Viva Cuba: Amazing and Fascinating

We just returned from eight days in Cuba. It was one of the most fascinating trips we have taken. We have visited many islands in the Caribbean, but right now, I am ranking Cuba, the largest island, as number one. It is vast, and if you looked at the map of the island vertically, it exceeds the length of Florida (would probably extend into Georgia). I thought I would share some of my personal insights of the trip. I will try to compartmentalize it just in case there are particular sections you may be interested in—at least that is my thought as I begin.

WHY: My husband, Tony, has always wanted to travel to Cuba because of his love of the music. He probably has more CDs of Cuban music than any other genre. I was never that interested, having been born and raised in Miami, it just seemed so close, and I thought it would be “Miami revisited.” I was a Junior in High School the year of the revolution, but I was not politically in tune at that time.

HOW: We travelled with a group called Insight Cuba.We had never travelled with a group before. Several of our friends had used them and were pleased with their service. It is illegal to travel to Cuba on your own, and you are subject to a fine if caught. You must travel with a group which has been licensed to travel there. We have several friends, all native Spanish speakers, who have gone through a third country (Mexico) and had a great time (your passport is not stamped if you go that way. Ours was stamped but we have a letter of authorization which we must keep with our passports for seven years. We were not willing to take that risk, although it is certainly a less expensive way to get there. At the end of our trip, we thought it was worth every cent we spent, even though, we could have gone on a couple of cruises for the exact same price. But then it’s only money ☺

WITH WHOM: There were eight people in our group (no group is larger than 24), and I liked that it was multi-generational—two 30 somethings, two 70 somethings, two 50 somethings and one 60 something. Diversity of home towns and careers as well: Vermont, Colorado, California, and Virginia. Two teachers, social worker, lawyer, stockbroker, architect, chemist, and landscape architect. Our Insight Cuba tour leader was 20 something. We also had a Cuban driver and a Cuban tour guide on the bus with us at all times.

PRE-CUBA: We spent several days in Miami (my home) before leaving (and a few days there afterwards). That is always a joy because that is where my spirit actually resides.

THE FLIGHT: We flew from Miami at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. ABC charter was the carrier, but the aircraft and staff were all American Airlines (737). All of the paperwork (Cuban Visa, Letter of Authorization) was done by Insight Cuba. Amazing scene at the airport check-in. Family members are allowed to travel to Cuba—I have never seen so much stuff being checked in--from televisions to tires, and bubble wrapped packages of items they were taking to Cuba. I would guess that each had at least four or five huge packages. In the line I only saw two people I would identify as Black—Hmmm. You may draw your own conclusions. Our flying time was 44 minutes—so near, and yet so far.

ARRIVAL in CUBA: We were met by our Insight Cuba tour guide after going through the passport checking and waiting for our luggage (it was as slow as the San Diego baggage claim). Most of the group members carried on their luggage, but I took quite a few school supplies as presents, and I never like worrying about whether I will have enough space. There were many Cubans waiting for their loved ones—reminded me of landing in Nigeria.

FIRST IMPRESSION: My first impression, as we rode the bus from the hotel, was “Miami without paint.” Just as we had heard, many of the buildings showed what the tropics can do to old buildings over time.

BUSY SCHEDULE: Insight Cuba is a people to people group, and before we even checked into the hotel, we had several activities, We visited an artist’s studio, a ceramics and painting workshop, and had lunch at El Ajibe, a beautiful restaurant. Each day we had four activities—it was extremely labor intensive, but well worth it.

HEMINGWAY: Of course I visited the two bars frequented by Ernest H., and saw the hotel where he stayed.

WHERE WE STAYED: We stayed at El Presidente in the Viado district. Beautiful, with all of the comforts of home, including CNN, and ESPN (which Cubans do not get). We visited Pinar del Rio, a town over 100 miles from Habana, and stayed in a quaint hotel, Hotel Vueltabajo. We were on the tenth floor in Habana, but the second hotel was just two stories—lovely. There are many hotels because tourism is what is driving the Cuban economy right now.

