CUBA - HAVANA

This is what I learned from Cubans we met along the way.  Whether it’s completely true or not I’ll never really know but others who have traveled extensively in Cuba have learned pretty much the same things as I.

A MODEL OF VIEJA HAVANA

Cuba offers their citizens free medical care and education.  Most people, no matter what job they do, earn approximately $10 to $30 a month.  The government gives them a monthly ration card so they can get for free;  so many pounds of rice, cooking oil, some eggs and such.  It’s a minimum amount of food, just enough to sustain them.  If they want more food, they need to purchase it.  Most grocery stores are just about empty except for alcohol.  There are markets to buy fresh fruit, veggies and some chicken and pork.

MOST STORES HAVE MINIMAL FOOD FOR PURCHASE

The cows belong to the government.  If you kill a cow, you will go to prison for 15 years however if you kill a human being, it’s 8 years in prison.  Beef is for exportation and tourists and most likely government officials.  Also, tobacco farmers must give their government 90% of their crop.

Many Cubans find other ways for making an extra buck.  Sure you’ll see some Cubans with more money than others, in this case, they probably have friends or family in other countries that send them money or they work for the government.

There exists a black market.  If you need something that you cannot purchase simply because there isn’t anything to buy in the stores, simply ask around and someone will tell you where to find it.  In fact, potatoes can only be purchased on the black market.  If you ask for some at the market, they will pull some out from under their counter for you.

Cubans are not allowed to move to another province.  In fact, it is next to impossible to afford to travel.  In most cases, when a person is born, they live with their parents until their parents die.  When they marry, the spouse joins either parent’s home.  The government doesn’t build any new homes.  Cubans live rent free however they do pay for electricity and phones.   They can swap homes with another person and recently, they can purchase a home however, it’s unlikely they can as they have little money.

Cubans seem to be content with what they have.  A possible reason for this is that they all have the same.  They are all either middle class or poor.  The government does make sure that they have the very basic needs of life.  I just read from another cruiser’s blog that they talked to a man who had a baby carriage.  They asked him how he got it and the man showed them a baby ration card.

Most Cubans do not have cars and travel either by foot, bike or horse and buggy.   Since 1959, when Fidel Castro assumed power, the majority of Cubans have been prevented from importing foreign cars and parts.  Since then, locals have to rely on their ingenuity to fix and create custom parts to keep their vintage cars running.  I’m pretty sure the vintage cars get their beautiful paint on the black market.

SUSAN & REBECCA FOUND A GIRLY CAR

THIS IS A RARE CAR CALLED AN "EDSEL" MADE IN THE UNITED STATES

One way people make an extra buck and if they are lucky enough to have access to a car, is being a taxi driver for the tourists.  They can make more money in a day then in a whole month.  We often used these taxi drivers rather than use the buses. 

We stayed in “Casa Particular” which are rooms in people’s homes for rent.  They charged us $25 to $30 a night.  There are so many of them, it’s really easy to find one.  The homeowners must pay the government $40/month for operating a Casa Particular whether they rent or not.  Often, the owners will cook breakfast for a very small fee.  We found we got more food at the casas then in restaurants.

We found a taxi who would drive the 4 hours to Havana.  The highway was impressive with 4 lanes on each way with mostly farm land on each side.  Once in Old Havana, we walked with our friends Rebecca & Dov on the quieter streets looking for a Casa Particular to stay for a few days.  As soon as I met the owner, I knew this was the place.  Our rooms were basic but each had their own bathroom and air conditioner which the government obliges the home owners to have for their guests.  Our hosts were amazingly friendly and they made sure we had loads to eat at breakfast.

For days we walked the streets of Old Havana viewing the beautiful architecture.  We ate street food and sat in tourist restaurants.  By the way, only tourists are allowed to eat lobsters and meat!  We found a brew pub in one of the squares and tasted their beer which was pretty good.  There are several parks and each are beautiful. Certainly, the government spends lots of money where tourists visit, it was obvious.  As soon as you left the tourist area, there was lots of garbage and crumbling dwellings.  The government obviously doesn’t care that much about their own people. 

