OK in all honesty I am already back. To you say that Internet is spotty in Cuba is An understatement :-)
There are Wi-Fi cards that you can purchase, and they work… OK. Maybe. If there is a connection. As many of you know I actually prefer not having continuous Internet access when on a trip like this so for me it was actually kind of wonderful. People were at restaurants and cafés actually interacting with each other. They were walking around and seeing sites or experiencing the places they were at and the people they were with. I won’t say that the Internet is not in Cuba, and it is kind of hilarious to see people huddled in city parks with their phones out trying to get some sort of signal. This applies to Cubans as well as travelers.
Cuba! The music, the people, the beautiful scenery, the heat, The waterfalls, the crabs (but we will get to that in a future email). It is not an easy place to get around in as information is often times in accurate or different depending on who you talk to. I showed up at the bus station in Havana to buy a ticket... and the station was being remodeled with no signs or info for where to go. Fortunately there are helpful taxi drivers everywhere and he was happy to set up a Taxi Collectivo (group taxi) to my destination, Vinales.
And it was great! Met some cool people and went to a cigar plantation on the way. And even smoked a cigar for the first time. When in Cuba!
And frankly it was nasty as hell.
It just sort of burns and makes me want to spot a lot. Supposedly this was a good cigar. I bought two cigars for 6CUC each (that is roughly $6). They would cost $150-$200 each in America.
Fear not! I’m not planning on becoming an officionado of cigars. But maybe some investor In the movie will love them and feel like a bad ass with his/her cigar :)
FAST FACTS:
Cuba has two currencies.
The Cuban National peso (CUP) which is 25 to $1USD. This is the currency used when you are not in tourist areas. If you are paying with this you are getting things for very cheap at the rate that Cubans pay.
The other is the Cuban Convertable Peso (CUC). Which is roughly worth $1USD.
This is what you use most often. And the notes look very similar so you have to pay attention to what you are paying with.
A quirk of coming to Cuba from America is that you have to bring all of your money in cash. American credit cards and ATM cards do not work here. It was a little worrisome at first but frankly if you are smart with your money and keep it hidden were locked away in your bag at your casa particular things are fine. The rest of the world, in theory it works like it would at home :-) in Theory...
HAVANA!
This is where I began and where I will end. I had 3 nights. 2 1/2 days at the start and I could have done one less. It’s big and unique. The old American cars really are cool. People say it’s a time machine, and I didn’t feel it so much in Havana... but once I got outside of Havana....
TIME WARP
American cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Beautiful cars. Some in immaculate condition. Some not so much. Some with a lot of personal character and touches (like eye brows on a beat up old Cadillac). Horse carts. Bicycles. Motorcycles. Buildings of wood and straw and stone. It really is wonderfully bizarre and fantastic. I never got tired of seeing these bad ass cars driving in the nature.
THE HUSTLE
Compared to someplace like India where the tours are pretty continuous, Cuba was a lot less. Yes, people offered a menu or a mojito to buy. Good price. And there were occasional street hustlers who always started with “where are you from?”
“United States (Estados unidos)” I would say.
And they would respond with “ahhhhh! Cuba and United states are friends!” (They are?)
And I mean every tour had the same line!
Not kidding. In different cities. Same lines.
But in general it wasn’t too bad at all.
IS CUBA SAFE?
The answer is yes... mostly.
I had ZERO issues ... until my final "Cab" ride out. Which in the end turned out to be fine, but was a very strong reminder to be careful anywhere you go.
I use the term "cab" because once I got in I realized this was NOT an official cab. And my instincts told me to hop out, but for some reason I didn't. They asked if I had a mobile phone (which there is no reason to ask.) I said NO. And then they actually took me to the airport. I had to pay them secretly so the cops wouldn't see. Maybe that was the whole scam all along, but I think if I'd said I had a mobile this story would have ended very differently...
That being said, in Cuba It was safe to walk down dark streets in Trinidad and there were no issues. Just the occasional person on their porch who would just look at me, ignore me, or occasional say Hi. And the ONLY time I felt sketched out was that final morning ride to the airport. So, keep your travel wits about you if you go and be aware of touts or such, but crime really is VERY low there. And violent crime even more so.
So there will be a few more emails coming in the next week or two. I had some amazing adventures, with amazing people in amazing places. All part of the purpose of traveling afterall. If you don't want to be on the list, just let me know. No worries, I can take you off.
Otherwise, hope you enjoy the reads and the ride!
Rock on
CraigO-- TRAVELS!