CURRENCY: There are two currencies: CUCs used in the tourist industry and by those receiving money from outside of Cuba, and the Cuban peso which is used by Cubans. One CUC is equivalent to 24 pesos. When you consider that a doctor makes less than 400 pesos a month, it makes sense for them to drive a taxi on the side. Tourists pay in CUCs. There are stores which only accept CUCs—the majority of Cubans use ration books in stores designed for their use. You may research this on your own. It is the most obvious sign of inequality IMHO.

WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING:

1. It has to be the most beautiful of all of the Caribbean islands.
2. The Spanish Colonial architecture was a great surprise to me—absolutely stunning.
3. After a couple of days, I didn’t even notice the lack of paint on the buildings.
4. BC is before Castro
5. Two defining years—l959—revolution—l991—the Russians left
6. The literacy rate is over 98%.IMHO, even when the change comes, the population will not be the same population before the revolution. An educated population is formidable.
7. Many said it is like being frozen in time—what that meant to me was that there were no billboards advertising things, no Walmart, no Walgreens, no overt consumerism! There is some beauty in that.
8. Heard that 96 McDonalds are waiting to come to Cuba. Of course, because of the embargo (which Cubans call the blockade), no American trade whatsoever.
9. We had to take all cash (only Americans had to do this—cannot use credit card) which were exchanged for CUCs.
10. Revolutionary posters everywhere.
11. Street art everywhere
12. Music everywhere—we did not go to any restaurant without a Cuban combo with great music. The musicians were men, women, old, and young.
13. Love the Malecón which looks like a very long sea wall. It is beautiful, and the place for lovers. It was near our hotel.
14. Loved the creativity of the Cuban people—they take recycling to an entirely new level.
15. Was intrigued by the projects and workshops, from farming to art.
16. Loved seeing the kids in uniform going to school, knowing that this would not have been accessible to most of them BC.
17. Loved all of the socio-cultural groups we visited,.
18. Loved the respect for elders.
19. If you want Cuban food, get it in Miami. Because of the limited amount of goods coming into the country, the choices are very limited. It was okay for 8 days, but became repetitive. The fish was not good—found out that it is exported.
20. I thought I would see more Black Cubans—the Spanish influence is quite obvious.
21. Felt absolutely safe everywhere.
22. Everything was extremely clean—no beggars in the street (somehow, that was a surprise to me)
23. My favorite title of something: There was a senior citizen place named “House of Memories.”
24. Loved the art.
25. Loved my wandering ox to whom I said “No Anda.”
26 Was shocked when I got home to find that I had a message from a person at a school project we visited--I gave them school supplies as presents.We exchanged information, but I never thought I would hear from them. Behold, I cannot find the information they gave me ANYWHERE (I am still looking)! People to People--great. Government to Government - bah humbug!

AS I saw Cuba for myself, I know that the embargo is ridiculous (although, I know that the influx of McDonalds and others will completely change what makes Cuba different!! I also know that the revolution was beneficial for those who remained, if for not other reason than it gave them opportunities in education and wellness, that they would have never had before. I know that when those mansions were nationalized and given to the poor, that those who left (even thought they thought they would be back quickly) had the most to lose. I can imagine how it was just an appendage of Key West and the rest!

We heard many lectures, and received an enormous amount of information. Most agree that there is still inequality in Cuba—black folks are still at the bottom. Change is inevitable, but no one knows what it will be.

Where does Castro live? The answer was “In the hearts of the people.” Some believe that he has a house in every province (there are l4).

SEÑORA MARIA ELENA: Tony and I were very fortunate to be able to visit the home of someone who lives there. Our daughter’s friend’s mom lives in Havana with her 94 year old mother. We were able to have dinner with them at their home. This was definitely a highlight of our trip. They live in a lovely home in the Playa section of Miramar, a neighborhood in Habana. We walked to the beach (9 blocks away), while Tony sat on a bench with her English speaking friend.

There is just soooo much more I could talk about, but there is nothing like a “too long blog.”

WOULD WE RETURN? If we did do-overs, this would be number one. We have two other trips planned for this fall and spring, so it won’t be possible this year. If we had visited earlier, we certainly would revisit.

WOULD I SUGGEST IT: DEFINITELY—go before it changes.