Cuba
Visiting Cuba has been an elusive and taboo subject for many Americans since the 1960's. With the U.S. recently opening up and thawing relations with the island, things have been rapidly changing for Cubans.
The streets, buildings and railways are ever so slowly eroding right before Cuban eyes yet it is a beautiful and natural decay. A type of aging unparalleled in the rest of the world's big cities. Now that tourism has boomed and the massive U.S. market has opened up, new financing has begun restoring many of these buildings. Though far from being an up to date, renovated or even restored country, it has noticeably changed since I began going in 2015. Though my mind will be thoroughly blown away once they finally remove the god-knows-how-many years old scaffolding from El Capitolio.
Cuba is a place where the people are well educated and yet, simultaneously, many Cubans know so little about how the modern world operates. Cubans are now just beginning to come online and adjust to some of the technological advances of the last 60 years. On my first trip I saw a few cell phones but on my most recent visit I noticed that cell phone usage is becoming widespread. I can only hope that Cubans won't become glued to the screen like so much of the rest of the world.
Despite years of physical and economic isolation from the rest of the world, Cubans still feel a connection to the rest of the Latino world. Cubans will quickly tell any Puerto Rican “somos dos alas del mismo pájaro” meaning: we are two wings of the same bird. They will happily greet any American visitors despite the decades of isolation and confusion. Cubans still share the beautiful Caribbean culture despite a a powerful and relatively recent historic divergence.
On my second visit to Cuba, I stayed at a beach home in Trinidad. I spent the days taking in the bright colors of the town and the sunsets walking along the beach. This was a much needed solo trip to unwind and unplug from digital reality.
I spent the nights on the porch eating ice cream (such innocence) and smoking cigars with the hosts and guests of the house. The other guests were a Canadian couple and a German couple who would share a bottle (or three) of rum between themselves every night. Our host, who only spoke Spanish, would periodically chime into our conversations with a story about his wife or his friends.
One night however, after a few drinks, the host told us a rather sad story about his father’s drinking problem and the damage his father’s drinking had done. Those who couldn’t speak Spanish didn’t fully understand the story but could tell that the conversation had become rather grim. Everyone was quiet, even those that didn’t really understand the story.
And then, just like that, the story ended. The host was back to his jovial self. In a short time he had opened to people with whom he had only recently become acquainted. He was not the first or last Cuban I’ve met who was quick to open up about exactly how they were feeling. I don’t believe I’ve ever made friends more easily in my travels than I did in Cuba. Although I can’t say they are the “warmest” people I have ever met, they have certainly been the quickest to let their guard down and invite me into their home. This kind of honesty and openness is one of the reasons why I love the Cuban people.
To miss the opportunity of connecting with locals would be a great misfortune for any traveller to Cuba and for that reason I strongly recommend staying at a casa particular (think an actual Bed and Breakfast and not an Airbnb) instead of a hotel. Despite that advice, I did have the opportunity to stay for a few nights at the Hotel Inglaterra in Havana back in 2015.
At that time the rooms at the Inglaterra were more reasonably priced and I was fairly pleased with the accomodations. During my second day at the hotel, a heavy tropical rain hit the city. I noticed water quickly start to stream down the inside of my windows and cover the tile floor of my room. I scrambled to move my luggage which was carelessly strewn about just below the window. I then went into the hallway to inform the hotel management of the leaking. But as soon as I entered the hall, I noticed all the windows in the hall were leaking. A stream was forming across the tile floors running down the hallway. I turned around and went back to my room, knowing this was just a part of life at the Hotel Inglaterra.
At this beautiful hotel, with it's gorgeous lobby and fantastic roof top view, I found a metaphor for Cuba. Beautiful, classic and timeless unlike any other. But the windows leak when it rains.
A few pieces of advice for my American compatriots:
1. Despite the Trump administration's contradictory and vague expressions of disapproval, it appears that the rules for traveling to Cuba haven't really changed since the Obama administration. I would recommend finding a valid reason in the OFAC list of approved reasons for travel to Cuba, preparing the required documents needed for your stated purpose and just going. Try to do some good while you're inCuba. On every trip I've made to Cuba, it doesn't seem like the US government is looking into tourist activities of US citizens. Crossing the border back to the US has been just as easy as anywhere else. No one is questioned or prevented from traveling to Cuba. Though my reasons for visiting have always been legitimate, it doesn't seem like the government is making the slightest effort to verify this.
2. Don't bring American currency, but bring Euros, British Sterling or Canadian Dollars. American currency is exchanged with an additional 10% surcharge. Exchanging to one of the aforementioned currencies before your trip will save you a bit of money. You'll also have an extremely hard time finding an ATM. Plan on bringing enough cash for your entire stay and probably a little extra to be safe.
3. If you're on a budget, I suggest converting some money into CUP. CUC and CUP are the two currencies of Cuba. The majority of your purchases as a tourist will be in CUC. CUP is a currency which locals use for everyday purchases but it comes in handy for traveller who would prefer to eat what Cubans eat. Every time I visit Cuba, the savings of CUP vs. CUC gets smaller and smaller, but it is still worth it in my opinion.