than me, but had been on many of adventures in her life and we had a great time chatting. We decided to share the room at the casa and then I worked got free breakfast at the house. We also paid $15 each for the room. We explored the city and tried to figure out what we would do for our time there. Viniales was so charming and small. The one main street took like five minutes to walk all the through, and our house was outside a little bit very close to the school. There were lots of horses and beautiful views from all over the town. We decided to head to the beach (I've turned into a huge beach lover... can you tell?) which was on the mainland but protected by a huge cay. It was absolutely beautiful and about an hour drive from Viniales called Cayo Jutias. . We arranged for a shared taxi for $12 round trip and were together with two girls from Spain who were on their holiday. They were very sweet and a lot of fun to chat with. We spent nearly the whole day in the water as it was a little toasty to just be in the sand.
The next day we went on a horseback riding tour through this beautiful valley. We stopped in a Tobacco farm where unfortunately it wasn't the season to be growing tobacco and they had yucca and other plants growing instead, but we did get to see all the leaves drying and the owner of the farm explain the whole process. Then smoked a cigar together before heading back on our horses. We passed through a beautiful cave, and the mountains were amazing. Nermin and I had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Her Spanish abilities from living in Spain were a little better than mine so anything I wasn't 100% sure about she could explain to me again in English. Some cool things about the production of cigars is that there is very little nicotine in the cigars that are rolled in a farm. The nicotine is found in the veins of the plants and that part is generally taken out and used for other things around the farm. The leaves are cured for about a month, then dried, and then can be rolled. I don't remember the exact amount, but the farmers are required to sell an exorbitant amount (I believe, 70%) of their tobacco leaves to the government, and can only keep a certain amount for themselves. Then on top of that, they must also give a percentage of their profits they make on the farm to the government.
When we returned from the horse back riding trip, we went back to the casa, showered, and had some time to relax before we would be picked up in another classic american car for our taxi back to Havana. Again, we got this taxi for the same price as the bus and they would take us directly back to the casa where I stayed with Lukas.
Nermin and I headed out for another walk around Havana, our last Cuban day. Because it was my last day and my money was just enough to survive one more day until I could absolutely splurge on almost whatever I wanted... Nermin treated me to a Pina Colada in Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar, called La Floradita. It was a lovely setting full of tourists and over priced Pina Coladas.. However, she scored us a free drink from the bartender from her beautiful smile. As we were walking back to our casa, we were walking down a neighborhood street and heard a ton of screaming and loud music coming from somewhere. As we got closer and closer, we were in complete shock. A group of young Cuban moms, sitting outside, a few guys, and probably 10 girls aged six to twelve.. ish having a huge dance party. This wasn't like little girls doing ballet, or jazz dancing.. But booty shaking, hip moving, insane dance moved going on. I'd seen all sorts of dancing on my trip and well, it didn't really shock me anymore. What did shock me was how young they are. I couldn't stop watching and the moms were cheering for us to come in, however we just hung out with a few of the ladies outside watching and clapping after they did occasional solos. It was really cute, and I loved that they were all having the time of their life together. Just enjoying the simple things and laughing together.
June 18th had arrived all too quickly (kind of) and it was time for the flight to Cancun. Our casa mom made us some breakfast and then we packed, had a nice shower, and headed to the airport. We negotiated a deal with her to get a ride to the airport for only $15 dollars, which Nermin paid. I was planning to adventure there on the bus. But most of the taxis were charging $25 dollars... which is crazy because the most expensive bus/taxi ride between cities was only $12 dollars, and that was hours of driving. But that's one thing I hate about airports, transportation is always too much. Anyways got to the airport, the owner of our casa Sara, came with us in the taxi. She was a crazy chatterbox and had so much to say and Nermin was annoyed and I couldn't completely follow everything she was saying.
Cuba really had me thinking a lot about so many things. I couldn't wrap my head around a lot of things. Especially after landing in Cancun and having literal complete cultural shock.
