Cuban Blog Day #8 Know How You're Paying and Bring Snacks

 

 

I woke super early and walked along the beach past the baseball stadium, over a very questionable bridge into a tiny town where Playa Blanca is located.  I was nearly alone walking for about an hour on the beach because it was so early, though when I returned it was crowded with locals, swimming and playing soccer barefoot.

 Playa Blanca is a tiny white sand beach with just a tiny shore between rocks I was afraid of swimming out through. I was alone on it for a small time and then a family joined me. They were cleaning fish that they’d recently caught. The girl, about 9 years old, spoke with me and showed me the various things she’d found on the beach, including her collection of tiny hermit crabs and various rocks and coral. She called me tia (aunt) and kissed me goodbye when they left.

I watched her father and grandfather swim out through the rocks and knew it was safe, so I followed.  Later they got into a small pool made from other rocks. The pool would rise and fall with the tide.  The girl asked me to join them then grabbed my hand when I was a bit reluctant.  I would have not done any of it, if I hadn’t seen them do it first. It looked a bit dangerous.

They offered me coffee and I offered the little girl the only thing I had to offer- a magazine. I told her she could practice her English with it, which she had been trying to use while talking to me. She smiled, kissed me again on the cheek and ran to show her mother.

A man on the beach had asked me a few times if I wanted to go on a tour to the caves. He waited around for me, brought me a coconut. I finally decided to go when he said it was $6 peso, very excited to finally be using my pesos instead of CUC. 

I had only flip flops and wished the whole time I had my Chacos or other better hiking shoes. We walked way up into some caves, saw a beautiful view of the sea and Baracoaand finally arrived in some lower caves where there was a natural pool. It was awesome, super dark and clear, cool water.  It wasn’t big but the water at points was up to my shoulders and it was just incredible to be swimming in a cave. I wasn’t expecting to find that.

I finally headed back. I’d spent about lovely 9 hours there and would have liked to stay longer, but there was no where to eat. I was starving and had drunk all my water as well.  I walked back along the now crowded beach, ate dinner at a restaurant in town and went back to the casa and wrote and read.

 

Traveling tip #9 Know How You’re Paying- I’d asked a barman in Santiago how I know the difference between the CUC and the peso when people say it.  They all seem to say peso and this is confusing. He’d said the CUC is generally the CUC or the dollar and the peso is the peso national.  When my guide to the caves told me pesos, I thought it was pesos national. Of course it wasn’t. Mostly I believe this is their fault for not being clear, but to be on the safe side be sure to confirm how you will be paying to avoid any confusion.

traveling Tip #10 Bring snacks. I bring snacks with me from home any time I travel, granola bars and lollies, crackers and the like. You can also get snacks wherever you are, just be sure to always have some with you. These are great for bus rides and any time you might be stuck on a very private, beautiful beach in a town that is so small there aren't any restaurants. I did have snacks on this beach, they just weren't substantial enough to edge my hunger.

Cuban Blog Day #8 Know How You're Paying and Bring Snacks

 

 

I woke super early and walked along the beach past the baseball stadium, over a very questionable bridge into a tiny town where Playa Blanca is located.  I was nearly alone walking for about an hour on the beach because it was so early, though when I returned it was crowded with locals, swimming and playing soccer barefoot.

 Playa Blanca is a tiny white sand beach with just a tiny shore between rocks I was afraid of swimming out through. I was alone on it for a small time and then a family joined me. They were cleaning fish that they’d recently caught. The girl, about 9 years old, spoke with me and showed me the various things she’d found on the beach, including her collection of tiny hermit crabs and various rocks and coral. She called me tia (aunt) and kissed me goodbye when they left.

I watched her father and grandfather swim out through the rocks and knew it was safe, so I followed.  Later they got into a small pool made from other rocks. The pool would rise and fall with the tide.  The girl asked me to join them then grabbed my hand when I was a bit reluctant.  I would have not done any of it, if I hadn’t seen them do it first. It looked a bit dangerous.

