Cuba Day 3: ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

To review, when we booked our bus to Trinidad yesterday, the lady told us it would be a "large coach with AC & room for luggage." We got up early and headed downstairs, all excited to see our big comfy bus. A van taxicab, which already had 11 people inside, rolled up. We thought, "surely that can't be for us." The driver told us it was the "Trinidad Tour" and to "climb into the back row and take our luggage with us, because there was no cargo space." Ugh. We squished our suitcases up against the window, and I contorted my body to fit between them and Adam. We figured it would be uncomfortable, but manageable…. Then we stopped at another hotel. 2 more people climbed aboard. "Scoot over!," said the driver. We were stacked like sardines! Oh well, at least there would be AC for the five hour drive, right? Not so much. The rattling AC unit, right above our heads, barely worked and dripped on poor Adam for the entire trip. 

  

As it turns out, this "bus to Trinidad" was actually a tour, so we would get to stop at the Che museum in Santa Clara on our way and the front-seat passenger, named Tony, would narrate along the 5 hour drive in both English and Spanish. Yay. We were the only Americans on the "bus," but Tony assumed we were Canadian, so we rolled with it. About an hour down the road, we stopped at a rest area (a shack that had fresh guava juice and ham sandwiches for sale). Adam had a sandwich and pineapple juice. I had fresh guava juice and Pringles. Tony told us all to use the bathroom because it would be 2 hours until the next stop. A lady was sitting outside the bathroom selling squares of toilet paper. I bought mine, went pee, put my paper in the basket, and then tried to figure out how to flush the toilet because there was no handle. The lady walked in, with a bucket of water and threw it violently down the toilet to get it to flush. This is a job in Cuba. Seriously. Every place we went in rural Cuba (and even some places in Havana) had a toilet lady that has to flush for you with a bucket of water. I can't even…

Back in the van, Tony told us it is mandatory for every young Cuban male to serve 2 years military. He said that policy was put in place "after the US tried to invade Cuba and Cuba had to make a strong military to defend themselves." Adam said, "aww, that's cute." I said, "wait…the US technically never invaded Cuba." Adam told me not to fight with Tony, because this van was better than being stranded in the middle of Cuba.

Along the way, I could really only see out a sliver of window, and the back window if I twisted around. We saw a lady standing on her roof pulling in her laundry line, tons of horses/carts on the road, a guy milking a cow, a couple riding a scooter while the lady held a baby, and for some reason, scarecrows with corncob penises sticking out of their jeans. A lot of them too! Oh, Cuba. We also saw a full pig roasting over a fire and a huge side of raw meat hanging in somebody's front window. About that time, my stomach started rumbling. 

Che Guevara Memorial

By the time we got to the Che museum and memorial, my insides were doing cartwheels. Tony yelled at the group to stay together, so we walked through the small museum, and then into the crypt where Che's body is kept. Handsome tombstone or not, I couldn't wait a minute longer. I ran out to the bathroom, leaving my purse behind with Adam. The toilet lady would not let me in without money for toilet paper. So I had to run all the way back, get money, then run back to the bathroom. This is going to be TMI, but I barely made it in time for all of the government slop, grain alcohol and Pringles to come roaring out of my body. The toilet lady had only given me one square of paper. But fortunately, I had grabbed my purse this time, and had tissues inside. I used them all, and threw them all in the can, not the potty. I felt better. I turned around to flush, and realized there was no flushing. That toilet lady was going to have to come in and see what I had done.

I got back on the van, head hung in Cuban shame. I snacked on our provisions and silently sat in my one foot square space, watching sugar cane and tobacco fields go by. At one point Adam looked at me and said, "awww Babe, you have a sweat mustache." I wasn't amused.

