Drokpa Journal

Dates Traveled: May-June 2000

Havana Good Time

Actually, I suppose that should read ‘Had a Good Time’, but that would require changing the name of the Cuban capital, and that could get ugly. That’s right, past tense, as I’m writing this update from the comfort of my home in Denver. Ok, so that isn’t entirely true since I gave up my apartment in January before embarking on this little adventure, so I’m writing this from the comfort of my sister’s home in Denver…..a home that actually has two faucets in the shower, not just cold. A home that has a working shower head, and isn’t simply water dripping from a pipe. A home where I don’t share my bed with a multitude of bugs, and don’t wake up in the morning covered with bites. A home where the plumbing is good enough that toilet paper can actually go in the toilet and not in an adjacent waste basket. A home where I can eat something besides rice, beans, chicken, and fried plantains. A home…well, you get the picture. Arrived in Denver on June 9th, but history shows that I’m not one to stay in a place for long. As there isn’t much happening work-wise in Russia right now, I’ll be leaving again June 26th and heading to Perth, Australia for 2 1/2 months of work. From there I’ll board a boat on September 7th for 5 weeks of work offshore Brunei, before returning to the States sometime in October, and then back to Perth to work. Never a dull moment.

As kids, if we’d point out to Dad that he’d just accidentally run a stop sign, he’d state that the signs were merely ’suggestions’. Taking that to an international level, I decided our government forbidding us to visit (more accurately to spend money in) Cuba was also simply a ’suggestion’. Besides, I’ve never been one to let others form my opinions. I’ll listen to others, but the cynic in me won’t believe anything until I can see it for myself. In Cuba, I didn’t visit the two sites of which most American’s have heard - Guantanamo Naval Base, because “you can’t handle the truth” (obviously to be read in your best Jack Nicholson imitation), and the Bay of Pigs because it was a bit out of the way and expensive to reach. However, I did cover most of the rest of the island, but that’s getting ahead of myself.

Observations

Flight from Panama City to Havana (obviously two more places named by Canadians - “Well, we need an ‘H’, aye? And a ‘V’, aye? And an ‘N’, aye?” Ok, so it’s an old joke, but I couldn’t refuse!) took 2 1/2 hours, and flew over some beautiful islands. I’ll admit to having a grin from ear-to-ear upon landing in Havana, but that quickly faded as my backpack was thoroughly searched by the customs agents - item by item. Finally got settled in a hotel and then wandered around town. I was quickly joined by a young guy that wanted to show me around. I would later learn to expect this, as Cubans are looking for any way possible to earn a few dollars. Another thing I’d learn that first afternoon was that many guys on the streets would try to sell me boxes of cigars. On several occasions I was escorted through small alleys, up winding stairs, and into someone’s darkly lit home to be offered cigars…..presumably “official” cigars, which had been stolen from the factory. Seems every guy in Cuba has a wife/friend/uncle, etc. who works in a cigar factory. Price was always ridiculously low - 25 Cohiba Esplendidos for anywhere from $20-50, while the going price for the same box in a legitimate shop or factory was $385. Person trying to make the sale would simply state that they needed the money and so were willing to part with the cigars at such a low price. While some of what they said was undoubtedly true, I also believe that most of the cigars were of less than top quality. There are rumors that sometimes they roll banana or plantain leaves in with the tobacco on cigars they try to sell to tourists, so it pays to be a bit skeptical.

Other general observations during my 3 weeks in Cuba: Cuban people are some of the most friendly I’ve ever met, always willing to help. Granted, some of the time it was to earn a buck or two, but other times I had long conversations on the street with people - young and old alike. The first question asked was always, “Where are you from?”, and I always answered truthfully, and never had a problem. Other European tourists seemed to be more interested in how I was being treated as an American, but everything was fine. The Cubans realize that our differences are due to the governments, and not necessarily between people, which is generally the case. Besides, it seemed as if a majority of the people I talked to had relatives in the States, or were interested in getting here themselves. There was naturally a lot of interest in Elian’s situation, and they seem to understand that it’s the Cuban-Americans in Miami that are causing most of the problems. Everywhere one turned there were statues, busts, plaques, murals, propaganda, images of Che, and parks dedicated to various heroes throughout Cuban history, and to the continuance of the revolutionary spirit. However, based on some of the conversations I had, I sometimes wondered how much of the rhetoric the Cubans actually believed.

