Viva la Cuba

We arrived in Havana on a warm Sunday afternoon, after a long journey through cold and gloomy countries. Havana - the most eclectic city of all! Old and new, proud and poor, welcoming and full of secrets at the same time! Sunlight, warmth, music and impatient anticipation rushed through my veins and a big smile came on my face: “Viva la Cuba - Let the adventure start!”

“Hola my friend, which country are you from?”– this is the first question Cubans will ask you even before they enquire about your name. In a country which is cut off from the rest of the world by embargos, tourists are almost the only way of getting a glimpse of outside world: probably that’s where this fascination with different places comes from.

Cuba is a country of contradictions. It’s a country where rum is cheaper than coke, where you hear music everywhere – from taxis to convenience stores, toilets don’t flush properly, people are poor and you can get a 5 year jail sentence for eating unlicensed beef. Oh, and did you know that Cuba is one of the most sustainable countries in the world? - “It’s because Cubans don’t waste anything” – says the explanation.

Revolution is still alive in Cuba and, just to make sure nobody forgets about it, everywhere you go there are billboards reminding about the 52nd anniversary. Che Guevara is also still alive – visit any bookstore and nearly the only books you can find are about him.

It’s a country where shops have more empty shelves than products, but if you have the money, you can find almost anything on the black market. Here everything gets accomplished through social networks and personal connections. You want to book a car for tomorrow? Talk to Jose and he will call Manuela, Manuela knows Raquel and Raquel will connect you with Jorge. Then wait 2 hours for Jorge to call you and agree on the trip details after rigorous negotiations over the price. Still, you are not guaranteed that Jorge will actually show up tomorrow – his car may break down – and if that happens, you won’t be surprised at all, because it’s a pure miracle that his 60 year old car can drive at all!

Being in Cuba, you can’t help thinking how much where you are born determines your fate and the opportunities you get in life. It’s sad to see a country which has all the natural conditions to be rich and developed, but where people are struggling to make ends meet from one day to another.

In the entire two weeks that we spent in Cuba, we only found one person who openly criticized the regime. But, on the other hand, we saw enough people who have to survive on less than 20 USD of official income a month and are deprived of any opportunities, to mistake this lack of open criticism for a sign that everything is ok.

In short, Cuba is a country which exists in at least two different dimensions – one that you see, and the other that you feel, sense, taste, experience..

Havana is a great city, but it can be quite overwhelming as well. So, after four days of wandering through the old streets of Havana, countless mohitos and servezas, somewhat unsuccessful exploration of nightlife, 60 year old Chevrolet rides, strolls along the quintessential Malecon seaside and discussions about where to go next, we finally decided it was time to head for Trinidad.

Trinidad is a dreamy colonial town on the southern coast of Cuba and my favorite place so far. When you get here after a 5 hour drive from Havana, you feel that time suddenly stops and you fall into a voluntary amnesia – everything outside Trinidan seems less relevant, far away, not important and you slowly submerge into the quiet, unassuming charm of this place.

One of the many unforgettable memories from Trinidad is walking in a poor neighborhood at night and finding myself in a street party - in almost every home families were dancing on a porch, outside the front door, in the living room – some even invited us to join them.

After being in this town only for 5 days we got to know enough locals to feel at home: our landlords, the cab driver who drove us to the beach, the horse man who took us on a half day trip in the mountains, our neighbors and of course, Manuel, the funniest and craziest guy who dances on the main square of Trinidan 365 nights a year!

We fell in love with Trinidad - with its beaches, mountains, old colorful houses, live music and all night dancing on the main square, delicious Cuban flan (the only dessert that we got to taste in Cuba), the view on the old church from our terrace and the local band which can smell tourists 5 streets away and will start playing the moment tourists approach their street.

Our second time in Jose Marti airport in Havana was very different from the first time we set our foot on Cuban soil: we were all sad to leave, but promised ourselves to be back one day. When I am back, I know I just need to show up on the town square in Trinidad and my Cuban friends will probably be still dancing away the dark Cuban night to the tunes of live salsa.