Stories by BETH J. HARPAZ
The Associated Press
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HAVANA
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Travel experts and upscale magazines are urging travel to Cuba before it changes. But visitors envisioning salsa in the streets and glamorous vintage cars should also be prepared to manage without ATMs, credit cards, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, seat belts or toilet paper. Here are eight tips for visiting Havana.
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If you need it, bring it
I forgot to bring my toothbrush to Havana. It took me three days to find a new one.
Granted, I was in a 鈥渃asa particular,鈥� a Cuban homestay booked through Airbnb in a rundown part of town. Street vendors sell Che Guevara T-shirts and tropical fruit. But good luck buying sunscreen or Band-Aids. The fancy hotels sell some things in shops onsite, of course, but Havana just doesn鈥檛 have many stores. Even Harris Brothers, a market on Monserrate at O鈥橰eilly Street, isn鈥檛 overflowing with consumer goods 鈥� though you can buy souvenir bags of coffee.
Public bathrooms aren鈥檛 bad, but I was glad I鈥檇 brought a roll of toilet paper in my bag.
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Hustled in Havana
鈥淗appy holiday, lady!鈥�
This cheerful salutation greeted me as I walked past crumbling buildings and rubble-filled streets in many sections of Old Havana. Blonde, five foot 10, map in hand: Yeah, I stood out. But conversations with overly friendly strangers often devolved into shakedowns. They wanted to sell me cigars or exchange my dollars.
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> See VIOLENCE, page D8
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Could I buy them drinks or give money for their children?
Violent crime in Havana is rare. I never felt threatened 鈥� just hassled.
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Where鈥檚 the logic?
For my flight home, I got to Havana鈥檚 airport at 5:30 a.m., just like the paperwork specified. Too bad the airport didn鈥檛 open until nearly 7 a.m.
I also went to the famous H. Upmann cigar factory for a tour, only to be sent to a different location for a ticket. There I was told, 鈥淭here are no tours today, but we can sell you a ticket for tomorrow!鈥�
And so it went. Havana is not always a logical place.
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Money matters
Are you old enough to remember travelling without credit cards, ATMs and smartphones? Then visiting Cuba will be a trip back in time. Bring cash to change into convertible pesos, also known as CUCs (not CUPs, the currency used by locals). And budget carefully: There are only a handful of ATMs in Havana and U.S. bank cards aren鈥檛 currently accepted.
On paper, one U.S. dollar is worth one CUC, but the Cuban government takes a 13 per cent fee, so you get 87 cents for your dollar. Privately, Cubans may offer 90 cents or more on the dollar; be careful whom you trust.
I have MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards, but none could be authorized for use in Cuba in May. Even when the rules change (or if your card is from a non-U.S.-bank), businesses rarely accept plastic.
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WI-FI
Cuba鈥檚 offline culture makes trip-planning complicated. It takes days to confirm arrangements because most Cubans can鈥檛 check email from home. Automated online reservations are rare.
If you must go online in Havana, hotels sell Internet cards for lobby Wi-Fi for $4 or $5 per 30 minutes. Even then, though, the Wi-Fi may not work.
A paper map is essential; drivers don鈥檛 have GPS and there鈥檚 no Googling an address on the fly.
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ABOUT THOSE CARS
Cuba鈥檚 vintage cars sound picturesque 鈥� until you鈥檙e in one with no seat belts, no air-conditioning in 90-degree heat, broken windows, belching smoke and doors that open in transit.
The old cars aren鈥檛 just American. One 20-something driver told me he inherited his 1981 Russian-made Moskvitch car from his grandfather, who was awarded the car for being a good worker.
Havana鈥檚 official, government-owned taxis seemed to be in better condition than privately owned cars 鈥� though tourists are routinely overcharged. Meters supposedly exist, but I never saw one.
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FOOD AND DRINK
Government-run cafeterias in public places like museums are dreadful. Stick to 鈥減aladares鈥� 鈥� privately owned restaurants. You鈥檒l need reservations for the best. Prices are moderate but not cheap; food is good but not outstanding. My best meals were at 304 O鈥橰eilly (the restaurant name is also the street address), which offers trendy, light fare (terrific ceviche, lobster and pasta), and Cafe Ajiaco in Cojimar (Calle 92, number 267), whose owner showcases what he sees as the best of traditional Cuban cuisine.
A safe bet in most eateries is a ham and cheese sandwich 鈥� called a Cuban in the U.S., but jamon y queso here. Cafe con leche is uniformly superb, as is tropical fruit.
For a drinking tour, consider Ernest Hemingway鈥檚 advice: 鈥淢y mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita.鈥� The handwritten quote, allegedly scribbled by Hemingway himself, is framed at La Bodeguita del Medio over a bar mobbed with tourists. The Floridita is nicer: great air-conditioning, icy daiquiris and a bust of Hemingway, perfect for selfies.
The Hotel Nacional鈥檚 outdoor bar is lovely, on a lawn with a view of the sea. Have a Cuba libre (rum and cola, but not Coke) or a Cristal beer, then check out the photo gallery of famous guests 鈥� mobsters and Hollywood celebs.
