Baracoa, Cuba: Relaxing But Ready to Go Back Home!

Baracoa - our ninth and last place to visit in Cuba. We arrived yesterday (May 12) at 1:30pm and Antonio, an Electrical Engineer, from Casa El Mirador was waiting with a big sign, Buloo!! His wife owns this Casa which is a large colonial house with green color. Second floor east facing covered porch is supported by five 15 feet tall carved green and white beams. Large windows and doors are painted yellow with bluish gray trimming. Our room in the back has two beds, a fan, a very noisy window air conditioner, a small bathroom and a table to put out luggage. The porch is set with a white metal dining table, four chairs, a swing set, and couple of rocking chairs. The Casa is on a busy street so we get to see and experience town’s busy day life from 30 feet above the road.  Last night we had our dinner at this Casa and it was so good! The hostess, Illiana, prepared Dorado fish with coconut milk and plenty of garlic, Enceladas vegetable, rice, and Sopa de Chicharo. Baracoa, a small town SE Cuba on Caribbean Sea, has probably best food outside of Havana, in particular, Seafood is very fresh and well-spiced. After couple of days at Casa El Mirador, we moved to another large Casa Horizonte facing the Caribbean Sea for three additional days and just relaxed!

So why we want to go home? Bulu said she is ready to go back home. She has never felt that way before in any of our travel adventures! Why? She feels isolated in Cuba. Not being able to talk to kids and FaceTime with grandkids! None of the Casa Particulars that we have stayed have Wi-Fi. Internet connections are to be purchased through Cuban government’s ETESCA and connected in public squares! We don't get any news on TV. Cuban government controlled TV Stations have local, political and revolutionary propaganda news and sports. We are information and news starved in this communist country! We can’t watch English movie on TV when we don't feel like having an evening out! In fact, there are somewhere between 3-6 TV channels.  Casas’ in Cuba don't offer quiet AC or fan. Noise and more noise, inside and outside! Most museums and restaurants don't have AC or even fan. You just sweat thro' it. Very small bathroom, showers don't have hot and cold control. Beds' either soft or coils poke body! A good night sleep is rarity. In Seattle, we take for granted crisp and clean air, no noise pollution, and uniform traffic. In Cuba people commute by walking, bicycle taxi, horse-buggy taxi, smoke-emitting taxi, classic American Cars and old buses! After traveling for three and half weeks in Cuba, we are occasionally missing our normalcy of life in the USA! Nothing against Cuba!!This is a fascinating country with lovely people. A must visit country in Central America for at least couple of weeks. Happy Traveling!!

Cuban Rum, Beer and Cigar: Live a Stress Free Life!

We traveled in Cuba for four weeks and visited nine cities. You go to any store, restaurants, mercado, or gas station; and notice shelves stocked with Cuban rum, local beers, and cheap cigarettes. A bottled drinking water, however, is hard to find! Rum costs from $6 for a good export quality Havana Club 750 ml bottle to a $2 bottle for cheap but drinkable rum used by locals. Smoking is a wide spread and it seems everybody smokes - man, women and young adults.  There are few places, if any, where a person cannot smoke or drink. Cheapest 10-pack cigarette goes for $0.40 or four cents a cigarette. A cigar, sold for $0.50 to $1.00 each, is expensive for most locals, whose monthly income is barely $20. Most tourists purchase cigars for taking back home and occasionally enjoying it in Cuba. Beers (Crystal or Bucanero) cost $1 per can. Another cheap local, but strong, beer called Hyuti goes for $0.40 a can. Why rum and cigarettes so cheap and widely available in Cuba? I wonder if that keeps people happy and accept socialism and a very low income in stride! Young working age men sitting around and playing board games on weekdays, husbands of female Casa owners always appear to be at home. Most are very well educated like medical doctors, dentists, engineers, economists, etc. They make more money in renting one room in their homes in a day than their monthly income from government jobs! 

Cubans average life expectancy is better than the USA! Is it because they live happy and stress free life under heavily subsidized communist political system? Cubans have told us being happy and stress free is in their genes! They love music, dancing, rum, and cheap cigarettes! Life is slow in this hot and humid island, but who cares when your basic needs are met at no cost or low cost by Government ration cards. It, however, comes at a high cost. No incentive to work, lack of productivity, no entrepreneurship and total absence of innovation! A society can't elevate standard of living off remitted dollars coming from over two million Cubans living in the USA, or basic food ration cards or by free medical care in clinic or hospitals (one still has to pay for subsidized medicine cost) or a free college education (which is worthless if you don't have private sector good paying job) or by drinking cheap local rum or sitting on porch middle of the day and simply doing nothing!

It seems ethics of hard work and American entrepreneurship are missing in the Cuban society. In my opinion, Cuban political system and economical model must change. Tourist dollars or foreign remittances from expat Cubans can only go so far!

All-American Classic Cars in Cuba

Cuba, famous for her Rum, Cigar, and Music, has also All-American Classic-Car Collection! It is a Living Museum of Classic U.S. made Cars - not only in Havana but all over the country including Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Baracoa. I love old, classic cars and here is a sample of what you would see in Havana from Chevy, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Ford, Cadillac, Dodge, Lincoln, Plymouth, Mercury, Studebaker, DeSoto to Thunderbird convertibles!!

In Havana, most vintage American cars either are inherited from grandfather or purchased & restored for tourist businesses. Many contain 90+% of original parts and five-star paint jobs. However, we also noticed old cars in another cities rusted, door handles missing, seats torned  and in need for TLC and considerable restoration work. These old American-made cars suffer from lack of pollution control (emitting nasty black exhaust plume) and are 'gas-guzzlers', A well-kept 1950's classic car can go for  USD 15K to 25K.  I am sure with opening of US-Cuba trade, some of the cars will find its' way to the US collectors, including Jay Leno's stable of Classic Cars!! Enjoy some of pics taken in Havana and elsewhere on the island.