Walker Swim Bike Run ...: Cuba 2023

2023 03 Cuba

https://havanatimes.org/features/canadians-tourists-warned-dont-go-to-cuba-with-high-hopes/

‘For those who persist in going to Cuba despite the warnings, it is best to be realistic: “Go without having too many expectations, the disappointments will be less.’

https://www.wheregoesrose.com/what-i-really-thought-of-cuba-an-honest-update/

‘After my 10 days in Cuba, I can safely say it wasn’t what I expected.

Was it the funnest, most relaxing or enjoyable trip of my life? No.

Was it one of the most interesting trips of my life? Yes!

Is it easy to travel in Cuba? Absolutely not!’

https://www.courthousenews.com/while-tourists-flock-to-cuba-locals-are-desperate-to-leave/

The Itinerary

Day 1 Sunday March 19

Arrive at the airport in Havana UA 3542 arrives HAV 205PM Yes
A representative from KB Cuba will meet you at the airport and provide private transportation to your casa in Havana.Yes
Once you're settled, you'll embark on a short walk around town with your guide to stretch your legs and get acquainted before having a group dinner and getting a short trip briefing. Yes

Day 2 Monday March 20

Explore the historic city of Havana, Cuba! Yes
You'll go for an hour drive around Havana in a classic 1950’s convertible and stop by a spot completely off the tourist path. Yes - 1000 CUP gratuity
Then we’ll make a quick visit to a community center for elderly Cubans who would otherwise be home alone. - NO
These folks actually lived through the history and it’s a tremendous opportunity to hear their stories first hand. NO
We will head off on an hour bike ride through the back streets of Havana to a local, privately-owned food market Yes 3000 CUP gratuity and chat with the locals NO
After lunch, we will take a nice long (one to three hour) walk through historic Old Towne Havana Yes to drop off some school supplies to a local school NO.

Day 3 Tuesday March 21

We will drive first to a local farm off the beaten path No, for an hour hike around the jungle No and a look at how the locals are now allowed to have their own private farm business. No
Many of them are just now being able to sell their products, and past travelers who are gardeners themselves have been able to provide a lot of insight on newer practices, organics, etc. Not Applicable
Then we will drive to the historic Bay of Pigs. Yes - the museum. Not the beach : (
We'll head to an isolated beach for a snorkeling excursion into the Carribean Sea with one of our new, local, private entrepreneur partners Yes who's emphasis is on protecting the environment.Questionable
After lunch we continue to the bayside town of Cienfuegos where we will enjoy its classic French colonial architecture. Yes

Day 4 Wednesday March 22

First, we’ll make a short drive to El Nicho National Park Yes to check our ongoing social projects. No
We’ll hike the short but famous waterfall-laden trail Yes with a local, private botanist who is working on cataloging all the unique flora to this region including newly discovered ones. No

We’ll then drive to our last destination, the UNESCO colonial jewel of Trinidad Yes, and an amazing lunch at a private, local restaurant. Lunch Yes Amazing No

With many small private vendors and optional activities like cooking classes, salsa dance, cigar vendors, and music, we will have some time to have some authentic interactions with the local people and independent businesses. No; none.
Then we have the option of renting a bike for a ten mile bike ride out to the coast and sunset over the Caribbean. No

Day 5 Thursday March 23

After breakfast, head into the steep, lush mountain range above town for a rugged hike through the jungle to a waterfall and swimming hole Yes with one of our local partners as we help them develop their small hut business near the trailhead that sells fresh coffee from the nearby mountains. No
After the hike, return to Trinidad for lunch. Yes
Then, a three hour afternoon horseback or hiking outing into the countryside with a small, private Cuban horseman. Yes
Included is a cool stop at a local sugar cane farm, where both rum and sugar are produced.Yes (and a stop at a coffee ‘shop’)

