Cuba Trip Report June 24–July 1

BACKGROUND
About 4 and a half years ago our daughter Cara went to Cuba on a 1 week vacation. 4 days later we received a phone call that she was getting married. A bit of a shock but yeah, yeah, OK, whatever...we were a bit sceptical to say the least. She returned to Cuba a few months later and got married. She returned back to Canada and immediately started proceedings to get her husband (Eulicer) out of Cuba. A year and half later and after filling out many “special forms” and paying the appropriate fees to Cuban lawyers, her husband arrived here in Canada in September 2002. Since that time they have established themselves and now have a beautiful little girl (Malaya) a year and half old.

Since they were going to Cuba to visit in June, we decided it was about time to “meet the in-laws”, which is why we cut our St. Martin vacation to one week this year. We had only been home from St. Martin a week when we found a sell-off to an all-inclusive, 3 star resort (Club Amigo) in Guardalavaca where our son-in-law’s family lives. OK...two weeks between trips...I can live with that!

THE FLIGHT
Our vacation package was with Air Transat out of Pearson Airport in Toronto. We were about 45 minutes late leaving Pearson due to the fact there was no pilot...he was on his way from Montreal on an Air Canada flight! Once we boarded the plane I was brutally reminded of why I did not like flying Air Transat. The aircraft was an A 310 with 3 seats on each side and a row of 3 seats in the centre of the aircraft (9 across). The seats were very close, in fact when I sat in my seat, the back of the seat in front of me was 9 inches in front of my face! We managed to get seats behind our son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter who had bulkhead seats. One thing I did enjoy about the flight was that they post a map on the video screens of where we are, air speed, outside air temperature, flight time elapsed and time to destination, etc. (Total flight time was just over 3 hours).

ARRIVING
On our approach to Frank Pais airport in Holguin, the most striking thing was how flat the land was and the lack of any buildings of any size. The buildings we did see looked like garden sheds with thatched roofs. There also seemed to be a lack of any major highway system. Once in the airport arrivals we went through a security check (they x-ray your carry ons coming in) and then to another area where they check passports (very thoroughly) and on to the baggage claim. The baggage claim was a bit dodgy because we had five large suitcases for the five of us.

Let me say now that two of those suitcases were full of things that would be left behind like blue jeans, shirts, baseball hats, two old baseball gloves, baseballs, a steel fishing rod, 30 lb. fishing line, large screwdriver set, dresses and about 14 pairs of old eyeglasses...all things we managed to accumulate from friends who donated them.

Somehow it was decided that I would carry three of the suitcases out through the final inspection area as it would be unlikely I would be stopped, as opposed to my son-in-law who being Cuban, would most assuredly be stopped if carrying too much baggage. I got through OK but I think I have developed the first triple hernia in medical history! The three of them had a taxi waiting for them to go to his family’s place about an hour away.
We found the fairly modern bus that was to take us to our resort, but the most striking thing about the parking area was the array of old cars...57 Chevys, old Ladas, Army trucks, 52 Chevs...all in varying states of repair and disrepair, but operational. We had heard about this, but it was still amazing to see! Also outside the arrivals there were plenty of porters and taxi drivers all looking for fares or work. Of course no one had any Cuban money so any tips were given in Canadian currency...which was to prove a problem later!

The trip to the hotel took about an hour and we were amazed at the scenery which consisted of distant mountains, palm trees, scrub brush, forests and what appeared to be small farms. There was definitely a lack of large buildings and all roads would be considered secondary roads by North American standards. Along the roadsides were people walking, riding bicycles and even horses and carts! By the time we arrived at the hotel it was pitch black so we had little idea where we were. We checked in and a bell hop took us to our bungalow room which was across the road and about 200 yards away. I still did not have any Cuban pesos so I tipped him $5 Canadian...I found out later that this was a huge tip by Cuban standards. The room was very nice, in fact better than we expected for a 3 star resort. We started unpacking and were looking forward to having something to eat as the dining room was still open, a couple of drinks and then getting some rest and starting fresh the next day and meeting the family.

After about 15 minutes in our room the phone rang...who could it possibly be...it was our daughter who was at the main desk in the hotel lobby. The family was waiting to meet us, they had cooked a pig and we could not possibly let them down. Goodbye dinner, drinks and an early night! We were whisked off in a taxi driven by Eulicer’s friend Jorge and 10 minutes later, after going through an apartment complex and then down a couple of roads, which in North America would hardly qualify as a driveway, we stopped in front of a small house. It was still pitch black but the lights in the house were bright and the house was full of people...waiting to meet us! We met parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, cousins and second cousins. There were many handshakes, hugs and kisses as we met everyone there. By Cuban standards, even a second cousin is considered close family and the family units are very strong...which we were now made a part of!

