People to people: Cuba

The moment we left Havana, goats appeared on the side of the road. It does not take long at all to get into rural Cuba, and we were on our way to Viñales, in the northwestern province of Pinar del Río. Scrawny cattle, ox-drawn carts, old-time pony traps. Not much in between towns.

The thing to do in Viñales, if you want to support Cubans, is to visit a tobacco farm. So we went walking in the valley with the help of a very interesting local guide.

This guy works for the official tourist agency, so you might expect him to mouth a lot of pro-government stuff. No chance. In between mother-in-law jokes (apparently humour is stuck in 1959 also), he shared with us such gems as: “Three successes of the revolution: health, education, and safety. Three failures of the revolution: breakfast, lunch, and dinner!” He also told us that Cubans are, for the first time, going to be able to play in Major League Baseball without having to leave Cuba and their families behind forever. I checked it out—it was just announced in late December! Cubans love baseball so it is great that their best players will no longer have to defect—or betray, as our Les Dawson guide put it. 

But we weren’t here to talk about betrayal—that would come up at the Bay of Pigs. Les Dawson wanted to tell us about Cuba’s bigger problems. Education, for example, was one of the successes of the revolution, in that everyone is educated now. But that means 78-year-old Gerardo has to keep cultivating his tobacco plants by hand, because educated grandkids don’t want to do this type of manual work.

We struggle with this in our societies too. We were told that getting a college education was the ticket for everybody, so now there are all sorts of underemployed people with degrees. The generation behind me has, in exchange for their degrees, student debt that seemingly will never be paid off. Meanwhile, technology continues to eliminate more and more jobs that used to be done by skilled people.

Or yokes of oxen

Les Dawson was also open about the limitations of Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother who is still the head of the Communist Party. “You cannot expect an 88-year-old to change,” he said. “Raúl doesn’t know what Internet is.” Just bringing the Internet to a country isn’t enough, of course, to make its doctors earn enough so they don’t go to other Latin American or African countries to earn 20 times as much. Or drive taxis. If I knew the answer, I’d be sure to write The Economist about it.

Cowboy on cell phone--sums it up, really

By now Gerardo’s son was ready to demonstrate to us how Habanos are rolled.

When I was growing up in Tennessee, the fields were all tobacco. I used to see barns full of the hanging stuff. Lungs were not made to smoke anything so I am a lifelong foe of cigarettes, but I have to say that when Gerardo, Jr. passed the dried leaves around, they smelled like a childhood memory.

I’d never have the patience to commit to a whole cigar. I wouldn’t even have tried it if it’d smelled like most cigars, but it didn’t. You can tell these are the best of their kind. It didn’t make me want to smoke, but I can’t say I disliked it either.

It had been the “coldest night of the winter” the evening before, Les Dawson told us. Meaning, I had to wear my sweatshirt on the patio. But he has friends in Brandon, Manitoba and they were reporting -40 degrees! That magical temperature at which Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same.

The limestone karsts of this region are the mogotes.

Later, I was wandering around town and found the Tasmanian couple from our group. They said the Poker Bar had WiFi without the need to buy a card (which is usually how you have to access the Internet in Cuba; same price for foreigners and Cubans). I hadn’t planned to use any, but I got a sandwich and a beer anyway, and thought about what we’d learned from Les Dawson. He is the same age as I am, so he remembers both the full-on communist era and el periodo especial, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Like many Cubans, he hopes for a more normal relationship with the U.S., and soon. What is certain is that things are changing in Cuba and will be different—I hope better. These 1950s cars aren’t going to run forever. 

Of course for Cubans, those cars are a necessity, not nostalgia. Most transit in the country is by taxi colectivo, a kind of a bus (but nothing like our bus), or by hitchhiking. It is possible to travel independently around Cuba but WiFi helps, as does Spanish! At the 90¢ mojito place we ran into a pair who are doing just this.