Day 6 Friday March 24

After breakfast we will drive along the coast for an hour to one of our favorite places in Cuba. Yes
We’re excited about our latest project documenting the marine life, and water temperatures, over time at our small, unspoiled dive spot in the Caribbean.No
Your local, private guide No will take you snorkeling to see some of the best preserved coral reefs in the world, Yes or there is the option to upgrade to scuba instead. Not applicable
There is also the option here of a nice hike through the jungle. No
We’ll have lunch here (tremendous fresh seafood the specialty) before a late afternoon return to Havana. No (Cienfuego - Yes)

Day 7 Saturday March 25

Depending on the time of your flight, UA 3543 departs HAV 305pm
after breakfast we will take you to the airport Yes, or if you have extra time you can do some last minute shopping for souvenirs from the many small, locally owned shops near our casa. Yes

Trip Package Includes

Accommodations (6 nights in private home lodging, based on double occupancy) Yes
Private transportation during entire trip, including airport transfers Yes
English speaking Cuban guide throughout entire trip Yes
Entrance fees to all sites - No (two parks required US or Euro entrance fees)
Havana biking Yes, Cienfuegos snorkeling Yes, Topes de Collantes hiking Yes, Trinidad horseback ride Yes, and Trinidad snorkeling Yes.
Havana classic convertible tour Yes
Breakfast on days 2-7 Yes
20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply) Yes

Not Included

Guide $300 and driver $100 gratuities
Lunches & dinners $600
Excursion gratuities $200

My Experience (abridged)

Tourism of Cuba is not allowed by the government of the United States. One can visit Cuba with the intention of ‘Support of the Cuban People’, which means frequenting government owned business, like many hotels, is forbidden. Our itinerary was created by a US company and qualified within the US government travel guidelines.

Reviewing the itinerary, many of the non-tourism ‘support the people’ agenda items did not occur or were not accurately described. The majority of our support of the people was frequenting Cuban owned small businesses or underwriting Cuban service personnel with tips and gratuities.

The B&Bs, lunch spots and a few of the excursions were Cuban owned and operated. The nicer dinner venues were foreign owned. I was told the bike tour was Spanish owned. The parks and museums were government owned. At one park which, inexplicably, cost $30 USD per person to enter, we were told some employees ran a side hustle and gave private guided tours for 300 CUP per person.

I see online the average wages to $4,500 in the US and $150 (one hundred fifty) in Cuba. The non government or bank, aka ‘black market’ exchange rate was 160 CUP per $1.00 US (or Euro). We carried Euros and converted 200 EU at a time for 32,000 CUP in 200 and 500 peso bills.

Most of the Cuban people are employed by the State. In what capacity? It is hard to tell. There is a lot of street activity but it doesn’t seem like there is any ‘progress’ being made. It appears to be ‘making do’ with limited resources. Side hustles and ‘black market’ dominate the economic landscape.

Spanish is the main language in Cuba. For a ‘tourist’ destination, I was surprised how little English some of the food service employees in the ‘nicer’ restaurants spoke. Sidebar; the comment was made about how the Caribbean countries that spoke English seem to have fared better than those speaking Spanish after colonization.

Two Hundred (200) CUP converts to $1.25; five hundred to $3.12; one thousand to $6.25. All transactions were in cash (no credit cards). For a dinner bill for 8,000 CUP I would count out some combination of up to sixteen 500 peso bills to forty 200 peso bills. I was told it was a difficult process for everybody. I carried a large wad of cash in a running waist belt.

Ten percent (10%) gratuities, and one 15% er, were automatically added at several restaurants. At the non published eateries I would add the 10% and round up to the 200 or 500 CUP I had on hand. With the conversions, it was common for me to remind myself that the extra 200 CUP that I may have over-tipped was $1.25. And I didn’t care to carry any 50 CUP bills worth thirty one cents. There was the occasional bathroom attendant that would charge 50 CUP and $1.25 within budget.

One thousand CUP gratuity for B&B hosts and tour guides,became the benchmark. I figured supporting the people with cash would be reasonable,.and a $10 US tip to a person that makes, on average, $150 USD per month would be noticeable. Multiple times, I saw the recipient's demeanor change post gratuity exchange.