We tried our best to communicate as we speak very little Spanish and they very little to no English. Our son-in-law had to do a lot of translating. I was handed a tumbler glass full of what I was told brandy. Cubans are very amateur when it comes to measuring drinks, in fact they don’t, they just fill up a glass! After socializing and communicating the best we could, we were told that dinner was ready. The table was quickly assembled for 10 people and we were to sit down and eat. When I questioned about the rest of the people eating and especially the children, I was told that everyone had already eaten. In Cuba the children are fed first and then the adults (OK, just like most of the rest of the world). Dinner consisted of roast pork (right off the spit), rice and beans, and fried plantain bananas (like chips). There was also what they descibed as green salad, which consists of sliced tomatoes and onions on a plate. Desserts were not usual for Cuban families, but someone had made a beautifully decorated cake in our honour. We were fully aware that food is not plentiful in Cuba and we felt very guilty, however, to refuse their hospitality would be unthinkable! This was a feast of the highest order and they were truly welcoming us. They even had a bottle of wine for Toddy, as they found out she liked wine. The men partook of some of the wine but the women did not. We found out very quickly that Cuban women do not drink alcohol!

After finishing the glass of brandy, a beer, wine and dinner we said good evening and were taken back to our bungalow at the hotel by Jorge the taxi driver. I still did not have any Cuban money, but he said our son-in-law had already paid the fair. I tipped him $5 Canadian. I found out later that this was almost 2 weeks pay for the average Cuban.

THE CURRENCY
Anyone going to Cuba is expected to change their money at a Cuban bank into what is known as Convertible Pesos (this currency is only available inside Cuba). This is a currency that is to be used by tourists. The local Cubans have their own Cuban pesos which is a completely different. We exchanged our money at the following rate:
1.38 Canadian dollars = 1 Convertible Peso
1.07 Euros = 1 Convertible Peso
Other foreign currencies were listed at rates which I now forget. The US dollar was not listed but I believe can be converted at an international exchange rate, plus an approximately 8% penalty.
1 Convertible Peso is equal to 24 Cuban Pesos. The base rate for a working Cuban is about 225 Cuban Pesos per month. Now I can see how I was over-tipping! Their base wage (depending on the job category) was about 14–15 Canadian dollars a month!

THE HOTEL
The first morning I woke up at about 6:00 am and decided to explore while herladyship caught up on some much needed rest. The hotel complex was massive, in fact it was four resorts in one! The total area would be about twice the size of Club Orient! There were hotel rooms in the main complex (Atlantico) as well as two storey bungalows (which we were staying in). The grounds contained 4 large swimming pools (one of which had a swim up bar, guess which pool I used), 2 dining rooms for breakfast and dinner, 3 pool bars where you could have lunch such as pizza, burgers, hot dogs, etc. and one of these bars was open 24 hours a day! That is at least what we found, there could have been more. There was also a couple of stores and a bank where money could be exchanged.

The food served in the breakfast and dinner buffets was very good...at least the first two days. After that it was same again, although there was a reasonable choice and one would not starve. Probably the best part was the fresh fruit, it was all rippened on the trees and the fresh mangos were absolutely delicious!

We were fortunate to be able to mix with our family and ate off the resort for lunch and dinner a number of times, so we were able to break the monotony. For the average tourist, there is very little outside the resort unless you arrange for day trips through the hotel. The clientele at the hotel was an equal mix of Canadian, British, Dutch, and German. The hotel was far from full, but then again it was low season. Every night there was entertainment from approximately 9–11 pm. It consisted of a local band and then a name that tune or group contest, fashion show, water show, etc.


BEACHES
Club Amigo is on Guardalavaca beach which is about half the length of Orient. The sand is somewhat nicer than Orient and the same or slightly better than Shoal Bay East on Anguilla. There are palm trees up to within about 10 yards of the waters edge so there is no need for an umbrella. There are two smaller beaches on the resort shoreline. Like St. Martin, all the beaches are public so there is a mix of locals and hotel patrons on the beach. The beach is only about a 50 yard walk down the stairs from the pool bar at Atlantico so drinks can be brought down to the beach from the hotel. Security at the resort is heavy, largely to prevent the local people from entering the resort area.

