Our last 2 days in Cuba were spent walking to places we hadn’t seen when we first arrived such as the University of Havana, and the forts on the other side of Havana Bay. I walked by a classroom at the university and the teacher was using a chalkboard and chalk. The university library had a card catalog and if a student wanted a book, they asked a library assistant to go to the stacks (which were accessible only to staff) and get the book. Wow! Time warp for sure!
Card catalog at University of Havana Library
Friends asked us about Cuban food because most people think it’s spicy. We experienced the contrary; most dishes had no spices. Breakfasts at our casa particulars were very good with fresh fruit, juice, coffee, eggs, and bread or sometimes a pastry too. We had a delicious lobster dinner at a Paladar or Cuban owned restaurant which we had visited before for less than $15 US and a not so good dinner at a restaurant on the Malécon.
Lobster, shrimp & fish dinner
We also enjoyed javelina (wild pig), grilled lobster and fresh fish at our casa particular in Playa Larga which served both breakfast and dinners to guests. Otherwise, most lunches or dinners consisted of a protein such as pork, chicken, fish or sometimes beef, rice with or without black beans, a salad (cabbage, tomato, cucumber, and sometimes green beans), fried plantain chips, and bread. There are no supermarkets and people often wait in line to purchase food. You can purchase small pizzas on the street for way less than a dollar but we rarely bought food on the street. We drank bottled water or used a Steri-pen to sterilize tap water. This diet seemed to keep us healthy.
Roasted pig – a Cuban tradition
We did visit a cigar factory in Santa Clara and brought back a few for our cigar loving friends. Surprisingly few Cubanos smoke; mostly older gentlemen and “country folk”. However, cigar making by hand is an art and can be seen in different parts of the country.
Cuba is a time capsule of life in the US from 50 years ago. You see plenty of American cars from the late 40’s and mostly 50’s. Many have been lovingly restored but there are lots of others which haven’t. Since people can’t get parts, they have become creative at putting diesel engines or adding other parts. Later cars are usually a Russian Lada, Moskvich, and Geely. Some Hundai and Chinese makes. Buses were Youtang, Chinese made. Not a seatbelt in sight but the Cuban drivers are incredibly courteous and safe.
The best thing Cuba has going for it are the Cuban people. Cubanos are caring, polite and fun-loving. They want visitors to enjoy their country and are generally helpful. We saw mostly German, French and Spanish-speaking tourists who have been visiting Cuba for many years. There seem to be few American tourists traveling independently although we met some from the East coast. Speaking some Spanish (and understanding it) is helpful as many Cubans have limited English skills.
Traveling in Cuba as an independent tourist is challenging and I only recommend it to people who have travelled in developing countries before. Otherwise, I suggest you take an arranged tour for several reasons. Cuba has a dual monetary system, Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC’s) and the regular peso or CUP. The CUC is pegged to the US $ so 1 CUC is worth $1 US. However, changing US dollars in Cuba are taxed at 10% so most Americans convert their US$ to Canadian$ or Euros in their own country. It saves about 4%. Cuba is a cash economy. You cannot use a credit card as US banks are prohibited from doing business in Cuba. Nonetheless, we were able to book accommodations ahead of time with Air BNB in the US which was very helpful. Rental cars are expensive unless you have a group of 4 people and street signs are lacking or have dual names.
But it’s an interesting experience to see how socialism changed this country. Education and health care are top priorities and as a result, illiteracy is less than 1% as reported by UNESCO. Unfortunately the Cuban economy continues to struggle and many people make less than $350 a year.
All students wear uniforms
Classroom for tutoring
With subsidized health care, free education through the university level, and subsidized housing, Cubanos get by. Commercialism is non-existent. However, the Cuban government has embarked on allowing some private enterprises such as casa particulars, taxis, and paladars to exist. These people enjoy a higher standard of living and are taxed. Cuba is a safe country; you don’t worry about crime because people don’t have guns. I think the United States could learn something from this country.
Going With the Flow 