About 2 hours later, we finally arrived in Trinidad. This is the Cuba I was looking for! It had charming colonial buildings and cobblestone streets. We had lunch with the group in a restaurant that was an once old prison, while musicians played for us. An adorable boy tapped me on the arm and held out his hand. I gave him an American dollar and he held it up and inspected it carefully, then walked away with such pride on his face. Adam said, "Babe, word is going to spread like wildfire that there's a big blonde lady handing out money and we are going to be mobbed. You have to stop. And don't start crying if you see a one eyed cat or something either!" I gave him my "whatever, shut up" look.

We decided to join Tony's walking tour, which included a stop in a cigar factory. We saw cigars being made and bought some.  Then we stopped in a bar to sit and cool down. Tony joined us. At that point, we told him we are Americans. He said we "must go back to the US and tell everyone we know to vote for Hillary!" He said, "if any of those Florida Republicans win, Cuba will suffer further." He was very adamant. If only I had that much power, Tony. 

At this point, we grabbed our luggage off the van, and said goodbye to Tony and the group. It should be noted that this tour group now had to drive BACK to Varadero, 5 hours away. I was so happy to be staying in Trinidad!  We went to to the Trinidad Cubatur office, and asked if they could get us to Havana tomorrow. They told us to go to the bus station. I sat while Adam went to the bus station. A huge guy walked outside, where about 30 people were waiting in line, and said, "We are closing. Come back in the morning," and closed the door.  So we were ride-less. Again.

With our luck, this will be our ride to Havana

We found the house in which we had reserved a room, Casa Colonial 1830. In Cuba, you can stay with families in casa particulares, which are like B&Bs. We got to pick our room, then asked for help with a ride to Havana. Gustavo, our host, said he would make some calls.

Our room in Casa Colonial

Breakfast room in Casa Colonial

We walked to the main square in town to have a drink & listen to live music. An adorable little dog adopted me by flopping down right onto my feet.

We walked back to the casa, and saw this sign on the wall, which may have literally brought tears of joy to my eyes:

We bought one hour of Wifi for $8 ($4 each). Gustavo walked out told us he found us a shared ride to Havana for $40 each. Sold! We asked if it was a modern car with AC and he promised that it was. We had heard THAT before!

Since it was New Year's Eve, we got cleaned up into nice outfits, then walked to eat dinner. Earlier in the day we had laughed about the sticker on the back window of this "Bad Ass Show Car:"

But this time we REALLY laughed because the same car was now parked in the living room! Adam said, "Well, you can't just leave a Bad Ass Show Car parked out on the street! You gotta put it in the living room!"

We ate in a historic paladar on the main square. For some reason, everything in Cuba is whatever it is, and ALSO a museum, so we ate next to a bed. We had stuffed bananas, salad and honey chicken. It was good! Things were looking up!  (Still no iced tea, though.)  The owner brought us an apple and said it was "on the house, for dessert."

We walked back to the main square and found a large crowd gathered and live music playing. On the way, we saw a leg bone, which we think was from a goat, with the hoof still attached, just laying in the street. Oh, Cuba. Some ladies on the square had turned their house into a bar and were selling drinks out of their front window, so we had a few, and settled in to ring in the new year. The same adorable dog from earlier found us again to wish us "Feliz Ano Nuevo!"

When it was midnight, there was no countdown at all. Everyone just started cheering and kissing.

We walked back to the casa and went to bed to a super loud party next door. We also found out that our bed had no top sheet or blanket — only the thin bedspread. Gross. But we were tired, so I hit the sack hoping that I wouldn't have nightmares about becoming a toilet lady. 

Tomorrow: The road to Havana

XOXO

Cuba Day 2: Oh, Cuba

We woke up and felt awful. I am convinced that the Cuatro Palmas had been serving us grain alcohol. What we thought was rum was really just government-issued Everclear. And the worst part was that we couldn't hydrate. Adam rolled over and said, "Babe, I want you to open that safe, grab the wad of cash, and be the first in line at the store to buy water. We need provisions."