My budget in Cuba was similar to the other parts of my trip, and I ended up surviving with 27 dollars per day. I had taken a really specific note on my budget but that got wiped from my phone recently. However, a night of accommodation in a casa was $12, breakfast and dinner were found for usually 1 or 2 dollars, and then for lunch I would eat at a peso pizza place, grab a piece of bread for .10c, or buy a mango for .05c. I drank water from the tap which saved me a lot of money. I asked every where I went if tourists drank from the tap and everywhere said now.. However the Cubans drink from the tap. So I decided with my iron stomach after so much traveling, I would give it a try one afternoon, make sure I wasn't sick, and then keep drinking if all went well. Tourist restaurants were so expensive in comparison to the cost of food in Cuba. A restaurant might charge around $5 dollar for pasta, or $10 bucks for a normal plate of rice, beans, piece of meat, and salad. This to me was outrageous knowing the price of groceries and cost of food, and that you could go to a non tourist restaurant and get a delicious plate of food for around $1. Beers were usually two dollars in a restaurant or bar, and one dollar if you bought them in a store. A cola was .50 cents in a store. But like I talked about earlier with groceries were incredibly cheap. I didn't buy ANY snacks in Cuba.. I never do that but in Cuba it was a silly use of my money to buy a package of crackers for $1 when I could buy a bagette for .10c or a mini pizza for .65c. So there were definitely a lot of times my tummy wasn't so happy with me but it's not the end of the world.
So Cuba was definitely the first time in any of my travels where I felt very limited and scared about running out of money. People were generally very understanding with the money situation, seeing as I had to buy the medication for my allergic reactions to the bug bites, and I had huge wounds to show for it.. and then they are just the nicest most genuine people I've ever met traveling. Although I was annoyed with how much they charge tourists for things, I tried not to let it get to me, but it was frustrating at some points. Also had a few other travelers that I had JUST met offer to loan me some money and I could pay them back when I returned from Cuba. I didn't want to have to worry about that and figured I would make it all work.. I also could have possibly gotten someone to western union me money... but, that would require using the internet possibly twice, which right there is 10 bucks.
The weather in Cuba.. was by far the most extreme heat and humidity I had ever been in. We are talking 100 degrees with 80 % humidity. Some of the rooms in my casa's had air con, but I had just gotten used to not using it or having it so went without. When I went on that bike ride in Trinidad sweat literally was just rolling and rolling down me. Occasionally I would try to wash things in the shower but they would not dry for days... Plus, what was the point of ever wearing clean clothes in Cuba because immediately after walking outside in the morning you were already completely covered in sweat? haha just kidding, I occasionally wore clean stuff. However, I was there in the hottest month of the year and also during the start of hurricane season.
The roads in Cuba were insane... You had horse drawn carriages going down the freeways, carts pulled by oxen, newer cars, and then cars from every era. Riding in the classic cars was such a treat and so funny too. Both times I was in the car, there was rain, and the roof would leak. The back seat was so spacious. One of them, the window had to be rolled up with a wrench because the handle had fallen off and there was just a stub. They were really loud but cruised really nicely.. I thought it would be totally different. In Havana you have coco taxi's which are like motorized tuk tuks, pedicabs, and buses like I have never seen before. Cuba would be an absolutely wonderful country to do a bicycle tour across because you have such empty freeways that are really wide.
I had read on wikitravel page that you could try and hitch hike in Cuba at these places outside of major cities called Punto Amarillo.. There is a government hired person who helps people to hitch hike. We always drove by the lines of people trying to get places but every trip, our taxi was already full, and because we were in a private vehicle we were not obligated to pick up passengers. However a government vehicle is obliged to pick up as many people as possible from the punto amaraillos. Some people would be holding out money. This would have been a huge money saver but it seemed like it might be a little difficult with the backpack, and maybe make Cubans angry that a tourist was would get transported somewhere before them because I would hold out 1 CUC (dollar) instead of 5 CUP which is equivalent to .20c.
