You will fall in love: and you know it
1. AIRBNB DOES NOT WORK HERE... UNTIL APRIL 2016
If you are a self-confessed fan of the lodging website par excellence, we have good news: Airbnb is already in Cuba.
Not that it didn't work before, technically: Airbnb has been working in Cuba for a year , with properties in most major cities, from Havana to Trinidad. However, so far only Americans (with permission to travel to Cuba) can use its services on the island.
It was not a matter of the Castros, but of the White House: until now, U.S. law prohibited any of his companies (including San Francisco native Airbnb) encourage international travel to Cuba. Thanks to the rapprochement between the United States and the island, these restrictions are gradually being relaxed, including for hotels and tourist services: hotel chains Marriott and Starwood they have also received the green light to start building on the island.
two. INTERNET HERE (ALMOST) DOES NOT WORK
The fact that Airbnb has dared to enter the cyber desert that is Cuba is a huge leap of faith: the internet service on the island is, delicately put, a challenge to patience.
Cuba joined the internet party late. The island did not receive Wi-Fi until 2013, when Jamaica connected it to its network via an underwater cable. Cubans still have limited access to the Internet , and owning a personal computer was illegal until less than a decade ago.
Internet service is only available in international hotels, such as the Iberostar in Old Havana. It's not just for customers, p by Cuban law anyone can access the network , and you will see locals and tourists alike huddled next to the door surfing at the "moderate" price of $4.50 an hour . And that's when it works... which is from time to time.
Forget the Internet (and make a community)
3. CUBANS ARE PUNCTUAL
If you have traveled through other countries in Latin America or the Caribbean, it will be hard for you to believe it, but yes: In Cuba, punctuality is respected. The buses leave when it is their turn, the landlords will wait for you at the time you have told them and if you have arranged for a taxi driver to pick you up, he will most likely arrive five minutes in advance.
However, there is something that must be taken into account…
Four. EVERYTHING TAKES TO DO TWICE THAN NORMAL
Haste, what is called haste, does not exist here: the processes, whether bureaucratic, gastronomic or recreational, are carried out calmly. Life in Cuba is not rushed, it is savored.
Weather in Cuba is elastic , and a simple process like buying water or exchanging currency can take anywhere from ten minutes to three hours. The solution? take a deep breath, and let the Cuban metronome mark the rhythm for you , It's all about getting used to.
Cubans are punctual but... they have other biorhythms
5.** THE CARS ARE ORIGINAL (THE ENGINES MAY NOT) **
Arrive to the airport Jose Marti of Havana It's almost like traveling back in time, or so you'll think as soon as you hit the streets: the roads are taken over by 1950s American transplants. Chevrolets, Cadillacs and Buicks They are the kings of the highway, and on more than one occasion it will seem to you until you hear the chords of 'Grease Lightning' while you walk down the street.
Yes, they are totally authentic: during the 1950s, when the United States still got along with Cuba, Havana received true automotive jewels . But as soon as the revolution came and the embargo began, the exchange ended.
Today, the only cars that Cubans can buy (and repair) are those from before 1959, which many taxi drivers take advantage of as a tourist attraction. Do not be afraid to get on one: the normal thing is that the engines are modern, almost always German or Russian.
Chevrolets, Cadillacs, Buicks... an ode to motorsports
6. BASEBALL IS THE KING SPORT
Forget football: in Cuba you will see more bats and gloves than balls and boots with studs . Baseball is the national passion, introduced to the island in 1860 by American sailors stopping over on the island, and Cubans follow it more enthusiastically than any other sport.
The national league has 16 professional teams , and the team is feared and respected in high baseball circles: they have won a medal for twelve World Cups in a row, including nine gold medals.
7. YOU ARE MEXICAN? THEY WILL ADORE YOU
Cubans are very welcoming with the traveler, and do not hesitate to ask them a thousand questions, starting, of course, where they are from. If you answer “Mexico”, get ready for an effusive hug and a thousand stories : Many Cubans with permission to travel, especially if they are dedicated to the tourist service, have spent time in Mexico.
Whether they were waiters at one of the several Bodeguitas in the Middle of Mexico, or worked at a five-star hotel in Cancun, all Cubans seem to have fond memories of Mexico.
Mexico and Cuba have a very good diplomatic relationship, with the Mexican government reiterating its economic and social support for the island. Cuba is Mexico's third largest trading partner in the Caribbean , resulting in a considerable exchange of personnel.
Urban art for the freedom of the people
8. “YOU ARE GOING WELL, FIDEL”
Cuba has been immersed in a spiral of change since 2014, when the United States announced the resumption of relations with the island and the (possible) end of the embargo. For the first time since 1959, when Fidel Castro led the revolution, Cuba makes a gesture of lighting the cigar of peace with its neighbor to the north.
On land, however, propaganda remains the order of the day. Posters against US imperialism and extolling the freedom of the Cuban people they are sprinkled along streets and highways, censorship continues at stratospheric levels and images of a victorious and guerrilla Castro adorn every corner.
Fidel remains, at least in theory, a national hero, along with Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos (less well known but just as revered by revolutionaries, author of the famous phrase "You're doing well, Fidel" to encourage the president during a speech).
The political system may be seething, yes, but Fidel's iconic power remains intact, at least for now.
Posters and urban art for the freedom of the people
9.**YOU ARE GOING TO FALL IN LOVE (AND YOU KNOW IT)**
We have said it, and we will repeat it: Cuba is like no other country you have been to before . Life in Cuba is difficult, yes, and the country can be frustratingly slow, too. But if Cuba knows anything, it is resistance, overcoming and learning to take advantage of any situation, no matter how insurmountable it may seem. A conversation in the heat of a Havana rum and a sunset on the Malecón is enough to know that, irremediably, Cuba has cast a spell on you forever. Welcome to the club.
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You're going to fall in love... and you know it
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