They offered me coffee and I offered the little girl the only thing I had to offer- a magazine. I told her she could practice her English with it, which she had been trying to use while talking to me. She smiled, kissed me again on the cheek and ran to show her mother.

A man on the beach had asked me a few times if I wanted to go on a tour to the caves. He waited around for me, brought me a coconut. I finally decided to go when he said it was $6 peso, very excited to finally be using my pesos instead of CUC. 

I had only flip flops and wished the whole time I had my Chacos or other better hiking shoes. We walked way up into some caves, saw a beautiful view of the sea and Baracoa and finally arrived in some lower caves where there was a natural pool. It was awesome, super dark and clear, cool water.  It wasn’t big but the water at points was up to my shoulders and it was just incredible to be swimming in a cave. I wasn’t expecting to find that.

I finally headed back. I’d spent about lovely 9 hours there and would have liked to stay longer, but there was no where to eat. I was starving and had drunk all my water as well.  I walked back along the now crowded beach, ate dinner at a restaurant in town and went back to the casa and wrote and read.

 

Traveling tip #9 Know How You’re Paying- I’d asked a barman in Santiago how I know the difference between the CUC and the peso when people say it.  They all seem to say peso and this is confusing. He’d said the CUC is generally the CUC or the dollar and the peso is the peso national.  When my guide to the caves told me pesos, I thought it was pesos national. Of course it wasn’t. Mostly I believe this is their fault for not being clear, but to be on the safe side be sure to confirm how you will be paying to avoid any confusion.

traveling Tip #10 Bring snacks. I bring snacks with me from home any time I travel, granola bars and lollies, crackers and the like. You can also get snacks wherever you are, just be sure to always have some with you. These are great for bus rides and any time you might be stuck on a very private, beautiful beach in a town that is so small there aren't any restaurants. I did have snacks on this beach, they just weren't substantial enough to edge my hunger.

Cuban BLog Day #7 Don't Order a Cuba Libre

This portion of the blog will be a day by day account of my travels in Cuba. It was written during my travels, but posted after I’d returned. This is because internet is incredibly slow and expensive in Cuba.  It is also because I didn’t want to spend my time in internet cafes,rather then experiencing Cuba in the moment.

The first part will be more journal-like, describing the highlights of each day. It may include a few tips about costs and places to see etc.

The bottom of the blog will include a tip or two of the day. These are mostly for travelers from the United States traveling to Cuba the old fashioned way, but could be used by any traveler heading to Cuba.

You can read this blog two ways. 1. Completely through (This is how I hope my mom and friends will read it, so they get a better idea of what I did during the three weeks I spent off the grid,) or 2. If you have dreams of traveling to Cuba, feel free to skip the journal-y part and go right to the tips each day. I assure you they are helpful. I wish I had known them before I left.

Please enjoy my blog and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks, Kari

 

I woke early the next day and had breakfast on the terrace which included hot chocolate made by the chocolate bars that are famously made in Baracoa. So good! We walked to the tour place and met up with the gringos, Kevin and Heidi along with a few other travelers, all European- Austrian, Romanian and German.

We left in an air conditioned van and stopped for a tour outside. Our guide Benny spoke good English and showed us the cocoa fruit and various other plants. We then went to a woman’s house and were shown all the steps of the chocolate making process.

We drove along the coast and stopped at a bar to wait for our boat on the river to be ready.  We bought a bottle of rum and a big Tu cola, their version of Coca Cola which is sweetened with an artificial sweetener and tastes more like a diet Coke.  We made Cubalibres all around and ended up taking them on the boat ride too.  We learned from Benny that whenever you open a new bottle of rum in Cubayou must pour a little out para los santos, for the saints.

The rower of the boat had an easy job that day because three of the men on the tour wanted to row. The ride was very short, and we stopped at a kind of island where we had time to swim and play in the water and drink more Cuba Libres.

