Smuggling water and other stories

Cuba – a country that makes you feel like a time traveler.

Vintage cars, neon signs, colonial villas… But also no free Wi-Fi, no iPhones, no credit card machines. Our hosts coordinating the next stay at a «casa particular» by phoning friends at our following destination. Taxi rides without air-conditioning or seat belts (though I’m used to that by now, nobody uses seat belts in Cusco either).

My parents iconic phrase «No sé, no hay» from their South America trip 24 years ago proved itself to be true in Cuba as well. Tiendas and gas stations selling alcohol by the litre, but no water. Buses not running because there wasn’t any gasoline. An all-inclusive hotel running out of ice for their cocktails (you could order only half the ones on the list anyway). Oh, and to play pool you had to get hold of one of the three pool tables, two sets of balls and two cues. To play tennis I guess you had to bring your own equipment with, because the rackets had somehow disappeared…

One of our most interesting adventures took places at the bus station in Havana. We wanted to buy bus tickets to either Viñales or Trinidad, but there weren’t any left – surprise! Disappointed, we were about to leave the terminal, when my brother spotted big bottles of water being rolled into a shop. As bottled water is a rare (and expensive) commodity, especially in big quantities, we rushed into the store, all excited. However, the woman behind the counter told us that, unfortunately, they used it for making «granizados» and such. After a moment though, she leaned in and said with a wink: «I’ll give you two bottles, but you’ll have to take them and disappear at once!» That is how we left the bus station with two huge water bottles in our backpacks, feeling like thieves.

In case the old US-American and Soviet cars aren’t enough to remind people of Cuba’s history, there are lots of other evidences: propaganda replacing the usual ads, the faces of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and co. looking down on you everywhere you go. However, by talking to the locals and researching a bit, one realises that Castro’s revolution is only a part of Cuban history. It reaches a lot further than that and is more complex than one can grasp at first glance. If I were to write about it here, I would probably end up handing in a paper instead of posting a blog article…

Though it has been worse, the situation in Cuba is quite bad. We heard about different versions of the minimum governmental wage, but one thing is clear: it’s not enough to live off. A taxi driver told me he works every single day, all year round. The cleaning lady constantly made sure all the hotel towels were still in the room, as she was afraid of having to pay if one went missing – «y no tengo plata». Many people have another job, as an independent taxi driver, selling coconuts, hosting foreigners. There are towns where every single house offers a room for tourists. Windows and doors open onto the street, exposing ice cream vending machines or little sewing businesses. One thing is clear: Cubans sure know how to be creative and draw profit out of every possible situation.

In spite of all the unforeseen events and the discouraging circumstances, it was really nice to see my parents and brothers after so long and relax into the familiarity of our inside jokes and habits. Cuba proved to be not always as expected and obviously not an effortless vacation destination, but we enjoyed some nice moments together: an early morning walk at the beach, relaxing with a good book, salsa music in the street (though it is not as common as one might expect), a family dinner at a nice restaurant, playing games until late at night.

My brothers will surely remember the chickens in the streets of Viñales and the ones sleeping up in a tree. And of course taking puffs of a «puro» on a tobacco farm, handcrafted by a born and bred Cuban (including a weathered face and a few missing teeth). We will recall the hospitality of several Cubans, the long conversations and the frankness with which they shared their stories. Their smiles despite the difficult situation.

«Hay que vivir un día a la vez, ya veremos lo que pasará mañana.»