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ATTRACTIONS
Havana鈥檚 best attractions include the waterfront promenade known as the Malecon, Old Havana, Hemingway鈥檚 estate at Finca Vigia and the Museo de la Revolucion, where 鈥淐retins鈥� Corner鈥� mocks Ronald Reagan and the Bush presidencies. The stunning Cuban collection at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes ranges from colonial portraits to 20th century political pop art.
The Tropicana show is on many top 10 Havana lists. If spending nearly $100 to see skinny dancers in see-through bodysuits with sequin pasties and chandeliers on their heads sounds fun, by all means, go. Otherwise, try the music scene at Casa de la Musica in Central Havana.
Ambitious Cubans see visitors as ticket to prosperity
Tourism dreams are growing in Cuba. The thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations has inspired many Cubans to think big. Visits by Americans were up 36 per cent between January and early May compared to the same period a year ago, and up 14 per cent among all international arrivals. That surge is likely to continue as interest in the destination grows and it gets easier for Americans to travel there.
Here鈥檚 a look at three ambitious Cubans, part of a small class of entrepreneurs, often highly educated and well-connected, who see increased tourism as the key to their dreams.
鈥榃e are very hopeful鈥�
Mario Otero, 25, is a waiter at San Cristobal, one of Havana鈥檚 best privately owned restaurants. Whipping out his phone, he shows pictures of himself with some of the restaurant鈥檚 famous guests: Here he is with Beyonc茅 and Jay Z, and in this one with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House.
Otero is renovating a house he hopes to rent to tourists, and he also works as a private guide, with a goal of someday opening his own tourism agency. He has friends with vintage 1950s cars who serve as chauffeurs.
Otero speaks excellent English, as well as French, and his ambitious nature, outgoing personality and clever insights into both Cuban and American culture make tourism a natural fit for him.
Showing a visitor around Ernest Hemingway鈥檚 Havana estate at Finca Vigia amid crowds of tourists, he observes, 鈥淗emingway is like King Midas. Everything he touched here turned to gold.鈥�
> See AMERICAN, page D8
Recalling time he spent working odd jobs during a vacation from school spent in Tampa, Florida, he said, 鈥淚 gained 10 pounds鈥� eating American food. He鈥檚 eager to learn new English terms he hears: What is a millennial? What is a hipster?
鈥淎merican tourists are the most loved here,鈥� he says, and not just because they鈥檙e good tippers, but because 鈥渢hey want to have fun.鈥� He adds: 鈥淚 really enjoy showing the most beautiful places of my country.鈥�
Switching gears, he recalls losing his mother at a young age, being encouraged by an uncle to continue his education, and getting his tourism degree from the University of Havana.
鈥淭ourism has been my life,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 truly think that I was born for this. We are very hopeful.鈥�
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A FOOD BLOGGER IN CUBA
In a country where many people lack Internet access, Alain Gutierrez, 40, is making his mark online. He鈥檚 a Cuban food blogger with a website called ATasteofCuba.org. He鈥檚 passionate about promoting traditional Cuban cuisine, and his dreams could be fueled if the island鈥檚 evolving restaurant scene makes it a destination for foodies.
Gutierrez takes photos, makes videos and writes about Cuban food 鈥� restaurants, chefs, recipes, culinary traditions. He contributes to a bimonthly magazine, OnCuba, that鈥檚 available online and even in print in a few places in Florida. But he dreams of launching a digital magazine devoted to Cuban food that could potentially be supported by advertising from the culinary world.
An American food and culture writer, Anne Katata, wants him to shoot photos for a book she鈥檚 planning on 鈥減aladares,鈥� privately run Cuban restaurants. They鈥檇 also like to lead Cuban food tours. And some day, Gutierrez hopes to study food styling in America.
At a restaurant he likes, Cafe Ajiaco in Cojimar, near Havana, he points to dishes like fritters made from meat, sweet potatoes and corn, and Monteria, shredded pork with vegetables.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to contribute to the rescue of the roots of my food and my culture,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 come from a really poor family. But my mom cooked really good.鈥�
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INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
Majel Reyes, 38, studied English language and literature at the University of Havana and worked as a government translator before carving a more ambitious path. With an MBA and experience in filmmaking, she now assists foreign film crews shooting commercials and movies in Cuba.
But she鈥檚 got another project she hopes will pay off. Reyes, who lives in her brother鈥檚 house, bought a small apartment in Old Havana consisting of several tiny rooms, and transformed it into a stylish one-room studio with soothing colours and handmade stone tiles. She even had an electronic tank system set up to ensure continuous water supply despite the neighbourhood鈥檚 sometimes unreliable flow.
The renovation, she said, cost three times the original estimate and took seven months, instead of the 45 days the contractor promised. But she鈥檚 thrilled with the result. She鈥檚 renting it to visitors on Airbnb and other sites, and so far, she鈥檚 gotten rave reviews.
鈥淚 used seven years of savings,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t will take me a few years to see the investment back but it鈥檚 worth it. It will be a steady income in the future.鈥�
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