Despite new rules regarding US citizens going to Cuba, we were able to continue on our planned visit as we had planned it as a “cultural exchange” which are still allowed. Because of the unique history and culture, the limited accessibility and the photo/music-rich environment, I decided to do an expanded blog post.  We had three major stops – Cienfuegos on the Southwest coast, Santiago de Cuba on the Southeast coast, and  Havana.  

Cienfuegos

We visited an arts conservatory named after Benny More, Cuba’s most famous musician.  Here, the best young students from around the country come for 6-12th grade to study art, ballet and music.  At night we went to a great little “Paladar” – a home that was partially converted into a restaurant, and then to a local place with wonderful live music.  Everywhere we went, locals wanted to talk to us and were happy to answer our questions. 

 

 

Trinidad

While docked in Cienfuegos, we took a side-trip to Trinidad – a very old and well-preserved colonial town.  Though I’m sure it won’t last, there is very limited tourism yet, so the whole day had a very authentic feel.  We watched a performance at “Palenque de los Congos Reales,” a with their soulful African-influenced music and dance.

 

Havana

For our trip to be authorized, we had to maintain a full schedule of “educational activities with meaningful interaction with individuals in Cuba”  so we asked the tour operator to arrange private visits to artists and musicians.  We really enjoyed spending time in the homes of a photographer, a painter, a sculptor, and two musical groups.  Tiempo Havana Music Group performed a range of traditional Cuban songs from different decades in the garage of a home.  La Reyna y Real is a two woman team who are trying to take the anger and machismo out of hip-hop.  We had a fun couple of hours with them and their family. 

 

And, yes, they have beautiful old automobiles.  On the way to Cuba, I wondered if there were just a few brightly-colored cars for tourism brochures. Turns out, there are an estimated 60,000 classic cars in the country.  After the revolution (1959), no cars or parts could be imported from the U.S., and the Russian Lada was too expensive and unreliable to gain much of a following.  Cubans have become “MacGyver-like” keeping them running.  Those who keep them in good-shape provide taxi services for tourists.  The colors enliven the city for sure!

 

We love live music and it was everywhere in Cuba.  In almost every bar or restaurant, on the street, and coming from open-door homes in the alley.  I made a short video trying to capture the range.

My take-aways

We tried to open our minds and recognize that for 60 years, both Cuba and the U.S. have delivered their share of propaganda.  With four years of internet access, most Cubans are well-aware of what the outside world has to offer – but they have been conditioned to worry about what’s wrong with the U.S. – violence, the extremes of wealth and poverty, intolerance, and the other flaws of most capitalist economies.  Most countries have tough visa restrictions because they worry visitors from Cuba will not go home, but I didn’t sense an overwhelming desire to leave the country they love. They have a tough life, but that’s what they know and have come to live with.  Even the new 4 year presidential term limit worries some – change can be good or bad.  

Here’s what surprised me:

1. There’s poverty – but it’s different than I expected.

Everyone is provided housing (which they own), education, health care, a job, and monthly rations.  The housing seems adequate, the education excellent (especially medicine and the arts), and health care is readily available (though drugs are limited).  The monthly rations are minimal, but every man/woman/child gets a basic allotment every month virtually for free.  Everyone gets a job when they want one – though it’s “assigned” and may just be some do-nothing government job.  But the pay is terrible.  Typically, $20-30/month – at the high end, a doctor may make $75/month.  Maybe think of it as a poor college student with tuition, room and board covered and a $30/month allowance from home.  But for your entire life.

Food in grocery stores is very limited, and the price is not unlike what we are used to.  A slab of bacon is $4, a beer is $1.  But think of it in the context of earning 13 cents an hour.  Expats and tourists are the only people who eat in a restaurant – locals just can’t afford it.

Look at this typical grocery store.  On the left is the meat and cheese section – all of it!  On the right is everything else – behind a counter, with not much to choose from.

 

In recent years they’ve started to allow a little free-market enterprise (30% now work outside the government, it used to be 2%).  You can open part of your house and make it a shop or a restaurant – or you can sell vegetables if you are lucky enough to have nearby land to grow it. You can buy an old car and have a taxi business.   Doctors and engineers drive taxis at night for extra income.

Most seem to accept that that’s how it’s almost always been (other than the early 90’s, after the fall of the Soviet Union – those were terrible years).  Most would be uncomfortable with a sudden surge of wealth or even a dramatic change in the status quo.  After failed CIA attempts to have the government overthrown (read “Cuban Project” on Wikipedia) and 60 years of an embargo by the U.S. hoping for a revolt, it amazed me that the people we met held no grudge against us.  It was more a “why do you care how we live?” theme. I came away embarrassed. 

 

2. It’s safe.

You would think with the poverty, there’d be crime.  I’m sure there is some, but very little compared to the America. Gun crime is almost non-existent and I hardly saw any police presence.  Maybe punishments are harsh, or maybe the old Soviet-era “report your neighbor” culture makes everyone a cop, or maybe, as one local said, “we’re all supposed to share, it’s just how we think.”  True or not, it was so nice to be able to walk anywhere, day or night, and not worry.

3. Castro seems to have been a dedicated leader.

Fidel instituted and funded many art programs and turned former mansions into schools from the very beginning. He was a devout socialist and thought if they could become a magnet for arts and culture, the world would beat a path to

his experiment.  He insisted that when he died, he didn’t want any big ceremonies, named streets, or statues, and was buried with just a simple grave stone. 

In fact, pictures of Che Guevara are everywhere – as the leader of the socialist movement throughout Central and South America.  But not Castro – it’s not that he was unpopular, they say he was charismatic (unlike brother Raul).  I think he was dedicated to the Socialist mission and didn’t want his ego to compete with that.  Can you imagine a typical dictator allowing the images of his partner (Che) to dominate the landscape and t-shirt shops for 60 years?

 

4. Havana is steadily revitalizing itself – it has great potential.

The architecture of former Soviet countries I’ve been to always seems boxy and gray (as is the Russian embassy here). Cuba has retained at least the shells of the buildings from the pre-revolution era.  Most are in a state of disrepair.  One of our guides told us to walk in the middle of the alley because a balcony might collapse.  But Havana is making dramatic strides in renovation.  They have a school to teach workers how to restore buildings using original methods.  Taxes collected from tourist areas are plowed back into the area to further the improvements. If they maintain the current pace, it will be a beautiful tourist destination.

It’s not difficult to visit Cuba, even as a U.S. citizen.  You just need to go as a “group,” which can be 2 people – and pay an authorized tour operator (we used CET) to arrange the trip.  It’s not cheap, but I’m actually thankful we had to, we never would have gotten so close to so many people.  I strongly recommend a visit now, before the inevitable change to come.