Actually, I’m in Havana. A Cuban Adventure.

As one of my 2020 goals, I set out to experience something different in travel, out of my comfort zone and find a way to meet and connect with new people. Cuba was not really on my bucket list of destinations but while searching for organized trips it seemed to offer what I was looking for, without traveling too far from home. This would be a vacation I would do without my husband which was also something new for me. Women travelers are a growing demographic and there is an increasing number of travel companies organizing adventure trips for women. I chose the company Damesly.

My love of travel began as a 15-year-old when I went on a YMCA trip, through my summer camp, to England for 5 weeks. I loved it so much I applied to lead future trips and as a 21 and 22-year-old, led trips to England/Scotland and Denmark/Iceland. These voyages were cultural immersions where we lived in camps, youth hostels, and homestays with families and experienced life as a local in the new country. I found the trips life-changing and 30+ years later, I was able to re-experience this type of adventure, even though I thought maybe I was too old or too set in my ways to travel this way again.

Cuban travel had been prohibited to Americans until President Obama relaxed restrictions in 2016. At that time, many Americans were able to visit as tourists. However, in June 2019, President Trump imposed new restrictions and banned cruises which were the most popular way to travel to Cuba and restricted categories of travel. Today Americans can not travel as tourists but in the category of supporting the Cuban People. This means you must have a planned itinerary with local people and must stay in a private home rather than a hotel. We ate in private vs government-owned restaurants and took private (1950’s) cars vs buses or yellow taxis. 

Understanding Cuba

Our first two days were spent in Havana. There were 6 participants on the trip and two leaders. Lidyz was our leader from Cuba and Jimena was our Damesly guide from Guatemala.

Lidyz asked us to be open-minded. She told us there would be situations that we might not understand and like Cubans we should go with the flow and not try to understand why certain things happen. I learned what this meant over the next few days. Here are some examples:

• Some days there might not be eggs for breakfast. One day there were eggs but no gas for the stove to cook them. 

• Some showers had water pressure, others a slow drip. In Havana, we never had hot water.

• The internet sometimes just turns off. Even when it is on, and seems connected it still doesn’t work. There were only a few places in Havana that had internet and homes typically did not. We found it more accessible in the countryside but again mostly unreliable. For the most part, we used our phones for photos only.

• Some toilets have seats, while others do not. Sometimes there is soap, sometimes not. Sometimes toilet paper, other times not.

• You can never flush toilet paper down the toilet (you place it in a trash can).

• Occasionally your food comes very quickly, other times we would wait for over an hour for food, even though it didn’t seem like anyone was in the restaurant. There are typically items on the menu they just don’t have that day.

• Cars run on diesel fuel but not all gas stations have it available. We would stop if we knew there was diesel because we did not know when it would be available again. There is a “What’s App” group where drivers can let each other know where there is diesel available.

• Police would regularly stop us on our road trip for no reason. Papers would need to be produced and sometimes they would let us go without a ticket or payment of some sort. Other times they would hold us up for 25 minutes trying to find something wrong with the car and then bribe the driver to hand over money or they would pull the license plate. The police know these cars hold tourists and try to take advantage of the fact the drivers will be paid tips.

Havana was a true contradiction. Some buildings looked perfectly preserved and just like in other cities there were some cranes building new hotels. On the flip side, many buildings were falling down, so much so people tend to walk in the middle of the street to avoid anything falling down onto them. Much of it looked like a war zone and you would look at a building that looked completely uninhabitable and there would be clothes hanging out the window indicating people were living in them. There were nights we were in funky, cool restaurants with wonderful food, Cuban cocktails, live Cuban music and dancing and right next door would be dilapidated buildings.

We spent our first day touring the city in the 1950s American cars and then doing a walking tour in Old Havana.

I tried to imagine Havana in all its glory and can only imagine how beautiful this city was at one time. We had wonderful moments and experienced the city’s vibrancy, enjoying some wonderful food, and lots of Cuban daiquiris and experiencing the wonderful live Cuban music each night. The music would start and the people would come in for a drink, or dance and then the music would stop and people would move on.  On our last night, we visited the Fabrica De Arte Cubano, a nightclub-like venue with live music, art exhibits and bars throughout. It was hip, modern and felt like South Beach, Miami.

Road Trip

After two days in Havana, we piled up in our private taxi, loading the bags on the top rack and roping them securely and set off on a long day road trip to Viñales.

The highways are not in the best shape with bumps and potholes scattered and then other times the roads were smoother. There were no seatbelts and the air conditioner would often drip water on my legs. Compared to the U.S. there are few cars on the road, as most people don’t own a car. As a result, the highways were virtually empty except for the people waiting near overpasses hoping to catch a ride on a flatbed truck. A ticket for a two-hour bus ride is well beyond the means of a typical Cuban. We would often pass people on horseback and riding horse and buggy alongside the road.

Our first stop of the day was at the Fusterlandia Art Gallery. Artist José Fuster set out to transform a Havana fishing neighbourhood into a work of art. Despite Cuba’s political and economic turmoil, his work now spans from residents’ homes to a giant chess park. The centerpiece is Fuster’s own house, Taller-Estudio José Fuster, a sizable residence decorated from roof to foundation with art, sculpture and – above all – mosaic tiles of every color and description.

Our final destination of the day was Viñales. Viñales is an agricultural area, where crops of fruit, vegetables, coffee and especially tobacco are grown by traditional methods. We stopped at an organic farm for lunch and then spent the afternoon at a tobacco farm which produces Cuban cigars.