We headed back and stopped at another beach along the way for an hour or so.  We sat in the shade and drank more Cuba Libres while lamenting the fact we’d not yet smoked a cigar.  Kevin pulled one from his pack and shared it with us. Benny told us the way to tell if it is a good cigar is by how long the ash gets. The longer the ash the better the cigar. He also showed us how you must continually rotate the cigar so that it burns evenly.  After abou an hour on the beach, we rode back to Baracoa just as it started to rain. 

Back in town we all went to the Cafeteria and bought another bottle of rum and another of Tu cola. The night went on like this.  The Rasta brothers came around and showed us their new tattoos. They had each gotten the tattoo I had translated. I couldn’t believe it.

The brothers were great people to have met, and I enjoyed talking to them about their thoughts on Cubaand the government.  Most Cubans are very reluctant to talk about anything related to the government and Fidel, especially their opinions.  Even the brothers, when I asked to take a picture of their tattoos told me yes, but only if I would not include their faces.  It was clear they were worried about having their opinions known. I think this is why their tattoos are in English, in the hopes that most people in Cubawill not understand it. 

The day before on the beach I tried to get the brothers to open up a bit about Bobby’s tattoo which was a picture of Cubawith the English words ‘we need freedom.’   Clearly they believe this, as it was tattooed on their bodies, but it was very hard to get them to go further.  I wanted to know how they thought freedom might come about, or when they thought it would happen. Their response was that they wanted to go to Ecuador.  Ecuadorrecently opened up their doors to Cubans without a need for an invitation.  From there, they said, they hoped it would be easier to get to the US.  I’m not sure if this means they don’t really see freedom happening any time soon, but that’s what I took their desire to get out of Cuba to mean.

 

Traveling Tip #8 Don’t order a Cuba Libre-  Instead simply buy a $3 bottle of rum and a $1 big bottle of Tu cola.  Mind you, they don’t have the lime juice, but I am ok with this.  A single Cuba Libre in a bar will cost you $2-$3, nearly the cost of a whole bottle of rum.

Cuban BLog Day #7 Don't Order a Cuba Libre

This portion of the blog will be a day by day account of my travels in Cuba. It was written during my travels, but posted after I’d returned. This is because internet is incredibly slow and expensive in Cuba.  It is also because I didn’t want to spend my time in internet cafes,rather then experiencing Cuba in the moment.

The first part will be more journal-like, describing the highlights of each day. It may include a few tips about costs and places to see etc.

The bottom of the blog will include a tip or two of the day. These are mostly for travelers from the United States traveling to Cuba the old fashioned way, but could be used by any traveler heading to Cuba.

You can read this blog two ways. 1. Completely through (This is how I hope my mom and friends will read it, so they get a better idea of what I did during the three weeks I spent off the grid,) or 2. If you have dreams of traveling to Cuba, feel free to skip the journal-y part and go right to the tips each day. I assure you they are helpful. I wish I had known them before I left.

Please enjoy my blog and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks, Kari

 

I woke early the next day and had breakfast on the terrace which included hot chocolate made by the chocolate bars that are famously made in Baracoa. So good! We walked to the tour place and met up with the gringos, Kevin and Heidi along with a few other travelers, all European- Austrian, Romanian and German.

We left in an air conditioned van and stopped for a tour outside. Our guide Benny spoke good English and showed us the cocoa fruit and various other plants. We then went to a woman’s house and were shown all the steps of the chocolate making process.

We drove along the coast and stopped at a bar to wait for our boat on the river to be ready.  We bought a bottle of rum and a big Tu cola, their version of Coca Cola which is sweetened with an artificial sweetener and tastes more like a diet Coke.  We made Cuba libres all around and ended up taking them on the boat ride too.  We learned from Benny that whenever you open a new bottle of rum in Cuba you must pour a little out para los santos, for the saints.

The rower of the boat had an easy job that day because three of the men on the tour wanted to row. The ride was very short, and we stopped at a kind of island where we had time to swim and play in the water and drink more Cuba Libres.

