Cuba is by all accounts a must-visit tropical paradise. The beautiful but impoverished island state’s challenges are in plain view for all to see, but an undeniable magic permeates every part of life there. Straddling the existing socialist society put in place by the revolutionary Fidel Castro in 1959 with the tourist-driven expectations for capitalist conveniences such as a seat on every toilet, consistent WiFi connectivity and an endless array of menu offerings – it’s truly a dichotomy.
For those of us used to a country rich in resources and free-flowing trade it’s not easy to fully understand and wrap one’s head around the Cuban way of life. When inquiring how a Caribbean island nation has no fish markets or why Taxi drivers earn more than Doctors or about any question regarding the way this society functions, you’re always given the same response – “Es muy complicado.”
But amidst the incongruities there are a few certainties: the people are wonderfully warm and welcoming; the weather is spectacular; and you won’t find a safer place to travel on the planet. The ladder is due to the fact that everyone is always under a watchful eye. There are cameras and lookouts everywhere. If you are caught carrying a knife you go to jail for 5 years. Possession of even the smallest amount of cannabis will land you in jail for 5 years and cocaine will get you 10. One quickly realizes it’s not just the Gov’t that is spying on it’s people’s every move, but the people are always watching one another. In a very good way.
When Castro’s revolutionaries toppled the ruling government of Fulgencio Batista, worship of any kind in Cuba immediately came to a halt. By decree, one’s faith in God now shifted to putting your trust in the socialist state. Any criticism of the Marxist regime was very dangerous. One could not be a member of the Communist Party in Cuba without professing a belief in atheism. The vacuum created by the absence of any church sponsored support groups seems to have been filled by the Cuban populous themselves. Ever conscious of those who are suffering or less fortunate, everyone is quick to give their countryman a helping hand. Whatever is needed to get one another through the day.
In Cuba the focus seems to be on the collective “we” and not the “me.” One sunny afternoon in the middle of a bustling city square, I witnessed a tourist drop their purse getting into a cab. Before their door shut, three random parties of people came to the rescue: one jumping in front of the taxi to stop it; one knocking on the window to get the occupant’s attention; and the other picking the bag up and returning it to the clearly grateful passenger.
The island stretches 777 miles (1250 km) in length and comprises a mixture of every type of terrain. All manner of topography can be found, from the Sierra Maestra and Escambray mountains where the coffee is grown (the highest point Pico Turquino at 6,476 ft /1,974 m), to the pristine coastline that encircles the country at sea level. The water is as crystal clear as any body you’ve ever seen.
Their money is a bit complicado too. Although they do have the CUP or Cuban Peso, you’ll never see them in circulation as they’re only used by the Cuba nationals with an exchange rate of 27CUP:1USD. The currency used in the tourism industry and the currency you will use while traveling in the country is the CUC or Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC). The exchange rate for CUC is pinned to the US Dollar, which means 1CUC equals 1USD. How they determined that exchange rate to be equitable is beyond me. You will also incur an additional 10% tax when USD are exchanged, although the Canadian Dollar, Peso, Euro and Pound are exempt from that tax.
After landing at José Martí International Airport located 9 mi (15 km) southwest of Havana, I made my way to Old Havana and my casa particular (the Cuban version of airbnb). It was there I was joined for lunch by Leonardo, an architect by trade who earns 40CUC per month. His sister who is a doctor earns more of course, 60CUC. The people of Cuba are highly educated, their schooling paid 100% by the Gov’t. But with the Revolution and under Castro’s leadership, the compensation pyramid that capitalist societies are familiar with was turned completely upside down. The best-earning professions next to the head Government and military officials are the people who own and operate the classic 1950s car taxis and the operators of the casa particulars.
Those working in the tourist industry get the opportunity to swim with the big fishes, with completely different perceptions around spending money. Where a Cuban can get a hearty lunch of beans, rice, plantains, stewed chicken meat and a beverage for 2CUC, foreigners don’t bat an eye at spending ten times that amount and an additional 15% for a tip.
