There was no soap. Bottled water was hard to find. It was ridiculously hot and humid. There were no phone calls, emails or status updates.
And I loved every minute of my first trip to Cuba.
Cubans adapt to the ebb and flow of political tides and manage their resources carefully. Americans will enjoy a visit if they can embrace the same flexible, open mindset. Traveling, like so many things, is about perspective. You can get heated over the hunt for bottled water, or you can sit in a bar and cool off with fresh-squeezed guava juice – or better yet, a mojito.
A new Durango business, The Educational Adventures Co., perfectly captured the meaning of its name by leading an all-women tour to a country way off the beaten track.
TEAC co-organizers Sara Illsley and Jennifer Gay led 20 women – 18 from Durango – ranging in age from 21 to 71. We flew from Durango to Mexico City to Cuba, leaving behind jobs, husbands and children for an intensive study of Cuban dance and culture. It was like an extended slumber party. We shared clothing, toiletries, money, laughter and tears. The packed itinerary included stays in Havana, Viñales and Trinidad for 11 midsummer days. It was a salsa-dancing, cigar-smoking, waterfall-showering, jungle-hiking, horseback-riding adventure of a lifetime.
Warm, welcoming
There’s a lot of fear, confusion and even paranoia around travel to Cuba. Before I left, some people tried to dissuade me from going with talk of surveillance, police questioning and even kidnapping. And yet we cruised through airports with more speed and ease than a headache-inducing U.S. domestic flight.
Times have changed. In April, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro re-established diplomatic relations. While we were on a bus traveling to Trinidad on July 1, our guide announced that a U.S. Embassy in Cuba would re-open July 20. Our entire bus full of Cubans and Americans cheered the historic moment and shed a few tears of joy.
The people we met were warm, welcoming and curious about Americans. Cuban men were especially interested in the large group of women. They made smooching noises wherever we went, but this attention was complimentary and non-threatening. I felt safe everywhere when we walked in small groups – even in the streets of Havana at 2 a.m.
Diverse architecture, vivid colors
I was prepared for the faded glory of Havana, but the surprise was that the fading is the glory. The city is one of the most architecturally diverse in the world. Narrow cobblestone streets reveal surprises around every corner: a medieval castle, a grand Revolutionary square, Gothic churches and colonial homes with iron balconies. Some buildings are crumbling into ruin; but to my eyes, the bright walls and ornate 15-foot wooden doors are beautiful and mysterious with the patina of time.
Cuba is alive with vivid color. We rode in candy-colored classic American taxis, admired purple orchids that smelled like chocolate, dipped our toes in the turquoise water of the Caribbean, and walked past many street murals honoring Revolutionary heroes.
The entire box of crayons was unleashed at Fusterlandia in Jaimanitas, an explosion of creativity by mosaic artist José Rodriguez Fuster. His work spills out of his studio and extends to an entire neighborhood. Walking among the whimsical, gravity-defying sculptures is like being inside a Dr. Seuss book.
Street music
In Havana, music pours out of every door and window. I thought impromptu dancing on the street was a touristy cliché, but it happens everywhere. I sang along with strangers in a restaurant more than once.
Cubans create music organically by walking around with instruments looking for a jam session. They meet up on street corners and along the Malecón, a long esplanade along the ocean. Popular music includes reggaeton and American hip-hop, but salsa reigns supreme.
Our group learned the basic turns and twirls of salsa dancing with Cuban partners for two hours daily in studios, followed by late-night practice in clubs. It was challenging, exhilarating and a fascinating way to connect with the culture.
Living with locals
Our large group was split between small in-home accommodations, called casas particulares. One of TEAC’s goals was to provide an authentic experience and support the local economy by staying with families. I speak only basic Spanish, and most Cubans I met spoke very little English; but with our fluent guides’ help, we managed to get to know each other. We ate their homemade meals, played games with their kids and hung laundry on their rooftops.
The casas were enjoyable because each one was a surprise: Casa Alta in Havana was modern and elegant; Casa Llillo el Albañil in Viñales was a sweet country cottage with rocking chairs on the porch. Casa Vieja Hostal back in Havana was a grand, museum-quality mansion, but bathrooms didn’t have bar soap because there was a shortage that week. No problem: I used my shampoo. It worked great for laundry, too.
We had been cautioned that Cuban food is bland and basic. Most of the meals far surpassed my expectations of pork, black beans and rice. Breakfasts at the casas were enormous, with huge plates of tropical fruit, strong coffee, juice, toast and eggs cooked to order.
Some memorable café food included fried-cornmeal fritters with a minty dipping sauce at La Botija in Trinidad, a pineapple-glazed chicken at the tiny hotspot Chanchullero in Old Havana, and a giant family-style dinner with lobster and caramel flan. My favorite meal was a feast from the organic gardens at Finca Agroecológica Paradiso in Viñales, which included an entire roast pig.
Cuba’s best cocktail was, of course, the signature sweet mint-and-lime flavored mojito. The sugar masks the potent rum, but that’s OK. Walking on rough cobblestone streets makes everyone look tipsy.
Evolving, adapting
We stayed out late and woke up early nearly every day. But even serious lack of sleep did not dull the heightened awareness of being in such a different place. People use bike taxis, oxen carts and horses to get around. No one is hunched over electronic devices.
Vendors walk through the streets, selling a single item like bread or garlic with a sing-song, echoing call. Tobacco farmers break the soil with wooden plows. Cuba has been described as frozen in time, but the art, buildings and people have been evolving and adapting constantly.
I strolled on the Malecón late one night with our fantastic Cuban tour guide, Javier Alejandro Perez Pinedo of Havana Tour Company, TEAC’s locally sourced partner. I asked how people feel about renewing ties with Americans. Javier spoke with characteristic Cuban passion, eyes wide open, hands pressed against his heart: “We are excited, and ready for change.”
If You Go
The Educational Adventures Co. is offering another tour of Cuba this year (open to everyone, including children), from Dec. 26 to Jan. 3. The cost is $2,350, including the flight from Cancun to Havana, lodging in bed and breakfasts, some dinners, a horseback riding tour to a sugar plantation in Trinidad, lesson on U.S. Cuba-relations and current events, highlights of Cuba’s green revolution, dance lessons, an old-car tour of Havana and much more. Space is limited to 16 people. For details, call Sara at (970) 382-1228, or visit www.theeducationaladventurescompany.com.
Travel tips
Political relations between the U.S. and Cuba are shifting daily, and there is a ripple effect on tourism. Before you plan a trip, check for updated information.
Legal travel: Tourism is still banned by the embargo, so beach holidays are illegal. Travelers no longer need to apply for a special license, but they must fit into one of 12 categories of legal travel to Cuba, such as education, family, research or athletic events.
Flights: Air service from the U.S. to Cuba is generally run by licensed charter operations that fly out of Miami. Regular passenger flights on major carriers may still take time to get up and running because of negotiations with air service agreements. Right now, the least expensive way to fly is from a third country, such as Mexico, Panama or Canada.
Money: There are two currencies in Cuba: The Cuban peso for residents and the CUC (“kook,” or convertible peso) for tourists. One CUC is about equal to one U.S. dollar. Bring cash. U.S. credit cards won’t work, and ATMs are not reliable. You will need small bills and change for many goods and services.
Internet: Wi-Fi is scarce, expensive and extremely slow. Cellphone coverage is not available through most major U.S. companies. Public phones are unreliable. Wear a watch and coordinate timing of activities carefully.
