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Cuba: The Island of Freedom for Your Peso. Part Two

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Travel Articles >> Locations >> Islands

Where to Go, What to Look At

Transport Around the Country
Unfortunately I cannot say anything about car rent except the fact that it is not simply possible, but also wonderful. Its disadvantages include few direction signs and high prices on cars.

There are two types of inter-city buses: “Astro” and “Viazul”. Both types are modern buses with air-conditioners and uniformed dignified drivers and conductors. The difference is that “Astro” are meant for transporting simple Cubans at extremely low prices. Therefore these buses are overcrowded and one can hardly buy a ticket without the knowledge of Spanish. A certain amount of seats on each route is reserved and sold to tourists for convertible peso.

“Viazul” buses are meant especially for foreigners. The tickets are sold only for convertible peso and are on average 5 cucs more expensive than “tourist” seats in “Astro”. They run in strict conformity with the schedule. They are safe and not very expensive as the matter of principle. To find information about the routes, departure time and prices – visit the website www.viazul.cu. You have to book tickets in advance (you come to the station and are registered in a register book), especially at the height of the tourist season which lasts from December till March. In most cases “Astro” and “Viazul” have common stations. There is only one small “Viazul” station in Havana, rather far from the city centre near the Zoo. Tell the taxi-driver “Viasul omnibus” and he shall bring you there.
Be careful with the luggage. It is taken for transportation (just like in airports), labelled, carefully put in the bus bottom and…nevertheless sometimes rummaged. If you lock your suitcase, you shall save both your belongings and your mood. At leaving out and loading luggage workers sometimes ask for tips in the amount of 25-50 centavo (of course convertible).

Museums and Discotheques
Entrance fee in museums makes up 3 cucs and more (You are obliged to visit the Capitol near the central square of Havana – it gives the impression of visiting Washington; if you climb the highest observation platform of the memorial tower Jose San Marti you shall see a nice panorama of Havana, however the museum itself produces no impression at all; I strongly recommend you to visit the House of the Spanish Governor-general in the Old Havana – you are to expect attentive treatment from its custodians who shall take you around the whole museum including the Governor’s bathroom and his wife’s bedroom for a small tip), 5 cucs (Museum of Revolution situated in the former President Palace – a terribly boring place, its yacht “Grandma” displayed in a glass pavilion can be seen from the street), up to 10 convertible peso (do not grudge your money for visiting the tobacco factory “Partagas” – it is worth visiting, although the guide speaks only English).

You shall certainly visit local discotheques. Cubans are wonderful salsa dancers… Even the older persons flutter around the dance-floor, to say nothing of the young ones. Havana offers you a wide range of discos, for example, in the “Deauville” Hotel. In Sienfuegos you may visit “Tropisul” in the Prado Street: both disco and cabaret in the open air for 1 cuc; a more prestigious and expensive indoor place with “face control” is “El Benni” club (I managed to observe the Cuban “gilded youth” there). In Trinidad they dance almost everywhere; in the evening a popular place for dancing is the steps on the cathedral square close to Casa de la Musica, and somewhat later (not earlier than eleven or twelve in the evening) you may climb the mountain and visit a disco in the cave! – an interesting place to visit). In Varadero discos are opened in many hotels, but they are mostly visited by tourists and lack local colour.

Beaches
It would be untrue to say that the best Cuban beaches are in Varadero. Cuba has a lot of marvellous beaches. A very nice beach is Plaja Del Este situated 15 kilometres to the east of Havana. White sand, palm trees, ocean. There are no beaches in Havana (there is something like a beach in the western part of the city; however, it is definitely not Baunti). Plaja Del Este is a rather long series of beaches, the most famous and beautiful of which is Santa Maria Del Mar. There is a bus route there, but we did not run the risk of looking for it. It is easier to find fellow travelers and take a taxi for four people. Santa Maria Del Mar embraces hotels, chaise lounges, umbrellas, police, beer, coconut milk (sold right on the beach) and all other small pleasures of amateurs of lying in the sun. You may ride a water-banana there. Somewhere in the distance I saw a wave runner. Beaches of the Caribbean Sea near Trinidad are also very beautiful (it takes about 5-6 cucs to get there from the city on a taxi). High branchy trees are towering on the sand casting shadows where you can make yourself comfortable without the risk of getting a sunburn. The locals are the ones to do so. You may take a catamaran for an hour to the diving point with a mask and flippers at the price of 10 cucs per person. There are some more wonderful beaches on islands and everywhere in Cuba.

Cigars
It is surprising how even non-smokers long for buying real Cuban cigars at a low price. Brands of Cuban cigars are numerous, including the most elite brands like Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo and Juliet at the price of 3 to 10 cucs and more per unit and automatically rolled Guantaramera at the price of 1-1.5 cucs per unit. Each brand has different sizes (most often 4 basis sizes) and different thickness. They determine the price. After visiting the tobacco factory (“Partagas” behind the Capitol) you begin to understand why they are so expensive. They require manual slave labor.
According to different sources, the Cuban Customs Service allows to export from 23 to 50 cigars (even in an official shop we were convinced that in conformity with the new regulations the amount increased to 50 units).

HAVE A NICE HOLIDAY, CUBA O MUERTE!

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Article Submitted On: October 22, 2007