Three weeks in CUBA, in a nutshell...

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I would have loved to blog about my experience in Cuba while I was travelling, but then again 3 weeks is not a long time and internet access in Cuba is expensive, slow and totally unreliable... Also, now that I'm back in Malta, I have had the time to digest all that happened, meaning that I am able to give a more comprehensive description of my trip...

I must admit, I had no idea where to begin, there is so much to say! But since I arrived, family and friends have asked 2 questions primarily: 1) what was your overall impression 2) was it what you expected? So I guess this will be my starting point...

Cuba is definitely a unique destination, there is no other word to describe it. It is a country full of potential - stunning landscapes, old colonial cities, breath-taking beaches, mouth-watering food, an interesting history of struggle for independence and equality, not to mention its people - open, fun-loving, and so talented! And yet, it is also a country of much restrain with an enormous lack of opportunity and political and economic freedom. Was it what I expected? Yes in some respects, and no in others.

One thing is sure: Cuba is 100% about music ... I always had this image in my head of music-filled streets, live bands at every corner and Cubans dancing their worries away... I was not disappointed! Music from all directions creates the continuous soundtrack of daily life... And if you watch closely, everyone is either moving to the rhythm or singing along... or both!

But, the rhythm of Cuba involves much more than its music, it relates to life itself and what seems to be an innate sense among Cubans that life is what one makes of it.

The best way to get to know Cuba and its people is to walk its streets, endlessly. It seems like life is happening on the outside, rather than on the inside. Public and private meld into one as private lives unfold on the streets - people loudly engage in animated conversations from opposite sides of the street, from balconies, windows and passageways, plazas are converted into baseball playing fields and little boys constantly lose their marbles down street drains, a private apartment opens to the public as a Paladar, where, in the middle of a small family living room, a group of foreigners can enjoy an exquisite lobster dinner, while the scent of homemade Cuban cooking permeates the streets. I loved the way people would just stick a table outside their door or open up one of their front windows and sell whatever they had available, from a cup of coffee and a cheese and ham sandwich, to hand-made sculptures and paintings.

I particularly loved walking around Havana Vieja (the old part of town) and the streets of Trinidad. I used to spend hours doing just that, admiring each and every renovated colonial building, with its bright colours, pretty balconies, and leafy interior courtyard. It really felt like stepping back in time. Although I was constantly dragged back to the present by people asking me where I was from in an effort to strike up a conversation that would ultimately lead to them wanting to sell me something. I used to joke about this with a local I befriended in Trinidad, saying that there will be a time when Cubans will also try to sell the sun's rays! There were times, however, when I was pleasantly surprised, like one time in Trinidad when this young boy managed to convince me to try out his family's restaurant - it turned out to be a lovely place, the food was delicious and I got to chat with the guy about life in Cuba and his personal experiences (a taste of the real Cuba).

So yes, the most common question from Cubans is 'Where are you from?' which almost led me to a an identity crisis because I was told I looked Cuban, Italian, Spanish and Mexican. No need to say that I met very few Cubans during my entire visit who knew Malta existed on the map. I would have loved to blend it and not look like a YUMA (tourist) but by simply looking at how I dressed what more than enough for a local to recognise that I was a foreigner. Unfortunately I had forgotten to take with my shocking yellow pants and fuchsia pink t-shirt (2 sizes smaller) - that would have done the trick! Cubans love bright colours, yellow in particular and also seem to have a deep love of sausage dogs, for some reason or another!

The transport system in Cuba is also one of a kind! Anything that can be driven will be used to taxi people around - old American cars falling to bits, 3 wheeled bicycles, horse-driven carriages, trucks, vans, yellow bubble-shaped objects (known as coco taxis), you name it! I will not comment on the state of environmental pollution that most of these cars contribute towards, and will never forget the strong smell of gasoline which accompanied me on every trip. What I enjoyed most about moving around in Havana was taking the 'taxis collectivos', which is the cheaper and Cuban way of taking a taxi. Bascially, all one needs to do is wait at the side of a main street for an American car with a TAXI sign on the front and if the taxi is going in your direction, then you hop in and share the taxi with other people going to your same destination. Besides being very cheap, it was easier than waiting for jam-packed buses and quicker to get to destination. It also meant I didn't have to feel like a tourist, sitting alone in an 'official' taxi.

My experience in Cuba was also a good opportunity to slow down and to break off from the frenetic frenzy of a working life. Cuba also reminded me how impatient I have become. Long queues can always be expected, and not much ever happens on time. Not to mention, the difficulty in communicating for those without a mobile (which are the majority and myself, because Vodafone does not provide service in Cuba) and internet access. I seriously questioned how we managed to cope in those days before the mobile. It is true that unfortunately our dependency on mobile technology has now reached an extreme and we often abuse of this service. But, oh my goodness how disconnected I felt at times. Let me give you a simple scenario - you decide to meet someone at a particular place and time, and something happens which makes you late (very normal in Cuba). The probability is that you will not meet the person you have planned to meet because there is no way to let the person know what is happening!

I must admit that I was expecting a worse level of poverty, maybe comparable to the slums I had seen in Brazil and Peru, but this is not the case in Cuba. It seems like everyone is guaranteed a minimum standard of living, meaning I never saw homeless people sleeping on the street or children running around half naked begging for food. On the contrary, there seemed to be a school every 100 metres (although the state of the children's books and stationery leaves much to be desired). However, everyone seems to be stuck at this minimum survival level with no opportunity whatsoever to ever improve the standard of living, no matter how hard-working or determined the person might be. You can imagine the desperation of the situation, and it is no wonder so many Cubans would grab any opportunity to leave the country - despite their passionate love for it...