COOLING DOWN WITH A BEER AT THE BREW PUB

RESTORED BUILDINGS:

THE CAPITOL BUILDING

BUILDINGS THAT AREN'T SO WELL TAKEN CARE OF.  SOME ARE PEOPLE'S HOMES:

One of the things you cannot miss is the amazing Cuban bands.  The music is plentiful and you can’t help but get up and dance.  I just couldn’t get enough of it.  We went out several nights, late, just to listen to some music.

 Here are some things we saw while walking around:

ALL SCHOOL KIDS HAVE UNIFORMS.  THE COLOR OF THEIR SCARVES OR UNIFORMS TELLS YOU WHAT GRADE THEY ARE IN 

ESTATUA DE CRISTO

REMAINS OF A U2 SPY PLANE 

FORTALEZA DE SAN CARLOS DE LA CABANA

We decided that we needed to have a drink everywhere Hemingway did:

THIS BAR IS WELL KNOWN FOR HEMINGWAY DRINKING MOJITOS

MOJITOS ALL LINED UP

THIS BAR IS WELL KNOWN FOR HEMINGWAY DRINKING DAQUIRIS

DOV & TIM HANGING OUT ON THE STREETS OF HAVANA

ONE OF SEVERAL BEAUTIFUL SQUARES IN OLD HAVANA

WHAT A PAIR !

WATERWAY VIEW FROM THE MALECON (PROMENADE) BETWEEN OLD AND NEW HAVANA

TRANSLATION:  I LOVE YOU FIDEL

FISHING

CUBA - HISTORY & CIENFUEGOS

To fully appreciate Cuba, one should know a little history before visiting.  I became a US citizen only a few years ago, so I am particularly interested in the US and Cuba past relationship.  After my little history write up below, you’ll find our experience in the first city we visited; Cienfuegos and the Laguna Guanaroca.

Fulgencio Batista Zaldivar was the elected President of Cuba from 1940-1944 and the US backed this dictator from 1952-1959 before being overthrown during the Cuban Revolution.  During this time, Batista worked to increase his personal fortune.  So much so that when he fled with 40 cabinet ministers and family members to the Dominican Republic on January 1^st, 1959; he took with him a fortune worth 300 million dollars.  Critics accused Batista and his supporters of taking as much as $700 million in fine art and cash as ministers and cabinet members also fled into exile.

Batista murdered 20,000 Cubans in seven years and turned Democratic Cuba into a complete police state, destroying every individual liberty and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the Cuban people.  He "completely failed to advance the economic welfare of the Cuban people". 

During this time, in a manner that antagonized the Cuban people, the U.S. government used its influence to advance the interests of and increase the profits of the private American companies, which "dominated the island's economy".  As by the late 1950s, U.S. financial interests owned 90% of Cuban mines, 80% of its public utilities, 50% of its railways, 40% of its sugar production and 25% of its bank deposits—some $1 billion in total.

Finally, in March 1958, the U.S. announced it would stop selling arms to the Cuban government.  Soon after, the U.S. imposed an arms embargo.  The U.S. then imposed further embargos.

As relations between Cuba and the United States deteriorated rapidly after the Cuban Revolution and the resulting expropriation and nationalization of businesses, the island became cut off from its traditional market by an embargo and a travel ban was imposed on U.S. citizens visiting Cuba. The tourist industry declined to record low levels within two years of Castro's accession to power.  Today, tourism generates over 2 million arrivals per year and is one of the main sources of revenue for the island.

 After the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962, travel restrictions were imposed by President Kennedy.  The current regulation does not prohibit travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba per se, but it makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license.  On July 25, 2011, OFAC (United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control)  declared that the "people to people" relaxation of restrictions on travel conceded by the Obama administration should not be mistakenly interpreted as promoting tourism.  In January 2015, the Administration lightened restrictions on U.S. citizen travel to Cuba. While restrictions on travel for missionary work and education have been loosened, visits for tourism remain banned.

