Cuba in early 2022

I visited Cuba from Feb 9 to Mar 8, 2022. Even though I had visited 114 countries before setting foot in Cuba, I was taken aback by the status quo of this socialist country. It was one of the most challenging countries to travel in many aspects.

Soon after booking a hostel in Havana a week before my scheduled arrival, I received an email from the hostel, informing me that I should bring hard currencies such as EUR, CAD and USD to the country to spend. The reason was that there were black markets for these currencies which could fetch 3 to 4 times the official exchange rates. Also, it would be unwise to withdraw money from the ATM's at the airport. Armed with all the USD that I could withdraw from an ATM in Cancun, Mexico, I tried to fly into Havana on Feb 6th. After three attempts with two different airlines at the Cancun airport, I finally arrived in Havana on a scantly filled commercial flight in the early morning hours of Feb 9, 2022. The plane was, however, fully loaded with packages and cargo.

I waited at the airport for a few hours before taking an official taxi to city centre. The ride was 25 USD and I paid the driver with US cash. At the airport, I found out a few things. The state-owned exchange bureau at the airport would not change USD. The state-owned bus company, Viazul, is only operating at about 20% of its pre-pandemic schedule. Tours to various attractions were operating at about 10% of the normal schedule. I saw no more than a handful of independent tourists during my 6 hour wait at Havana Airport. Supposedly, there were TransTur buses running between the airport and city centre 3 or 4 times a day. The ride would cost 5 USD (cash only).

When I woke up from my afternoon nap, I was hungry. I asked the hostel owner if I could find a supermarket or grocery store nearby. He replied that there was no supermarket or grocery store in Cuba. He told me to change my USD with the parking attendant outside. I changed 10 USD for 900 CUP. A French couple showed me where I could get dinner at some local restaurants. I wandered around the neighbourhood for about an hour. I saw people buying and selling from the windows of unmarked houses. Restaurants served food in small portions. My 900 CUP could only get me a plate of food but no drinks. I eventually bought 2 lbs. Of croquettes for 240 CUP. When I returned to the hostel, I showed the croquettes to my host. He shook his head and gave me a plate of rice and beans, salad and salsa. He told me to save the croquettes for another day.

The next day when I visited Old Havana, I was approached by various people to change money. When I walked on a pedestrian street near Parque Centro, most stores were empty and/or locked up. Vendors sold their goods on small stands outside the buildings. By early afternoon, most stands would disappear when the goods were sold. Panderias (bread shops) only opened for a couple of hours each day. Shoppers brought their own bags and lined up outside the bread shops for hours. I also noticed that there was very little garbage on the streets.

There were two young men from Germany at the hostel in Havana eating bread with ketchup for dinner. They had very little cash on hand and would not be leaving Cuba for another week. I helped them by giving them 56 USD cash for a bus ticket they purchased for me online with their credit card. However, that amount of money was not enough for the rest of their stay in Havana. A few days later, they found an expat from France who would give them 85 CUP for every EUR they e-transferred into his French bank account. It was a whopping 20% commission!

Santiago de Cuba was where I found out that Cubans are still on the food rationing system. One day I walked by a shop (bodega) with a huge price list on the back wall. I could still see that there were four eggs left in the cardboard carton on the counter. I asked the shopkeeper if I could buy the eggs. He told me that only Cubans could buy in his shop. The eggs were priced at 2.2 CUP each. When I went back to my Airbnb place, I saw my host eating steak with rice and beans. I later found out why he could have so much food. His house was registered as a "Casa Particular" which entitled him to purchase special provisions at local prices for international visitors. He charged me 8 USD for a chicken drumstick, rice and shredded cabbage on the first day in Santiago de Cuba. From that day onward, I would only eat food that was available to locals only. I would not go to any restaurants. "Pan con Jamon" became my staple food. Within two weeks, white specks developed on my finger nails.