Before traveling I watched the Netflix documentary ‘Cuba and The Cameraman’ and upon returning home I’ve been watching the Netflix Series ‘Cuba Libre’. The two programs supplement well the visit and experience with extended historical and cultural background information.

My preconceived notions of Cuba included a strong military presence. The CDC recommendations for a series of vaccinations for hepatitis A & B and typhoid, and the medicine prescribed by a travel nurse for potential gastrointestinal issues suggested uncleanliness. The threat of danger lurking on every corner in the form of hustlers, pickpockets, and worse, were often suggested in casual conversation.

There was little military and for that matter police presence. We encountered none of the insects we had been fore-warned. I’m always surprised to see people sweeping sidewalks and tidying homes and yards when the surrounding area is litter strewn and dirty. Overflowing trash containers are common. There were alot of discarded beer cans and cigarette butts and packages littering the streets.

Economic limitations of the US government i.e. the ‘Embargo’ means credit cards supplied by US companies can not be used; one must carry enough cash to cover anticipated and emergency expenses. As well, there is no US company based cell phone reception and WiFi access is very limited and unreliable. Medical events are covered by a Cuban government insurance stipend purchased as part of the airline ticket transaction.

The reasonable play is to be prepared and careful, and not take chances that would require reliance on a safety net of unknown capacity.

As part of our travel package, we had a Spanish and English speaking guide that was with us all day and every day and a driver that spoke only Spanish. The itinerary was preplanned with specific points of interest, lunch and dinner ‘suggestions’ (I did see our guide was rewarded with food item ‘gifts’ at more than one of our stops), and B&B accommodations.

The amount of “revolution” signs, murals and monuments was striking. Not just in town centers and squares, where one might expect them, but throughout the cities and countryside the message is reinforced. A took a picture of an old “CDR” sign that looked interesting, Wikipedia tells me the acronym stands for ‘Committee for the Defense of the Revolution’ a neighborhood watch for the cause.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the continuing US trade embargo and the limited economic output of the country, goods are scarce. Demand far outstrips supply. Stock outs and shortages are the status quo. A pharmacy we walked past looked to have the shelves stock at about 10%. A shoe store in Cienfuegos, Nike, I believe had a better looking inventory.

The people seemed much better dressed than expected for the median income level less than $1000 per month for most occupations. https://teleport.org/cities/havana/salaries/

Government food is rationed and there are long lines at markets. At state run stores the shelves may be full, but with large quantities of just a few items. There is little variety. The choices are yes and no.

As I photographed, I tried to be sensitive to the fact that people are not present for amusement or entertainment and their privacy should be respected. At times I took pictures from afar to capture the inanimate object or experience and keep the people separate from the subject.

There are many of the iconic ‘classic’ cars on the road; there are everywhere, town and country. One might think they are ‘collectibles’ in the sense of what we experience in the US as a hobby or investment. In reality, they are sources of income and transportation. It is common to see cars and trucks being repaired on the side of the road. There are no auto parts stores in town and replacement parts for 1950’s vehicles are difficult to obtain. They make do with what parts they have, interchanging and intermingling as necessary. I saw interesting engineering on horse drawn trailers (coil springs) and bicycle taxis (tie rod ends used as steering components) as well.

In Havana, the exhaust smell was quite noticeable. Worn out, under maintained (not by choice) vehicles, spewed noxious gas and it was a relief to get away from that environment. The wear and tear of the vehicles was also noticeable by how they were driven; slow speeds and low gears (manual transmissions) were utilized to overcome lack of compression and horsepower. To compensate for worn shocks and suspension, drivers constantly weaved around cracks and potholes. Outside the city, dirt roads are common. The ride experience was constant up and down, back and forth motion.

We stayed in four different B&B’s. Two in Havana. One each in Cienfuegos and Trinidad. The hosts were nice. It was easy to see they were doing their best to generate income to provide for their families. Netflix’ “Cuba and The Cameraman” well documents the plight of the homeowner in regards to access of building materials. With no supply and hardware stores, again, they make do with what they have. It is not unusual to see items repurposed, reused or re-engineered to accomplish an objective.

