8 October 2006

This is the last island on our route home, and before the trip I had the highest expectation for Cuba. Unfortunately, Cuba has proved to be a complete unwelcome, and there was no language barrier.

We started with the customs on the border, and there is no respect for your items, they looked at me like for spy. At the airport does not exist any normal information, we even didn't know then the country has two parallel currency. one for locals, second for foreigners. Some shops accept only one currency, others can mix them, but the conversion for a foreigner will not be beneficial. Of course, the only possible access from the airport to the Havana city is by a taxi, so we spent a lot of time in search of public transport. Finally we found the bus not too far away but the driver used our lack of orientation in the currency system.

At the first evening we wanted leave the capital to Viniales (200 km), but bus in this poor country costs for us 8 peso (that is $10). After hard bargain with the taxi driver he took us for the same price, but only 26 km from our desired goal. It seems strange to us that the driver goes only with us at the cost of bus ticket. We understood soon - any foreigner in Cuba must pay a special fare, usually 5 to 25 times higher then locals (this regards to accommodation, transport, museums etc). The next day we wanted to cover the missing 26 km, but the official price for white men was 6 peso! Taxi drivers are the mafia - they charge you per person not per course. Remains popular in this country hitchhiking, but that was hard, extreme. Fidel Castro prohibited give a lift to foreigners. Finally someone took us for the local price - 1 peso.

Normally travelling with the locals is an interesting experience, but here it was frustrating. Of course they almost didn't stop except taxis, but them usually demanded ridiculously overvalued prices. In Trinidad we were willing to go to small village where expensive buses do not run, but the driver refused to take us, he said we are rich enough to take a cab. As the bus station service has promised us in advance a ride in this destination, we again ended in quarrel. But we could not allow them to play this game and pay in every situations the inadequate amount, simply because we are white. We didn't allow filling the communists pockets in this way.

Accommodation in the hotels are also very expensive, but fortunately there are designated houses, which can accept foreigners (naturally the government prohibits them in private homes). Only 1 or 2 people can come to 1 room, so if you travelling in group of three, you must take two rooms. This room usually cost between 15 - 25 peso, but in this case, we could bargain (with buses forget), because we were in the low season.

That how looks our journey around Cuba. We were prepared for the rigour of the system, but we were not ready for the lack of local kindness. Well, was very beautiful in the mountains in Vinaiales, in the cosy town of Trinidad, in an interesting old Havana etc. But doesn't matter of all above because we had to battle daily with the system and unfortunately, with the people. Even in the provinces we could find many smiling faces. People were with distance, with suspicion, with envy. Each purchase was a fight for a fair price. We were desperate looking for some nice people that I took in on the old number with a "friend". He got our trust, raised morale, and asked at the end for the money. We were so shocked that we gave him to not see his face any longer. Later they tried to cheat us when eating, exchanging money or buying the ticket... Even ordered meal in the house where we slept, as was already known that this is our last dinner, it did not include full menu, which received the previous day. Nice lady, but only the first day, when we were still the potential customers. She forgot to say "adios" when we were leaving, instead quickly run upstairs to check if nothing is missing.

Our last desperate ride on the island was to enter the local bus (the camel), which is overcrowded to the limit. With extreme autoe on baggage (pickpocket can cut the bags using knives) we get near the airport, paying for the journey around 2,000 times less than for a taxi!

We were happy leaving Cuba. And I even like to travel in difficult conditions, where some problems I treat as a local attraction. And I have enough travel experience, including cheap and poor countries. Here unfortunately was the white discrimination. Tourists from the organized groups probably won't share my opinion, they overpaid almost for everything - and in return they got warm smiles and nice Cubanian hospitality - unfortunately these behaviours have been paid.

Here does not work the sentence "because they are poor". I was in others poor countries, where I also met those artificial people which lives from the tourists, but in addition I always met the great poor honesty man. Even countries with a similar system (exp. China), which are not easy to travel and people aren't the nicest, but generally my remembers are much better. The biggest advantage of this communist country is safety, but despite this important point, from all visited countries Cuba is the last on the list to come back.

I'm sorry.