We headed back and stopped at another beach along the way for an hour or so.  We sat in the shade and drank more Cuba Libres while lamenting the fact we’d not yet smoked a cigar.  Kevin pulled one from his pack and shared it with us. Benny told us the way to tell if it is a good cigar is by how long the ash gets. The longer the ash the better the cigar. He also showed us how you must continually rotate the cigar so that it burns evenly.  After abou an hour on the beach, we rode back to Baracoa just as it started to rain. 

Back in town we all went to the Cafeteria and bought another bottle of rum and another of Tu cola. The night went on like this.  The Rasta brothers came around and showed us their new tattoos. They had each gotten the tattoo I had translated. I couldn’t believe it.

The brothers were great people to have met, and I enjoyed talking to them about their thoughts on Cuba and the government.  Most Cubans are very reluctant to talk about anything related to the government and Fidel, especially their opinions.  Even the brothers, when I asked to take a picture of their tattoos told me yes, but only if I would not include their faces.  It was clear they were worried about having their opinions known. I think this is why their tattoos are in English, in the hopes that most people in Cuba will not understand it. 

The day before on the beach I tried to get the brothers to open up a bit about Bobby’s tattoo which was a picture of Cuba with the English words ‘we need freedom.’   Clearly they believe this, as it was tattooed on their bodies, but it was very hard to get them to go further.  I wanted to know how they thought freedom might come about, or when they thought it would happen. Their response was that they wanted to go to Ecuador.  Ecuador recently opened up their doors to Cubans without a need for an invitation.  From there, they said, they hoped it would be easier to get to the US.  I’m not sure if this means they don’t really see freedom happening any time soon, but that’s what I took their desire to get out of Cuba to mean.

 

Traveling Tip #8 Don’t order a Cuba Libre-  Instead simply buy a $3 bottle of rum and a $1 big bottle of Tu cola.  Mind you, they don’t have the lime juice, but I am ok with this.  A single Cuba Libre in a bar will cost you $2-$3, nearly the cost of a whole bottle of rum.

Cuban Blog Dat #6 Water, Water Everywhere

 After breakfast, I went to the center to find out about the tour the gringos were taking. I secured it. I found out they have bus that leaves every day for Playa Managua at 10 am and returns at 4 pm. I’d missed it by 15 minutes. I was upset to have missed it, but I ended up taking a taxi for $15 CUC. The ride was about 40 minutes in the back of a jeep and the driver waited the whole time we were there to take us back.

I woke early and went up to the terrace to write.

Playa Managua was not what I was expecting. It wasn’t exactly the pristine beaches I’d seen pictures of in The Lonely Planet, but it was the first beach I’d been to and the water was reasonably clean and the beach itself wasn’t very crowded. The water was colder of than I expected, hoping for the bath water of the Caribbean, but we were on the Atlantic side. I immediately ran into the ocean as soon as I arrived.

I set up base and lay in the sun. I read. Very few vendors bothered me. A German came from the left with two giant conch shells which prompted me to go walking. I found a few myself, along with some very cool rocks to bring home.  The waiter from one of only two restaurants came to offer me drinks. I wanted a Cuba Libre and water, but he said, ‘only natural’ so I settled for a mojito and a pina colada. I’d thought water was quite natural, but not, I guess when it only comes in bottles.  I wished I’d taken the water from the stocked fridge in the casa.

The drinks were very strong. The waiter was awesome and at one point, while I was in the water, came to my spot on the beach, lifted my empty drink, and motioned toward it to ask if I wanted another. Excellent service.

I met two Rasta brothers that live in Baracoa, Robert and Bobby (I think they gave themselves English names and apparently didn’t know they were derivatives of each other.) They had tattoos which they proudly showed me. There was one of the island of Cuba with the words, ‘we need freedom’ written in English below it. Another said ‘don’t forget to smile.’

I talked with them for awhile. When they discovered I spoke Spanish, they asked me to translate a phrase for them into English because they were getting another tattoo that day. I translated the phrase, ‘do not let the struggles of this moment break the tenderness of your heart.’ I was thrilled to think that my words, in a small way, would be upon their bodies.

