REFLECTIONS
- or should it be "What are my Memories of Cuba?"

MEMORABLE THINGS

To my surprise there was no one single highlight but many memorable things and a few lowlights that I saw and experienced on this 2 week / 16 day Cuban trip.

I tried to capture through my lens "Cuba in a moment in time" (December 2015 - January 2016) before it changes. Hopefully changing for the better. But these changes will no doubt happen slowly even though the American embargo has just been lifted.

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Havana buildings that I am glad are being restored. In time Havana will be a truly restored city to visit with large areas of colonial buildings. It will no doubt be better than some of the European restored towns bombed after WWII. Yes, I can see Cuba developing its own architectural style but I hope that the city fathers will ensure that the current facades are at least kept. Havana city buildings with its solid columns are so different and covers many city blocks. The narrow alleyways e.g. one of the main pedestrian road - Obispo that doesn't get much sun and buildings like around the Johnson Drug Store creates its own mystic.





With the cobbled streets and squares, seeing how the Cubans are restoring and rehabilitating their UNESCO listed cities keeping the colonial architecture and atmosphere, something that is well and truly lost in our modern cities. The buildings and architecture from the various eras: baroque, neoclassicism, art deco and eclecticism are certainly Havana's golden egg for the future.










In many of the cities, walking along the wide arcades to provide protection from both the rain but for me more importantly from the heat
… and this was winter.

http://video.architecturaldigest.com/watch/video-ad-visits-havana-cuba.
Just a 3 minute video.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/havana-cuba-travel-article


 
 

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Trinidad and their colourful like "all sorts" lollies of mainly single and some double story houses. Just wish that it wasn't that hot! Temperature wise.



 







The 2 night home or Casa Particular stay at Trinidad would be a memorable aspect of the trip.

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Bicitaxi through the labyrinth streets of Camaguey.



 
 
 










Seeing Fidel's hideaway up in Comandancia de la Plata and now knowing the story behind "the fridge" with the bullet hole caused by an aircraft. 










I agree with what Jose said that the 3 most popular places in Cuba are Havana, Trinidad and the scenery around Vinales.

No bill boards and I saw very few houses with for sale "en vente" signs.

However like most trips, it is the local people that will be my lasting memory.

 



How they waited patiently in the long queues outside the banks / cambio de change. Hint - Change all your money at the beginning of the trip or have a Visa prepaid card for an ATM. I had 2 Master Card debit cards which were of no use.




 


The locals out in the local parks or outside the hotels using the limited Wi-Fi. Seeing them talking or having a video chat with their friends and love ones.

I had the opportunity each day to access Wi-Fi at either the hotel or nearby square. Secret is to stock up on Wi-Fi cards when you can. Watch out for the difference in prices. I suggest go for the 30 minute cards as I had sometimes trouble logging out and "lost" the remaining minutes.
 





The locals just sitting watching the world go by. The young and old, either sitting out on their wooden "sillon" or rocking chair on the porch of their brightly painted houses. They love pink! Or in the likes of Trinidad at the road side curb outside their houses, or in Havana leaning over and looking out from their tiny verandas in their apartments above the street.








How they had the windows and front door wide open to let the air circulate. Walking by one could see the family in their lounge / dining room. Often besides being so tall, many of the windows and doors had decorative iron grills over them to provide protection and some privacy but often nothing.




 
 
 





 

The dogs roaming or just lying around without a care in the world. 


 

 










The sun etched faces of the older Cubans. How they must have seen many changes in their lifetime.




 
 





The live 'son', salsa, street rumba, jazz and nueva trova music waffling out through the plazas or streets. Most of the cafes, restaurants, hotels had musicians who would whether we wanted to or not entertain us for a tip or for many to buy their CD.



 

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Washing out everywhere. With the sun, it won't take long to dry.





 
 

 


The countless coches de caballo or horse carriage / horse drawn buggys, camiones / truckbus, bicitaxi and countless bicycles which the locals need to use to get both themselves and their goods around.



 
 

And how can I forget the classic American cars, especially the pink or red convertibles. Hint The going rate is CUC$25 / US$25 / NZ$38 tops for an hour's ride around Havana. Yes, they will start you off at CUC$35 / US$35 / NZ$54 but bargain - you may be lucky at CUC$20 / US$20 / NZ$30. But note that this includes the various stops. If you want to go just driving non-stop for an hour, then find another car owner and offer him CUC$30 / US$30 / NZ$46 like Steve did. Yes, many of my photos has the classic cars in them. It was easy to wait a minute or two before another old classic came along.
 