Book your lodging ahead of time on-line and bring plenty of cash. Although with great effort you may be able to find a bank that will take a credit or debit card and give you cash, you can be certain there will be an egregious fee tacked on. To be on the safe side I’d suggest you budget $150 per day in country. Rooms can be secured for as low as 20CUC per night and meals for easily half that. But gas is at a premium and travel from one end of the country to the other will be your biggest expenditure by far.
For my first meal in country I ordered Ropa Vieja, one of the national dishes of Cuba. A tasty combination of shredded stewed beef with some traces of onions and green peppers. Finding any vegetables, especially greens is not an easy feat due to the lack of trade. Every dish served consists of whatever the seasonal harvest happens to be, and things Americans take for granted like french fries with our hamburgers are only available in the Fall or early winter. But fear not those of you with limited palates, the Cubans are creative. In the case of french fries, they substitute plantains, which are similar in texture and actually quite delicious when fried with garlic.
The culinary offerings are a work in progress, with pork being the main staple of their diet. Although you will find beef and chicken options on the menu, only the lesser cuts are available and whatever protein used is typically a part of the dish and not the main focus. Although you can always find a chicken leg or hamburger, never once did I see a chicken breast or filet mignon or ribeye as a menu item. My guess is the prime cuts get consumed by the Gov’t and elite class.
The other thing which becomes immediately apparent whether you are dining in someone’s home, a private restaurant or a Gov’t run establishment is that it is rare to find any seafood dishes. I’ve always appreciated the indigenous fish recipes like the endless varieties of ceviche one finds traveling around this part of the world – it’s odd to be on a Caribbean island where you’ll never see a fish market. But understanding Key West is only 105 miles (170 km) from the Port of Havana, Cuban citizens are not allowed to own private boats and forbidden from boarding foreign vessels. For that reason there is no substantial fishing industry.
It is easy to find work in this constitutionally defined Marxist–Leninist socialist state. The Gov’t is committed to provide the basic needs for all of its citizens and you would be hard pressed to find homeless or transient people, anywhere. Health care is free, the richest Cubans receiving the same medical care as the poorest. And although I was told the Cuban doctors are some of the best in the world and many foreigners actually travel there for care, the waiting list for operations tends to be long and the biggest issue they wrestle with is that medicine is sparse. That is where the wealthy Cubans have the advantage – virtually anything can be found on the black market, for a price.
The typical wage is around 12CUC per month, and how anyone could live on that is difficult to wrap one’s head around. But they manage to, everyone pitching in to help their fellow countrymen out. Family bonds are tight as is community, those who are more blessed spreading the wealth. The challenge is to find a way to make any substantial earnings to save for things like a car. Although the majority of the streets and roadways around the major cities are in good shape, there is a lack of any real traffic. Even if cars were readily available for purchase without the blockade, people just don’t have the means to buy a new car or pay a loan on one. It’s the key to understanding how it is possible for one of the most uniquely Cuban experiences – why the majority of the vehicles you see driving around on the roads are from the 1950s.
Walking around Havana you often feel as though you’re in a time warp. Everywhere you look there are 1950s vehicles of all types. Usually handed down from one generation to the next, the Cubans manage to keep the cars roadworthy. But typically these classic Detroit automobiles are just a shell of what they originally were, running on Hyundai engines, Mercedes drive trains and Toyota breaks. Other than the body panels and interior, almost none of the working parts are original. The cars are “Frankensteined together” and incredibly expensive; one in decent condition valued at around $40K. You see cars on blocks everywhere as it’s not uncommon for someone to have to park theirs for weeks – if not months – waiting for replacement parts to get them roadworthy again.
As with cars, if someone does own a home, it was most likely handed down from a family member. Cubans are only allowed to have one domicile, and if you own an apartment, your ownership is only for the interior elements – the building itself is owned by the state. The priority for the state is that you have a roof over your head and not that the façade of the building is in tip-top condition which explains the blight you see everywhere.