I left the beach around 4:30and had dinner at the casa. I stayed in for the night and read. I’m reading The Sun Also Rises, by Hemmingway and really enjoying it. Can’t wait to get to Havanaand explore all the places he once was.

 

 

Traveling tip #7  Water, water everywhere. Buy water wherever and whenever you find it.  It has been incredibly difficult to find anything other than beer and rum to drink. Normally I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with this, but one does need water.  I was lucky that the fridge in Baracoawas stocked with big bottles of water without gas.  Bring your own Nalgene to fill and keep a steady supply. Every casa so far has had a fridge to keep it cold.

Cuban Blog Dat #6 Water, Water Everywhere

 After breakfast, I went to the center to find out about the tour the gringos were taking. I secured it. I found out they have bus that leaves every day for Playa Managua at 10 am and returns at 4 pm. I’d missed it by 15 minutes. I was upset to have missed it, but I ended up taking a taxi for $15 CUC. The ride was about 40 minutes in the back of a jeep and the driver waited the whole time we were there to take us back.

I woke early and went up to the terrace to write.

Playa Managua was not what I was expecting. It wasn’t exactly the pristine beaches I’d seen pictures of in The Lonely Planet, but it was the first beach I’d been to and the water was reasonably clean and the beach itself wasn’t very crowded. The water was colder of than I expected, hoping for the bath water of the Caribbean, but we were on the Atlantic side. I immediately ran into the ocean as soon as I arrived.

I set up base and lay in the sun. I read. Very few vendors bothered me. A German came from the left with two giant conch shells which prompted me to go walking. I found a few myself, along with some very cool rocks to bring home.  The waiter from one of only two restaurants came to offer me drinks. I wanted a Cuba Libre and water, but he said, ‘only natural’ so I settled for a mojito and a pina colada. I’d thought water was quite natural, but not, I guess when it only comes in bottles.  I wished I’d taken the water from the stocked fridge in the casa.

The drinks were very strong. The waiter was awesome and at one point, while I was in the water, came to my spot on the beach, lifted my empty drink, and motioned toward it to ask if I wanted another. Excellent service.

I met two Rasta brothers that live in Baracoa, Robert and Bobby (I think they gave themselves English names and apparently didn’t know they were derivatives of each other.) They had tattoos which they proudly showed me. There was one of the island of Cuba with the words, ‘we need freedom’ written in English below it. Another said ‘don’t forget to smile.’

I talked with them for awhile. When they discovered I spoke Spanish, they asked me to translate a phrase for them into English because they were getting another tattoo that day. I translated the phrase, ‘do not let the struggles of this moment break the tenderness of your heart.’ I was thrilled to think that my words, in a small way, would be upon their bodies.

I left the beach around 4:30 and had dinner at the casa. I stayed in for the night and read. I’m reading The Sun Also Rises, by Hemmingway and really enjoying it. Can’t wait to get to Havana and explore all the places he once was.

 

 

Traveling tip #7  Water, water everywhere. Buy water wherever and whenever you find it.  It has been incredibly difficult to find anything other than beer and rum to drink. Normally I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with this, but one does need water.  I was lucky that the fridge in Baracoa was stocked with big bottles of water without gas.  Bring your own Nalgene to fill and keep a steady supply. Every casa so far has had a fridge to keep it cold.

Cuban Blog Day#5 F#$%ing Bull Sh#t, Happy Hour is Not Just an Hour and Women Are Friendlier, so Ask Them

The night before, when I arrived at the casa, Teresa told me another couple had arrived.  They were going to Baracoa the next day too. I’d hoped to share a taxi with them, but as every taxi has a drive and a shotgunner along for the ride, there would be no room for all 4 of us and our bags.

I had breakfast at the casa in the morning where I met the other gringos- Americans from California. My heart sank a bit as I’d grown fond of believing we were the only Americans crazy enough to get here illegally.  Of course, I knew this wasn’t the case, but I’d have liked to have held onto the idea a little bit longer.