Our next day was another significant day of driving to Trinidad, over 6 hours. We did stop often to stretch, refuel, enjoy a fresh lunch and visit the Museo Giron, the museum located where the Bay of Pigs took place.

We spent three nights in Trinidad. Trinidad was founded on December 23, 1514, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Only a few square blocks in size, the historic plaza area has cobblestone streets, houses in pastel colors with wrought iron grilles, and colonial-era buildings. The older parts of town are well preserved, as the Cuban tourism industry sees benefits from tour groups. In contrast, some parts of town outside the tourist areas are very run down and in disrepair, especially in the center. You feel like you are stepping deep into the past in this town. Cobblestone roads with horse and buggy carriages passing through.

On our first day, we did a walking tour, climbed the tower in the square and spent the afternoon at the beach. The beach was beautiful and the water was wavy and warm. In the evening we took a salsa lesson which was so much fun, though I have to admit, I didn’t look like a Cuban dancer, in any way. After dinner, we headed to the square where everyone sits outside, has a rum drink and listens and dances to Cuban music. 

On our second day, we went horseback riding up to the spot we would hike for the morning. We hiked for about an hour up to a beautiful waterfall. You could swim around and into the cave which was really cool. In the evening, we were served dinner by our host family and a neighbor serenaded us with his singing and guitar. 

We stayed in four different homes during the trip. The people of Cuba have been allowed to open their homes for guests to stay, as a way to make some more money. The average monthly salary of a physician is $40/month and opening your home allows a family to make that much in a night/room. Most of the furnishings are very outdated and mattresses, pillows and bedding are not the most comfortable. We shared rooms with each other, and sometimes had a twin bed which I admit I fell out of once (and so did my roommate!) We were served breakfast every morning which typically included a small plate of fruit, toast, and scrambled eggs. The hosts were incredibly warm and accommodating. We all brought gifts to leave the families including items like soap, shampoo, Tylenol, and Advil. I brought bouncy balls to give to the children. Sounds strange to bring these as a gift but they have no access to these types of products. 

On our last full day, we piled back up into the car and headed back to Havana, between 5 -6 hours, making just a few stops along the way. Once back in Havana we had our final dinner in a wonderful restaurant and shared our favorite moments of the trip.

We experienced the “real” Cuba. We didn’t stay in hotels or on a cruise ship that we could return to each night. We lived in Cuba for a week and saw the good and the bad. I will say, we felt welcome, and safe and enjoyed the warmth of the Cuban people. Despite the living conditions, lack of access to items we take for granted, and lack of opportunity to make a living, the Cuban people seemed very happy.

Observations

At first, it was strange to be virtually cut off from the internet for a week and though it took a bit of an adjustment, I started to like being unplugged. I began to truly appreciate what we typically take for granted. We couldn’t use google maps, or look up a restaurant and struggled a bit when our ride didn’t show up at the airport at the designated time.

In each place we visited, we saw many people just hanging around. Pretty much everywhere you looked, people were standing around or sitting on their front steps. They aren’t working, because they get paid almost nothing.

We saw many people with iPhones (purchased through the black market) though Cubans aren’t allowed to download songs, apps or really any information on their phones. We learned people go to the black market once a week with a USB drive and buy information containing the latest news, movies, books, music, and tv shows they can upload onto their phone.

I never really saw any food stores or really any stores with goods other than handmade Cuban souvenirs. We brought all our own pharmaceuticals and cosmetic products and even snacks. The type of store where you typically buy a snack or soda was non-existent and even trying to buy a bottle of liquor was a bit of a challenge. We were successful but couldn’t find any mixers. Who really needs mixers? Shots all around!

Most of the cars date back to the 1950s and mechanics replace parts with tremendous ingenuity. Most parts and tools cannot be imported. Unfortunately, none of the cars would pass emission tests and it was difficult to get used to all the black smoke/exhaust emitted from the cars that you regularly had to breathe in. 

Fidel Castro is revered. The only billboard signs you see have pictures of Castro and other leaders. Most people tout the increase in literacy rate as a result of Castro’s communist government and today it is 99.8% in Cuba. That said, there isn’t much financial reward for education. Our guide Lidyz is incredibly bright and educated in architecture but works privately as a guide because of the opportunity to make significantly more money.

Cubans cannot own a house. The government owns homes and places you in one. Traditionally, three generations share a house with no chance to move out on their own. The only way you can move (as a family unit) is to “swap” houses with another family. Each week there is a gathering of people who wish to swap homes.

There is a shortage of almost everything in Cuba. 80% of Cubans receive financial support from people outside of Cuba. The plane from Miami to Cuba was filled with people carrying big bags overflowing with supplies. As you go through baggage claim you see folks walking out with flat-screen TVs and other electronics. The biggest surprises were the boxes and boxes of Dunkin Donuts people were bringing to their families. There are no doughnuts or anything like a doughnut in Cuba. Go figure.

This trip was an adventure as it was interesting, exciting, and fun and took me out of my comfort zone. Overall, the trip was amazing as I learned so much about Cuba and also about myself. I felt energized and kept up with the “thirty and fortysomethings” on the trip, which felt really good. Spending a week with and bonding with new women friends was a bonus. Travel always opens my eyes, and my mind and allows me to reflect on what is most important to me. I learned how much I take for granted from the smallest material items to the privilege of living in a country like the United States of America. I have to say I was happy to touchdown in the U.S. and I appreciated the small things, like my bed and a hot shower so much more than before!

Finally, as always, I felt blessed and thankful to have this opportunity to travel and live my best life after cancer.