 
With a low government wage US$15 – US$25 per month depending on who you listen to or read, few can afford cars. The American vintage cars are merely recycled passed from one generation to another with a whole industry set up on manufacturing the parts. A few are somehow importing spare parts from USA.

Yes, a few modern cars like Toyoto, VW, Puegeot and Hyundai are around. Plus there were the more recent Chinese cars and how can one forget the trusty Russian / Soviet Ladas!

LOWLIGHTS best forgotten

The fact that most of us got sick or had diarrhoea at some point of the trip but not all at once. Can't work it out as most of us ate at the same restaurants and often had the same menu selection yet was unwell at different times.




No toilet seat when "out and about" except at our hotels. Didn't affect me. The hint in the reviews of "take your own toilet paper" is true. I'm glad that I did. The local toilet paper is like thin tissue paper. Keep plenty of small coins for the toilet lady.





 

 
The cockroaches, snake (in someone else's room), no hot water but it was so hot that a cool cold water shower was still great, poor or low water pressure, sticky hotel door (Hotel Plaza in Havana), smelly damp room (Rancho San Vicente in Vinales), power point that my adapter had problems fitting and would fall out - simple solution besides carrying duct tape is next time bring my smaller 2 prong plug. Generally where we stayed was fine though others in the group had worst issues than me and was sorted out.

We were forewarned that the hotel buildings and associated infrastructure are generally old and may not have been maintained to the highest standard. Elevators, A/C and internet often break down. Water pressure and hot water can be minimal. At times things can happen very slowly, 

Losing my bag address label and lock on route to Peru. Thank goodness that I had a spare combination lock.

Wi-Fi and not being able some of the time to log out and therefore losing my remaining credit.

With a large party of 17, the waiting, especially if there were only 1 or 2 toilets!




 
Then there were the "15 minute free time" to see the Mayor Square of whatever town that we were in. Yes, it is a tour that has a schedule to meet but there was the "pressure" of seeing the area around the square in just 15 minutes and not being the last person back onto the bus.



 





 
Reading the reviews and for some on this trip, sleeping on the haciendas veranda was a highlight. For me it wasn't. I choose the tent option and thankfully there were no mossies at night as the condition of many of the tents Casa la Gallega - Topes de Collantes were in very poor condition with many having broken zips. I was lucky and didn't get flooded out on the second night at Hacienda Codina. Sleeping bags were not needed. The provided blanket was my pillow. 





 


 

Missing out on the opportunity to see a glimpse of Raul Castro. Anyway it would have been pure luck if I did as his car was parked some distance away from where the public were allowed to have gathered.



 

 
The "same old same old" food: ham and cheese sandwich which is really a heated panini like bread roll; tuna, chicken and beef often offered as well; salad being lettuce, tomato and cucumber; then mains of pork, fish, chicken with rice and black bean followed by guava and cheese for desert. Sometimes we got ice cream. Vegetarians had mainly omelettes as their limited options. Wonder what would have happen if a traveller was either a vegan or gluten intolerant, allergic to eggs or nuts or lactose intolerant? At times the lobster and fish was great, at others it was not. So it was pot luck. When I didn't choose the lobster, it was great! Murphy's Law I suppose.

Having said that, Cuba's food culture is undergoing a revolution with many more paladares or privately run restaurants starting up and changing the food scene for the better.

It has much sea food: lobster, prawns, aguja / swordfish and pargo / snapper.




Yes, the staple was rice and beans: moros y cristianos (black beans) or congri (red beans).

Plantain was often served.

I wish that is was avocado season but alas not so. Plenty of bananas, pineapple, guava, mango and papaya abounded at breakfast time.


 
 




 
At least I did try the likes of their national dish ropa vieja / spicy shredded beef and the whole roast pork (yum).

Some had read up and brought their own sachets the likes of HP sauce to spice up the food. Good move.



 
 




 
With such rich fertile agricultural land, I am sure that they can grow other types of vegetables. I saw very little else on the menu, in the markets or shops. No greengrocer or supermarket as we know it.


 
 




 
The white bread - hard as dry toast. Oh for some whole meal / grain soft bread. In the end I forgo the bread options.

Take your own long life PCU milk sachets if you like a milk coffee. More often than not they had no leche (milk).




