Exploring the ‘real’ Cuba away from the resort areas

Exploring the 'real' Cuba away from the resort areas
LISA MONFORTON, POSTMEDIA NETWORK
May 5, 2016, Last Updated: 1:46 PM ET

"No problem," our taxi driver Rodolfo says cheerfully and as he pulls
the 1981 Lada we're riding in to the side of the road. The sputtering
and clanging is just another unholy sound coming from the belching
rattletrap of a car — seemingly held together with Bondo and wire.

Holding up his index finger, he gestures and says, "un minuto," and
grabs a pair of blue mechanics' coveralls from the trunk to put over his
clean clothes.

My husband and I look at each other a little amused — but more in
disbelief — as Rodolfo runs across the highway with pliers so he can cut
a length of wire from a fence. Then, he's under the car re-attaching
whatever was about to fall off.

Old, broken, dilapidated or simply non-existent everyday things we take
for granted are part of life — from the many sm­­­oke-belching "taxis"
we flagged down to the advertised "air-conditioned room and hot water"
that never materialize.

"No problem!" became the motto of our unexpected and wonderful Cuban
road trip as we tried to speak in our mangled Spanglish.

We wanted to see the "real" Cuba away from the manicured and
resort-lined white sand beaches of Veradero, and "before the Americans
come," the often heard mantra on our trip among fellow Canadians and
Europeans we met.

This has made it a record year for tourism in Cuba, which includes
Americans, with Obama relaxing the 50-plus-year old travel constraints
to the Caribbean country.

But Cuba isn't quite ready for the rush. This is, in many respects, very
much a Third World country, when it comes to infrastructure and
availability of many common goods. It's also an all-cash society. The
average wage is about US$20 a week, but they have what many other poor
countries don't: free education, health care, and home and food subsidies.

We'd heard the food was mostly bad at the resorts and beyond, but we
didn't have a bad meal — all were simply prepared but delicious.

Free Wi-Fi is hard to come by and so is chewing gum. Bottles of water,
snacks, and even a toothbrush were scarce in stores that often have
sparsely stocked shelves — even in Havana. We often opted for the
farmer's market or roadside kiosks for fresh fruit and snacks to get us
from desayuno (breakfast) to cena (dinner). The upside is that beer, rum
and cigars are plentiful.

There are gorgeous white-sand beaches all around the island, and we
visited two. Playa de Este is an hour east of Havana, where the mojitos
were flowing all day from a makeshift bar and the water was as blue as
the Tropical Turquoise of a 1950s Chevy on the streets of Havana. Cayo
Jutias, our other beach stop, is one of the best we'd ever visited, with
its driftwood beach sculptures providing perfectly dappled shade and
warm gin-blue waters.

We wanted to hear live Afro-Cuban band jams, and sip mojitos in old town
Havana. Bar Montserrat and Café Paris were among just two that did not
disappoint. Even the tiny tobacco farming town of Vinales, known for its
lush mountain valley, served up the son, the most famous type of music
with its salsa beat.

But we also wanted to meet Cubans and see how they lived, where they
worked and if the food they eat is really all that bad (it's certainly
not). Our go-to accommodations, Cuba's casa particulares, were cheap and
cheerful, ranging from $30 to $45 a night. They're sort of like B & Bs,
and we had some of the freshest fish (speared that day at the beach) and
chicken (the one running around in the kitchen one morning at breakfast).

Though Obama's visit has Cubans cautiously optimistic, it signals change
and the question mark of what the future holds hangs in the Caribbean
breezes.

For our own selfish reasons, we hope change comes slowly and carefully

Things we wish we knew

Cuba is an all-cash society. We had trouble getting cash advances with
our credit card as did many tourists we saw in Havana in the same bank
lineup. Be prepared for a long waits; you'll eventually get money.
Always carry your passport. You'll need it to get money from a teller at
the bank when your credit card doesn't work in the ATM. Little English
is spoken outside of Havana. Carry a phrase book or a have translator
app. Travel everywhere with toilet paper. Public bathrooms often don't
have it (or toilet seats), or you'll have to pay a peso for the pleasure
of a poor quality square or two. All toilet paper goes into a provided
wastebasket, because of the crumbling infrastructure. All the casa
particulars we stayed at were very clean and comfortable and the owners
were some of the kindest hosts we've ever met — eager to cook for you or
show you around town. AC and hot water are often advertised on casa
website listings, but mostly neither worked. Bring shampoo and soap;
none is provided, even at the fanciest casa we stayed at in Havana. Also
bring your own towel for the beach if you're not going to a resort.
Before getting in a cab, negotiate the price of your fare. You shouldn't
pay more than 1 CUC (convertible peso) per kilometre. Try hailing a
"collectivo." Everyday Cubans ride-share regularly for a fraction of the
price of a ­­­­­cab.

Source: Exploring the 'real' Cuba away from the resort areas -
http://www.canoe.com/Travel/Destinations/Other/2016/05/05/22630269.html?cid=rsstravel