But I wasn’t about to venture out into Cuba nauseous and alone, so we dragged ourselves out of bed and down to the buffet. I use the term "buffet" loosely. It consisted of unrecognizable bowls of gooey substances. There was no real juice, only Tang-like liquids in various colors. Flies were everywhere, on everything. I had bread, butter, and a banana. 

The view from our balcony

Adam went back to bed. I decided to go read by the pool and wait for the gift shop to open.  I watched some adorable curly-tailed lizards playing in the sun.  When the store opened, I bought provisions -- crackers & large bottles of water. All the bottled water (and soda, beer, rum…) in Cuba are made by the government. It made me laugh that the label said, "#1 in Cuba" since it truly was the ONLY bottled water in Cuba. It was like when I tell Madelyn she is my favorite daughter and she rolls her eyes at me.

There are at least 5 lizards in this photo!

Once Adam woke up, we walked down street to first CubaCar office we saw to try to either get our car, or get our $800 back. Nobody was inside. So we kept walking until we saw another — nobody was inside.  Finally, at the third CubaCar office, which was several miles of dehydrated, hungover, 85-degree walking down the road, we found an office with people inside. The guy on the left told us to talk to the guy on the right. The guy on the right told us to talk to the guy on the left. Finally, they pawned us off on a young woman, who put us on the phone with someone else who said, "It's not possible." Adam looked at the woman and said, "Are you telling me there is not one rental car available in all of Cuba?" "Si," she answered, with a totally straight face. We asked them to give us a written statement that our reservation was not fulfilled so we could seek refund from the travel agent when we return. (Which I have spent the last 2 days trying to do. The travel agent, CubaToDo, said they would try, but CubaCar isn't answering them, and will likely say that we never showed up. So I decided to stop trying and just filed a fraud claim with Chase and Chase refunded my money.)

While all this was happening, I saw the hugest roach EVER on the office floor, so I pulled my feet up on the chair and sat all curled up in a ball, which isn't the best negotiating position.  Dejected, we started to walk back, wondering how we would get to Trinidad, 5 hours away, for our hotel reservation the next day. Adam looked at me and said, "Oh, Cuba," which promptly became our go-to phrase for the rest of the trip.  We came upon an office with a sign that read Cubatur, entered, waited, and talked to an agent that told us we were in luck — she could put us on a bus to Trinidad tomorrow for $30 each. She emphasized that we were lucky that it was Thursday, because that's the only day the bus goes to Trinidad. We asked if there would be room for luggage and she showed us a picture of a large luxury coach style tour bus and said there would be plenty of room and that the bus would pick us up at 6:45am. Whew. Well, that was resolved! So now we just have to figure out how to get to Havana once we are in Trinidad.

We took a cab that looked like a lemon on top of a scooter back to the hotel — they call it a Cocotaxi. Then we went back to the gift shop because we were starving and the lunch "buffet" wouldn't open until 1pm. We scarfed down some sour cream and chives Pringles and an orange Fanta.

Then we hit the beach for an hour. It should be noted that we only went to Varadero in the first place because Adam had never been to the Caribbean. The beach was beautiful, with clear, warm water — but I have seen much prettier beaches. For anyone planning a trip — Cuba should be considered a history destination, not a beach destination. It was our least favorite part of the whole trip, so skip it. We swam a bit, but the waves were huge! As we were drying off, we heard Hotel California playing over the speakers and thought of the kid from last night. Ha!

We went to the buffet, hopeful that something would be edible. Adam found some uncleaned shrimp to pick at, but since I don't eat seafood, I literally ate bread with butter, potatoes, white rice & black olives. I tried to eat meatballs, but when I cut them open, they were full of gelatinous pink stuff that was most definitely not meat. I asked for ice tea. They said they don't have it, but they have "tea with ice." Um, ok. They brought me cold water with a tea bag in it, which totally did not work.

