Havana Revisited: Dec. 19, 2009 - Jan. 2, 2010

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There have been a few changes since the last time we visited Havana in 2005. The biggest is the amount of building restorations. There is still much work to be done of course, as many beautiful pieces of architecture appear to be on the verge of collapse - but the restorations that have taken place are magnificent, and the city looks so much better for it. To me, this is very pleasing, because the architecture is the biggest charm of Havana, and it's very important for it to be preserved.

Other changes: a lot more people walking around in what appear to be designer clothing, but what are more likely knock-offs from China. Also, Chinese tourists and brand new Chinese made tour buses. Back in 2005, all the tour buses were old Europeans. The Chinese buses are much nicer. It's nice to see that China has been helping Cuba out a bit these past few years. Hopefully further investments are to come. A few non-polluting manufacturing factories would be a huge boost to Cuba's economy. Another interesting thing I kept seeing at all the book stalls were Chinese cook books. Cuban cuisine could use a bit of help I'm sorry to say, as nobody goes to Cuba for the food. Although the restaurants we ate at in Havana were pretty good, we didn't stray too far from my list of recommended places. It would be pretty cool if Chinese food were to become really popular in Cuba.

Old Havana is a bit of a tourist trap. It is beautiful, and I love walking through those narrow streets and awesome plazas, but all the people trying to get us to buy cigars or ride in their horse carriage started to get really annoying by the second day. In Old Havana, Cubans approach you more looking for a handout, whereas in the rest of Havana, people pretty much leave you alone. Don't get me wrong, Cubans are INCREDIBLY friendly, and they want to chat with foreigners. But they want to do it by bringing you into a restaurant or bar and by ordering drinks, which you are expected to pay for. I wouldn't mind this in the least if I could pay with the monnaie nacional, but this is incredibly expensive when you have to pay with the convertible pesos (CUC's.) Near the University of Havana, after having met a professor of Cuban History and Elementary school baseball teacher on the street, they took us to the Student Union bar for a few drinks: non-alcoholic beverages that were like mojitos, only with honey - and I think it was cola instead of soda water. They were delicious and refreshing, and I am glad for the experience and the chance to chat with Cubans and practice my rudimentary Spanish, but we got stuck with the $20 bill ($16CUC for 4 non-alcoholic drinks!) The Cubans wanted the other $4 for their kids they said. Whatever, I don't really care about $20, but I know damn well they aren't charging students that much for those drinks. As a tourist, you have to expect to be taken advantage of.

The following week, near Barrio Chino, another guy started talking to us in the street. He said there was a street festival just up ahead that he would take us to. Instead, he takes us to a patio of a restaurant and tells us how great the mojitos are there and that we should sit down. We just had mojitos and I was in no mood to buy this guy a drink (much less lunch, which is what we were looking for at the time), so we just said sorry and walked away. If I had better Spanish and was better able to carry on a conversation with these people, it might be more worth it.

Another odd encounter we had was near the Old Wall. A man approached us saying he was learning English and asking where we were from. Everyone seems so thrilled when you say you are from Canada, and my pessimistic self thinks it's because Canadians are quick to part with their money because we're too "nice." We're not that nice, so later in the trip we started pretending we were Germans so people would leave us alone. So this guy finds out we're Canadian and then proceeds to follow us and try to talk to us - his English was horrible. I think he was trying to get us to hire him as a guide. At first he said he was some kind of engineer. Later he took out a walkie talkie, used it, and said he was actually a police officer. But every time we passed uniformed police, he would pretend he wasn't trying to talk to us and walk well behind us. We started to ignore him, especially when he started to try to take us to his house - he was clearly up to something. Thankfully, when we passed his house he just crossed the street and left us alone. But it would have been really easy to become distracted by this guy and get lost. Luckily, we were within sight of the Capitolio and knew where we were going.