I’ve said before that people are what make a trip. This was certainly true in Cuba, and not just the Cuban people. This Italian brother and sister were making their way all around the country by taxi colectivo, and they were a hoot. There’s not much rum in a 90¢ mojito, so we had a few. These two even inspired us to have pasta for supper which was a welcome change, believe me. Arrabiata sauce was the closest I got to spicy the whole week.

The Cuban system provoked more and more questions. T. asked, “Do you think those subsidized places for poor people will still be there [after the economy is freed up]?” Does rationing continue because of the U.S. embargo, or is it inherent in Soviet-style communism? Do the Central Intelligence Agency, or the higher-ups who give its orders, represent me, a U.S. citizen? One of the flaws in Fidel Castro’s revolution is that he identified himself with the people. He would not tolerate criticism of the revolution because the people supported revolution. Hmm. 

We were constantly bombarded with information on this tour—after all, I was there to learn about Cuba, not be one of those Canadian tourists. Bus trips from town to town involved non-stop documentaries, not all of them about politics. Surprisingly, most were from the U.S. and featured all kinds of Americans: former C.I.A. operatives in Cuba, members of U.S. administrations, journalists and historians, Cuban exiles who were brigade members at the Bay of Pigs, Arthur Schlesinger, Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, Angela Davis. I was repeatedly struck by how different this experience was from visiting museums in Vietnam, where the propaganda arm of the government is constantly apparent.

The great irony of this is that outside the government, Vietnam has more butt-busting for money than in any country I’ve ever seen. In actual economic terms, it seems far less communist than Cuba, but here I kept having to remind myself not to confuse communism with poverty. Are other islands in the Caribbean thriving with middle classes? I have not been to them, but I remember how Puerto Ricans were treated after Hurricane Maria, and they are U.S. citizens!

Anyway, we were on our way to the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs). Here, it was the counterrevolutionary Cuban exiles who used the word betrayal. Their idea was that their landing would provoke an uprising by many Cubans who were unhappy with the communist direction of their government. But by the time of the invasion, thousands of those people had already been detained in prison by Castro.

How Cuban propaganda portrays the counterrevolutionaries: "This is as far as the mercenaries got."

The brigade members, and their C.I.A. backers, thought that despite John Kennedy’s saying that he would not send U.S. troops to invade Cuba, he would have to do so in order to avoid humiliation at the Bay of Pigs. But President Kennedy seemed to be aware that sending U.S. forces to a foreign land, itself divided over how it would be ruled, could be a long, costly, and bloody enterprise, so he stuck to his guns (or rather didn’t). Had Kennedy and his successors retained this awareness throughout the 1960s, the whole history of Southeast Asia might have been different. 

Back to back with the Bay of Pigs documentary, we watched another (also American) about Fidel. One thing that must be said of Castro is that he wasn’t interested in the leadership of Cuba to personally enrich himself. When he first took power, that made him better than previous leaders of Cuba. But that's probably not saying much. He is one of the few self-proclaimed revolutionaries in the world to have genuinely changed his country, for good and for bad. But as one Cuban said to us, “Fidel got stubborn later on.”

My impression, at least, is that Fidel Castro sincerely believed in ideals such as no one starving so that another could drive a luxury car, and racial equality. Perhaps that is why so many others in the less privileged world seemed to take to him. We watched a warm interview between Castro and Nelson Mandela, and I was struck by how complicated both characters were. We’re all on the Mandela bandwagon now, because in power, he took a very different path from Fidel Castro. But from the point of view of the apartheid government in South Africa (and London and Washington), Mandela was a terrorist. That’s what people are called who seek to overthrow their governments by violent means. The people who admired Mandela in the '80s were the same people who had Che Guevara posters…

Fidel's mythic status was surely enhanced by the fact that, while C.I.A.-backed goons were merrily killing Salvador Allende in Chile and Che in Bolivia, none of their assassination attempts on Fidel were successful. Despite exploding cigars and all of that. Castro stuck it to the world’s greatest power merely by remaining alive. 

