Cuba is nothing like we have seen so far. If time can freeze then it happened here and this country feels like Czecho in 1960's with one significant difference - music and dance is present on every corner on every day. No matter if it's weekend or Monday evening every town has some form of live band playing latin beats till very late. Cubanos are born with dance genes and watching them on dancing floor makes us very jelaous. We have no chance moving like them so we just watch.
Somewhat confused on the first day in Havana after landing from Mexico on 5 December we try to understand this complex and very different society. CUC denominations we got out of ATM do not correspond to prices shown in some shops (sandwich costs $10. What? - that cannot be true!). To our surprise we discover they have two kinds of currency with exchange rate between convertible cubanos (CUC) and the national peso (CUB) set by goverment 1:24. Well, that sounds much better! We can start to discover and enjoy cuban life. After few attempts to squeeze into packed local bus going to historical downtown we give up and catch a collectivo instead. Walking through narrow cobblestone streets amongst aged buildings makes us somewhat reminisent of old days in socialist Czechoslovakia. It is early afternoon and in many bars live bands play cubano musica. We cannot resist to sit down to enjoy rhythms with bottle of beer. Time realy flies by, it is close to midnight and we feel very relaxed while exploring Havana's streets. First impressions of Cuba are very nice and we cannot wait to see more of this unusual and eciting island. After second sleepless night in Havana (did we mention loud music on every corner?) we catch morning bus to small town Vinales which happens to be one of the best tabaco regions in Cuba. Ample supply of accommodation in private homes is good news and we quickly settle in casa particular owned by senora Mercedes and her family. We feel very comfortable in one of her bedrooms and as a bonus she also prepares delicious meals. Needless to say there are two bars in town with live bands playing till midnight so we need to decide which one to choose after dinner. Well, we start in one and finish in the other while sipping rum - Havana Club 7 anos. Muy bueno!!! Locals also show good appetite for white rum ($3 a bottle) having it served on tables by bottles not by shots but we do not notice any misbehavior. They just dance more. And guys, you should see those cubano hot girls! Equally Iva makes frequent comments about handsome athletic cubano men. Obviously McDonald and other fast foods outlets have not made it here yet! Cubanos please do not change this!!!
Horseriding was on our agenda next day with aim to visit tabaco farms and nearby caves. Five hours ride takes us through tabaco and beans plantations which are cultivated mostly manualy with a couple of bulls draging relevant agriculrural gadgets. Quite hard work! Our bums are getting sore and we are glad to jump off horses as soon as we return to village. This place is certainly not invaded by tourists and we like to just sit watching locals to flow by. Always present russian cars LADA from 1970's competing with american Chevrolets from 1960's reminds old movies and all that is complemented with JAVA motorcycles, ZETOR tractors and home-made pushbikes. Where else can you see kids in red-scarfed uniforms going to school on a horse carriage? It feels like a time warped timespace - Back To The Past? It is time to explore more of Cuba and next day we try to board an interstate bus for locals but get refused. There are buses for locals and there are buses for tourists. Hm, interesting. Late afternoon we arrive to Trinidad, a small historical town on south coast. Ten hours on bus went quite quickly as we meet young couple Lucka and Tomas from Praque and we have a lot to chat about. Foe next few days we enjoy town, beaches and music together. Not so comfy bikes provide all day fun and we even score a few hours snorkeling off the boat. Of course, every night we sit under stars listening to excellent bands in Casa Dela Musica. It would be so easy to stay in Trinidad for much longer but time is flying and we need to move. We sadly say goodby to Lucka and Tomas on Friday morning and return to Havana the same day. Buying airtickets would be quite an easy task elswhere but not in Cuba. We spend almost whole day walking from one part of town to another trying to find airlines which would take us to Panama as soon as possible. Finaly we book flights with COPA but there is a catch - we are requested to buy either return tickets to Cuba or continuing tickets to Mexico City even we explained our further traveling is done by buses. Well, we do not want to return to Cuba (for now) so we decide for the option of connecting flight to Mexico which we will never use.
In one way few issues here were quite annoying although many more positives overweighted the balance of view on this yet unspoiled and pristine culture. Cubanos are warm and friendly people with big smiles making us feel very wellcome anywhere we went. Cubanos have addiction to icecream and we cannot resist to join them at central icecream park for few scoops. This country has lot of character and we try to learn bit by bit every day though it is also full of surprises and we will leave with many question unanswered. Here you can buy packet of Valium for $0.20 over counter but cannot buy breadrolls from local bakery without ration voucher, goverment provides free living but at the same time let buildings to deteriorate beyond use. Internet is so pianfully slow that opening a browser takes longer then
average salsa dance and one hour usage costs more then a bottle of
cuban rum. Despite all those little insignificant issues we like this island so much that we may to return and complete our picture of Cubano life. On Sunday 14 December we fly to Panama City.
