Getting By in Cuba

The Cuban people still remain resilient and hopeful amid changing political and economic circumstances of which they assert no control. With an average monthly income of approximately $20/month, yet the highest literacy rate in the Americas, many of the most educated Cubans make more in the tourism industry than as engineers or educators.

With embargoes and lessened support by past allies Russia and Venezuela, rations are a part of everyday life for Cubans. Carefully controlled Libreta de Abastecimientos (supplies booklets) indicate maximum amounts of basic foods each Cuban can purchase- if the goods

Availability & prices
posted in bodegas

are even available. Our friend, Gaby, shared how difficult it is to follow a recipe as chances are high that one or more ingredients will be unavailable. Consequently, Cubans spend a lot of time in line. Word spreads when items are available and trading is the best way to secure necessary supplies.

I’m not sure if it is because of the country’s socialist attitude or years of paternal government care, most Cubans seem to pleasantly and diligently go about their lives without the sense of aggressive urgency that you see in other nearby islands like Jamaica. But pockets of entrepreneurship are appearing. Casa Particulares, privately-owned B&Bs often part of individual’s homes, are popping up daily and private restaurants often offer the best meals you’ll enjoy during a stay. This also allows you to direct funds to residents rather than government agencies- a major tenet of the latest US restrictions for tourists.

The US Embassy in Havana

With media control, ingenious Cuban’s get their entertainment and news through “the package”. The Package is a weekly data delivery of an odd assortment of media for consumption by Cubans. Perhaps “Game of Thrones”, “House of Cards” or “The Bachelor”- who knows what the selection criteria is for The Package. Some pick up the weekly thumb drive of data at a nearly local bodega. Another cottage industry has a young techie coming to homes to install the data onto laptops for home consumption. Most households have an established system whereby they can widely share The Package and share the costs among several families. I guess it is a lot like Netflix passwords, isn’t it?

Heavenly Havana

I absolutely adore Havana. 

Five centuries of history have helped shape this electric and culturally unique society. A stomping ground for pirates, a slave port for the Spanish and later a gambling capital for the American mafia, Havana has survived it all and retains the glimmer of her former grandeur. The city has given the world salsa, cigars, rum and mojitos and still shares these riches with visitors. It has the feel of a Spanish New Orleans without the frat boys. Historic and slightly seedy. Women in brightly colored dresses and cigars are ready to share a photo for a fee. Latin music lilting as you gingerly walk down narrow stone streets. She has the feeling of a former beauty who continues to put on her best dress and present herself proudly even though time has taken a toll on her splendor.  Peel back the façade of most ornate buildings and you’ll encounter roughly patched plaster and a nest of unruly and slightly frightening electric wires. In fact, an average of four buildings collapses each day in

Cuba. Not through shoddy workmanship but through sheer lack of maintenance and upkeep. Amid the deteriorating buses and share taxis used by local commuters, over 150,000 Classic American cars still troll the roads of Cuba in search of tourist fares. Since parts have been unavailable since the 1959 embargo, ingenious Cuban mechanics have kept the cars- and their source of income- in working order through creative work under the hood. A highlight of any trip to Havana is a ride down leafy boulevards sporting your new straw hat in a pink ’53 Cadillac convertible.

Perhaps my favorite spot is the Malecon, Havana’s long waterfront promenade. Cuban friends tell stories of how their parents met and courted on the Malecon. Today the path continues to be an important meeting spot for Cuban youth who don’t have gaming, Netflix and endless wifi to serve as their entertainment.

Another of my favorite spots that we shared with friends is the nearby Jaimanitas neighborhood and its highlight, Fustelandia. As a writer, I find words difficult to describe this sprawling home where every inch is covered with mosaic. We’re not talking Gaudi Guell Park in Barcelona mosaic, but if the cat stood still, he would have grout and broken plate parts all over his back. Whatever happened to hit the artist Jose Fuste’s fancy each day was the object of his next project using whatever local plates he could find. The three-floor edifice includes giraffes, mermaids, Virgin Marys and countless other mosaic subjects.

The Anachronism that is Cuba

I’ve always loved the energy of our Cuban friends. I love the fact that they can’t talk without using their hands, fall easily into laughter and will dance at the drop of a straw hat. How could they have such obvious lust for life when I’d heard their family tales of growing up, facing repression and ultimately escaping their homeland? This is part of why I felt the strong draw to see this island before it became the Miami Beach of the Caribbean.

We’ve now been twice. Our first visit was during the questionable days when flights were

unavailable directly from the US and group “People-2-People” educational experiences were

the only way to visit. We were so befuddled, mesmerized and intrigued by it that we recently returned with six friends to share this perplexing island before travel restrictions were once again tightened. I’m not sure what I can definitively say about Cuba even after several weeks on the island. I still scratch my head as I did before I first stepped foot on its soil.

As a former Spanish colony painted with French, African, American and Jamaican influences, the breadth of Cuba’s heritage is staggering. Historical heirlooms- forts, palaces, plazas and colonial towns- dominate the landscape. You can easily understand why it was the object of desire for pirates and explorers alike. The people of Cuba have kept the country’s effervescent, seductive culture alive for centuries, revering their poets, writers, musicians and dancers. Cuba remains a paradise and an anachronism in a world that has become ever-more globalized.

It’s hard to ferret out the truth as those you meet share the “party line” on the brave resistance fighters who saved them from the corrupt Battista regime. To me, the question remains which is the lesser of two evils and what lies ahead now that Raul Castro has stepped down. Guides tout the country’s medical and educational system, low crime rate and lack of drug use.  Lack of resources and even basic food items, low wages, inadequate housing, corruption and minimal opportunity for advancement paint a different picture.

The dual currency system also leaves me scratching my head. Since credit cards and ATMs

aren’t available in Cuba, visitors must come laden with cash for exchange into CUCs- Cuban Convertible Pesos. These mirror the dollar except for the 13% exchange rate levied on US dollar exchanges and only US dollar exchanges (a final little F-U from the Castros?) Locals use CUP, Cuban Pesos, so prices are posted in both currencies, although goods for locals are heavily subsidized for those lucky few who can afford them.

What lies ahead? With our mercurial leadership, we opted for trip insurance for the first time in our lives- not out of fear of storms or family illness, but out of alarm that the US may close access before our trip. Travel sanctions actually increased while we were in-country but did not affect our return. Yes, you can still visit Cuba at this time, but are restricted from financially supporting government-owned facilities and businesses.

I certainly wouldn’t want to be the owner of one of the expensive People-2-People tour licenses. I can only equate the situation to that of a NYC cabbie holding a taxi medallion, watching as Uber and a myriad of providers chip away at his profits. If Cuba continues to open up as is expected, the day may ultimately come when Americans can come and go at will, enjoying luxurious hotels and white sand beaches, outside the confines of P2P programs.  Or maybe not?