Walking down the Malecón, a broad esplanade and seawall that stretches for 5 miles (8 km) along the prime Havana coastline encircling the bustling city center, it brings up some more “muy complicado” questions. Specifically, how such prime beach-front real estate has been clearly left to slowly rot? Those same lots located in Miami or Singapore or Barcelona would be some of the most expensive properties in those cities. But the majority of the buildings along the waterfront here look like they are barely standing. It appears as if the sea salt weathered building façades haven’t seen any updates since Castro took over power in 1959. When I asked one of the people who lives in these properties about my personal safety walking down the Malecón, he commented in jest – “You will never have any concerns for your safety on the streets with the people. It’s the falling pieces of the buildings you need to be worried about.”
Few people have WiFi connections in their houses. It is super expensive and the majority of the population purchase cards which allow access to the various hotspots around the city. Each card costs 1CUC and provides 1 hour of service. They also offer a 5 hour card which costs 5CUC, but once you connect you have to use the entire time allotment. You can’t reconnect to use the remainder.
Although there aren’t a lot of street lights, the constant use of things like television and air conditioning made me wonder how expensive electricity was for homeowners. Inquiring with my host of my casa particular, he told me electricity isn’t expensive at all. “It’s free. I steal it.”
One of the strangest experiences during my travels to Havana happened while enjoying some ice cream after dinner at a cremaría. Prior to my arrival I had heard all about Coppelia, a state run ice cream parlor which was originally a project spearheaded by Castro in 1966 to introduce his love of dairy products to the Cuban people – “¡Helado por el pueblo!” If Cubans were unable to have so many of the things Westerners took for granted, the least he could do was to feed his people’s sweet tooth. Initially, the intent was to produce more flavors than the largest American brands at the time and when they first opened one could choose from an expansive variety of 26 different flavors. By the time I arrived at the counter 54 years later, apparently they had a run on 24 of them; all they had left that day was chocolate or vanilla.
The oddest part about my experience at Coppelia was our reception. The place is expansive to say the least, the business employing more than 400 people and serves over 4,250 gallons of ice cream each day. But walking in I was immediately approached by a uniformed guard who directed me to a back staircase. I was led up to a small private area which was completely removed from the large open air seating areas where the Cuban nationals enjoyed their ice cream treats. It was the only time during my 10-day stay in country where I felt purposely separated from the general population. What I initially thought was to keep foreigners from fraternizing with the locals turned out to be a completely different reason; where the locals paid about 4 cents per scoop, mine cost 50 times that. Reason alone to apply for a Cuban passport.
It’s a tough country for a goloso like myself. The entire time I was there I never saw one chocolate bar for sale. What you do see are a bunch of freezers with brightly colored pictures of Nestle ice cream bars on the side, but the actual product is impossible to come by so they are used to refrigerate locally produced soda products. I did find a bag of cookies at a dulcería. They were charging 10CUC for it.
Everywhere you go there are very few billboards. The ones you do see typically have pictures glorifying the revolution with Ché or Castro or Camilo Cienfuegos. One thing I found very odd was although all three of those bearded heros images could be found on murals and t-shirts and even their money, very few people had any facial hair at all. It just wasn’t in style. Boy is that country muy complicado to understand.
Another odd thing I noticed crossing the country in my taxi compartidos (shared rides), every time a taxi driver crossed a railroad track they stopped and looked both ways. Initially, I guessed it was because they didn’t seem to have any railroad signals in place so the Government mandated people stop and look both ways to be safe. But digging a bit deeper I was told that there are no trains and by the overgrowth on all of the tracks that would appear to be the truth. It seems by making people stop and look for trains it creates the idea that there really are trains and the country has a robust transit system. ¡Que complicado!
For those travelers seeking the comforts of home and a society that mirrors your own, Cuba probably isn’t for you. But with all of the things it’s lacking, it more than makes up for them with the country’s unique character and charm. All you need to do is book your flight and pay $50USD for a visa at the airline counter, and this amazing country is yours to explore. Bring your sunscreen, your dancing shoes, only drink bottled water, and be ready for a travel adventure like you’ve never had before!