Some incredible things that Cuba does have going for them is their access to free education. They have the highest literacy rate in the world at 99.8%.. That is incredible. As far as education goes, people can study what they want and as many things as they want for free. They still must pay for their cost of living during University but what an incredible gift that many don't ' realize how a privilege they have. I believe anyone who would like to study in a university in Cuba can do so, they just in turn have to work in Cuba for a certain amount of time. I met a Costa Rican girl who was studying medicine there and about to start working there in exchange for her free education.
Another great thing that Cubans have is free medical care. They say if you need surgery or something sometimes it can take a while to get approved and for the surgery to happen but you will eventually get it.
Plastic bags, napkins, and occasionally toilet paper can be long lost friends. Nermin caught a nasty cough in Cuba and went to the pharmacy and they wanted to give her some cough medicine but told her she needed to bring her own container.. So she gave them a water bottle and they put a little label on it. You ask for napkins in a restaurant and they just simply don't have them.. it's an extra cost that apparently isn't really necessary so use your hands. The lack of plastic I thought was really cool.. Even when you bought your peso pizza you just got a piece of paper to eat it on. Many of the peso priced food places were just outside of someones living room window, you order through the bars, and then you go on your way. The one pictured above with Lukas and I was our favorite in Havana and there were actual chairs but this was rare.
Clothing for women, even for work is very sexy. The ladies working at the banks, the grocery stores, the marina, pretty much everyone had a short pencil skirt, some sweet designed tights usually with high heels. Even police officers had sexy looking one piece uniforms. Even just for strolls on the malecon, most women were dressed up really pretty and lots of heels! In Trinidad and a few other city centers, I have no idea how they survived with the cobblestone streets and stuff! Troopers.
There were sooo many different things that put Cuba really really high up on my favorite countries list. The sights were incredible, the kindness and curiosity of the people, a country without coca cola and everyone playing on their smart phones, a country where people genuinely seem happy despite having so little. I'm sure there are a ton of things I forgot since it's been so long since my Cuba trip but it is such a charming country and would highly recommend everyone visit!
The next day the sun had finally came out and I wanted to adventure to the beach. I heard there was a bus you could take, however for some reason, the bus just randomly decided not to show up. I'm sure that they are in kahootz with the taxi drivers so they can all earn more money. This Argentinian couple that I met we were determined to not take a taxi but figure out another way to get there. So we found a local bus outside of the city center going to La Boca.. which is where all the locals go to enjoy the beach which worked out perfectly because it was a Sunday. There were tons of families out and enjoying , and of course all sorts of Havanna club rum floating around. One family came over to talk to us because the Argnetinan guy looked a little bit like Che, so they asked if he was related since they were from the right country, it fit the match. Then we ended up playing with the kids, laughing, and hanging out with this Cuban family. They invited us to a family members Cuban house down the street to eat with them but we felt that was too much! La Boca wasn't exactly a beach but it was definitely a place to swim. After the family went in to have lunch we still wanted to try and get to the other beach. Apparently it is the second nicest beach on the main island of Cuba. So we were asking taxis, and people about how we could get there. Randomly as we were walking down the street there was this huge, really old bus that we flagged down. They told us they would take us to the beach for $1. The beach was really nice and there was a few people there and a few resorts that were all inclusive.. This time with wristbands. We swam, and I enjoyed a nice little nap. The clouds once again started rolling in and we were not exactly sure how we were going to get back, but Argentina couple to the rescue.. She found a guy with a huge van who would take us back to the city center for two dollars! Our lucky day because literally as we got in, it started pouring cats and dogs again. When I got back I took another salsa lesson but this one was for free because my teacher decided after we got to hang out more that I didn't learn anything and deserved another, harder class.
