Lauren –
Although Cuba is slowly opening up to the world, it is still very much an ‘off the beaten track’ destination. So far on this trip David and I have done a fair bit of ‘winging it’, turning up to a new destination and figuring it out as we go. Although we applied a little bit of this in Cuba, we had to do a fair bit of research and planning before arriving. We had absolutely no idea what to expect of the country and boy were we in for an interesting experience!
Usually on budget airlines you are only allowed a certain amount of hand luggage, but this was something else. Everyone had bags and bags of toys, clothes and food to bring back to their families in Cuba. This was our first inkling that life in Cuba was very different, not to mention the rather strange eruption of claps and cheers from the passengers on our airplane as we touched down in Havana – were they not expecting to land safely?!
We arrived in Havana late at night to a chaotic airport. After a nearly 2 hour wait at the only baggage carrousel we departed and caught a taxi to our casa for the night. We were only staying in Havana for one night before heading off early to Trinidad the next morning.
Our hosts warmly welcomed us into their home, and we managed to communicate with their lack of English and our very basic Spanish. We could already tell there was something incredibly interesting about the way of life in Havana and we wanted to find out more.
The journey to Trinidad was one of the more memorable long car rides of the trip. We were picked up early by an old classic car, strapped our suitcases to the top and made a few more stops around Havana before our collectivo taxi was full. On to Trinidad we went!
We chatted to the other travellers – a lovely NZ couple, a Canadian, Dutch and Czech about our Cuba experiences. I was a little apprehensive that the taxi had no seatbelts and we would be crushed in what was essentially a giant piece of steel at some point on our 5 hour journey, but I sat back and enjoyed the Cuban countyside and the wind in my hair.
As soon as we got onto the highway our driver turned into a menace, and I mean absolutely crazy. He increased the speed to well over 120 kmph, drove on the wrong side of the road around blind corners, blared Cuban music so loud that your whole body was vibrating. I genuinely thought we were going to die, that was it, RIP, we’d had a great trip but this was where it ended. I pleaded with him in broken Spanish “mas dispacio”to slow down but much to my dismay he didn’t. There were so many near misses I was sitting in a puddle of sweat with fear! At one point whilst careering around a corner at great speed, the tires barely holding on, David’s door flung open and he nearly fell out! On arrival in Trinidad I had a new lease on life and spent the afternoon recovering from the traumatic experience.
Trinidad was a vibrant and beautiful colonial city. David and I were keen to get out and explore the streets looking for all the weird and wonderful quirks of Cuban life. There were no shops per se but lots of people milling around chatting to their neighbours.
Eighty-five percent of the population work for the government with a monthly wage of around $50 aud, a sum we couldn’t quite believe. Food was ‘bought’ with ration cards from government stores (there were only a very select few items avaliable).
In the last few years as more tourists are visiting Cuba the locals try and make a few extra $$ on the side by letting you stay in their houses etc but the way of life seemed almost alien.
The US embargo on Cuba has affected it immensely, even finding water was a real struggle. We sometimes had to walk around for 30 minutes in the search for a bottle of water and we were told that in September there was a water shortage and none was avaliable for an entire month! Thankfully the month we were there avocados were in shortage, something I would like not to have to live without but much preferable to no water!
Due to the lack of avaliable ingredients the food scene is summed up in a single word: bleh. Nothing has much flavor and eating seems to be just a method sustaining life rather than a passion to be enjoyed and savoured. We struggled in Cuba to find anything that wasn’t tasteless and extremely plain.
But what Cuba lacked in food culture was certainly made up for in music and dance. You couldn’t walk 1 meter without the unforgettable Cuban beat permeating your body and locking eyes with friendly locals who danced in the streets all day and night.
I celebrated my 28th birthday in Trinidad! I had such a relaxing day with David, starting with a lovely breakfast on the terrace of our casa followed by a walking tour of the city. We went to a beautiful (although food not amazing, but hey it’s Cuba) restaurant where we listened to live music.
Amy & Bas treated me to a birthday salsa lesson. David and I were complete newbies so needed all the help we could get. It was such a fun experience! We tested out our new steps in a salsa club that night and it’s safe to say we had fun but definitely need a few more lessons.
The Cuban people just ooze rhythm. That’s the only way I can describe it. I swear they must teach salsa from birth. Every single Cuban just so naturally and beautifully dances to the rhythm. The salsa clubs were something else. We would sit at a table with some drinks and just watch in awe of the incredible locals dance the night away to invigorating live music. It was really special.
One night we met an Italian couple Lucia & Eugenio at a local restaurant. We hit it off right away and decided to try our new salsa steps at a salsa club. Next thing it was 2am and we had to say goodbye as we were leaving back to havana at 8am the next morning. Hopefully we can meet up with them somewhere in the world again, they were so much fun!
Trinidad was a great experience. From wandering around the old city taking in the sights, to meeting the incredibly lively locals and hearing about their culture. Basic things like internet and access to mod cons were non existent, but that was ok – everyone just gets on with life and with each other.
Next stop Havana!
Far Away From Home 