More than rum and cigars, everything you need to know about Cuba
- Pierre-Alexandre Schellekens
- 9 mrt 2017
- 13 minuten om te lezen
You probably know the place I’m going to talk about. Of course I am going to tell you all (or at least what I know) about the mysterious island of Cuba. The ideal moment to travel to Cuba is March and April, since the rainy season roughly begins in May. The average temperature is 24° but in winter times it can decrease to about 15°.
In the summer of 2015, a couple of friends and I wanted to discover the secrets of this unique island in the Caribbean. Cuba is one of the few countries in the world that still has a communist dictatorship as a political regime, so we wanted to see for ourselves how and if it worked. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t have any particular political preferences, but it seemed great to have an insight into the old regime before it opens up completely to the free world and open economy as we’re used to know them at home.
A very brief history of Cuba
It’s critical to your trip to at least know a little bit of Cuban history. The country has a lot of monuments dedicated to their local heroes and most people are very proud of their heritage. If you aren’t interested in this, I suggest you look for a different island to visit.
Prehistory
There is not a lot to say about this period. The island was inhabited by three tribes of American Indians: the Taino, the Guanajatabey and the Ciboney. When Columbus landed on the island in 1492, the Taino dominated Cuba.
The name Cuba comes from the Taino language and means “great place” or “where fertile land is abundant”. Historians didn’t quite figure it out.
Colonial times
Columbus claimed the island for the Kingdom of Spain and named it Isla Juana. In 1511 the first Spanish settlements were founded and were soon covering the whole island. Within a hundred years, the Cuban native population was wiped out. Mostly due to Eurasian infectious diseases aggravated by the colonial iron fist that subdued these people.
The island was mainly an enrichment for the Spanish Empire in alliance with the French. Due to this alliance, Spain came in conflict with the British Empire, the conflict was called the Seven Years War. The British sieged Havana in 1762 and claimed the whole western part of the island after the Spanish surrendered, after which they opened a trade market with North-America and other Caribbean islands. This made the Cuban economy flourish. They also imported a whole lot of African slaves to work on sugar plantations.
This economic boost was short lived. Sugar merchants in London feared a decrease in sugar prices and forced negotiations with the Spanish over the territory. Soon after, the Peace of Paris treaty was signed between Great-Britain, France, and Spain, which resulted in the end of the Seven Years War and Cuba was put in Spanish hands again.
After the Haitian Revolution in the late eighteenth century, where slaves of the richest Caribbean colonies freed themselves very violently, Cuba arose as the richest island in the region. To boost the sugar production, Spain imported thousands of slaves to Cuba. The proportion between whites and blacks was shifting dramatically.
Start of rebellion
It was Carlos Manuel de Cespédes, a sugar planter that freed his slave in 1868 to fight with him, who started the first revolution for a free Cuba. The rebellion grew fast and resulted in the Ten Years War. Although the United States didn’t recognise the new Cuban government, the Spanish put an end to the war by promising by decree to give more authority to Cuba. Slavery was also abolished in 1875.
But this wasn’t enough! In 1892, José Marti founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party to achieve total independence from Spain. Marti was killed in a battle against the Spanish army three years later. He was immortalised as Cuba’s national hero. He is refered to as the “Apostle of Cuban Independence”.
At the time, the Spanish army enormously outnumbered the rebels, which relied mostly on sabotage and guerrilla tactics. The Spanish started a politic of suppression to discourage the rebellion. The scale model of the 20th century concentration camps were invented and thousands of Cuban civilians died from starvation and diseases in such camps. Americans and Europeans reacted very negatively towards Spain after these dreadful acts. The US even sent military support to protect American interests on the island.
Independence
The American-Spanish conflict came to an end after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898. The US granted independence to Cuba, but the it kept the supervision of Cuban finances and foreign relations. The US also started leasing Guantanamo Bay as a military base.
Anecdote: The US still pays $4.085 of rent per year for Guantanamo Bay since 1898.
Cuba never cashed the rent.
Political instability and corruption led to economic problems and labour shortages. People living on the island grew unhappy and frustrated.
Communist ruling
In 1956, Fidel Castro and his supporters (like Raoul Castro, Ernesto ‘Ché’ Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos) landed from a yacht named Granma (now the name of the Cuban national newspaper) in an attempt to overthrow the dysfunctional government. After several battles, Castro succeeded in seizing the capital city and overthrowing president Batista.
The US originally supported the revolution, thinking it would bring democracy to Latin America. But Castro’s legalisation of the Communist Party and the hundreds of executions that followed made the US change their mind. This was the start of a very bad relationship between the two countries.
Castro’s signing of a commercial agreement with the Soviet Union didn’t help this matter. US president Eisenhower even gave permission to the CIA to train Cuban refugees to overthrow Castro’s rule. The disastrous landing that followed, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, was one of the greatest military failures of the US in that period.
After the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, Cuba was well on its way to become a fully communistic regime, similar to the USSR. Due to the economic embargo by the US, Cuba relied on the USSR as an economic partner.