My lunch

"Tea with ice"

I made Adam promise we could leave the property for dinner. He wholeheartedly agreed. We went back to the hotel room, took showers and napped. Adam fixed the toilet (yay!) and told me I had to stop forgetting and flushing paper. In Cuba there is some kind of law that you cannot ever ever ever flush toilet paper under any circumstances. You must, after any and all types of potty usage, put the paper in the trash bin next to the toilet. There are signs everywhere to remind you of this, but remembering is hard.

Trying to drown out that nonsense, I turned on the TV, expecting to find only old Cuban movies and newsreel propaganda from Fidel. Instead, CNN popped on! We saw the Bill Cosby-got-arrested news and felt back in the loop momentarily. 

Hungry again, we walked to 5 different restaurants until we found one that looked good and could also fit us in. Jackpot! The Barbacoa Steakhouse came through with real food that was actually good! It was then and there that we learned the lesson — in Cuba, ALWAYS eat at a paladar (a privately owned restaurant) and never, ever, ever eat the government food/hotel food.

 Adam's dinner

My dinner

Feeling a bit refreshed, we hailed a vintage pink convertible Chevy cab and took it up and down main drag for $10. Hotel California came on the radio and we just looked at each other and just started laughing. 

Our cab (and where Adam last saw his favorite hat)

Check out all the cars on the street as we pass them. Amazing!

The entire main street in Varadero is loaded with souvenir stands, so we did some shopping. Cuba has the most bizarre, sexually obscene souvenirs! We laughed at the ashtrays that depicted cigars with faces in various sex positions. I bought a hand-made mystery box for $5, thinking Madelyn would have fun trying to figure out how to get it open. 

Main drag in Varadero with souvenir stands

Across the street from our hotel, we went to the Beatles Bar (yes, those Beatles) and heard Hotel California AGAIN. We decided it must be the official song of Cuba, which is apropos since they aren't allowed to leave. I had a pina colada, (which had no ice, just coconut milk, rum & nutmeg) and Adam had a mojito – which cost $7 for both. We traded. We laughed that we had just paid for dinner & drinks to avoid the slop & poison at our all-inclusive hotel. Oh, Cuba. 

We walked back and went to bed to the sweet sounds of CNN. We commented that if there were a NYE terrorist attack, we wouldn't even hear about it for 5 days. I was ok with that. 

Tomorrow… The long haul to Trinidad in what was NOT AT ALL a bus. 

XOXO

Cuba Day One: We're Not In Kansas Anymore

This post will cover two days, since we had to spend a night in Mexico City in order to gain entry into Cuba. But to me, the extra time and trouble was worth it to visit a place that has so long and so openly fought against American overreach. It seems Cuba is the only place that ever really stood up to us and said, "You aren't that special. Sit down, son." So I had to go, and it seemed appropriate to do it without the permission of the American government.

We left LAX on Aeromexico at 1pm and landed in Mexico City at 7pm. Aeromexico was way beyond my expectations. They had TVs in every seat (we watched the new Vacation movie and the lady next to me at one point asked me what was so funny because I was laughing out loud), served full meals, and had really cool windows with no shades, but tint that we could control via a button. Why do American airlines suck so badly in comparison to every international airline ever?! Ugh.  Anyway, Mexico has this hilarious security system that makes you press a button. Like literally — there is a podium with a button. You push it. If you get green — you go on your merry way. If you get red — well, I don't know because we both got green.

Landing in Mexico City

We took a cab to the W Hotel Mexico City and had dinner at its new Jose Andres restaurant. It's one of those fancy gastro molecular places where all the food contained some sort of foam. We weren't impressed. We spent like 2,550 pesos and weren't even full. Later, when things got bad in Cuba, we joked, "well it least it isn't foam!"  

We didn't explore Mexico City, as we had to get up early. But what we saw was actually really nice. I would go back to see more!

