American Citizens can now visit Cuba and safely enjoy the Cuban culture
Cuba Travel:
The “People To People” option for travel involves staying with Cuban families– Casa Lodging. By choosing this option, we were not only able to get to know and partly understand the history of Cuba, but also had many opportunities to know the people and make new friends. Our journey began in Havana (Habana for Cubans). We next journeyed to Vinales with its tobacco farms and National Park atmosphere, to Cienfuegos, to Trinidad and back to Habana.
Casa Lodging:
The best aspect of the People to People arrangement is that all of our lodging was in a private home, or Casa. Most all jobs in Cuba are provided by the government, and whether you are a physician or a ditch digger, you earn roughly 30 CUC’s per month. So the main ways to get ahead are through tourism such as Airbnb lodging or the Black Market. In Miami, when we were checking in our luggage we saw many Cubans returning to Cuba with large bundles of “goods” to bring back from the US. I suspect that it is very likely those items were to be sold or traded–perhaps the Black Market?
Jose Marti International Airport
We evidently arrive at Terminal 2 of the HAVANA Jose Marti International Airport. This terminal is used for US charter flights, and it was as if we had gone back in time. We knew that our credit cards and ATM cards would not work, but perhaps there would be a place to get food, or a gift shop. Not! Terminal 2 was definitely not the typical airport experience. In fact, it was a bit scary, because somehow or other, the person that was to meet us at the airport wasn’t there. We attempted to call a contact number we had–thanks to a very friendly Cuban gentleman that made the call for us, but no luck. There was a place where we could exchange soime of our cash for Cuban pesos, so we did that and took one of the newer Government cabs to our first Casa.
Cuban Pesos:
There are two types of Cuban Pesos. The Peso we needed is referred to as the CUC, or convertible Peso. If you take a Euro or a Canadian Dollar to the bank, you will receive one CUC in return. Even though the US dollar was worth more than the Canadian dollar; one US dollar was only worth 0.87 CUC. There is basically a “surcharge” of 13 cents for every dollar we converted via the Cuban money exchange facilities. The only way for a US citizen to get CUC’s in Cuba is to bring cash. (There are ATM’s, but they do not dispense money when using US bank cards. We were able to get a better rate on the streets, but I think we were very lucky. Most exchange places are government controlled just as are most other places of business.)
Old Town Havana:
The taxi trip from the airport to Old Town Havana cost us 31 CUC. Our actual Intrepid Travel tour didn’t begin until the following evening. We stayed at our first Casa, the Hostel Mariposa located on Bernaza Street, between Teniente Rey and Muralla in Old Town. The arrangements were made via Airbnb. Our host Genne was amazing and as mentioned, the Cuban people that we met were extremely friendly. Genne helped us out with currency on several occasions and suggested several places nearby to sightsee and where to eat.
Lobster Dinner for $8:
The street scene at the right is from at nearby corner. Our group arrived a few hours later, and the 14 of us waited in line for more than an hour for dinner at a nearby restaurant. Can you imagine ordering a lobster dinner along with a salad and side dishes for about $8! The food portions were generous and very inexpensive. Most all restaurants were inexpensive but the food was very bland. Wouldn’t you think that it would by spicy much like Mexican food–not. Generally the menu’s included, pork, beef, shrimp and fish dinners served with a great black bean and rice dish.Bring along any spices that you like. (Expect to pay about $8-10 per person for a lot of food.)
Casa Breakfast:
We ate breakfast at each of the Casa that we stayed. The food served generally included lots of fruit and juice as well as egg dishes, bread and meat. Lynne, Grant, and my wife Kathy were not especially happy vegetarians.
Alcohol Lover’s Paradise:
For those of you that like beverages with alcohol; Cuba would be alcohol lover’s paradise. Cuban beer for about $1.50, a Mojito or Cuba Libre for $3 or $4. Bacardi is no longer a Cuban Rum, but the Habana Cuba brand sold by the government is a great substitute. The Habana Club 7 Year was recommended. You can bring home a liter for about 19 CUC.
I have included a slide show below. More to come later. This part of the travel blog is under construction.