Cuba and Castro’s ruling was seriously put to the test when the USSR collapsed in 1991. The economy literally broke down resulting in severe food and fuel shortages. This period is known by Cubans as the Special Period. Even during this tough period, the Cuban government didn’t accept food, cash or medicine donations from the US until 1993.
It was time for Cuba to find new allies. The People’s Republic of China, Venezuela and Bolivia allied with the country and helped to overcome the economic challenges.
In 2008 Fidel Castro announced his resignation as president of the nation and Raoul Castro, his brother, became president. Raoul promised to remove some restrictions on freedom for the people.
In 2014 talks between American and Cuban officials saw the light of day once again. Even if the embargo on Cuba by the US is not completely lifted yet, there is great hope for the future of this little mysterious island.
On the 25th of November 2016, Fidel Castro died in Havanna at the age of 90 years old. His death was announced a couple of hours later on the Cuban state-television channel. Reactions to his death by the Cuban population was very divided, some morned him as a hero, others celebrated the end of his life as an end of an era of tyranny and instability. From what I've heard from the people I spoke to on the island, they saw Fidel as a leader who sincerely wanted the best for Cuba (e.g. free healthcare and free education) but made some bad radical choices. I say it's not all black or white, but it's better to leave the opinion for the people who lived then and there.
How to prepare for Cuba
Now that you know a little bit of Cuban history, you should know that going to Cuba is not as simple as going to any other country. Except maybe for North-Korea, but that is an entirely different story. Here are a couple of things you should consider before your departure.
Paperwork
First thing to worry about is the paperwork. Be sure to have a valid passport and ask the Cuban embassy in your country for a tourist visa. Every traveller to Cuba also requires a travel insurance before entering the country.
The border security checks on most tourists and if they catch you without it, you have to buy one on the spot.
Also don’t forget to print all the documents you need before you go. Technology in Cuba is quite scares and for instance finding a printer is a very difficult thing to do. Believe me, we tried it and we lost a lot of precious time.
Accommodation
When all documents are taken care of, book a place to stay for at least the first few nights of your trip. You could stay at hotels, but our best experiences were with casa particulares, which is quite similar to what we know as B&B’s.
A lot of Cubans earn a bit of extra money by renting a room or two in their house to accommodate tourists. It is certainly not very luxurious, but the people are so friendly and helpful, you won't even want to leave. It’s the opportunity to live the real Cuban lifestyle for not a whole lot of money. Also, a real Cuban breakfast is normally included in the price. You van recognise casa pariculares by the blue signs on the houses.
Money
Speaking of money, you have to be well informed on how money works in Cuba. It's very different than in most countries, so read carefully! There are actually two different currencies on the island: one for the local population (Cuban national peso or CUP) and one for foreigners (Cuban convertible peso or CUC), which is aligned with the American Dollar. At the moment 1 CUC is worth about 26,5 CUP. In most establishments there will be two prices, one in CUC and one in CUP and most of the time they won’t match up. Beware of the change you receive when you buy something. Sometimes Cubans try to remit your change money in CUP to rip you off.
Pro tip: get hold of some CUP’s too, you can buy some delicious local fruit or other things with it for ridiculously low prices.
Bring a VISA card! Since MasterCard is a US company, don’t count on it in Cuba. Also, when we were there in 2015, the US embargo was still in place. Due to the embargo we could only withdraw the equivalent of 600$ every 4 days. Of course the first time we heard this was when we called the bank in Belgium because we couldn’t get any money at the ATM. It was a stressful few days until our bank solved the problem. So don’t forget to visit your bank before your departure.
If you need to change currency, go to a Banco de Cuba. Their rates are better than the currency exchange bureaus. Only one person can enter the bank at a time and there often are a lot of Cubans and tourists waiting on the street, this can take a while. Also don’t expect them to be very friendly or to know any other language than Spanish.
Making yourself understandable
Since Cuba has been cut off of the world for quite a while, the only language spoken by the vast majority of the Cuban population is Spanish. Be sure to bring somebody with you that speaks the language or teach yourself some basic phrases before you go. If you speak English to a local who’s not the clerk of a big fancy hotel, he will probably just stare at you and maybe say “mañana”. Which basically means “we’ll see tomorrow”.
You better leave these things at home
Considering that Cuba is a communist dictatorship there are a couple of rules that prohibit travellers to enter the country with certain things. Consult the list below to avoid problems upon arrival.
Prohibited items for travellers to Cuba:
walkie-talkies
satellite phones,
hand-held GPS equipment
televisions
freezers
air conditioners
stoves
water heaters
electric frying pans
toasters
irons
any other item that draws heavily on electricity
fresh fruits and vegetables
pornographic material
As GPS equipment is prohibited, I suggest you purchase paper maps to help you find your way on your Cuban tour. You can also download offline maps on your smartphone or tablet like for instance maps.me.
There, you’re all set to fly out to this mystical Caribbean island. Let’s go!
What you should visit
Let’s visit the iconic places that have shaped Cuba throughout history. With its 110,000km2, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and therefore has a lot to offer. From the great capital city of Havana to the paradisiac beaches of Varadero and from the fertile hills of Pinar del Rio to the cobbles covered streets of the picturesque city of Trinidad, Cuba has it all and more. This blog only covers the western, more touristic part of Cuba, because the eastern part is still to be discovered by myself.
