The Bahamas to Cuba
“Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na…” It is easy to fall in love with Havana. Everyone saw photos of its picturesquely decaying old buildings. They are marvelous and disgusting at the same time because people actually live in them. Cuba is a clear example of how decades of sanctions and embargoes can ruin a country. Its neighbor, The Bahamas prospers thanks to tourism and fruit imports. Cuba that produces world famous cigars and rum, grows sugarcane, pineapples and bananas, struggles to provide basic necessities to its citizens.
After the monetary reform on the 1st of January 2021, dollars and euros are freely accepted around the country. In fact, Cubans prefer them everywhere. Even if a price of a meal at a restaurant or tomatoes at the market is in pesos, they will gladly take euros and dollars. Some prices are in hard currencies only. Payments for bus tickets, taxi and accommodation in pesos are not allowed.
One piece of advice for everyone going to Cuba – take a lot of cash. I cannot stress this point enough. I’ve read that an estimate of $100/day cash is the minimum of what you should bring with you and I thought that it was ridiculous. I almost paid dearly for my mistake of not having enough cash. My backup plan with an Australian card did not work. I could not use the card even in ATMs to withdraw pesos.
The casa particular where I stayed was in a grand building next to Plaza Viejo. The owner, Amay told me that originally it was occupied by an American manufacturing company. The building was nationalized after the Cuban revolution in 1959. It stood vacant for many years infested by rats. Eventually, the Cuban government decided to sell the house and Amay’s mother-in-law bought the first floor of it. The family had little money, so they renovated their property bit by bit over a long time and created inside four separate living areas. Three of them became rentals. The mother-in-law moved to Florida and left the house to Amay and her husband. The casa was named Señora Martha after Amay’s mother-in-law who settled in Florida permanently. Amay was a doctor before she started running the casa. Her daily income from the casa is greater than her doctor’s monthly salary. Compared to the others, Amay’s family is quite wealthy; they can afford a lot more than most Cubans.
Amay’s uncle studied in the Soviet Union, married a Russian and stayed. He currently lives in Volgograd.
My next post will be about the new Havana. It is not all crumbling old houses whose occupants risk their lives by remaining in them. Despite the financial difficulties, Havana is recreating itself as a modern city and it is truly amazing.
Only Americans need to worry about money. All other cards like European, Canadian, etc. work there. But having extra cash in Cuba is always a good idea.
Is it a rat sitting near the pillar? Just joking:) A fascinating story and a good piece of advice to bring more cash. Hopefully, there are not so many pickpockets around.