Posts tagged Havana

Scenes from Old Havana

Hotel Inglaterra, Habana Vieja
Rooftop view from Hotel Inglaterra, across from Parque Central in La Habana Vieja

 

Hotel Inglaterra, habana vieja
View from rooftop of Hotel Inglaterra down the Prado toward the Malecon and sea beyond
Plaza Vieja, habana vieja
A glorious ruin of a building in Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja, that’s been awaiting renovation for decades.
Havana apartments
Apartment building interior next door to the fabulous Hotal Santa Isabel, at the end of Calle Obispo in the most heavily-tourist end area of Old Havana… What most tourists don’t see.
Collapsing buildings in Havana
The Office of the City Historian of Havana says one building a day collapses in Havana…
Che Guevera
The ubiquitous image of Che.

 

 

 

 

Visiting Havana August 2016

Early morning sun across the Malecon to Vedado from Central Habana
Early morning sun across the Malecon to Vedado from Central Habana

Perhaps because it is August and the long days of oppressive tropical sun simulate a photographic effect of a landscape overexposed. In Havana where, on my past six visits in 3-1/2 years, stark contrasts have been obvious, now few contrasts seem evident. All is worse than before. Even the glorious colonial restorations of portions of Habana Vieja do not disguise the general state of disintegration of all the tens of thousands of other edifices, housing the nearly 3 million residents in generally horrific conditions of squalor. Even the office of the City Historian admits buildings in Havana are collapsing at the appalling rate of one a day. The main arteries are lined with people, arms outstretched, trying to hail a community taxi or guagua (bus) that might squeeze in one more person. A commute to and from work – always a challenge – can take even more hours than before. Shop and office times are abbreviated to save electricity, and perhaps, most telling of an energy crisis is that air conditioning at the arrivals terminal at José Martí International Airport has been turned off until further notice. Welcome to Cuba.

Every time I’ve arrived, the process has been different. The first time, a young Customs officer in mini skirt and fishnet stockings cornered my friend and me and wrote on her clipboard our repeated answers to why we were there, where we were staying and what we planned to do. The second time, arriving with a cultural visa as a guest of the Cuban Book Institute, I was detained for bringing 50 USB thumb drives, with data on self-publishing recorded on each to give to the publishers and editors who were officially invited to attend my workshops. But even the sanction of the Ministry of Culture could not save me from two hours of bureaucratic absurdity as five functionaries wrote and transcribed my story, counted and recounted the 45 Drives ( I was permitted 5) and confiscated them securely in a large canvas sack. The Book Institute’s attorneys eventually freed them but the inconvenience to all was extraordinary, and yet “Normal.”

Subsequent arrivals included long waits at immigration, being detained at “Aduana” (customs) for declaring $75 in gifts, which cost me $27 in taxes but, moreover, more than an hour trying to pay the fee. Word to the wise: DECLARE NOTHING! (Unless you’re bringing in a big screen TV or the like). This time, there was no wait at Immigration (albeit, I was in the front of the Interjet flight from Mexico City). I was not asked for proof of health insurance, as in previous arrivals. I was asked if I wanted my US passport stamped, whereas before it was routinely not done. Then, I put my carry-on bags through the screening process and went to wait for baggage to arrive at the carousel. There are free carts and soon my 3 suitcases were wheeled through the final checkpoint, I handed in my “nothing to declare” customs forms, the magic doors slid open and there I was, back in La Habana. Seamlessly, miraculously, and likely never to happen so smoothly again.

As I chose to substitute a new iPad for the heavy MacBook Pro I usually schlep on trips, I am unfamiliar with how to use it and therefore photos may be lacking in any reports over the next few weeks here, as I catch-as-catch-can a hour at one hotel or another to access internet. Please bear with me.

Every time I arrive, I ask the taxista who drives me from the airport to “my room” at the home of my adopted family in Vedado (which everyone agrees is the best neighborhood in which to live; especially those who live there), “What is changing in Havana?” Usually, the answer is, “Nothing changes here.” This time, the driver said, “We’re in a petroleum crisis.” I knew this from the many notices and online magazines I receive, but I was unprepared for how bad it is. As if to squash any hope offered by the ‘reapproachment’.

Americans are ridiculous when they say, “Go to Cuba now, before it changes!” They lack all understanding of the depth and complexity of the almost 60 years of failed communism. Every aspect of society here needs help — from infrastructure to economic systems to distribution to access to basic medicines to, most desired: internet access. How and where would you begin to build upon rubble, when there are are no materials and little expertise? It’s is a situation of increasing despair.

And while we’d expect some disparity between prices of goods and services from those paid by locals and tourists, the disparity here is multiples of difference, and the “worth” of anything is unknown. Do not romance this beautiful island full of genuine and gracious people, as life remains extraordinarily difficult for almost everyone here.

Meanwhile, I will continue to look for signs of hope but, as of this first week back among my beloveds, I am more discouraged than on past adventures.

