CUBA
HAVANA
Mark Hughes - Roosevelt's
Foreign Correspondant
Havana added an 8 to the front of all phone numbers a few months
ago.
Shopping:
La Moderna Poesia, Obispo #557, Esq. Bernaza. This bookstore is
as close as you will come to Border's in Havana. Lots of interesting
books--mostly in Spanish; mostly published outside of Cuba. They
have the largest selection and cheapest prices for post cards
I have ever seen (even for the pre-stamped cards).
Plaza de Armas. Used book vendors surround the square. Most of
the books are in Spanish and range from copies of Cuban propaganda
to antique books to junk nobody could possibly want. It is worth
a look. Some of the stalls have old photos and old cigar box labels
for sale.
PINAR DEL RIO
This city is often overlooked. That in itself may make it of
interest to you. The cigar factory is interesting if you haven't
ever seen one or are interested in buying some cigars (the rollers
all sell them--although I'm not generally cynical, and I believe
that they are "real," I have to wonder if they are first
quality or not). The "rum factory" can be missed. On
my tour I was shown the bottles and bottling machine and given
a sample of local product (it is actually more like a brandy than
a rum).
Getting there:
I took the luxury bus line, Viazul, for $11 from Havana. I rode
in a collectivo taxi back to Havana for $6.
Casa Particular:
Pension del Moro, Calle Adele s/n e/ Colon y Ciprian Valdes (across
from the bus nstation), phone: 772282. Highly recommended. Great
room for only $10. Private bath, large balcony, AC, private space.
Breakfast is $3. Dinner price depends on what you get. I had three
medium-sized lobsters and a lot of the usual Cuban dinner side
dishes for $6. Both Moro and his wife speak English.
VINALES
A very popular tourist destination. It is a small town, but it
is in a beautiful valley with unique limestone formations. This
is a tobacco raising area. Hiking, bike rentals, and horseback
riding trips are all possible.
Getting there:
Viazul from Havana is $12.
Casa Particulars:
There are a surprising number of them in this town. Competition
is pretty tight, but you can't get them to change their prices.
If you don't like what you see, look around.
La Campestre (Berito y Margarita), Calle Camilo y Cienfuegos
No. 60A, phone: (08) 9-36-052 or 9-32-43. Room with a private
bathroom is $15. It includes a large breakfast. Very filling dinners
were $7. Chicken is the specialty of the house and is highly recommended.
The family is extremely friendly (they only speak Spanish). They
can help arrange horseback riding. If you go to Vinales, stay
here!
Mirta Ascuy Lemus, Calle Rafael Trejo #106. Another option if
the place above is full (recommended by someone else).
La Habana
Mark Hughes(4/01)
I love Cuba. There are two ways to experience it.
The way most visitors do it is to go to the beach resorts and
nice hotels. The other is to diveinto the country.
There isn't much of a middle way. You can't totally "go
Cuban" because you will always be charged dollar prices
and the governmentn only wants so much contact between you and
the Cubans (I never really felt a problem, but it is something
that the Cuban people are aware of).
Here are random notes:
* Americans CAN go to Cuba. The Cuban government is quite
happy to have you (and your dollars). The catch with the
law is that US citizens can't spend their dollars there.
A technicality, really. If you want to defy Uncle Sam, it
is easy to go from here. There are several different flight
options.
* Everyone needs a" tarjeta touristica" (like a visa) to
get into Cuba. It will cost you $20. Just take your passport
to the Cuban embassy (in San Isidro--across from the Golf Club
on Av. Gnrl. Portillo). It is pretty painless--you don't
even have to fill out a form. Your travel agent should be
able to take care of it for you.
* The Cubans won't stamp your US passport because they know
you can get in trouble. You may want to ask so that they
don't forget.
* You will be asked by immigration where you are going to
stay. Give a hotel name even if you are not going to stay
at it (The Hotel Habana Libre is a large, popular hotel).
Don't ever say with friends or at a "casa particular". If
you don't have a hotel arranged and If you are worried about getting
hassled, you may want to ask your travel agent to give you a fake
hotel voucher.
* Casas particulares are homes of Cubans. In
Havana, a room with bathroom goes for around $25. It is
less in the provinces. You can find names and addresses
on the Internet. Once you are travelling, there won't be
much problem finding a place.
* If you are in splurge/luxury mode, check out the Hotel
Nacional, a grand old hotel which has been restored to its
former glory. Great location and garden. It is worth
visiting just to look at or for a drink.
* Old Havana is the nice area, the part of the city
going through a lot of renovation and development for the tourism
industry. You can read that as expensive, but it is also
easy. I don't think there are many casa particulares in
the area. Central Havana is a good location for casas
particulares, but should be considered only by those who are comfortable
with being in the thick of things. It is crowded, noisy,
and very typical of Havana. The outsides of the buildings
don't look very nice, but the interiors are clean and give some
hints of their former glory. Vedado is further away
from Old Havana, but there are a number of hotels and casa particulares
there.
* A new hotel which looked interesting was "Hostal los
Frailes". It is a renovated colonial house with a monastery
library theme. It is located in the Old Havana area.
Single rooms are $60 and doubles are $80. The address is
Calle Teniente Rey, entre Oficios y Mercaderes. Phone: 62-9383;
Fax: 62-9718.
* Eat in paladares, private restaurants in people's
homes. Ask around for good ones (You will also find plenty
of eager young men on the streets willing to direct you to one--they
get a commission from the owner. Don't dismiss them too
quickly--they may find you a good one. Go on your instinct
as to whether you want to follow the guy or not--there are enough
around that you don't need to help out a creep). Menus are
limited to a dish or a few. Ask. The most common offerings
are beans and rice, mixed salad, fried banana chips, bread, and
grilled or fried pork, chicken, or fish. Sometimes you can
get lobster (illegal). A drink is sometimes included, as
is dessert. I have only been disappointed once by the quality
and never by the quantity. You won't go hungry. Meals
cost about $10-15 in Havana, less outside. Be sure to ask
the price ahead of time. They don't bargain.
* You don't need to change money. Virtually everything
you want to do will require US dollars (be sure to bring plenty--especially
small bills). Don't think that because your Spanish is really
good or you look Cuban that you can get a peso price. Cubans
have to pay in US dollars for good stuff, too (one reason you
will see few Cubans in restaurants). If you do want to change
money, don't change more than a couple of dollars at a time.
About the only things you can use Cuban pesos for are stamps in
a post office, city buses, and street food (lots of ice cream
vendors; pizzas--they're not really like a pizza that you might
be used to, but I like the doughy bread that is the crust.
They cost about 30 cents).
* If you end up in a line with Cubans (in offices, for a
bus, stores, etc.) ask for the "ultimo" (the last person). That
will get you a spot. Mere presence does not do it. Be listening
or watching for the next person to come so that they can get their
spot in the line. Once your position has been established,
you can move to a more comfortable spot.
* Addresses are set up in a way to help you find where you
want to go. You first get the street address with street and number.
Then you get the names of the two streets which your desired address
lies between. Pretty neat.
* Cubans are very friendly and very forgiving of bad Spanish
(not very many speak English).
* Bring bars of soap, tubes of toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
to give to any new friends you may make. Women may want
to bring makeup. Those things are all available, but only
with dollars. They will be appreciated. Magazines or books
in Spanish will also be welcomed.
* Beware of the hustlers trying to sell you cigars and their
sisters. A "no thanks" usually takes care of things.
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