Returning home to Trinidad one evening, there was a horse drawn water tank trailer in the middle of an intersection. The tank was attached to a hose and a small electrical pump. The water mains had broken; the street was dug up, water was being pumped from the pipes to the tanks and then delivered to the people. In an ironic twist, the tractor that delivered water to our case had to be push-started.

The water went from a broken pipe (I was told 40-60% of the water flowing through the pipes is lost), through a house into a tank, out of the tank through a hose and into a cistern on top of the house. Then through the hoses and pipes of the house to the faucets. We did not drink tap water. I drank bottled water. Any tap water we used was either boiled by the homeowner for breakfast items or we treated with filters and / or purification tablets for day use.

Warm or hot water is not guaranteed, making showers an interesting ordeal. Brushing teeth needed modification to not wet the toothbrush or rinse. And toilet paper is to be thrown away not flushed; I’ll let you ponder that one.

Breakfast staples were fruit (plantains, papaya), eggs, and rolls. Coffee was served in espresso cups and were ‘one each’; not the endless cup of the US. We ate lunch at small mom & pop or family shops. They typically offered a choice of meat (fish, lobster, shrimp or pork) with family style rice and beans. Lunch ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 ($10 US) Cuban Pesos (CUP) per person.

There are no fast food restaurants. We did pass multiple closed locations of El Rapido which was a government fast food operation. While we stopped at a Chirro specialty shop (chocolate or strawberry filled) one evening, we did not eat any street food.

Dinners were at more formal restaurants, likely funded by foreign investors (not US), and the menu was more diverse. One restaurant we visited had a (perceived) slave theme with the wait staff wearing house slave uniforms and shackles, balls and chains adorning the walls. Dinner ranged from 2,000 to 3,000 CUP per person. A 10% gratuity was commonly added to the bill.

While in Havana, we stayed close to the Paseo del Prada, a tree lined, tile promenade or boulevard between the sea and the capitol. The walkway is bracketed with the remnants of once grand buildings with ornate architecture, now in various states of disrepair. There are few shops and many have been converted to homes. One can only imagine what this street looked like at its peak. The exteriors and interiors of the B&B’s we resided and surrounding neighborhoods suggest that at one time they too were the residences of the affluent. We did find the walkway today to remain a meeting place of the people as well as an informal market place.

We went to Playa Giron, location of the ‘Bay of Pigs’ (I was told the ‘pigs’ were actually ‘fish’). There is a small museum with pictures and biographies of the 114 Cubans killed and many interesting pictures and artifacts. The US is referred to as the North American Imperialists. Soviet era planes, tanks and rifles are on display as well as remnants of a downed (assumed) US plane. Tickets were 125 CUP with an optional 25 CUP movie per person. As we were perusing the museum we were urged to move along to the theater as the movie was about to start; we were the only ones there. I would have liked to have seen the beach.

A guided bicycle tour took us to what the guide described as the worst part of Havana. The buildings were in shambles, the streets were littered and the people looked down on their luck. I think the exercise was to show that even though the people are severely disadvantaged, at the core they remain decent.

I was surprised how openly the two guides we utilized discussed their frustration with the Cuban government. I had expected more conformity.

One day trip featured a horseback ride with stops at two small operations; a sugar cane drink (Guarapa) and coffee stands. We snorkeled and supported a gear stand. We hiked and supported a guide that took us to a section of the park not available to non paying customers. Another out and back hike took us to the waterfall where we swam.

The pictures from Trip Advisor links below sell the best side of Cuban travel (just as in the US). On my Cuban adventure, there weren’t many travelers, litter was more common and active store fronts far less. When we had a guide present the hustlers let us be. When not accompanied by a guide we were approached often. The camera on one hand and the English / Spanish dictionary on the other likely didn’t help. I would describe Cuban travel as gritty. It is not leisure, it is a challenge. My watch confirmed the week was noticeably more stressful than the previous non travel weeks.

Returning to the US seeing the variety of goods in the grocery store is striking. I found myself navigating through the aisles with much more caution. It is nice to have instant hot water in the shower and potable water in the sink.

Take-Aways