10 Things I learned while traveling Cuba

When I first thought of Cuba, I thought of old cars, cigars and rum! Be honest, are these not also your first thoughts? Since their alcohol and tobacco are luxury goods, I was not aware that Cuba is still a third world country! That means that unless you are staying at 5 star hotels, expect Indian standards! I was also not aware that Cuba was blocked by the USA. That is why there are hardly any goods and the internet is so bad.

Did you know that Cuba is a third world country?

Cuba was a very interesting country! It reminded me a lot of what the DDR must have been like, but tropical. The stores are empty; there is just not much to buy. The people get vouchers that they can use to buy flour, salt, sugar and other things they need for daily life.

The Revolution is very important to the people and you’re reminded of this by signs at every corner. Tourists pay with CUC, locals with CUP. An entry to a museum may cost 8 CUC (dollar) for tourists, but 8 CUP (24 CUP = 1 CUC) for locals. As a tourist it is very difficult to eat in CUP restaurants, or to find stores where you can buy things with CUP. I was on tour with a local for a few hours in Havana and saw a completely different Havana than the week before, walking around as a tourist! Phone conversations may be eavesdropped and, if you are lucky to find a WiFi spot that is not too slow, the things you do on the internet are watched too. So I thought it would be a better idea to post after my return to Holland.

10 things I learned in Cuba

Here’s a list of the 10 things I learned in Cuba:
1) Wait and have patience. You need to wait for everything and queue for everything.  “Espero” is the word.

2) A day without music is a lost day. The cubans make music everywhere and do everything to music. Isn’t doing the dishes so much more fun this way?

3) Keep it simple! In Cuba everything is simple. There are two brands of beer. You want a or b? …done. there are mainly 4 kinds of fruits and about 5 vegetables. Shampoo? One kind… no more thinking. Take it or leave it. And a bodega has nothing to do with wine in Cuba. This is the store where you buy your food.

4) Toiletpaper is a luxury item… no comment… a toilet seat too. A 4 star hotel without it? They have it in Cuba.

5) The world always has two sides. See Havana as a tourist and see ” la habana” with a local. You will not believe it’s the same city. The two roads do not even cross!

6) Kiss, hug, be warm… with everybody! Everybody is so nice and warm in Cuba! Great people!

7) Outdoor living rooms are so much nicer! Buy a bottle of rum and a bottle of coke. Bring your music and sit at the Malecón. So much more social. Or how about a round of dominos? Outside. next to the road – who cares? The world is our living room…if you want it to be!

8) If you kill a cow in Cuba you can get a more severe punishment than killing a person! It has nothing to do with religion. More about this on Wikipedia. A local told me that cows are not eaten here; they’re saved for lean times because they provide so many products. I could not find anything about this. But other than in Varadero I didn’t see beef anywhere.

9) Not all the World has wifi and internet around every corner. You sit on the curb with 50 others to send a few whatsapp messages. You get used to it and you stop watching your phone every 5 minutes! It has its good sides too! More about the internet in Cuba here.

10) Dance! Dance! Dance! Grannies, mothers and fathers, teenagers, children, salsa, bachata. Dance on the road, in the kitchen and at the Malecon! As long as you dance! (If you love to read more about dacing, also read my post about learning Tango in Buenos Aires)

The future of Cuba

The prices for hotels in Cuba are supposed to rise about 20% in the next months. Buildings are being renovated on every corner. New hotels are being built everywhere in Havana. Chanel just had a fashion show at the Prada. If you want to go, do it fast. It will not be the same in a few months from now. We stayed in “casa particulares”. If you want to know more about Cuba and the culture I would advise you to do the same!

If you want to get a feeling for Cuba than listen to the song Malecon.