  




The huge difference in prices:
1.5 l water ranging from CUC$1.5 - 2
Local soft drink CUC$0.50c in a local store upwards
Cristal beer CUC$ 2 - 3
 
Meals ... much cheaper as one headed east. In fact it was quite noticeable. Knowing what I now know, I could have made the whole trip on the spending money that I withdrew when I arrived. However I am glad that I had the buffer of extra funds taken out in Trinidad as it was easy to change the remaining amount back into an overseas currency at the airport.



 

 
Having to pay up to CUC$5 / US$5 / NZ$7.70 just to be able to take a few photos.

Missing out on the Buena Vista night club in Havana because they were full. Hint - Get your guide to book those who want to go a couple of days before the trip ends as oppose to a couple of hours before the show starts.

ITINERARY


The long travel days. Yes, we were warned and I expected what we had to cover distance wise. At least the 8.30 / 9 am departure times were civil and none of the 4 am / 5 am ones like on some previous group trips. For some it was too much being stuck in the bus for many days even broken with the 15 - 30 minute breaks and the odd sightseeing. Thank goodness for the 24 seats meaning there were 7 spare seats in the modern and comfortable Yutong Chinese made bus. At least it wasn't a Chinese Coaster! We won't say who sat most of the time up front in the seat behind the driver (not me), or who were the 3 at the back for most of the trip? Must have had a secret cocktail bar with snacks back there: Beth, Robert and Susan.

I still reckon that we should have flown from Santa Domingo de Cuba back to Havana instead of enduring those 2 long travel days. Yes, pay for the extra expense. It would have been easy to still have seen Santa Clara between Trinidad and Camaguey plus perhaps spend another night in one of the locations. Like actually on the island at Cayo Levisa itself, or include Baracoa like other tours do, an extra night in Trinidad? Number of options.

As the trips are 2 week, the next group does the same trip but in reverse and the same bus driver (and even guide) brings the next group back to Havana. We could have done Vinales first and finish the tour in Santa Domingo de Cuba with another local Havanatur (Explore's local agent) representative meeting the plane back in Havana if the guide and driver was waiting in Santa Domingo de Cuba waiting for the next group or even flown back with our group and then out with the next group.

All of the above is nothing major at all having travelled throughout Central and South America plus Africa and Asia with small group companies like Explore but nether-less a small nuisance. That's the joys of travel.

CONCLUSION

I choose this 16 day Explore Cibre Libre! CL 2015 over other similar small group companies who left at a similar time because of the perceived extra places that one visited and inclusions. I'm really glad that I did.

I am glad that I saw for myself Cuba trapped in a time wrap and suffering from the economic embargo. It will be many years before Cuba catches up to the rest of the world. Part of me is saying hopefully in a long time but another part is saying quickly please.

Cuba was a living time capsule that at long last has been smashed open. It is like a Gennie who is escaping from her bottle.

FINAL THOUGHT

I suppose I am still wrestling with the fact that what I generally paid for an evening meal was what the average Cuban earns in a month.

THANKS



To Jose for sharing your deep passion about your homeland.

Hint - At the initial group meeting, it would have been really great if you had let us introduced ourselves with a few words about ourselves to the rest of the group. The cocktail ice breaker at the Hotel Sevilla was really great. Having a list of names out would have helped as well. I saw no need to go over the trip itinerary as we all should have read that before the trip. It's things like money and where to buy water around the hotel, where and when is the best place to do laundry that mattered.

Plus each day have at reception a brief summary of the departure time and what to bring etc. just like you did for the first arrival day. Several times there was a small difference of opinion amongst the group to "what you actually said" and "what we thought we heard". Nothing major.



 



To Leo for:
- safely driving us in bus #3620 the length and breadth of Cuba. Would love to know how many kilometres that it was.
- stopping at all those railway crossings.
- waiting for an opportunity before you can safely overtake the other slower road users on the mainly single lane roads.
- helping the females off the bus!




 
To the other 16 fellow Explorers for:
- your company on this trip.
- sharing where you have already been to and I have yet to go to.
- making my travel bucket list even longer.

Perhaps we will meet up on another Explore trip or when you come "down under" to Kiwiland. 

L - R: Carole, Steve, Richard & Karen, Julie & Ralph, Heather, Serena, Tracey, Leo, Dawn, Jose, Jennifer, Bruce & Bethany. Thanks Lisa for taking this photo. Missing Robert & Susan & Toni.