Visit Cuba Resources

muralNearly 3 million visitors went to Cuba in 2012 – from Canada, U.S., South America, Europe, Asia, Australia… well, just about everywhere. It’s a beautiful, diverse, dynamic and complex country that welcomes tourists with increasing services and amenities. And beyond tourism, Cuba is a fascinating society in transition. Citizens around the world know they can visit Cuba without any restrictions other than the normal visa process, but most U.S. citizens do not believe they can. This is a myth.

U.S. citizens can legally go to Cuba under several programs:
• Academic/Cultural/Volunteer Tours (search: travel to Cuba, trips to Cuba). I recommend educational/cultural/agricultural trips organized out of Mexico by www.globaljusticecenter.org
• Under the “General Licenses” law of the U.S. Treasury. You do not need to apply; you just need to qualify. If you qualify as a “professional” or other category, you can fly to Cuba from Canada, Mexico, Europe or elsewhere. Read the U.S Treasury rules here.
• Via charter flights, if you have family in Cuba.

First, I want to answer some of the most frequently asked questions, and then provide links to explore. To view my YouTube photo slideshow of Cuba, with music, click here.

Will they stamp my passport?: Cuban immigration will not stamp your U.S. passport. Instead, they issue a paper visa which you return upon departure. There is an exit tax ($25 cash), so make sure you hold back some Cuban currency to pay this at the airport.

Health insurance: You are required to buy health insurance. Your U.S. health insurance or credit card travel insurance will not apply.
You can and must purchase Cuban health insurance. It is available for purchase at airport arrival before getting in line for Immigration. For $3/day, it’s a bargain should you need it.

Money: You should bring sufficient cash for your stay. All major world currencies can be exchanged for Cuban CUCs (roughly equivalent to $1 US). You will be charged a 10% premium for converting U.S. dollars, so you may want to consider having a different currency to exchange. Currency exchange should be done at the airport. There are banks and exchange houses in the major cities. Your U.S. credit cards cannot be processed in Cuba. For more on Cuban currency, read my last blogHotel_National

Accommodation: You should arrange beforehand where you will stay and have a print out of your reservations to show if asked by immigration or customs. Hotels like The National (where the ghosts of Batista-era mobsters and celebrities are capitalized upon) or the Seville (a Mercure-Accor hotel in old town Havana where Graham Green is reputed to have written “Our Man in Havana” – Room 501) may be worth the tariff, but for a “real Cuban experience,” I recommend the privately-owned “casa particulares“. Google that term for plenty of listings and reviews. Figure $25-$40 per night for a double room with its own bathroom.

Food: “I’ve heard the food isn’t good…” say most Americans, who ironically hail from a country that invented and exported high-carb, high-sugar, high-processed, diabetes-inducing fast “food.” The typical Cuban diet is basic but real – rice, potatoes, a little green, a little meat or fish; the pervasive ham sandwich on white bread; pizza. But there are fine restaurants with world-class chefs, excellent seafood, fruit drinks, fabulous desserts and some of the best coffee in the world.

Searching For Resources:
Before I went to Cuba in April 2013, I searched “Google” to find as much contemporary information as I could. I didn’t find much and erroneously concluded there wasn’t a lot about Cuba online. But there is! Like any online search, it’s a matter of what keywords or phrases you enter, and each one will give you a different set of results (websites) corresponding to that word or phrase. Be creative in your search terms, and remember that the embargo and blockade are unique to the U.S. government. Here are some places to begin:

Cigar_GirlGeneral information sites:
Cuban Tourist Board in Canada
Tripadvisor.com – recommendations and ratings from fellow travelers; browse site
Lonely Planet  – fabulous forums – Buy their latest guide!
www.cuba-junky.com – resources and self-guided walking tours
Cuba Travel Agency & Tour Operator

Articles:
Many academic articles on the various complex aspects of Cuban society: http://www.globaljusticecenter.org
Search major newspapers in the UK (Guardian), Canada (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal), Australia.
Exploring Havana is easy – Monteal Gazette
Travel Cuba – The Montreal Gazette
Tripadvisor.com: Activities in Havana
11th Havana Biennial Attracts Americans – NY Times.com
20 great things to do in Havana – Time Out Travel
Where Is Cuba Going? – NY Times.com  – Excellent, lengthy article by a U.S. journalist married to Cuban living in the U.S.
Beginner’s Guide To Cuban Travel (from Australian news)
The Truth About Socio-Economics in Cuba – great article by Chris Turner in The Walrus.

Best Blog about Life in Cuba, by U.S. travelwriter Conner Gorry, who has lived there since 2004. She just started Cuba Libro, Cuba’s first English language bookstore-cafe. Read about it in the Washington Post.

Read about the Havana Book Fair, attended last February by about 5 million people!

And, just so you know – and because I’m so excited I must share it! – I will be returning to Cuba this fall to teach workshops on digital publishing and marketing, More on this soon! (May we all live so long!)

Obviously, I am by no means an expert on Cuban travel, so if you have comments, questions, recommendations or personal experiences to share, please add to comments. I appreciate you sharing my blog and I love hearing from you! Muchas gracias!