Our aimless wandering throughout the rest of Havana took us to some pretty sketchy areas. But the thing I love about Havana is you never feel unsafe, despite the incredible poverty around you. After visiting the Cristobal Colon Cemetery, we tried to find the park area along the river dividing Vedado and Miramar. We never found it - what we found instead were neighbourhoods that looked like they had been erected by residents on what perhaps used to be park space. These were unlabeled, dirt streets that were on no map. Yet insanely, I felt safer walking those streets than I did in certain parts of Winnipeg, Canada or Marseilles, France. No one bothered us, just one group of people sitting on a curb said in spanish "hey friend, give me a dollar," which we heard all over Old Havana. Not too different than the streets of Toronto, really, except in Toronto beggars are freezing in the streets because they have no place to go and are much more likely to be starving than Cubans. Cubans have monthly food rations and guaranteed housing (though there is overcrowding in the cities, and many people are forced to continue living with their parents into adulthood.) Rent is only 15% of their monthly incomes, and unemployment, according to an issue of Granma I read while there, is only 1.6% (although there are problems with low productivity.) Either way, I'd rather be poor in Havana than homeless in Toronto.

I only saw one truly destitute person the entire time we were in Havana. We went to the Casa de la Musica one night, and on our way out a disheveled, seemingly drunken man in rags tried to grab my friend asking for money - she ignored him and he fell on the hood of a car right in front of me.

The Casa de la Musica was amazing! It was only $5 CUC cover, and there was a dancing group, live music, and later a dj playing salsa music for a packed dance floor. A Cuban man tried to teach me to salsa. I should have taken lessons before my trip. But even if you can't dance, the live bands and dancing still provide great entertainment, so you can just sit at your table and drink for cheap (only $1 a beer). The acoustics in Casa de la Musica, which is an old opera theater, are fantastic.

Another highlight of our trip was New Years Eve. We didn't have any plans, we just figured we'd roam around and look for a good time. Cubans spend New Years Eve partying at home with their friends and family. We could hear and see many house parties that were clearly the place to be. But us tourists we had the choice of either roaming the streets looking for a good bar, or paying a ridiculous price for a sit-down dinner at some fancy restaurant with live entertainment. I was dismayed to discover that Plaza de la Catedrale was completely closed off for such an exclusive event. Plaza de la Vieja was only partially cordoned off, so you could still enjoy the live band and dance outside the zone reserved for paying guests. We ate a great $6 quarter chicken dinner at O'Riely's Cafe and then found a bar where not everyone was sitting, so it looked more fun. Later a live band came in, and we stood near the bar chatting with some guys from New York. It was a nice mix of locals and tourists, and we had a great time drinking mojitos, smoking cigarillos, and even did a bit of foolish dancing once we were drunk enough. Our New York friend complained that his entire life, New Years Eve was marked by watching the ball drop, but this year he was watching the Havana cannon shoot at midnight on tv, which was followed by a photo montage of Fidel, Che, and Chavez. At midnight, Cubans follow a tradition whereby they throw a bucket of water out their window, so anyone stuck in the streets is bound to get soaked.

We met quite a few Americans while in Cuba, not just the New Yorkers. They go via a third country, and I do hope they all made it home without any troubles seeing as how Cuba was added to the U.S. terror list while we were there. Relations do not seem to be "thawing" as expected under Obama, so hopefully China and Venezuela will increase their support accordingly. China makes everything, so I see no reason why Cuba should have to continue to endure various shortages of basic drugs and other necessities.

One last thing: a good habit for all the women out there - carry tissue/toilet paper and soap, along with some change, with you wherever you go in Cuba. You will need these things when you use any washroom outside your hotel. I would wash my hands with one of the many bars of soap I carried around with me, and leave it at the sink for those who followed. Some washrooms have attendants that provide you with tissue before you go in, and/or they have to put a bucket of water in the toilet after each use because they don't flush properly. You are expected to tip accordingly.

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Photos

Hemingway Statue at El Floridita
Ernest Hemingway would come to this bar for the daiquiris, which are divine, but expensive. Located at Calle Obispo #567, at Monserrate