We also went to a beach about 5 kilometres along the coast with our son-in-law’s family. The name of the beach escapes me but it is a beach where Cuban families go for the day. We had a great time with the family and Eulicer’s brother and brother-in-law cooked fish and banana chips in a cauldron over an open fire. We were served this and rice and beans on a blanket on the beach...great. As an appetizer, Eulicer’s mother served fresh mango on a plate...WOW! The younger children could run around and do whatever they wanted...total freedom...there was nothing to break and no one could possibly be interfered with, everyone looks after everyone else. The water at the beach was very shallow so there was little danger. The Cuban children were not used to toys, although they did have some inflatable toys we were given on the air plane, they preferred to play with the plastic cups we had brought from the hotel...oh well, we will have to drink rum right out of the bottle (which is a common Cuban practice)! There was a group of Cuban teenagers down the beach who were having a great time using a piece of styrofoam packing as a boogie board. To have a real board would be beyond their wildest expectations, but they were having a great time anyway! Before we left the beach, we met another second cousin who had just roasted a pig on the beach. He had seasoned it with lime and garlic. He offered us a sample...it was fantastic!!!

HOLGUIN CITY
We took one day and hired Jorge the taxi driver to take us to Holguin which was about an hour away. There were 5 adults and our 18 month old granddaughter in a newer Hyundai Elantra. The taxi was crowded but air conditioned so it was tolerable.

Holguin is a large city but with very few large buildings, most are between two and four stories in height. The whole city looks like it needs a good scrubbing and painting...sorry, but that is my observation. There are vehicles of all descriptions in the narrow streets, all the way from old Russian army trucks to bicycles with side cars and umbrellas (these are actually taxis) to horses and carts. There is no such thing as emission control in Cuba. We went up to a tourist area on a mountain which looked down on the city. At the top there was a small building which housed an art gallery and we bought some paintings from a local artist. The gallery itself was only about 36 square metres but the artwork was wonderful, the artist actually made his own paper. All paintings were 5 convertible pesos. We bought two. There was a stairway which led down to the city...465 steps...no thanks...Taxi!

Back in town we stopped for lunch at a pizzeria. The power was out but they managed to serve us anyway, at least the beer was moderately cold. While in the restaurant a young man came in and explained to me through hand motions that he was hungry (I could believe it by his appearance). I gave him a peso, which was a mistake. I was a marked man! After that there were more people coming up to me, I think the all-inclusive bracelet was a dead giveaway. Anyway, my son-in-law said something in Spanish as each one approached and they each went away. He said that three years ago this would not have happened and things have deteriorated.

After lunch we went into a department store. We had to pass a security check and once inside we noticed the store was about the size of a hardware stock and the shelves were sparsely stocked with a limited amount of goods. On the way out we had to pass through another security check. Only a limited amount of people were allowed in the store.

Cuba...shopping...forgetaboutit!

The whole trip with tip cost us about 60 convertible pesos ($85 Cdn), which we shared. Jorge was great and stopped at scenic spots in the city and country. It was possible to rent a car, but the driving in the city is horrendous, especially not knowing your way around. One way streets are not real clearly marked, just like stop signs and yield signs...not international standard, but I suppose one could get used to it.

It was so hot all we wanted to do was get back to the hotel and hit the swim up bar. Our daughter was suffering from the heat so we smuggled her and the baby into our hotel room where they had a 2 hour nap in air conditioned comfort, just what the doctor ordered.

THE WEATHER
The weather was hot, hot, hot! Except for the first day when we had severe rain, but it cleared up for the rest of the week. The weather was so hot that most people stayed in the pool at the swim up bar or lounged in the ocean. We did venture out on a horse and buggy tour of the area with second cousin Antonio, but after a couple of hours (and stopping for lunch at a friend’s place) we could not wait to hit the pool bar again.

Note: We left Cuba one week before Hurricane Dennis hit, however, Cara, Malaya and Eulicer were still in Cuba (they stayed for two weeks). They arrived home safely at Pearson Airport last night!

OUR LAST NIGHT
On our last night we were invited to the family home in Guardalavaca village for guess what...a pig roast, and our farewell party. In Cuba, if you want to eat, you have to kill it yourself! The diet consists of pork, chicken or fish, with banana chips and the ever present rice and beans. These people have so little and they are so willing to share it with people who have so much. Anyway, we arrived just as the pig was declared done and we were given the honour of the first taste (this is the Cuban equivalent of testing the wine being served in other parts of the world). I declared that “no pig has ever given up his life in a better cause”, my son-in-law Eulicer translated it into Spanish and they thought it was great. The children particularly like the skin of the pig as a treat as it is crispy and flavourful. We sat down to dinner and the men had liberal splashings of rum. Again, we were concerned about the people not seated at the table, but were assured that everyone was fed.

After dinner the furniture in the living room was pushed aside (the living room is about 10 feet by 10 feet), the music cranked up and the dancing began, and man can these people dance! Everyone danced with everyone! I am getting to used to this as I am drinking straight rum out of the same glass as Alberto and Julio. They just fill up a glass and pass it around for everyone to take a drink...when in Rome...

