It’s tough to figure out how to even begin this post, seeing as the trip it’s about was unlike anything else we’ve ever done. I guess that’s as good as an introduction as it’ll get. Meg and I just got back from 10 incredible, overwhelming and very hot days in Cuba. We spent most of the time in Havana, staying in a Casa Particular (B&B) next door to my brother Jonas’ place. Jonas has been in Cuba for 6 ½ years studying medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and this was the first time I had the opportunity to visit him. He’s graduating in July and coming back to the States, so this was essentially our last chance.
There are a lot of misconceptions about Cuba, Cubans and Cuban-life in general. While it’s fair to describe much of the infrastructure, housing and transportation in the country as in pretty poor shape, people and life are not poor and most people are not unhappy. Life is not ‘hard.’ The standard of living is certainly lower than what most of us in the ‘first world’ are used to, but everyone has enough food, a roof over their heads, gets a free education, free healthcare and all the other necessities. For better or worse, the Cuban work ethic is nowhere near as intense as most of us are used to, and as a result the majority of Cubans don’t have to spend most of their lives working and have plenty of free time to enjoy themselves. The state-controlled economic and political system has more than its fair share of problems, not just to ‘first world’ outsiders looking in but to Cubans living there, as well, but Cuba is not the totalitarian, depressed wasteland that is often depicted in the U.S. media. I could write for hours about this, but seeing as it’s supposed to be a postcard I’m going to keep it at that.
We got to see a lot of Havana that most tourists don’t, since Jonas and his girlfriend took us around to their favorite places. We ate lunch and dinner at tiny restaurants being run out of people’s homes and garages; we walked through neighborhoods full of crumbling post-colonial apartment buildings but also full of life – dominos being played on a stoop, impromptu soccer games on the street; Meg even got a tour of the maternity hospital where Jonas was finishing up a rotation (I wasn’t allowed in!). We lucked out with the weather – plenty of sun and temperatures in the 80s and above Fahrenheit. We all took a day trip down to the Bay of Pigs, with stops at a recreated native-Cuban village (and hotel) called Guamá and at a crocodile farm. We happened to be going just a few days before the anniversary of the attempted invasion (known in Cuba as “La Batalla de Girón” after the beach where it took place) and there was a lot of activity in preparation for the annual celebrations. Meg and I also went a bit out of our wheelhouse of backpacking vacations and spent 2 days at a beachside resort in the Varadero peninsula, home to a dozen plus all-inclusive resorts. It was great getting to spend all day relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and swimming, but the resort scene is definitely not for us. I feel sorry for the people who only go to these places and never see an authentic side of Cuba.
Needless to say, the trip was an extraordinary experience and one that definitely stands out. I would really encourage anyone who can to go and visit for themselves.
We have plenty of other stories but we’ll save that for when we (hopefully) see you all! There lot of photographs this time, it was just too tough to decide what to post.