While we were driving, we had a pretty interesting discussion with the people in the car about the American dream. All three of the Cubans dream about moving to America, buying nice clothes, having better smart phones than the ones they have, and being able to do whatever they want. However, it seems that they don't exactly understand what is expected and how hard people work to achieve this dream. Not to say that Cubans are not hardworking, but their attitude towards work and accomplishing things at a certain pace is different than how an American might do something. So hard work is different between the two countries, which I absolutely agree with. Things are very very expensive, especially as someone who would come in and probably be gardening or possibly cleaning, life isn't easy or glamurious as it is in movies like people perceive it.. I've been there and lived that. While of course I was born into a very very lucky life. After college I saw that, its' tough to survive for most people because of the high costs of paying for a car ( which is kind of an essential in most US. cities), insurance, health insurance, education, rent.. All these things add up to a lot of money and in the end of the day, for people just starting to work or their careers doesn't always leave much play money like the Cubans think. Of course the Cubans disagreed with our conversation but it was an interesting one. The thing that it seems that every one has in Cuba.. despite their job, money, etc etc, is happiness. They are all out enjoying one another. Sure they have smart phones, but they can't quite use them in the capacity that we do because they don't have enough money to pay for the service, and in most places there is no 4g service. To use the internet even is a struggle and most cannot afford it. So they are like sterotypical Cubans that you see in movies, on their front patios, hanging out in rocking chairs, sometimes watching TV, the kids playing with coke bottles in the streets, and from the outside is truly does look like a simple life full of happiness and simple pleasures.Cubans don't agree with this, but that is just my opinion from the outside.
The following day I had negotiated with a friend of my host moms to go on a horseback riding tour for $8, less than half of the normal price. Yet another perk of traveling in Cuba during the off season. He also was able to cut my "national 'park" entrance in half just by saying I was a student in Havanna. It was myself and one Japanese girl and then our tour guide. We were taken through groves of mango trees, a beautiful valley, and then an awesome water fall to swim in. The water was super refreshing. The Cuban humidity and head it absolutely killer. Again, I took another salsa class when I returned.
The following day I decided to rent a bike and head back to the beautiful beach because I didn't get to spend so much time out there as I would have liked and the reef was very close to where the sand was so I could easily swim out there and snorkel. Sadly... I forgot my goggles but enjoyed biking despite all the sweat! It was a really pleasant ride and my bike wasn't too bad. Plus I could go exploring. I was a little bit annoyed that in the areas closer to the resorts they charged you to "park" your bike.. So I went back to the smaller places in between where there were still little shade umbrellas and no one charging to park your bike. I fell in love with the little area I stayed at. All the Cubans couldn't believe that I biked all the way there and back in the same day. Which to me seems funny because they are all biking all over the city, but I guess going long distances isn't their thing? After I returned I had another salsa lesson. The joy of salsa dancing with a guy who knows how to salsa dance, is that you just kind of go with the flow and as long as you have a basic idea of what your partner is doing you can follow easily. I went out a few more nights in Trinidad with Yero, my salsa teacher and his friends. "La casa de musica" was an outdoor stage area with tons of space for people to dance.. Set up by the government. You could see all sorts of different performances during the week, and it turns out there are "la casa de musica" in every touristy city in Cuba. But it's great since the locals are enjoying the performances and dancing as are tourists. I genuinely fell in love with the simplicity of Trindad. While yes, it was super touristy, it was also still small enough to walk around everywhere, talk to as many locals as you would like, and lots to do. I'm glad I ended up spending the few days longer than I had originally planned. The nights of salsa, the beach days, and the other surprises that came in Trinidad were awesome.