I have the freedom to write scathing things about the failings of my own government. But I am also the citizen of a privileged country (more than one). I don’t know what it’s like to be dominated by a huge neighbour, now enemy, nor do I know what it’s like to be poor. I have to listen to what Cubans say. Generally, that things are better under Raúl. He instituted term limits and is not even the president anymore (did you know that? I didn’t.) Unfortunately, it’s not enough for the president of Cuba not to be a Castro; it’s about who is U.S. president. The embassy in Havana has been closed again. “We are supposed to have different opinions,” our tour guide O. told us. “I am not trying to make you members of the Communist Party!”

Perhaps the strongest point I heard made against the U.S. embargo was from Senator Claire McCaskill. She said (as I’m sure others have) that as long as it is in place, the Cuban government can blame it for all deprivations and shortcomings. Removing the embargo would call the Cuban regime’s bluff. That might have happened under our previous president, a man who in Cuba would be called mulatto (like Batista!) but in America is just called black.

I was getting the hang of Cuban public toilets. On the road, you usually get a toilet seat, but no paper. In a restaurant, it’s the other way around. One thing we always do anyway is carry our own toilet paper. Sometimes in Cuba a woman is working at the washroom, and whether she gives you paper or not, you are always supposed to tip her; try to imagine what her salary must be. (Random disco fact: “She Works Hard For The Money” by Donna Summer was written about a restroom attendant.)

Here, or in most of the developing world

I was not so much getting the hang of prices. We stopped at a government-run place for lunch because it was the only one around (anything called a “restaurant” or “hotel” in Cuba is government-run). A basic toasted sandwich was 5 CUC, which at the Poker Bar in Viñales had gotten me a much better sandwich, a cerveza nacional, and WiFi. Our guide spoke quite openly about government-run not being the best. 

Then I thought about something government needs to do well: public education. Cuba was the first country in the Americas to eliminate illiteracy. In the U.S., 14% of the adult population—32 million Americans—cannot read. Does eliminating illiteracy mean forcing people to be educated? Freedom isn’t free. 

We stopped for the night in Playa Larga. As you can tell from its name, there’s a beach there, though no sand. Not much happens in this town (Gustavo’s was the most basic guesthouse since we joined the tour) but we all got together for dinner and an informal Spanish lesson. After that, the big game of the night was dominoes. You see men playing it on tables in the streets in Cuba—without WiFi, have to do something.

Our next stop was Santa Clara and yet another documentary played on the way, this one Nature. If there’s anyone in Cuba who would be happy for the U.S. embargo to remain in place, it must be the sea turtles. They cross the sea from Florida regularly to lay eggs in fairly undisturbed nesting grounds, which have not (yet) been destroyed by beach development. The birds, snails, and coral reefs of Cuba are also in better shape than others in the world. Since the fall of the U.S.S.R., there has been no money for the fertilizers and pesticides that superpower used to send. As a result, these pollutants do not end up in the ocean, and everything grown in Cuba is necessarily organic. Tomatoes, and other fruits, that actually taste of something!

Breakfast 

We went to Santa Clara because it’s where revolutionaries led by Che Guevara were victorious in December 1958, and where Che’s remains were placed in a mausoleum (after eventually being found). I have to say I still don’t get the mystique of Che. He was a doctor and an intellectual, and Fidel (also well read whatever else can be said about him) was very fond of him. T. thinks maybe it’s that Che was from Argentina, but chose to become Cuban. I did learn one handy fact which is that “Che” is an Argentinian expression like “pal” or “mate.” Ernesto Guevara de la Serna called his buddies “Che,” so they called him that in return.

It's the 60th anniversary of "the triumph of the revolution."

In central Santa Clara some of us joined O. at a restaurant Cubans go to. The prices were unbelievably low. I don’t know if the government has anything to do with the hamburgers and milkshakes there, but they were quite good! 

Usually you don’t get beef in Cuba. It’s all about pork. We stopped at a farm in the mountains so that the family could show us their fresh coffee, bananas and other fruit, but I spent most of my time taking pictures of the pork and chicken running around everywhere.

I was losing track of the stops by the time we got to the outskirts of Trinidad and explored a colonial sugar plantation.

View from the tower

That was a long day. I could have used more than a brisk orientation walk around Trinidad, which is a splendid town.

