In March, Brenda and I took a 5-day trip to Cuba ("Vintage Cuba") with Insight Cuba. Before we get to the pictures, I'll start out with some questions that you undoubtedly have:
Wait -- Americans can't travel to Cuba, can they?
Yes they can, as long as they go on a "people to people" tour. A small number of companies are authorized to run these tours, which require that a certain percentage of the tour activities involve cultural events and meetings with Cubans. As it turns out, Americans aren't prohibited from going to Cuba (you could go to Canada or Mexico and fly from there), but unless you are on a "people to people" tour or have a special permit to visit (such as visiting relatives), you can't legally spend money there.
How did you get to Cuba? US airlines can't fly there.
US Charter companies flying passengers on approved tours can fly there. It turns out that the company that flew us (ABC Charters) used a American Airlines planes from Miami to Santa Clara, Cuba and from Havana to Miami. There were only 22 people on our tour but both flights were completely full 737's. I assume the rest of the passengers were Americans visiting relatives in Cuba. The flight to Cuba was just like a regular American Airlines flight, with an AA crew, and departing from a regular AA gate in Miami.
I'll bet they kept a pretty tight rein on you in Cuba. Did you feel like you were being followed?
Absolutely not. The only requirement was that we had to participate in the "people to people" activities during the day--this was to meet the legal requirements of the tour. After 5:00, except for some group dinners, we were totally on our own. We could walk or take a taxi to anywhere we wanted, and we did.
Were there lots of old American cars?
Yes--I'd estimate that about 15% of the cars were American models from before 1959. About 40% were old Soviet Ladas from the 1960's and 1970's, Another 35% were older Japanese and European cars from the 80's and 80's. About 10% were relatively new cars, mostly owned by foreigners. (I know that doesn't add up to 100%). Most of the American cars were barely running, but a few had been nicely restored.
In the smaller towns outside of Havana, there were fewer cars, and more reliance on very primitive forms of transportation, such as horse carts and bicycle carts.
What condition were the buildings in?
A few government buildings were in good shape, but the exteriors of most buildings were in a state of disrepair--peeling paint and stucco, and moldy concrete. On the other hand, even though most of the houses and residential buildings looked like they were falling apart on the outside, on the inside they were clean and had nice furniture and most appliances, including televisions.
What about the Cuban people?
The people were very friendly and almost all of them would wave, smile, and talk with you.
Are they starving?
No. In fact, I would guess that the lowest 10% of the Cuban population is doing better than the bottom 10% of Americans. They have all of their basic needs (housing, medical, food) taken care of by the government. Obviously their standard of living is not very good, but they don't seem to be bothered by it.
Can you explain how the Cuban economic system works?
No. Nobody can.
Oh, come on--can't you try?
OK, first their money. Cuba has two types of currency--Cuban pesos (CUP) and Convertible pesos (CUC). Cuban pesos are meant to be used by Cubans, and CUCs are meant to be used by foreigners and in international trade. A CUP is worth about 4 cents, and a CUC is worth $1, so they are not interchangeable. Cubans get paid in CUPs and can use them to buy heavily-subsidized goods in government stores. The average Cuban makes about $20 per month in CUPs, but it's actually enough to live on, because housing and medical care is free, and the prices in government stores are ridiculously cheap. But to get more than the minimal amount to live on, Cubans need to get their hands on CUCs. Most goods other than the basic necessities are sold in stores that only take CUCs. There are two ways that Cubans get CUCs--from relatives abroad, who send them money, and from tourists, through tips. Because of this, people in the tourist industry make a lot more money than doctors, lawyers, and other workers. For example, the standard tip for a hotel maid is one CUC per day per room. So, if a maid cleans 20 rooms a day, she gets $20 CUCs in tips, which is approximately the monthly income for a worker who gets paid in CUPs.
Does the government own everything?
For the most part, yes, but that is slowly changing. For example, the government owns the companies that make soda, beer, and rum. Among other things this means that there are only 2 brands of domestic beer (Cristal and Bucanero, although some imports are available), one brand of cola (TuKola), and 2 or 3 brands of rum. On the other hand, the government products are cheap, even for foreigners. Most of the restaurants, including fast-food and snack bars, are owned by the government. One of the interesting side effects of this is that there are no advertising signs anywhere in Cuba. There's no need to advertise Cristal and Bucanero, since there's no competition.
The government owns the housing, but it is possible for a person to buy their own house from the government. This would probably require funding from a relative outside Cuba or getting lots of tips from foreigners.