When it was time to leave someone offered to call us a motorized taxi from the neighbours but we declined, cousin Antonio would take us back to the hotel in his horse and buggy taxi. After many handshakes and hugs and kisses we climbed in to the buggy, everyone was outside to see us off! We had to get going as this was getting very emotional.

It was a clear night and Antonio had the top of the buggy down (the top of the buggy was 1 x 1 wood struts with various pieces of vinyl table cloth tacked and stapled to it...the original structure appeared to have long since disintegrated) and the stars were shining brightly. The horse clip-clopped along the road at surprisingly quick speed! After the main road I did not recognize where we were, we were amongst a local apartment complex. It seems that Antonio had dozed off from the effects of the rum and we had made a wrong turn. Antonio quickly regained himself and the horse took us across a few boulevards and we were back on the road to the hotel. At the hotel we tried to pay Antonio for the ride but he refused. I told him it was for the horse, because the horse had done all the work....he took the money!

LEAVING
We spent the morning packing our things and spending the last few moments in the pool and swim up bar. While waiting for the bus to pick us up in the afternoon, Eulicer’s father Alberto and his uncle Julio turned up at the hotel to say goodbye as did our granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law. Eulicer said this was normal in Cuba! We spent some time with them and almost missed the bus!

After the one hour trip to the airport (the scenery was amazing) we unloaded and went to baggage check in. A long line but it was handled with efficiency. We then had to line up at another booth to pay the departure tax of 25 Convertible Pesos per person (we were warned of this, even when booking the vacation). If you did not have pesos, there was a bank in the same area but you needed a passport to exchange money. While standing in either line we were approached by many airport workers who had recieved tips in Canadian and US (which is now illegal) money by incoming passengers and were looking for us to change the money to pesos for them...the local people could not use the bank! Many people did what they could for them, but most passenger exiting were down to their last few pesos, no use taking them out of the country, they are only good in Cuba!

Once we paid the departure fee we had to go to the inmigration (that’s how they spelled it) line. The lines we not long but people were being thoroughly checked. There were 6 people in front of us and the first one was kept at the inspection booth for over 20 minutes. We had arrived at the airport over 3 hours early and we would miss our flight? It seems the inspector went to check something and left this poor guy standing there with the rest of us in line. Some people in other lines were grilled for 10-15 minutes. If they took that long with the all of us we were in trouble. The rest of us in our line only took three or four minutes to document so we made it though, then another x-ray scan, duty free, got a quick drink and something to eat and our flight was called...just enough time. Flight left on time and arrived in Toronto 15 minutes early...total flying time 3:15 minutes...good thing, because we were cramped like sardines!

OBSERVATIONS

We found the Cuban people in general to very happy and polite, everyone says “Hola”. As in other destinations we have been to, it is the people that make the difference and we were welcomed everywhere we went.

Although poor, no one starves as there is a monthly ration of rice, beans and sugar, that everyone is entitled to. This is supplemented with things they can grow or raise themselves. However, many Cuban survive because they have relatives living outside the country who can supplement their incomes or send necessities like clothing.

We found most people educated, education is based on ability and not on monetary wealth.

Everyone lives basically the same lifestyle and government regulations state that homes are to be no more than 21 square metres, although a second storey can be added. Main employment is either in tourism or farming.

All businesses are owned by the government and all prices are at a fixed rate. Example: whether you buy a beer in a store or in a restaurant, local store or hotel store, the price is fixed at 90 centavos. The beer is quite good, either Crystal or Buccanero.

Those people working in the tourism industry seem much better off (the government is planning on changing this) because hotel workers receive tips. As an example, the bartender at the swim-up bar at Atlantico is actually a Civil Engineer, his assistant is a Medical Doctor! They make more money tending bar!

Crime, especially against tourists, is almost non-existent. Penalties are so severe that few dare commit a crime...perhaps there is a lesson here?

The Cuban people show great ingenuity, they have so very little, everything is repaired (especially old cars) and nothing is wasted.

FINALLY
In my opinion, there is no need for the appalling poverty that we saw. The US embargo has some effect but Cuba is trading with other countries such as Canada, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Mexico and South American countries. There is money coming into the country and it is not going to the people..and they are starting to realize it!

When leaving the country, the departure tax paid by the passengers on our flight alone came to over $10,000 Canadian dollars, and that is only one flight in one day. One can only imagine all the money collected from all the flights in High Season. Even our daughter and son-in-law had to pay a fee to the government to stay with his family and this receipt is checked when they leave the country.

We would definitely go back to visit our new family, and as a vacation destination it has beautiful areas and is certainly inexpensive, but the poverty was something that bothered us greatly. We gave out more in tips than we spent on anything else...and they were very grateful for anything given to them.

John and Toddy <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" />