The capital: Havana
Havana is, like most historical cities, divided in two parts: the old town (La Habana Vieja) and the new town built around it. You will most probably start your trip somewhere around the old town. Most of the more fancy hotels are situated in this district and some of them offer majestic views over the city.
Notice the colourful cars driving around in Havana. Since the embargo in the ‘50s, Cubans continue to use these put-together old American cars that you will see all around the island. You can rent them if you want to tour Havana in style.
You will probably pass by El Capitolio. If you have ever visited Washington D.C., this building may seem familiar to you. And you aren’t mistaken: El Capitolio is an even larger replica of the United States Capitol.
The buildings in this part of town are simply amazing and built in Caribbean colonial style. I invite you to discover the Gran Teatro de la Habana or the Cathedral of Havana. All these buildings are just minutes away from each other, this can result in a wonderful day-trip.
Also take a trip to the Plaza de la Revolucion. It’s on this enormous square that Fidel Castro held his famous hours long speeches as president. The square is dedicated to the Cuban heroes. The enormous José Marti memorial faces two buildings with the portraits of Ché Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. There isn’t often much activity on this square but it’s worth the trip.
Havana is built around a bay that serves as a port. As mentioned in the history part, Havana has been under attack quite often. Therefore, the entrance to the bay is guarded by four forts that date from colonial times. I suggest taking a boat trip to the Forteleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña. On top of the walls you can see the skyline of Havana from between the old bronze canons, a real treat by sundown!
After sundown, you can enjoy the local nightlife in salsa bars with a Daiquiri in your hand. Just as Ernest Hemingway would have done. If you want to sniff up some locale culture, take a walk on the Malecon, the promenade alongside the water. Local people tend to drink rum and play music next to the water. Don’t forget to bring some rum and coke!
Anecdote: Cuba and North-Korea are the two only countries in the world
that don’t officially sell Coca Cola due to US embargo’s.
Cigar country
Our trip continues to Pinar del Rio province. Situated on the western part of the island, Pinar del Rio contains one of three Cuban mountain ranges. A major tourist site is the Valley of Viñales, which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 due to its incredible beauty and the traditional agricultural techniques they still use to cultivate tobacco and other crops in the fertile red soil.
Your only option for accommodation here is a casa particular, but since the people here are incredibly friendly you will probably have a great experience.
Take a guided hiking trip or go horseback riding between the massive ginger bread-like mountains. You can even visit traditional tobacco farms. Here you can enjoy the best cigars of the world, rolled right in front of you, with a nice glass of Cuban rum. Ask for a refreshing Canchanchara, a typical Cuban cocktail with white rum, lime juice and honey.
You can even go swim in one of the natural pools in a cave deep under one of the mountains, but beware: cave water is very very cold and your guide may leave you in the dark for a while. Just saying.
The city of cobbles
Trinidad de Cuba (not to confuse with the other 12 Trinidad's around the world) is a city more in the centre part of the island. It was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage site with the Valle de los Ignenios, where mostly sugar is produced from sugar cane. When you enter this little city you immediately see why. After you pass the city gate, narrow cobble covered streets squirm trough the city.
Try to book a casa particular which offers a panoramic view of the city and the beach, you won’t regret it. The time you can spend just sitting back and staring at the view you get from some rooftops of this picturesque little city is unbelievable.
Don’t forget to take a ride to the beach. You will feel the real Caribbean vibes the hot, beautiful beaches of Trinidad have to offer. When you put your sandy feet in the water you will notice the surpising hot pool-like temperature it has.
In the evening you can show your salsa moves in the unexpectedly awesome dance bars in the middle of this ancient city.
Beachlife
Our last destination on this curious island is the resort town Varadero. This paradisiac beach strip, situated a couple of kilometres east from Havana is almost exclusively reserved for tourists. It’s an ideal location to end your journey in Cuba.
Some very rich people built mansions and resorts on this 20km long peninsula in the early 1900’s and a lot of famous people like Al Capone enjoyed their holidays under the palm trees of Varadero. After the Cuban revolution however, a lot of these mansions were expropriated from their rich owners and turned into museums.
Varadero is mostly visited by Canadian and European tourists. Our group met two Canadian DJ’s that just spent three months there to entertain Canadian spring breakers. So if you come at the right moment, you might share a beach party with lots of Canadian students. Sadly the last spring breaker left the day before we arrived in Varadero, but that is another story.
Snorkelling, sailing, deep-sea fishing and other water and beach activities or in-activities is what Varadero has to offer. The ideal time to relax and have a bit more comfort after a rather adventurous trip.
Let’s wrap it up
Personally, Cuba was one of my favourite destinations because it offers everything you can wish for in a holiday trip. You can travel alone, with your family or with your best friends. Cuba has so much to offer that it can please anybody.
I hope I have inspired you to pack your bags and fly off to the mystical island of Cuba.
If you know a bit of french and want to read about my trip to Cuba click on this link or watch my Cuban adventure below or here. Enjoy!
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