W Hotel, Mexico City

The alarm went off at 6am and we cabbed back to the airport, pushed the button, and found our gate. Near the gates, there is an information desk that sells Cuban visas for $20 each. We bought our visas and officially had permission to enter Cuba (From Cuba. Not from the US.). The flight was a quick 3.5 hours (Aeromexico, with entertainment in each seat again). When we landed, the screens in our seats told us it was 165 degrees Fahrenheit in Havana. WHAT? LOL!

The minute we stepped off the jetway, I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. The Havana airport looks exactly how I would picture a small Russian airport in 1970. Red, hard seats, no form — all function. No restaurants or bars, only a cold looking information desk. Interestingly, we had to have our bags scanned to LEAVE the airport in Havana. They have what I called "reverse security" -- which actually seems like a really smart idea. The Cuban immigration officials didn't even blink an eye. They didn't ask why we were visiting, and didn't stamp our passport. They only stamp the visa card. (Thanks, Cuba!)

Cuban Visa

Next we had to get Cuban money, at the booth right outside the airport. Before the trip, I had converted $800 into Canadian money, because I read that Americans get penalized when exchanging money. Adam brought $800 in American cash.  The Cuban dollar is called a CUC ("kook"), and one CUC is worth $.90. (Yes, even Cuban money is stronger than the dollar.) When we both converted our money, I got back 80 more CUCs than he did. So by converting to Canadian money first, I saved $88 American dollars over Adam. He didn't care, but it was an interesting experiment nonetheless. 

We took a cab to the Copacabana hotel, where we were supposed to pick up our rental car. We had prepaid $800 to ensure we would have a car. When we got there, the CubaCar booth was empty. So we sat on our suitcases in the parking lot and waited. And waited. Finally, a man showed up and told us they had no cars. Huh? We said we would be willing to take ANY car, even a tiny one. "No cars!," he said. We had a hotel reservation that night in Varadero, almost 3 hours away, which had also been prepaid. I started to panic, and walked around talking to people in the parking lot. A young man in the parking lot was standing next to a really rough looking '49 Chevy. He said he would take us to Varadero for 80 CUCs. Adam said "60 CUCs" and the kid said, "get in."

I was about to have my first real Cuban experience. That '49 Chevy had no AC (it was 90 degrees), no seat belts, and I felt every spring in that seat. But it was awesome. The driver's name was Yasiel, and he loved him some American music! In fact, his car stereo was nicer than mine, and somehow also played music videos on a screen. 

As we drove down the Malecon past Havana, Maroon 5's Sugar came on, and Yasiel cranked it up. It was then I realized that Cuba was nowhere near as cut off as I had been led to believe. 

About 1.5 hours down the road, Yasiel had to stop to put water in the car. I pretended not to be concerned. I bought $5 pina coladas in pineapples from a roadside stand... 

We drove 3 hours in this car!

...A roadside stand with a TV that was playing the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS GAME! Cuba is magical!

The Cavs game on TV in the middle of nowhere, Cuba. A bad signal, but still.

Back on the road again, it got dark. Suddenly, TSwift came on the radio. Adam told Yasiel that I love her, and Yasiel hit some kind of Cuban button that turned his car into a disco! LED lights started going off and we were in a '49 Chevy party car! 

But then things took a turn for the worse...

We finally arrived just after dark at the Starfish Cuatro Palmas hotel, checked in, and hit the buffet. The salad bar looked like someone saw a photo of one once and tried to recreate it. The lettuce to other stuff ratio was all wrong, and the toppings were all weird. The pasta bar had only olives, cheddar cubes, peas, and ham – which aren't even pasta toppings. And everything tasted old and bad. I had bread, butter, some pineapple and a cookie. A young server kept bringing us free drinks, including a weird blue drink and some awful wine. He said he loves the United States, and wants to live there someday. Then he told us that he always listens to "Welcome to the Hotel California." Awww.  His partner made a rose from a paper napkin & gave it to me. I realized that the people here are really nice, but nothing is up to American standards.