What kind of food was available to locals varied from city to city. The most common form was sandwiches from bread with margarine to fully loaded hamburger. I once had a fish burger at a cart on the street in Matanzas City for 50 CUP. My favourite drink had to be the freshly squeezed sugar cane juice for 5 CUP. I basically ate on the run; sometimes I would eat my personal pizza or sandwich on a park bench. I carried a water bottle, plastic bags and scrap paper in my bag because vendors would not provide any containers.

I asked several locals about drinking water from the tap. The answer varied from "Yes, definitely." to "Drink only bottled water". In my opinion, boiled or filtered water should be fine because Cuba is a fairly big island that contains several rivers. Wastewater is collected and treated before being released to the waterways. It was hard to find bottled water especially in smaller sizes. A 1.5 L bottle cost 17.50 CUP and 4 L bottle 47.50 CUP. Soft drinks were considered as luxury goods. People drank more rum than beer because rum was much cheaper.

Internet became more accessible to the public only in recent years. The state-owned telecommunications company, ETECSA, provides both mobile internet and hotspots in homes and public places. The cost of internet access was average but the transfer rates were painfully slow. Social media websites such as Facebook appeared to have no blocks but other US and UK based websites were all blocked. VPN's were functional only in Havana and Varadero. To call my bank in Canada, I either would have to buy a calling card from ETECSA or call from a cell with a local SIM with a monthly plan. A 13 minute call to Toronto cost me 26 USD when I had to pay my TD VISA using telebanking.

Prior to the Covid 19 Pandemic, tourists could only travel in Cuba in official buses, taxis or rental cars. The trains were running but at a much reduced schedule. For example, the trains between Havana and Santiago de Cuba ran only once every 4 days when I was there. Train tickets generally cost more bus tickets. I was able to ride in collectivos and local buses on several occasions without being caught and fined. City buses and ferries cost 1 - 5 CUP. Ruteros (unscheduled buses) cost 5 - 20 CUP and nobody knew when and where these buses would go. In addition, there are tricycles, horse carts, pick-ups and converted trucks to cover shorter distances. Intercity buses for locals were primarily retired tourist coaches which cost 10 - 20 CUP. I rode in an iconic classic car three times during my visit.

Though serious crimes are uncommon in Cuba, scams and petty theft happen on a daily basis. When you go to the beach, you should leave your wallet and passport in your room. I always had a hat, sunglasses and a face mask on; however, the locals could always tell that I was a tourist. One day when I got off the ferry to visit the north side of the bay opposite to Havana. A local man walked beside me and offered to take me to the hilltop via a shortcut. He tried to be my guide and told me to sit on a bench outside his farm. Then he asked me for a donation to his farm which looked no more than a vegetable patch on the hillside. When I was visiting in Vinales, there were signs all along Moncada Road. These signs would not lead you to the National Park but private properties. I went into one such farm and the farmer wanted to sell me fruits from his farm.

The biggest scam that happened to me took place in Santiago de Cuba. After purchasing a Cuban made linen dress, I thought I would buy a pair of locally made shoes to go with my dress. When a man approached me for money change, I thought what perfect timing, and agreed to change 20 USD. But he wanted to change 100 USD. I showed him that I only had 40 USD. He told me to wait in an obscure corner. He came back with a pile of 100 CUP bills and told me to count. I was supposed to get 4000 CUP but there were only 38 of the 100 CUP bills. He counted the money again and it was 38. From his pocket he pulled out another 100 CUP bill and 5 of 20 CUP bills. He returned the new pile to me and took my 40 USD. I proceeded to a nearby park and counted the new pile of money. I only received 2600 CUP and was shortchanged by 1400 CUP. I never bought the hand made shoes that I had my eyes on for days.

Cuba is one of my favourite countries in the world. I was in a time warp, in a land where there is no excess for four weeks. When I saw the endless sandy beaches in Varadero, I realized that I was living on an island with so much beauty and among some of the most resilient people on this planet.