PS: it's been WAY to long! Way way way too long. It felt good to be back on the road. Really good.
There are Wi-Fi cards that you can purchase, and they work… OK. Maybe. If there is a connection. As many of you know I actually prefer not having continuous Internet access when on a trip like this so for me it was actually kind of wonderful. People were at restaurants and cafés actually interacting with each other. They were walking around and seeing sites or experiencing the places they were at and the people they were with. I won’t say that the Internet is not in Cuba, and it is kind of hilarious to see people huddled in city parks with their phones out trying to get some sort of signal. This applies to Cubans as well as travelers.
Cuba! The music, the people, the beautiful scenery, the heat, The waterfalls, the crabs (but we will get to that in a future email). It is not an easy place to get around in as information is often times in accurate or different depending on who you talk to. I showed up at the bus station in Havana to buy a ticket... and the station was being remodeled with no signs or info for where to go. Fortunately there are helpful taxi drivers everywhere and he was happy to set up a Taxi Collectivo (group taxi) to my destination, Vinales.
And it was great! Met some cool people and went to a cigar plantation on the way. And even smoked a cigar for the first time. When in Cuba!
And frankly it was nasty as hell.
It just sort of burns and makes me want to spot a lot. Supposedly this was a good cigar. I bought two cigars for 6CUC each (that is roughly $6). They would cost $150-$200 each in America.
Fear not! I’m not planning on becoming an officionado of cigars. But maybe some investor In the movie will love them and feel like a bad ass with his/her cigar :)
FAST FACTS:
Cuba has two currencies.
The Cuban National peso (CUP) which is 25 to $1USD. This is the currency used when you are not in tourist areas. If you are paying with this you are getting things for very cheap at the rate that Cubans pay.
The other is the Cuban Convertable Peso (CUC). Which is roughly worth $1USD.
This is what you use most often. And the notes look very similar so you have to pay attention to what you are paying with.
A quirk of coming to Cuba from America is that you have to bring all of your money in cash. American credit cards and ATM cards do not work here. It was a little worrisome at first but frankly if you are smart with your money and keep it hidden were locked away in your bag at your casa particular things are fine. The rest of the world, in theory it works like it would at home :-) in Theory...
HAVANA!
This is where I began and where I will end. I had 3 nights. 2 1/2 days at the start and I could have done one less. It’s big and unique. The old American cars really are cool. People say it’s a time machine, and I didn’t feel it so much in Havana... but once I got outside of Havana....
TIME WARP
American cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Beautiful cars. Some in immaculate condition. Some not so much. Some with a lot of personal character and touches (like eye brows on a beat up old Cadillac). Horse carts. Bicycles. Motorcycles. Buildings of wood and straw and stone. It really is wonderfully bizarre and fantastic. I never got tired of seeing these bad ass cars driving in the nature.
THE HUSTLE
Compared to someplace like India where the tours are pretty continuous, Cuba was a lot less. Yes, people offered a menu or a mojito to buy. Good price. And there were occasional street hustlers who always started with “where are you from?”
“United States (Estados unidos)” I would say.
And they would respond with “ahhhhh! Cuba and United states are friends!” (They are?)
And I mean every tour had the same line!
Not kidding. In different cities. Same lines.
But in general it wasn’t too bad at all.
IS CUBA SAFE?
The answer is yes... mostly.
I had ZERO issues ... until my final "Cab" ride out. Which in the end turned out to be fine, but was a very strong reminder to be careful anywhere you go.
I use the term "cab" because once I got in I realized this was NOT an official cab. And my instincts told me to hop out, but for some reason I didn't. They asked if I had a mobile phone (which there is no reason to ask.) I said NO. And then they actually took me to the airport. I had to pay them secretly so the cops wouldn't see. Maybe that was the whole scam all along, but I think if I'd said I had a mobile this story would have ended very differently...
That being said, in Cuba It was safe to walk down dark streets in Trinidad and there were no issues. Just the occasional person on their porch who would just look at me, ignore me, or occasional say Hi. And the ONLY time I felt sketched out was that final morning ride to the airport. So, keep your travel wits about you if you go and be aware of touts or such, but crime really is VERY low there. And violent crime even more so.
So there will be a few more emails coming in the next week or two. I had some amazing adventures, with amazing people in amazing places. All part of the purpose of traveling afterall. If you don't want to be on the list, just let me know. No worries, I can take you off.
Otherwise, hope you enjoy the reads and the ride!
Rock on
CraigO-- TRAVELS!
PS: it's been WAY to long! Way way way too long. It felt good to be back on the road. Really good.
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