Starfish Cuatro Palmas, Varadero, Cuba

We walked on the beach in the dark. The sand was like powdered sugar and the water was warm. Then we walked the street a bit. We saw some super racist costumes at a salsa festival – big black bobble heads with huge lips. WTF. We went back to the hotel and had a few more drinks at the bar. I felt drunk but not normal drunk — I felt super weird. Adam said the booze "must be cut with formaldehyde." Great.  He was excited that they had whiskey. Until they served it to us and it tasted like rum. We desperately needed water, but bottled water was nowhere to be found. We bought the last small bottle from the vending machine and went to the room. The toilet in the room wouldn't flush. The towels were very thin and threadbare. They smelled clean, but had old stains. The soap was open/unwrapped, and the AC was weak. Nothing works right in Cuba!

Right before falling asleep I told Adam "Babe, I don't want to Cuba anymore."

Until mañana,

XOXO

Cuba Trip - Laying Some Groundwork

Wow. I am so overwhelmed by the experience that was Cuba that I’m not sure where to start.  I took this trip with my boyfriend Adam, since I assumed Cuba isn’t the best place for 12-year old girls. (In hindsight, Madelyn probably would have been fine there, but I am happy I had a strong man who speaks Spanish along.) 

Special Blog Guest Adam 

Since a lot of you have asked me why Cuba is so full of old American cars, I think we will start at the very beginning -- with a brief history lesson. It will be helpful for everyone to understand why Cuba is so cut off from the rest of the world before you read about our experiences there. Please bear with me for this post, so our incredible stories will be in context. I will break up our trip into 6 additional posts, one for each day, all full of amazing photos. I think you will want to read all 6, as Cuba is the most challenging, stunning, one-of-a-kind place I have ever been. OK, here is a quick overview of Cuban history as I understand it. All photos are my own.

Obviously, the Spanish colonized Cuba, way back in the day. That’s why they speak Spanish. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by England, before the English traded it to Spain in exchange for Florida. The Spanish American War resulted in Spain withdrawing from Cuba in 1898, and Cuba gained formal independence in 1902. In the early 1900s, a series of corrupt politicians oversaw a period of rapid growth and development.  Now here is where it gets interesting…

In 1952 Fulgencio Batista staged a coup and took control of Cuba.  More progressive Cubans, including students, protested right from the beginning. Batista responded by closing the universities.  His government was a violent dictatorship, with his primary goal being only to make himself rich.  He sold vast amounts of Cuban land to American firms, and pocketed the profits.  American tourists flocked to Cuba to experience nightlife and gambling at places like the famous Tropicana.  As casinos, prostitution and drug use flourished, the American mafia took over, using luxury hotels for money laundering – and paid Batista for the privilege.  Think of it as a Caribbean Vegas, led by a corrupt dictator.

The Malecon in Havana, once a glamorous nightlife destination

Meanwhile, a young Fidel Castro was infuriated by the illegitimate and corrupt government, and started building a rebel army in the mountains of Cuba. His army included farmers, students, women, and soldiers who had left Batista’s army. In 1955, he went went to Mexico to meet with 82 other exiled revolutionaries, to form a plan to overthrow Batista. There, he met Argentinean doctor Che Guevara, who joined the cause. The men loaded up on weapons, boarded a yacht, and invaded Cuba. They were brutally defeated by Batista’s Army. Only 12 men survived, including Fidel, his brother Raul, and Che, who all fled into the mountains. There, they reorganized, and gained the support of farmers and the working class, who helped them fight and take back Cuba, city by city. Batista’s army fought them with weapons supplied by the US.