We decided to file form CG3300 to apply for travel in Cuban for “people to people”  purposes.  The US Coast guard approved our visit.  So off we sailed from Cayman Brac to Cienfuegos, Cuba.  Along the way, two stowaways decided to land on our boat for the night.  Our stowaways were two different little land birds which had no reason to be 50 miles from the nearest land.  We figured they were lost.  We gave them water and food but in reality, they just wanted shelter and sleep for the night.  After many landings and searching our boat for the best place to perch for the night, they both opted to stay under our dodger, one on the port side and the other starboard.  They puffed up their feathers to stay warm and didn’t budge for 12 hours !  Just after sunrise, they said thanks and off they went.  We were just glad to have helped them.

Our first landing was the city of Cienfuegos on the south coast of Cuba.  

I DANCED THE SALSA WITH HIM

THIS MAN WAS VERY ENTERTAINING DURING LUNCH TIME

BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE IN THE CITY CENTER

DOWNTOWN SQUARE

THE CITY OF CIENFUEGOS.  OUR BOAT WAS ANCHORED IN THE BAY ON THE TOP RIGHT

We met Rebecca & Dov who were also in the anchorage on their m/v Blue Compass.  We got along famously with them and traveled all throughout Cuba with them.  They also had bikes so since they are quite the bird watchers, we biked to the nearby bird sanctuary at Laguna Guanaroca.

We hiked along the paths finding exquisite birds such as the Cuban Tody.

CUBAN TODY

There were guides at the laguna to take us to see more birds.  We weren't going to go at first but we are sure glad we did.  Rebecca really wanted to see the elusive Cuban Trogon, which is the Cuban National Bird.  She asked her guide if he could possibly find one.  He started listening and eventually heard one.  We left the canoes along the shore in the mangroves and bushwhacked until we saw a couple of Cuban Trogons.  WOW !   

CUBAN TROGON.  CUBA'S NATIONAL BIRD

OUR GUIDES BUSHWHACKED WITHOUT ANY SHOES ON

THEIR PAY IS $10 / MONTH TO GUIDE TOURISTS ON THE LAGOON

REBECCA ENJOYING THE FLAMINGOS

THANK YOU REBECCA & DOV FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY

                                      INFORMATION FOR CRUISERS:

Checking In:  We checked in at Cienfuegos.  We had to dock at the marina.  A Doctor came aboard to check our temperatures and did some paper work.  Then, Customs and Immigration came on board and did the usual paper work.  That's it !  We were told that immigration gives  Canadians 3 months, US citizens 1 month and Europeans 2 months to stay in the country.  Of course, you can apply for an extension. 

COASTWISE CLEARANCE:  We had to inform the officers that we were leaving Cienfuegos for Cayo Largo.  Every time a boat leaves for another destination in the country, you must advise the authorities.

Checking out of the country:  We checked out of Cuba at Cayo Largo.  Two customs officials and a drug sniffing dog came aboard.

Taxis vs Buses:  We found taking taxis off the beaten path (away from tourists areas), the taxis are less expensive and sometimes even cheaper than taking the buses, especially if you share the taxi ride.  In Cienfuegos, on the street by the Club Nautico, there was a man dressed in a white shirt with a tag around his neck.  He is a delightful man who can arrange taxi rides for you.  We used him to get to Havana.  Also, at the marina, you can talk to some of the men who also have connections with taxi drivers. All, at a very good price.

Vegetable & Fruit Market & Eggs:  It's located in the downtown area of Cienfuegos. Go early for best choices.  A lady tried to sell us 'her special eggs' at a very big price. Just go to the egg market on the on the main pedestrian drag downtown.  You can't miss the place, it only sells eggs.