We took a taxi to the bus terminal. I’d made reservations the day before, though you simply make the reservation and still have to pay the day of. I do not know if it is really necessary to make the reservation or not. I paid for the tickets and waited about an hour. Jimmie went to check our bags and for the first time was asked to pay for the bags to go below. A German ahead of him had apparently had enough of this and told Jimmie this was ‘F#@$ing bull sh#t’ (always fun to hear foreigners swear in English and this little phrase became our motto for the rest of the trip. Of course, said in a German English accent.)  Jimmie simply handed the attendant whatever coins he had instead of the $1CUC each he requested.

It was a five hour bus ride which I managed to sleep on most of the way. We passed by Guantánamo and then stopped at a roadside place where we were able to purchase chocolate, famous in Baracoaand cuchurcho- a mixture of dried coconut, sugar, honey and various fruits all wrapped nicely in a cone of palm frond. These were our first purchases in pesos nationals.

The way there is very windy with a series of switchbacks to make our way over the mountain to the isolated town of Baracoa. We arrived, surprisingly, only about a half hour later than what the guide had told us. There we had a casa owner waiting for us. Teresa had called ahead. He had our names on a sign. I felt very important. It was raining when we arrived, and at first we tried to wait out the rain.  Finally, the owner decided it was not worth waiting and our suitcases were secured onto a bicitaxi with a small flap to protect them from the rain. We then ran out to the bike and more flaps were secured around us. I felt so bad for the driver.

We soon arrived at a casa which was not the one we had thought. I was told his was full and we were therefore taken to this one. Nelsy was very friendly if not a bit pushy, or more on the side of aggressive about eating in her casa because no where else was better. We simply had a room this time, no apartment. It had a stocked fridge, which later we would come to be very grateful for. The terrace was incredible. Nelsy said it was the biggest in all of Baracoa. It was half covered which was great for me to write and even had sun loungers. The sea was everywhere.

We got situated and went walking towards the square where we had a small snack and a few beers. The gringos passed us and told us of a tour they’d be taking in two days.  We decided to join them.

 

We walked to the malecón (I do not know the word for this in English. I like this idea. Any word I ever learn for the first time, I only ever know it in the language I learn it in. This is true, for yuca, tamarindo and cenote. I think the closest word we have for malecón is boardwalk, though it is still not correct.) There we found a cute little happy hour place with Adirondackchairs on the lawn facing the ocean. The sign out front said ‘Happy Hour- 4-6’. It was just past 6. We asked if we could still get the half priced drinks. The man said no. The women upstairs said yes. We stayed. We sat in the chairs facing the sea and watched the sun set into the ocean.

We returned to the casa for dinner, upon Nelsy’s urging. I had my first lobster. The whole meal included soup, rice and salad which consists of the best tomatoes ever, including my mother’s homegrown in the summer (sorry mom). I’m quite addicted to them. There was also dessert.  I’ve yet to see cheviche which is a bit of a disappointment. 

After dinner, we walked to the center to try and find a party. We met a German who said he was getting rum and coke to bring to La Trova. He pointed where it was. It was quite happening with people from everywhere spilling out into the streets because there was no longer room inside where the live music was blasting.

 

 

Traveling Tip #6- They will ask you for money to put your bags below the bus. This is optional at best. You already paid your ticket. Do not do this. It didn’t make any difference as far as how our bags were treated and it is simply another way to take advantage of stupid gringos.

 

Traveling Tip #6 and #7 These two tips go hand in hand as far as how I discovered them.  Be sure to ask, you never know anything until you ask. I would have never stayed for happy hour had I not asked if it could perhaps be extended. Most of the time, especially, I imagine while traveling in low season, people just want your money and if that means giving you happy hour prices beyond happy hour times, they will do that to make you happy. I also found throughout my travels that asking a woman generally led to better results, so whenever you can ask a woman. If you ask a man and get an answer you don’t like, find a woman to ask. This may also be true in real life as well.