In 1959, the revolution was won, and Fidel Castro became prime minister, replacing Batista’s government with a revolutionary socialist state.  (Batista fled to Spain and died one of the world’s richest men.)  Che served various key roles in the new government, including leading a campaign against illiteracy. Fidel made sure all citizens had free education and medical care. Still angry at the US for helping Batista, he seized lands that had sold to Americans – and didn’t pay back the land owners. This pissed off the United States, who in 1960 declared an economic boycott that blocked the export of petroleum to Cuba and the import of Cuban sugar.

This economic boycott left Cuba no choice but to closer align itself with the Soviet Union for economic support. Cubans were struggling, and only had one main source of income – sugar. If the US wasn’t going to buy it, they had to sell it to someone who would, so they turned to the Soviets.  The US wasn’t comfortable with Cuba’s new BFF, so during this time, the Eisenhower administration began plotting to oust Castro.

In 1961, the CIA trained 1400 ex-Cubans living in the US (mostly wealthy Cubans who had supported Batista, opposed the revolution, and fled Cuba after Castro took power) and had them invade the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The US expected that Cuban civilians would rise up against Castro, but they were mistaken. The Cubans supported their new government and helped Castro’s army fight the invaders – who were defeated.

Eight days later, President Kennedy declared an official trade embargo and the end of diplomatic relations with Cuba. Now I love President Kennedy as much as the next girl, but to me this seems a bit like the actions of a petulant, pouty, foot-stomping child. And it certainly didn’t help relations.

Tensions between the two nations peaked again during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviets weren’t thrilled that the US had placed ballistic missiles in Turkey, so they went to Cuba and said, “hey, in exchange for all the sugar money we give you, as well as this other huge pile of money we are willing to give you for economic aid, can we place some missiles there?” Cuba was all, “no problemo” and agreed to let the Soviets secretly place SS-4 Sandal and SS-5 Skean ballistic missiles on the island. Cubans began to write to family in the US about the freakishly large amounts of ice going to rural areas, which led to the discovery of the missiles, confirmed by US military satellite reconnaissance photos. The United States responded by sending naval ships to circle the island (international waters) to stop Soviet ships from bringing in more missiles. A blockade is illegal under international law, so the US said “it’s not a blockade, it’s a quarantine!”  Seriously, we said that.  But the Soviets called back their ships anyway, and agreed to remove the missiles already there, in exchange for an agreement that the United States would not invade Cuba and would remove all US missiles from Turkey.

Of course we just couldn’t let it go.  On 8 February 1963, the Kennedy administration took the ban even further, forbidding US citizens to travel to Cuba or conduct any financial or commercial transactions with the country – restrictions still in place to this day. 

At first, the embargo did not extend to other countries, and Cuba traded with most European, Asian and Latin American countries, and especially Canada. However, the United States later pressured other nations to restrict trade with Cuba.  Most complied. The US government also told foreign companies doing business with Cuba that they could not also do business in the United States, forcing them to choose between the two.  This effectively cut off Cuba from the rest of the world, and froze it in a time warp. All cars in Cuba are pre-1963 American automobiles (or Russian Ladas imported from the USSR in the ‘70s and ‘80s). They were never allowed to import anything else.

Typical Havana street scene

In November 1963, president Kennedy was assassinated, and some believe that the Cubans (or the mafia who was mad they lost their money laundering home base) were responsible.

In 1965, Casto decided he didn’t want to be a socialist anymore, and reformed the government along Communist lines. This would further strengthen ties with the Soviets, and ensure that the rubles kept flowing in. The Communist Party, now headed Raul Castro, continues to govern Cuba today.

Che Guevara didn’t agree with the communist shift, so he left Cuba in 1965 to seek new revolutions abroad, and continue his fight against imperialism. He was captured by CIA-assisted forces in Bolivia and executed without a trial in 1967. His face is seen on all those hipster t-shirts even today because so many leftists admire his desire to create the consciousness of a "new man driven by moral rather than material incentives.” It probably didn’t hurt that he also had a really nice face. Time magazine even named Che one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Che's handsome face, still seen painted on walls all over Cuba

Cuba struggled economically, but still received massive amounts of money from the USSR, until it fell in 1991. Since then, aid has been mostly cut off, and the country has been crippled by poverty. Once rich from sugar exports and foreign aid, now its primary source of income is exporting labor (some Cuban military members are even helping Russia fight ISIS in Syria) and limited tourism from countries other than the US.