I read a lot about Cuba's past, about its never-ending struggle against imperialism, about its deep-rooted desire to be free of oppression and injustice, and I greatly admire this nation who sacrificed so much to achieve it. And I am sure that, for a while, socialism did work in the country... however, like all other man-made systems of belief, the ideal was forgotten and self-interest reigns supreme. As one Cuban told me once, this is not Socialism, it's Fidelism... Castro, and his government, has become the dictator whom he himself and the Cuban people revolted against in the 50s. Cuba has gone from one dictatorship to another. Cuban people are not allowed to leave the country, they are not allowed to be seen with tourists, it is illegal to have internet at home, they are denied access to certain touristic areas, in one month they earn what I would spend in one evening for dinner...

I think what disgusted me most was what my travel book calls the tourist apartheid. The state has managed to create a Cuba for tourists, far removed from the real Cuba. Tourists pay in a separate currency, are served the finest food, may choose from a range of luxurious hotels with all the amenities, including internet, and can travel around in modern air-conditioned buses. However, one does not need to look far to realise how deeply this contrasts to the way most Cubans live. In Cuban homes, walls are crumbling and the cupboards are bare, the State prioritizes fuel supplies for the hotels while private homes suffer regular blackouts and locals are expected to ride bicycles or squeeze in overcrowded buses to save on fuel. As a matter of fact, only those Cubans who have access to the tourist industry (and therefore to the tourist currency - pesos convertibles known as CUCs) are slightly better off than the rest. So it was not a surprise to me to hear of doctors having to drive taxis in their spare time to be able to make ends meet.

One question that constantly came to mind was this: the Cubans have already revolted once, what is keeping them from doing it again? This poem below which I have come across hints at an explanation...

LA VIDA ES UN SUEÑO

When one has lived through countless disappointments
What does one more matter?
After knowing treason in life
You shouldn’t cry
You must realize that everything is a lie
That nothing is true
One must live for the happy moment
One must enjoy what there is to enjoy
Because when all has been accounted for
Life is a dream

Things I would have done differently:

- I would not have visited Santiago, at least not for so long!
- I would have spent more time in the west part of the country, especially Vinales!
- I would have visited Remedios and Cayo Santa Maria
- I would have spent more time in Trinidad
- I would have always booked Viazul buses well in advance
- I would have bought a local SIM card (though I'm not sure if that would have made such a big difference)
- I would not have eaten pizza from the street!
- I would have tasted a daiquiri at La Floridita (stomach problems towards the end of the holiday as a result of eating pizza from the street!)

Things I would NOT have done differently:

- Spent more than 3 nights in each place I visited (except Santiago)
- Gone horse-back riding and swimming in a lake in Trinidad
- Taken salsa private lessons
- Gone to live salsa shows at 17:00 in the afternoon
- Taken every opportunity to get to know a local and discuss their life in Cuba
- Taken a tour on my own
- Met other travellers and share experiences
- Drunk rum

Usually, when asked if I would visit a country again, I would say that with all the destinations the world has to offer, it would be a waste to visit the same place twice... mmmm maybe not! I so enjoyed my immersion in Cuban music and culture that I would not hesitate at the chance to spend more time on the island...

Pictures are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=272078&id=676752842&l=8a48b4f9e6

Recommended Casas:

TRINIDAD

Lili Piedra Rodriguez
Colon #353
E/ Jesus Menendez y Julio A.Mella
Trinidad
([phone] - ([phone] (mobile)

or her parents:

Sra. Ileana Rodriguez Hernandez y Sr. Gilberto Piedra
Jesus Menendez (Alameda) No 92
E/ Agustin Bernaz y C Colon
Trinidad
([phone]

SANTIAGO

Sra. Eulogia Coureaux (Yoyi)
Corona #54
E/ San Ricardo y Sta. Isabel
Santiago de Cuba
[e-mail]
([phone] - ([phone] (mobile)

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Comments

[Cora]

Cubans are not allowed to be around tourists?? Really? I love how you write about your travel.. you're so passionate about it! I am going to hit the photos now :)

[Anneliza]

hey Yv...loved your blog...not simply for the sharing of your experience but for doing it in such a colourful descriptive and informative manner! Well done! Ann xxx

[Michael Dad]

I truly loved reading that. Maybe you should give it to the Times. Thank you

[samantha]

What an adventure!!
Dearest Yvanka! what a fabulous adventure. I enjoyed reading your details about your trip. I love how you describe in so much detail and it seems to me that it would be a lovely place to visit. such a shame that many tourists dont get to see the real Cuba. Hope your enjoying time back in Malta love ya Samantha

[Gilberto D. Piedra]

First of all, thank u for recommending my family's houses( my mom's and sister's) in Trinidad, my lovely birthplace...I've really enjoyed reading your blog, it's full of very accurate observations(despite the few time spent in the island)and lot of funny details...I am still laughing with:"Cubans love bright colours, yellow in particular and also seem to have a deep love of sausage dogs, for some reason or another!"...Thanks again, and great to know you had a good time in Cuba