Christmas in Cuba

[Cameroo]

This year my girlfriend and I decided to take a last minute trip to Varadero, Cuba, which would mean being there over Christmas.  It was the first time in 31 years that I was not with family over the holidays, but we got such a good deal we couldn't afford not to go.  I figured that since most of you guys are American, you might want to see some pictures of the "forbiden land" (interestingly enough, the Cubans welcome all tourists, even Americans  )

The thing that strikes me most about the Cuban people is how friendly they are, despite the majority of them having very poor living conditions.  A $1.00 tip to the servers at the buffet was all it took for them to treat us like royalty.  This was our 3rd time at the same resort, and it always amazes me that the servers' faces light up because they recognize us from a year ago, and they welcome us back with a big smile and a hug. 

Another thing that surprised me was the difference on the streets just in the last year.  Recently the government allowed the common folk to start their own businesses (seems bizarre, but they weren't allowed to until this year).  Where there used to be 3 or 4 small markets on "the strip" in Varadero, now almost every house along the main street had someone standing out front trying to sucker you into buying the same souvenirs that everyone else is selling.  Made me wonder how they can make a living when they have so much competition with their neighbors.  We stopped and talked to one lady who knew English pretty well.  I asked how much they get paid to sell the merchandise, and she said they get $1/day, plus 10% commission on whatever they sell.  Doesn't sound like much, but if you consider that before being allowed to run their own businesses, Cubans all made the same wage which was the equivalent of about $15/month, I can see why they would do it.  She said they don't sell much, but make enough to get by.  I can also see why having a job in the tourism industry would be one of the best jobs, just because of the tips they make.

Anyway, enough babbling.  He's a few pictures of the scenery.










Around town:






Some local wildlife:






Cuban Backstreet Boys


My simple pleasures (Mexican Coke, British cigarettes)


Cuban taxi


Crazy tree (might be a few snakey bows in there!)

[ErictheViking]

Yup, beautiful place and beautiful people.  never been there, just seen documentaries.  Fascinates me how they seem to be stuck in a time warp with their cars (in the 50"s) due to the politics. 

[Jimbob]

Looks like a great trip, thanks for sharing.

[criveraville]

Cam thanks for sharing. Beautiful ocean. Sounds like y'all had a great time. I'm going to be checking the mail for my Cuban and lemon wood 

Cipriano

[zenmonkeyman]

Wood is hard to come by in Cuba.  I was told by one guy that a certain tree is pretty much extinct because of indiscriminate harvesting.  I don't know what tree that was... hopefully not bow wood!  But I think it was very dense if memory serves.

[HoBow]

Very nice pictures!  I would love to go to Cuba....it will probably be opened up within fully within a few years.

[mullet]

 Great pictures! It sucks for us, only 75 miles away. I almost snuck over there when I was working in Nassau but chickened out.

[Cameroo]

Eric - they seem to be stuck in a time warp in a lot of ways, but I have seen progress just in the 3 years we've been going there.  Their government seems to be giving them small morsels at a time, just to appease them.  It wasn't until this last year that Cuban people were allowed to buy their own computers, although internet access is probably still something for the "rich" people.  I did notice a lot of Cubans in the service industry now had cell phones, which I've never seen before.

Jimbob - you're quite welcome

Cipriano - I still have a few stogies that I bought there last year.  I got some "Romeo et Juliet"s, which are the mildest of Cubans, and one was enough for me!  I don't know what all the hype is about behind Cuban cigars, but I'm no connoisseur by any means.

Monkeyman - You got that right.  Wood houses are reserved for the rich, everything else is made out of concrete.  Even the carts on the resorts that they use to haul laundry with are made out of concrete.  You should check the island out sometime, there are flights from Regina, and if you watch for last minute deals, you can go for 7 nights for around $600, sometimes less!

HoBow - that wouldn't surprise me if Obama (or his successor) started to allow flights from the U.S.  My understanding is that the Cubans allow American tourists right now, the problem is that there aren't any flights from the U.S., so Americans have to travel via other countries (like Canada).

Eddie - I probably flew over your house on the way down there!

[mullet]

Cam;
 There are flights out of the US, now.

[Cameroo]

I guess you're right Eddie.  I did a bit of reading and found that there are flights out of Miami and Los Angeles.  Apparently Americans require a license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and are only issued to certain people (students conducting research, government officials, journalists, etc.).   The specific restriction is not against visiting, but against spending money in Cuba (because of the Embargo).

[Sparrow]

Oh man,I am ready to go.Nice pic's  '  Frank

[mullet]

Cam;

Yea, most of the local Cubans are going down to see relatives, take money and research Art at the Museums, study the Art of Baseball, and learn about Hemmingway.

[JW_Halverson]

I've smoked a few Cubanos, Cam...I don't get the whole thing about 'em.  I've had better from Dominica, Guatamala, Mexico, and even a pretty decent stogie that a guy said he had handrolled in a barrio in Los Angeles.  Mind you, after that L.A. cigar I was a bit hungry, dunno.

I have another Canadian friend that goes down there every other year.  He says much the same as you.  He haunts the streets at night and gorges on street foods from carts and outa the back of roach coaches.  He plays dominoes in the streets with the old men and gets his butt handed to him time after time, a high stakes series of games that makes him lose upwards of $3-5 a night! He says shortly after arriving at his hotel, he will start getting phone calls from locals that have somehow heard he is in town, he calls it the "coconut telegraph".  He has made great friends down there.  A couple of local toughs escort him in the bad parts of town to keep him safe.  I envy him. 

[bowtarist]

Sounds like a great trip.  I always wanted to go.  I had a girlfriend from Canada once who had friends that went fairly often and loved it.  I had a Cuban guy stay here once for a night and he was great to sit w/ and talk to over a few drinks.  He was a political refugee.  good stuff, dpgratz

[Jimbob]

I served with a guy that had served in the Cuban army before renouncing his Cuban citizenship to come to the U.S. and join our Army.  He was really a funny guy and had some great stories about his training down there.  I havent talked to him in a couple of years, wonder what hes up to these days.