The huge economic downturn, and the establishment of a socialist system in Cuba, led to the fleeing of many hundreds of thousands of upper- and middle-class Cubans to the United States. 1.2 million Cubans have illegally left the island for the United States, often by sea in small boats and fragile rafts.  Approximately 80,000 Cubans have died trying flee. In 2012, Cuba finally agreed to allow Cuban citizens travel to foreign countries.

However, Americans are still not allowed to travel to Cuba, unless they fall under one of 12 categories (such as professional research, journalism, missionaries, etc.). The embargo is still in place, and Americans can be fined up to $15,000 for spending money in Cuba. Thankfully though, the Obama administration has pretty much stopped enforcing the embargo, and re-opened the US Embassy there last year, resuming diplomatic relations.

So keep that all in mind as you read about our travels, because it colors everything we experienced. Until tomorrow,

XOXO

Why Cuba?

I have always had a fascination with Cuba. Since I was in high school, I have dreamed about visiting the one place Americans were forbidden to visit (there are probably more, but in my mind, it was just Cuba).  Over the years I read books about Cuba, listened to the Buena Vista Social Club, and admired Che Guevara’s handsome face on all those hipster T-shirts.  But it wasn’t until recently that I decided it was time to actually pay a visit.  

Last year, I had a boss who was born in Cuba. He was one of the kindest, most open people I have ever met.  We worked closely together and I loved listening to his accent and watching his expressions. He left to take another job, and my workplace hasn’t been the same since. He got me thinking about Cuba again – quite a bit.

Then, last December, President Obama announced he was easing restrictions on travel to Cuba.  What do the changes mean?  America will re-open its embassy there within a few years.  Cuba will start accepting American credit cards next year. Americans still have to fall into one of the 12 categories of people approved to travel there (journalists, religious leaders, filmmakers, etc.), but no longer have to apply to the US Government in advance to get a license. Now travelers just self-identify as falling into an approved category, and go.

While restrictions are loosening, there is still a bit of a forbidden fruit appeal. You still can’t fly directly from the US (unless you take an expensive charter plane) or book a hotel from a US-based website. But if you are crafty, you can buy a flight to Mexico, then a flight to Cuba on a Mexican airline. You can use AirBNB to rent rooms in people’s homes, or European booking sites to reserve hotel rooms.

Thee number of American visitors to Cuba is increasing by the day. Once the embassy opens and credit cards work there – can McDonalds, Starbucks and Marriott be far behind? Probably not. Travel experts are predicting that Cuba will look completely different in 5 years – once American businesses are allowed in.

Because of my renewed interest, and my desire to visit Cuba BEFORE McDonalds gets there – I decided now is the time.  After tons of research and effort, I am booked and ready to drink some mojitos while soaking in some Cuban music and sunshine.  Unfortunately, Madelyn won't be accompanying me on this trip. Fortunately, my Spanish-speaking boyfriend will be. (Well, his Spanish is limited, but better than mine at least. My Spanish comes out in French.)  In late December, we will visit Havana, Varadero, and Trinidad. I will be covering my adventures for this blog and a few others kind enough to let me guest write about my trip.  

In the coming weeks, I will be writing about what went down between the United States and Cuba, and why the United States banned its citizens from going there back before I was born.  I will share how to book a trip like mine (it isn’t easy!) and what is legal/illegal when visiting Cuba these days. And of course, I will blog about the trip in detail after my return. (There's no wi-fi and iPhones don't work in Cuba - GASP!)

I hope you will join along on this journey, because it’s going to be the trip of a lifetime!

xoxo