My next stop was Santa Clara, where I would get to see Che Guevara's tomb and mausoleum. In Cuba there are two bus lines. One is Astro which is only for Cubans or people living in Cuba... despite what Cubans tell you. It is about 1/10 of the price of the other bus line. Viazul. Because less people were heading to SC from Trinidad, I couldn't arrange for another cheap taxi in between. When I arrived in SC there are a huge group of people standing outside the station trying to rent rooms in their casa's. Sometimes I talk to the people to try and negociate a deal, other times it's better to just walk around the center and look for the signs on the houses (there are little blue anchor signs outside of the houses where people rent their rooms), but since I knew I could probably get a better deal with all of them there.. I talked to one guy who accepted my offer to stay in his room for $10. I wouldn't commit until I saw the room but usually they are pretty nice. So I took a $1 bike taxi.. after much negotiation (he wanted $4, but it's only 1 mile or so), he took me to the house. It was nice, the owners daughter was watching some spongebob, and turns out he has a niece living in AZ. While I was talking to the owner, the guy who sat behind me on the bus walked in.We started chatting and he had a terrible hangover from the night before in Trinidad and was feeling so ill on the bus, so didn't talk to me. But immediately we had lots and lots of travel stories to share and went out to get some dinner together at a peso restaurant and a beer in the plaza. Lukas is my age from Austria and a top travel notch travel partner in my trips. We had a ton of things in common. He had studied abroad at UW in Madison, completed his Masters in Hong Kong, and been on lots of backpacking trips. He currently was just on a two week holiday from work, he is currently working in Germany.
After an amazing night of rest we had some breakfast in the house together before we set off the explore Santa Clara and see the sights. We used our map and walked everywhere, Che's Mausoleum, a viewpoint, a park, stopped at a random fruit stand where we bought a pineapple for .25 cents and the lady offered to chop it up for us while we ate on the side of the road. Then the railroad memorial park where the last battle
He had his flight the next day so he took me all around Havana. Again, we found another private taxi that would take us sooner and for a cheaper price than the Viazul bus. This was a huge bonus to traveling with someone else and in the off season. Our house overlooked the capitol and we were in the heart of old havana. It was dropping some rain on us sometimes but we kept going and didn't let it bother us. There isn't a ton to "
Cuban fashion is quite a difficult one to describe, but actually in a way like Japanese style. The guys usually have some wild haircuts with hair only on the top and none on the sides, or sometimes things shaved into their heads, and clothing is sometimes tight jeans on guys, flashy shirts, flashy necklaces, and crazy shoes. This really surprised me because most of them are very limited with their money, but they chose to spend a lot on clothes. According to the Cuban friends we made, clothes are similar in cost to what someone would pay at a normally priced store like Target in America. If you remember back to my previous posts, Cubans usually make between 12 and 30 dollars a month from their job. Of course to survive many of them do things on the side, but that doesn't give you much money to play with.
The next day we went on a horseback riding tour through this beautiful valley. We stopped in a Tobacco farm where unfortunately it wasn't the season to be growing tobacco and they had yucca and other plants growing instead, but we did get to see all the leaves drying and the owner of the farm explain the whole process. Then smoked a cigar together before heading back on our horses. We passed through a beautiful cave, and the mountains were amazing. Nermin and I had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Her Spanish abilities from living in Spain were a little better than mine so anything I wasn't 100% sure about she could explain to me again in English. Some cool things about the production of cigars is that there is very little nicotine in the cigars that are rolled in a farm. The nicotine is found in the veins of the plants and that part is generally taken out and used for other things around the farm. The leaves are cured for about a month, then dried, and then can be rolled. I don't remember the exact amount, but the farmers are required to sell an exorbitant amount (I believe, 70%) of their tobacco leaves to the government, and can only keep a certain amount for themselves. Then on top of that, they must also give a percentage of their profits they make on the farm to the government.
