Cuba, first day, first experiences
I went to Cuba for a month with two of my friends. We got there during the low season, the supposedly “hurricane season”. We didn’t experience any hard core raining situation although we got a few furious storms on the way around the island. We rented a small car and drove almost 4000km traversing all the existing regions. We gave a pretty good glance on the country landscapes, monuments and people.
I decided to go to Cuba answering the request of my friend Eric to go there and try to find his father whom he never met and that he just found out about his location recently. Our mission to Cuba was something different from the regular Cuba travelers. Our first contact with the country was already in the airport where actually all the police force was nice to us, somehow welcoming us to the government of Fidel Castro.
In a late night arrival we did manage to get our way to the center city and just by looking to our lonely planet guide, we decide to head to Havana district near the Capitolio, knowing nothing about it.
We got this big modern Hyundai taxi van to take us for 25$CUC from the airport to the city center. We know now you can actually discuss it for around 20$CUC. The taxi driver got some nice old Cuban music on the CD Player, so we enjoyed the way to the city. Our plan was to go to the center, walk for a while and get a cheap private house somewhere.
We were dropped of right in front of the Havana Capitol’s building, looking great. We could now watch and hear those old 50′s American cars in front of us.
What happen was that after a while of walking we end up loosing our strength and wiling to say no to “jineteros” and went following one of them that took us to a sort of cheap accommodation in the street Refugio with Prado.
Getting to know the owner of this place, Reynaldo, we got to know that he has a serious drinking problem and that he was a very simple and nice person trying to warn us about all the possible dangerous things around the city and around Cuba itself. Basically what he didn’t want was that we would get robbed and by that calling the police, they would pass him a fine by having tourist illegally in his house which was only supposed to receive Cuban tourist. Fines are high and some times they can get without they renting permit. So we were warned about a few things to take in consideration while in town.
Reynaldo rushed us to pay, and after discussing we agreed on the price of 20$CUC per room, 40$CUC for 2 days ( 30EUROS or 42$USD ) we decided to stay there for 2 nights. 3 people on the room, 2 on the beds and 1 slept on the floor.
Warnings Havana Cuba
- not to trade money on the streets, as sometimes you would be given Cuban pesos and not the other new currency which is worth 40times more
- not to drink and come back home as you may fall into a hole on the street or hit by a car
- if you take any girl/girls to your room, make sure not to let her/them alone, even by going to the toilet for a few minutes as they will probably rip you off and take all your money away ( I’m talking about prostitutes ok?! )
- watch out for possible robberies
- not to walk alone on the streets after dark and watch out for group of guys
- not to buy cigars on the streets as they will be full of bad stuff inside and not the real tobacco
We were interrupted when Reynaldo had to rent his room for a local man that arrived with a young prostitute. this guy actually came and talked to us, drunk some rum and went back to the room to do whatever he intended to. After he was done, the lady went away and he came back to drink and talk some more, but, he came without any clothes on but a small black thong. From this “interesting” man, we got to know all the information and updates about girls in town. Price range and methods to get them…
The stove in the kitchen was burning potatoes for hours. Warm night. While on the balcony, old cars and girls were passing by. Waving. Lots of girls. Clothless, Regaetton style. The smell of rum was on the air. We were in Cuba, we arrived.