As you might guess, slavery was big around here and much African tradition remains, including the Afro-Caribbean religion Santería. There are elements of Catholicism woven into Santería. We stopped by a temple dedicated to Yemayá, syncretized with the Virgin of Regla.

I was tempted to spend the next morning exploring Trinidad at my leisure, but had to keep going with the Cuban people activities. Some of the others booked a day trip on a catamaran to an island with iguanas, but T. and I and the older Canadian woman joined a group hiking to “El Cubano” waterfall.

On the way our local guide told us lots about the botany of the area. She also talked to the Canadian (while we swam in the cold water!) about her and her engineer husband’s attempt to emigrate to Canada. They scored enough points to get in, but couldn’t come up with C$10,000. I well remember the requirements to immigrate to Canada, and while I don’t remember how I was able to show I had $10,000, that’s why I’m Canadian today, while this bright woman and her family are still in Cuba.

Finally, after a week packed with learning, we had rum tasting on the beach.

Playa Ancon is just starting to be developed by the Cuban government, but it hasn’t gone resort yet. When it does, I hope Cubans aren’t chased off the public beach, the way I hear they are at Varadero and places like that.

Photo courtesy of T.

Trinidad was having a weeklong festival for its 505th anniversary! This meant the streets and plazas were full of music and dancing. We aren't really up for that aspect of Cuban culture, though of course, I made an effort to learn.

Some of the girls recommended La Redaccion for dinner—it was good enough that they joined us for a second night! The fish curry was the best thing I ate in Cuba. Still a long way from hot. If you’re ever at La Redaccion, check out the bathroom—only one toilet (with seat and paper!) but the room is roughly as big as the dining area.

On the way back to Havana we stopped in Cienfuegos. The city centre is pedestrianized and there are more shopping opportunities—not that we were shopping; I was just interested to see Cuban prices and what people can buy without ration books.

Prices in Cuban pesos=24 to 1 CUC or US$

All around Cienfuegos are industry, socialist murals, and workers’ flats. It looked like an interesting place and again, I was sorry we couldn’t stay.

Back in Havana we were staying next door to our previous casa particular. Our host there was the most cheerful woman I have ever met. Usually people would ask if we spoke Spanish, but she just launched into it. I didn’t get a lot of what she was saying, but I understand laughter, and hugs.

Over meals, some of us compared notes. The Australian guy told me that he’d met a young Cuban who used to be a photographer, but the government had hassled him so much that he found it impossible to continue. He was banking on a Slovenian girlfriend as his ticket into Europe. Meanwhile, he had two other girlfriends on the side. Not to stereotype.

At our last supper O. was very frank about the problems Cuba can have, such as taking five hours to replace a bus that broke down six kilometres from the bus company. That was why he’d been upfront with us at the very beginning, in case we had any of those experiences (and tried to blame the guide). Fortunately, nothing like that happened on our tour. He also told us why he hadn’t been able to join the group that went on the catamaran trip: Cubans aren’t allowed. That island is only for tourists! The government fears that if Cubans get on a boat, they have one thing in mind and that is to go to the U.S.A.

Flags on display at our nicest guesthouse, Alberto's in Trinidad

No country should tell its citizens where they may and may not go. Nor should any illegally detain or ill-treat prisoners. Down in the southeast of Cuba is a little province called Guantánamo, and here, the U.S. deeded itself a naval station in perpetuity when it wrote a constitution for Cuba in 1901. One of the stories about Guantánamo Bay of which I am least ashamed is that the U.S. keeps writing checks to Cuba for the rent, but the communist regime refuses to cash them. In Cuba, I heard that the U.S. keeps the money in an account to reimburse anybody with a complaint against the Castros. 

O. is from Guantánamo Province. I hope that soon, both his native country and mine have leadership that truly respects human rights. And is it beyond the bounds of human ingenuity also to find some way of sharing the wealth more equitably? Could Cuba possibly have the basic human dignity that the revolution promised, without all the crap?

I wouldn’t bet against the people of Cuba.