There were many buildings which must have been grand in the 50’s, but which were quite rundown at this time due to lack of funds - some buildings having actually collapsed on themselves in a pile of rubble. It’s true that there are many American cars from the 1950’s, which is an impressive sight when several are parked together. Other cars included the Russian Lada, as well as other makes, but it was quite rare to see newer vehicles of any kind. Baseball is the national game, and everywhere one turned kids could be seen playing baseball - streets, vacant lots, parks, etc. Sometimes a stick was used as a bat, while other times the ‘batter’ simply swatted the ball with his hand. The stores reminded me of the Far Side cartoon which depicted a large room with a single shelf of products. However, the shelf was situated high on the wall - out of reach of the customers. The caption read ‘Inconvenient Stores’. Cuba definitely has many ‘inconvenient stores’. For starters, there are very few products. This baffles me a bit - obviously the U.S. has the trade embargo, so I wouldn’t expect to see those products, but other countries still deal with Cuba. Seems that Cuba as a whole simply doesn’t have enough money or trade goods to offer in return for import goods. Another problem is the division among Cubans regarding currency. Those that deal with tourists have access to U.S. dollars, while other Cubans have access to Pesos only. There are a few Peso shops, and these normally had lines that went out the door into the streets, but many of the shops expect payment in dollars. The typical Cuban only makes $5-10 U.S. a month in salary, so you can see why they are interested in gaining a few extra dollars by any means possible. Men would offer their services as a guide, or they’d offer to show you places to stay, places to eat, or cigars. Women generally offered sex. Hmmmmm, sex and cigars, sex and cigars. Now where have I heard that before, Mr. Starr?!?

Without much of an income, people couldn’t necessarily afford a car of their own and so relied on other modes of transportation. These included walking, bicycles, bicycle taxis, horse-drawn wagons, motorcycles with sidecars, large tractor-trailer length vehicles, and ‘cattle trucks’ - basically anything that could carry at least one person. Many of the trains, buses, and trucks were in such bad shape that they would break down frequently - I was on more than one train/truck that had mechanical problems, and one of the buses I rode during a heavy rainstorm actually leaked water from the roof….ended up taking a shower onboard! The bureaucracy to simply buy a ticket for a trip also proved to be an adventure. Typically there was only one extremely disinterested person to sell tickets for a trip. Imagine it was a result of the system, as a person was in a job, and knew they wouldn’t be fired or promoted, so they simply went through the motions and took their own sweet time. Frustrating to be on the receiving end of this treatment, and sad for the Cubans, as it didn’t seem as if they had anything to work towards. This procedure also took a long time as all tickets were written by hand, and identification had to be shown at all times - id card for Cubans, and a passport for me. Not exactly sure why they always needed to show an id card for travel, whether it was so their whereabouts were always known or for some other reason, but it was definitely time consuming.

Santiago de Cuba

As for the actual cities visited, I left Havana after one night for the 15 1/2 hour overnight train trip to Santiago de Cuba. While onboard I was approached by three different people asking if I had a place to stay in Santiago. Best place to stay in Cuba are at private homes - called Casa Particulars. These are best because they’re cheaper than hotels, but also because the money goes directly to the people and not to the government (though the gov’t does eventually get it’s share). Throughout Cuba the Casa Particulars were typically $15, with $10 of that going to the homeowner and the other $5 going to the person that takes you there, explaining why people are so eager to show you a place to stay. Other people open their homes for private meals, though I generally ate at the place I was staying, and was amazed at the portions and quality. I always had a hard time even finding a bottle of water, but they obviously know the system and where to find food, because I was always served more than enough. Other reason I ate where I was staying was because the owners don’t report that money to the government, so they were able to keep it all for themselves. Santiago was a lot more relaxed than Havana, with narrow, winding streets. While in Santiago I saw San Juan Hill, which Teddy Roosevelt and the Roughriders ‘captured’ (although I now understand that it probably wasn’t as heroic as we’re lead to believe), something called the ‘tree of peace’ (which was surrounded by cannons…..huh?!?), the Moncada Barracks and museum - complete with bullet holes, which was the site of the start of the revolution, and a fort protecting the bay. Like all cities I visit, I simply walked around for hours taking in all the regular sites, but also wandering around back alleys and out-of-the-way places to get the true feel of the place. I was befriended by 4 young guys that invited me to a street fiesta during the middle of the day. Seems that Santiago’s baseball team had just won the Cuban championship, and the people were celebrating accordingly. The streets were full of people, drinking beer from 1 liter bottles, dancing to salsa, and enjoying themselves. Cubans definitely enjoy their music and dancing. Think I’d throw out a hip if I tried to keep up with the moves of some of the women!

