Cuban Blog Day #9 Use the Touts, They're Using You

Today was a travel day, my last day in Baracoa.  I had one last breakfast on what I didn’t know would be the best terrace of the whole trip. Then, I walked to find a Cadeca (Casa de Cambio, or money exchange in Cuban Spanish.) It had been a week since I first exchanged money in Havana, and I was happy to discover that I was more than $100 under budget so far. I had been figuring on about $500 per week, but it is low season due to the rain and casas are cheaper than I expected by about $5-$10. They are also generally unoccupied due to the lack of travelers so owners are keen to negotiate.

I walked to the bus station to reserve a seat on the bus that would take me back to Santiago De Cuba in the hopes of continuing on to Bayamo from there. I came back to the casa and mixed the last of my rum and coke and sat on the terrace writing.

It rained. The power went off. This would come to be a common occurrence the whole trip.  The rain doesn’t last long, nor does the power outage, but it does make for very hot rooms till the air comes back on.

I headed to the bus station and got situated for the five hour drive.  I slept most of the way. Once I arrived in Santiago, I was thrilled to learn that there was another connecting bus leaving soon to Bayamo. I was glad not to have stay in Santiago another night and to be waking up in a new city.

I arrived late, at nearly 10 pm in Bayamo. I was a bit worried about finding a place to stay at such a late hour. I had no reason to be. The infamous touts are always at their job, apparently whenever a Viazul bus comes in, so do they. I had no problem finding a casa through them and was quickly in bed.

 

 

Traveling tip # 11

Though the guide books will tell you not to trust the touts because they take a percentage and make the cost higher for you, I did not experience this. I think maybe the guides just want you to use the casas they have listed.  I say, use the touts. They are very convenient and make it so you do not have to worry about planning ahead (always nice.) Not only will they tell you about a casa to stay, they usually have pictures of the accommodations and will generally take you there. They will either walk with you or go in a taxi or bicitaxi with you.  I loved this part because I get lost way too often.

If you’re using a tout after arriving in a bus terminal, you need to arrange the price before you leave.  The price is for the casa. I don’t know what percentage they get or how that works, but I never paid more than what I wanted to pay, (usually $15 CUC, often including breakfast. This price went up slightly as I got closer to Havana.)