| I am sitting here at one of the most famous hotels in | | | | connected with him yesterday and I rented the bike |
| all of Havana, after I just withdrew Can$250 (200 | | | | for $3 a day. |
| CUC, Pesos Convertibles) from my Mastercard. No | | | | But of course, you absolutely cannot leave the |
| big deal, you say..... Until you realize that the average | | | | bicycle alone anywhere because it will be stolen and |
| Cuban makes between US8 and US30, not an hour, | | | | resold in a second. As a matter of fact, I "tipped" my |
| not a day, but for a whole month! | | | | hotel security guards a few dollars to look after my |
| My professor for instance told me that she makes | | | | rented mountain bike particularly well, because |
| about US$18 or so a month, so the amount I | | | | anything of value "disappears". |
| withdrew is more than a year´s salary for a | | | | Yesterday, my friend Pedro and I went to eat in a |
| university professor.... I am feeling really weird about | | | | Paladar (a privately owned restaurant). As a gesture |
| this and I also want to get most of the cash into a | | | | of appreciation for his time and his insights I had |
| safe as soon as possible. I am simply unable to walk | | | | given him a red baseball cap with "Toronto" written |
| around with a year´s salary in my pocket...They | | | | on it. He forgot it at the restaurant, but within a |
| talk about the "inverted pyramid" here, where a | | | | minute and a half we became aware of it and |
| waiter in a hotel makes much more (due to tips from | | | | returned to the restaurant. The baseball cap was |
| tourists) than a brain surgeon in a hospital... | | | | already gone, which made him very sad. He told me |
| The economic situation here definitely is the | | | | that it would be resold today for $8 (almost a |
| dominating topic. Just standing in line a young black | | | | monthly government salary). |
| man started to speak to me and told me that he has | | | | For the most part, people here are unable to travel, |
| a degree in physical education, teaches martial arts at | | | | even locally. Due to the "periodo especial" since the |
| the national level and inevitably the conversation | | | | collapse of the Soviet Union (and the associated |
| came back to the dire economic situation: the local | | | | financial support for Cuba) gasoline is expensive and |
| refrain is "Hay que luchar", - daily life indeed is a | | | | scarce, and there is not even enough for the local |
| struggle around here. | | | | Havana transit system. So if you want to take the |
| There is no toilet paper around here, so having read | | | | "GuaGua" you sometimes have to wait for 2 or 3 |
| about the shortages I brought my own little Kleenex | | | | hours since there are so many people lining up for |
| travel packs from Canada. At the University and in | | | | the local bus and there are not enough buses |
| the whole country there is tremendous shortage of | | | | available. |
| writing paper. Basic things simply dont exist, or if | | | | Having a private car or access to the Internet is a |
| they do, they cost a lot of money for locals on the | | | | luxury that only extremely few people have access |
| black market. | | | | to and I have heard different stories on the street |
| As a result, a tourist is always pretty much a target. | | | | that a regular Cuban person actually is not allowed to |
| There are "jineteros" who try to lure you to a | | | | have access to Internet. As a foreigner, it´s |
| restaurant or bed and breakfast (in return for a | | | | very difficult for me to gauge which of these stories |
| commission from the owner), therer are "jineteras", | | | | are true, whether it is truly prohibited or simply |
| local young and good-looking Cuban women that | | | | extremely difficult to get. Either way, I have noticed |
| seek contact with tourists, some of them straight | | | | that people are still very careful about what they say |
| prostitutes, others just looking for the occasional | | | | around here. |
| financial favour and entertainment opportunity. | | | | On the other hand, despite all these hardships and |
| Many local tourist employees try to take advantage | | | | limitations on personal freedom, I have noticed a |
| of their contacts with tourists and there are definite | | | | really amazing friendliness and a great sense of |
| rip-offs. 2 days ago I went to a state-owned | | | | humour in the people. People approach me, ask me |
| restaurant at the far corner of the famous Coppelia | | | | questions, without the immediate possibility of selling |
| Park. The food and service were horrible. I chose | | | | me something or expecting money from me. There |
| Arroz Congri ($3), a salad ($3), and a mango juice | | | | seems to be a natural curiosity about foreigners |
| ($1), totalling $7. When the bill came I saw a total of | | | | around here, maybe because the possibilities of travel |
| $9.85 ($4 each for the salad and the rice and $1.85 | | | | don´t exist. The professors at the University |
| for the juice). I made the waitress aware of the | | | | have been great and truly seem to enjoy the |
| situation and she acted as if it had been an error and | | | | interaction with all the international students. When |
| did correct the bill after all. But a less alert tourist | | | | you get to meet people one-on-one (not in a |
| would have paid 40% more than what was stated | | | | government-owned restaurant), it is indeed a |
| on the menu. | | | | fabulous experience. |
| Sometimes it feels like you are a "walking wallet" and | | | | Last night my friend and I took an extended walk in |
| I have developed a certain suspicion as to to the | | | | a park after sunset, talking, discussing, comparing |
| sincerity of some of the approaches by the locals. On | | | | notes about our respective cultures. And it was |
| the other hand, I realize, that with the $10 or $20 | | | | completely safe, something that you wouldn´t |
| people that people make here a month, they are | | | | dare to try in a park in Toronto. Even downtown, |
| unable to live for more than a couple of days, so | | | | you see young, very attractive women, dressed up |
| their economic reality forces them to try to make | | | | in really sexy clothing, walking around by themselves |
| money any which way they can. | | | | at 11, 12 at night. Immersing myself in this ultra-unique |
| Services for tourists and even locals barely exist. I | | | | contradictory culture has been such a precious, |
| have been trying to rent a bicycle for the last 4 | | | | unique and paradigm-shattering experience, and even |
| days. There were 2 contact phone numbers for | | | | though I have only been here for a week now, I feel |
| bicycle rental places in my Lonely Planet Travel Guide. | | | | like I have absorbed and learned so much.... |
| I have been trying to call both numbers numerous | | | | It is so different from regular life in Canada that it |
| times - no answer. A co-student of mine has been | | | | feels like everyday I am entering into a foreign |
| trying to link me up with the owner of his bed and | | | | universe, a completely different world, but I have to |
| breakfast who has a new mountain bike. For 4 days | | | | say, I have never felt so alive...... |
| I have been trying to reach this individual until I finally | | | | |