Holguin

From Santiago I caught a train for the 3 hour trip to Holguin. As was typical, the cost was 5 ‘units’ - for me that was $5, but for the Cubans it was 5 pesos (about 25 cents). Holguin didn’t have much to offer, though it was where I learned that Cubans can get in trouble for being seen with tourists at certain sites. The government wants a monopoly on the tourist industry, and wants to make sure that tourists don’t have a bad experience, so at major tourist sites it is illegal for Cubans to accompany tourists for fear that they are hassling the tourists, and the tourists will have a bad impression of the country. On a few occasions I’d be talking to a person and they’d look around suspiciously for fear of being seen, though this was rare. Being Americans, we naturally assume that since we can’t visit Cuba, that nobody goes there, but this is far from the case. It is a major destination for Canadians, and many Europeans also realize the appeal of this Caribbean island. There are many group package tours - I seemed to see mostly Germans while I was there. However, I didn’t see as many in the eastern part of the island - most visit the beautiful beach at Varadero, and the capital of Havana, with some possible day-trips from the capital included as well.

Camaguey

Leaving Holguin was where I first encountered the aforementioned bureaucracy. I left my place at 4:15 in the morning to walk to the bus station for a 5 a.m. bus. During this walk it amazed me that I didn’t see people sleeping on park benches or on the sidewalk - something you come to expect in other countries. Arrived at the bus station, but after all the patient waiting and dealing with the one agent, I was unable to get a ticket. This is a bit of a problem the farther you get from Havana. As there is a fuel shortage, the number of buses running has been reduced drastically, and they tend to leave at very odd hours. I had somewhat anticipated this, and had a backup plan. The bus would have taken me all the way to my final destination - Camaguey, but I knew I could catch a train to a town of Las Tunas and was hoping I could do something from there to still arrive in Cameguey the same day. More bureaucracy trying to get the train ticket as, after waiting patiently in line for over an hour, I was told upon arriving at the window that I would have to go to a different office since I was a foreigner. As it turns out I had awoken at 3:45 in the morning and almost missed an 8:30 train, though I needn’t have worried. Five minutes out of the station the train stopped….1 hour delay. In Las Tunas I decided to not wait around 8 hours for the next train, and didn’t want to deal with the buses, so I opted for the ‘cattle truck’. This is literally a truck that would be used to haul cattle here in the States - a large truck with about a 20′, covered bed, with rails along the edge. There were 4 benches in the back, and we packed about 60 people back there. I was actually charged the local price - 11 pesos (just over 50 cents) rather than $11, for the 4 hour ride. Generally it is illegal for the drivers to accept foreigners - again because the government wants the tourist’s money, and so the driver risks a large fine if caught. Anyway, it was a ride I won’t soon forget. Later in my trip I saw other trucks hauling people, but they lacked both a roof and benches - all the people were standing under the very hot sun (Cuba had to be the hottest place I visited during the 5 months).

Anyway, I finally made it to Camaguey after a very long, interesting day. Unlike most Cuban cities, Camaguey’s streets were not laid out on a grid, but instead wound around in a confusing manner. This was to deter pirates in the days of old. Camaguey was an interesting city, with many nice parks, and beautiful churches - I liked it.

Trinidad

From Camaguey I arranged to have a person with a car drive me the 4 hours to Trinidad. Trinidad was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but really wasn’t as impressive as other UNESCO sites I’ve seen. Granted, it does have some amazing old colonial architecture, the cobble-stoned streets add a touch of nostalgia, and there are a few beautiful parks, but it just didn’t seem to have enough. Was interesting to see old U.S. cars on a cobble-stoned street, alongside a horse-drawn wagon, with maybe an old 1950’s style bicycle in the background. Speaking of bikes, I opted to rent one from my Casa Particular for the 16 mile round-trip to/from Ancon Beach on the Caribbean. In this world of in-your-face, extreme adventures, where brand names have to have attitude - have to be able to transport your mind to other planes, I somehow doubt a bicycle known as the Flying Pigeon would be a big hit…call me crazy. However, it is just such a bike which I was to call my own that day. Notable features on this one-speed dream machine included a triangular kickstand which framed the rear wheel, a front wheel so far in front of the handlebars it required 10 acres to turn around, brakes which didn’t work, full fenders - front and back, a seat that was much too short for someone 6′2″, a seat which tilted at the most inopportune moments, and was covered by something that kept coming off, rims that were warped, peddles that were bent, and probably tipped the scales at a very non-titanium 40+ pounds. It was a tank! Amazingly enough, it didn’t even live up to the Flying Pigeon moniker - Wounded Duck would have been more appropriate. I was even being laughed at by Cubans on their own ancient bikes. Anyway, trip was an adventure, beach was beautiful, and I saw a guy on a bike with a 5′+ shark tied to the back….his friend was trying to figure out how he could also hop on for the ride back to town. A good day.