When we returned from the horse back riding trip, we went back to the casa, showered, and had some time to relax before we would be picked up in another classic american car for our taxi back to Havana. Again, we got this taxi for the same price as the bus and they would take us directly back to the casa where I stayed with Lukas.Nermin and I headed out for another walk around Havana, our last Cuban day. Because it was my last day and my money was just enough to survive one more day until I could absolutely splurge on almost whatever I wanted... Nermin treated me to a Pina Colada in Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar, called La Floradita. It was a lovely setting full of tourists and over priced Pina Coladas.. However, she scored us a free drink from the bartender from her beautiful smile. As we were walking back to our casa, we were walking down a neighborhood street and heard a ton of screaming and loud music coming from somewhere. As we got closer and closer, we were in complete shock. A group of young Cuban moms, sitting outside, a few guys, and probably 10 girls aged six to twelve.. ish having a huge dance party. This wasn't like little girls doing ballet, or jazz dancing.. But booty shaking, hip moving, insane dance moved going on. I'd seen all sorts of dancing on my trip and well, it didn't really shock me anymore. What did shock me was how young they are. I couldn't stop watching and the moms were cheering for us to come in, however we just hung out with a few of the ladies outside watching and clapping after they did occasional solos. It was really cute, and I loved that they were all having the time of their life together. Just enjoying the simple things and laughing together.
June 18th had arrived all too quickly (kind of) and it was time for the flight to Cancun. Our casa mom made us some breakfast and then we packed, had a nice shower, and headed to the airport. We negotiated a deal with her to get a ride to the airport for only $15 dollars, which Nermin paid. I was planning to adventure there on the bus. But most of the taxis were charging $25 dollars... which is crazy because the most expensive bus/taxi ride between cities was only $12 dollars, and that was hours of driving. But that's one thing I hate about airports, transportation is always too much. Anyways got to the airport, the owner of our casa Sara, came with us in the taxi. She was a crazy chatterbox and had so much to say and Nermin was annoyed and I couldn't completely follow everything she was saying.
Cuba really had me thinking a lot about so many things. I couldn't wrap my head around a lot of things. Especially after landing in Cancun and having literal complete cultural shock.
My budget in Cuba was similar to the other parts of my trip, and I ended up surviving with 27 dollars per day. I had taken a really specific note on my budget but that got wiped from my phone recently. However, a night of accommodation in a casa was $12, breakfast and dinner were found for usually 1 or 2 dollars, and then for lunch I would eat at a peso pizza place, grab a piece of bread for .10c, or buy a mango for .05c. I drank water from the tap which saved me a lot of money. I asked every where I went if tourists drank from the tap and everywhere said now.. However the Cubans drink from the tap. So I decided with my iron stomach after so much traveling, I would give it a try one afternoon, make sure I wasn't sick, and then keep drinking if all went well. Tourist restaurants were so expensive in comparison to the cost of food in Cuba. A restaurant might charge around $5 dollar for pasta, or $10 bucks for a normal plate of rice, beans, piece of meat, and salad. This to me was outrageous knowing the price of groceries and cost of food, and that you could go to a non tourist restaurant and get a delicious plate of food for around $1. Beers were usually two dollars in a restaurant or bar, and one dollar if you bought them in a store. A cola was .50 cents in a store. But like I talked about earlier with groceries were incredibly cheap. I didn't buy ANY snacks in Cuba.. I never do that but in Cuba it was a silly use of my money to buy a package of crackers for $1 when I could buy a bagette for .10c or a mini pizza for .65c. So there were definitely a lot of times my tummy wasn't so happy with me but it's not the end of the world.
So Cuba was definitely the first time in any of my travels where I felt very limited and scared about running out of money. People were generally very understanding with the money situation, seeing as I had to buy the medication for my allergic reactions to the bug bites, and I had huge wounds to show for it.. and then they are just the nicest most genuine people I've ever met traveling. Although I was annoyed with how much they charge tourists for things, I tried not to let it get to me, but it was frustrating at some points. Also had a few other travelers that I had JUST met offer to loan me some money and I could pay them back when I returned from Cuba. I didn't want to have to worry about that and figured I would make it all work.. I also could have possibly gotten someone to western union me money... but, that would require using the internet possibly twice, which right there is 10 bucks.