In the past few years, the government has permitted people to open some types of private businesses (mostly restaurants) and form private co-ops. Over time, this will increase.
Where did you go in Cuba?
We flew into Santa Clara, which is in the middle of the country. Our itinerary was as follows (note that this was the itinerary that we were issued--in a few cases our activities didn't match the itinerary):
Day 1: Miami / Santa Clara:
- 6:00 AM Check in at Miami International Airport Concourse D
- 8:00 AM Depart on American Airlines Flight AA 9458 (chartered by ABC)
- 9:30 AM Arrive at Santa Clara International Airport, Cuba
- Visit the Che Guevara memorial before departing for lunch at the community project, NaturArte
- Discussion with specialist at NaturArte on the efforts of raising environmental awareness
- Explore the town center of Santa Clara before departing for Cayo Santa Maria
- 5:30 PM Hotel check in
Day 2: Caibaríen / Remedios / Cayo Santa Maria
- After an early breakfast at the hotel, depart for Caibarién
- Meet with members of a local community print shop
- Meet with local children and the head artist at the community project “Color de Miel”
- Board a vintage train to the town of Remedios, en route stop at a traditional Cuban restaurant where you will enjoy an typical Cuban meal
- Tour Remedios by “bicitaxi” and meet with local residents at the town warehouse. Participate in a discussion about Parrandas, the traditional carnival of Remedios
- Return to hotel Melia Las Dunas
Day 3: Cayo Santa Maria / Caibaríen / Santa Clara / Havana
- Breakfast at the hotel; check out, depart for Havana
- Stop in Santa Clara for an exchange with the last remaining Piquetes band, the Piquete Melodías Antilanas
- Stop for light lunch at Aguadads de Pasajeros before continuing to Havana
- 5:00 PM Check in at Hotel Melia Cohiba
- 7:30 PM Dinner at Mediterraneo Restaurant inside the Hotel Melia Cohiba
Day 4: Havana
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Participate in a discussion about the Cuban economy before departing for Old Havana
- Lunch at La Mina
- Engage in an educational exchange with a Cuban hairstylist who trains and promotes teaching life skills to at-risk youth
- Interact with local men and woman at a nonprofit sewing exchange that promotes and teaches traditional sewing skills to children with disabilities (we didn't do this)
- Enjoy dinner at a paladar of your choice (a paladar is a privately-owned restaurant. We went to a baseball game instead)
Day 5: Havana
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meet with members of a local car repair cooperative
- Visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Central Havana
- After lunch, meet with the dancers of the Santa Amalia Project
- 7:30 Dinner at El Aljibe
Day 6: Havana / Miami
- ¡Adios, Cuba! After breakfast, bid farewell to Cuba and board your flight to Miami.
How were the hotels?
For the first two nights we stayed at the Melia Las Dunas, which is a resort on the coast, an hour from Santa Clara. The good part is that it was a really nice resort, although beginning to deteriorate a bit. The bad part is that it wasn't really a Cuban experience--all of the guests were foreigners (Canadians) and the resort was completely isolated. The next three days were in Havana. In Havana, we stayed at the Melia Cohiba, which is a relatively modern business hotel--probably the best in Havana. We had the same issue as with Las Dunas, in that it wasn't really a Cuban experience inside the hotel. On the other hand, it was in a good location in Havana, and it was easy to get out of the hotel and walk the streets. Both hotels are jointly owned by a private Spanish company (Melia Hotels) and the Cuban government.
Was there much of a government presence in the streets?
Very little. There were lots of propaganda signs everywhere (they loves them some Che Guevara), but I saw little evidence of a military or police presence. I felt like I could go anywhere I wanted and photograph what I wanted.
Were you able to bring back lots of rum and cigars?
Unfortunately, the only things that the US Government lets you bring back from Cuba are literature, art, and music. Cigars, rum, and coffee can't be brought back. So we now have several pieces of Cuban "art".
Did you have any trouble with US Immigration or Customs when you returned?
None whatsoever. They didn't even look at our baggage. In retrospect, I suppose that we could have brought back cigars and rum, unless they have a rum-sniffing dog at customs.
Should I go to Cuba?
Absolutely! In a few years, the country will be completely different, and it's definitely worth it to see Cuba the way it is now. It's kind of a time-warp--like going back to the 1960's in a lot of respects. Also, there is absolutely nothing to fear or worry about--we felt completely free to go wherever we wanted, and Insight Cuba took care of everything. I also highly recommend Insight Cuba--Lisette and Lily did a great job!
Next: Day 1-- Santa Clara and Cayo Santa Maria