Cienfuegos

I next caught a bus for the 2 hour trip to Cienfuegos, which I really liked. The area around Trinidad was beautiful, and Cienfuegos itself seemed to be more of the town I expected from Trinidad. The central square was beautiful, as was the theater and churches surrounding the square, and the homes on the spit of land extending out into the bay - homes which were Mediterranean in appearance. Also took a 1 hour ferry ride to the mouth of the bay to investigate a fort. Definitely enjoyed Cienfuegos.

Varadero

After Cienfuegos I headed to what is probably the most popular location for tourists to Cuba - Varadero, with it’s beautiful beach….the Cancun of Cuba. Bus ride took 4 hours. Initially tried to check into a hotel, but cheapest I could find was $42, so I simply asked the security guard if he knew of a Casa Particular, and within a few minutes he’d phoned a friend and I had a place to stay for 3 nights. Staying in a private home cost more than other places - $25, as I found out it is illegal for Cubans to rent out rooms in Varadero - the government realizes how popular Varadero is and wants all the money for themselves. Also found this to be the case in the tourist agencies in town - they only dealt with expensive, government options for getting from place to place - shuttles, planes, etc., and would offer no advice on 2nd class buses, trains, etc. Anyway, the beach at Varadero was beautiful - 12-15 miles of clean sand and turquoise water, with very few people at that time of year. There are many large hotels in town, catering to the many groups of tourists that spend time in town. Enjoyed simply relaxing on the beach for a few days, catching some sun.

Pinar del Rio & Vinales

From Varadero I was able to catch a bus to Havana, and then convinced a guy with a car to drive me the 3 hours to Pinar del Rio, which is west of Havana. Really enjoyed the area around Pinar del Rio - more topography than other parts of Cuba, and it is also the region which grows the best tobacco in Cuba. Greenery of tobacco and sugar cane fields added to the beauty of the region. After Pinar del Rio I caught a bus for the 45 minute ride to Vinales, which I really liked. The topography of the area due to the many limestone formations reminds one of provinces in China. Explored a few caves in the area, got drenched in a downpour while hitching a ride on the back of someone’s motorcycle, and did a lot of hiking. Nice region, with a relaxed atmosphere, men plowing their fields with oxen, and good cigars. Definitely one of the most beautiful regions of Cuba.

Havana

From Vinales it was time to head back to Havana for 4 days to complete my trip. Havana ranks as one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been fortunate to see, and I can only imagine how much more impressive it must have been in the 50’s before everything fell into a state of disrepair. Did a lot of walking to see some of the major sites - museum of the revolution, with it’s important tanks (one Fidel used during the Bay of Pigs), boat (which brought Fidel and 82 others from Mexico to Cuba to start the revolution), and numerous pictures; Revolution Plaza where Fidel addresses the people of Cuba, and which contains a building with a huge outline of Che; the forts protecting the bay; a bar full of character, which was one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite hangouts; and the numerous parks and monuments. Also toured a cigar factory - watching the various steps in the process, from selecting the right leaves, to rolling and pressing the cigars, to the quality control, sorting by color, and adding the labeling to the cigars and boxes. Definitely a tedious process, as each worker is expected to roll approximately 200 cigars/day - depending on the type of cigar being rolled.

Final Observations

Spandex seems to be the national costume on the women….spandex tops, bottoms, or full-body suits. That isn’t bad on the younger women, but less than appealing on some of the older women, where even the stretchability of spandex seems to be put to the test! Men were generally very fit, with little fat, from some of the difficult, manual work. There were many slogans on walls or coins - “country or death”, “socialism or death”, “anti-imperialists”, “yankee we are not afraid of you”, etc. Last, one of the strangest requests I’ve heard from beggars, and I heard it several times in Cuba……soap.

Cuba Photos

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