Drew & Marta's Travels: General Observations about Cuba

Tourism is booming here. There are not enough casas/hotels for all the tourists to stay. I thought I would see more visitors from the United States. However, what I've observed is that the Europeans are trying to see Cuba before US citizens can come freely on flights from the US. Still great for the people but almost overwhelming for small towns like Vinales and Trinidad. According to our guide, backpackers were stuck sleeping in the plazas for the first time this year, which is unheard of.
Food resources are limited to the general public. Ration stores have few products and CUC (Cuban convertible peso, which is only currency used by foreigners) stores are unbelievably expensive for a typical Cuban. Tiendas are not on every corner like other Latin American countries. Bottled water is a hot commodity, and many stores are actually out. The main brand is Ciego Montero for soda & water, and rarely imported brands. So interesting to be somewhere where US food has not permeated into everything.
The culinary scene is expanding in Cuba. Up until 2001, private restaurants (paladares) were restricted to small amounts of people and strict rules. These rules have been loosened, restaurants can seat more than 10 people, and slowly but surely, creative cooking is making a comeback. As a whole, rice/beans/plantains/meat choice remains the mainstay. My most memorable meal was in Trinidad where we ate at a "museum restaurant", essentially an old house with its antique furnishing turned restaurant. The chef had studied in India and cooked Cuban/Indian fusion. This was an amazing alternative to the typical diet we had been eating on the trip.
Rum, music, dance. More rum. More dancing. More music. I wish I could dance like a Cuban, but despite every salsa class I take, my hips will never move like that.
This country is surprisingly socially progressive, particularly proud of Fresa y Chocolate (1993), the only Cuban movie nominated for an Oscar. This also features a gay artist as the main character and apparently addresses political issues as well. I have yet to see this movie, but need to add it to my "to do" list.
The brain drain is remarkable. Cuba is known to have good education, but recently, has also been unable to keep enough teachers employed to educate all of their people. Some elementary school lectures are videos rather than actual in person teachers. One of our guides in Havana was a family doctor but also worked in tourism and spoke perfect English, because this supplemented her wages. I saw few babies while walking around the streets - many my age are waiting to have children or only have one child, primarily due to cost, resources, and opportunities.
It has been a long time since I traveled without constant access to internet/phone. Although refreshing to not check my email for 10 days, also terribly difficult to make arrangements, contact family members, and make travel plans. Although internet is available in certain nice hotels and there are wifi hotspots, this is not something that is discovered easily.
I think development will come for Cuba, but slowly. And in that development, I hope that their culture, music, historic buildings/cars are all preserved. Although the US embargo has been a factor, it is clearly not the only step in the future of their development.


A brief view of a ration store. Typically nothing was on the shelf and there was a limited amount of products available to Cuban Nationals. Meat is quite expensive, and beef is unavailable. Killing a cow is illegal in Cuba and the resources to raise cattle are excessive. Therefore, any beef is reserved for tourists and served a paladares (privately owned restaurants).

This is the most fruit/veggies that I saw on the street in all of my time in Cuba. Fresh fruits and vegetables are quite limited, and are mainly local products. The only fruits available were pineapple, guava, papaya, and bananas. Anything else was very rare. A salad was usually some cabbage and tomatoes.


The national beverage of Cuba - bottled water and soda. Man, did I miss Diet Coke. Again, so strange to be somewhere where Coca Cola products are not ubiquitous.