The weather in Cuba.. was by far the most extreme heat and humidity I had ever been in. We are talking 100 degrees with 80 % humidity. Some of the rooms in my casa's had air con, but I had just gotten used to not using it or having it so went without. When I went on that bike ride in Trinidad sweat literally was just rolling and rolling down me. Occasionally I would try to wash things in the shower but they would not dry for days... Plus, what was the point of ever wearing clean clothes in Cuba because immediately after walking outside in the morning you were already completely covered in sweat? haha just kidding, I occasionally wore clean stuff. However, I was there in the hottest month of the year and also during the start of hurricane season.
The roads in Cuba were insane... You had horse drawn carriages going down the freeways, carts pulled by oxen, newer cars, and then cars from every era. Riding in the classic cars was such a treat and so funny too. Both times I was in the car, there was rain, and the roof would leak. The back seat was so spacious. One of them, the window had to be rolled up with a wrench because the handle had fallen off and there was just a stub. They were really loud but cruised really nicely.. I thought it would be totally different. In Havana you have coco taxi's which are like motorized tuk tuks, pedicabs, and buses like I have never seen before. Cuba would be an absolutely wonderful country to do a bicycle tour across because you have such empty freeways that are really wide.
I had read on wikitravel page that you could try and hitch hike in Cuba at these places outside of major cities called Punto Amarillo.. There is a government hired person who helps people to hitch hike. We always drove by the lines of people trying to get places but every trip, our taxi was already full, and because we were in a private vehicle we were not obligated to pick up passengers. However a government vehicle is obliged to pick up as many people as possible from the punto amaraillos. Some people would be holding out money. This would have been a huge money saver but it seemed like it might be a little difficult with the backpack, and maybe make Cubans angry that a tourist was would get transported somewhere before them because I would hold out 1 CUC (dollar) instead of 5 CUP which is equivalent to .20c.
Some incredible things that Cuba does have going for them is their access to free education. They have the highest literacy rate in the world at 99.8%.. That is incredible. As far as education goes, people can study what they want and as many things as they want for free. They still must pay for their cost of living during University but what an incredible gift that many don't ' realize how a privilege they have. I believe anyone who would like to study in a university in Cuba can do so, they just in turn have to work in Cuba for a certain amount of time. I met a Costa Rican girl who was studying medicine there and about to start working there in exchange for her free education.
Another great thing that Cubans have is free medical care. They say if you need surgery or something sometimes it can take a while to get approved and for the surgery to happen but you will eventually get it.
Plastic bags, napkins, and occasionally toilet paper can be long lost friends. Nermin caught a nasty cough in Cuba and went to the pharmacy and they wanted to give her some cough medicine but told her she needed to bring her own container.. So she gave them a water bottle and they put a little label on it. You ask for napkins in a restaurant and they just simply don't have them.. it's an extra cost that apparently isn't really necessary so use your hands. The lack of plastic I thought was really cool.. Even when you bought your peso pizza you just got a piece of paper to eat it on. Many of the peso priced food places were just outside of someones living room window, you order through the bars, and then you go on your way. The one pictured above with Lukas and I was our favorite in Havana and there were actual chairs but this was rare.Clothing for women, even for work is very sexy. The ladies working at the banks, the grocery stores, the marina, pretty much everyone had a short pencil skirt, some sweet designed tights usually with high heels. Even police officers had sexy looking one piece uniforms. Even just for strolls on the malecon, most women were dressed up really pretty and lots of heels! In Trinidad and a few other city centers, I have no idea how they survived with the cobblestone streets and stuff! Troopers.
There were sooo many different things that put Cuba really really high up on my favorite countries list. The sights were incredible, the kindness and curiosity of the people, a country without coca cola and everyone playing on their smart phones, a country where people genuinely seem happy despite having so little. I'm sure there are a ton of things I forgot since it's been so long since my Cuba trip but it is such a charming country and would highly recommend everyone visit!
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