In the days leading up to my trip, everyone was excited to hear that I was going to Cuba, because so few of us know anyone who has ever been. Everyone's interested to know what it's really like, and while I only have a small scope of its reality thus far, I wanted to share a few Cuba travel tips about what I read on the internet that was true, what wasn't, and what we saw and if I want to go back.
First off, there just isn't a lot of good information online about Havana, but one thing I read only one place and was so glad I did (I think it was a random review on Trip Advisor!) was that toilet paper in public restrooms isn't really a thing in Havana. Not wanting to test the reality of it, I advised my friends that we needed to pack some tissue to take ashore. My friend Kara, the best planner ever, packed us all little packages of tissue and personal bottles of hand sanitizer! I only used two bathrooms while on the island but the first stop, the Museo Organico Romerillo, proved the tp issue to be true. There was no paper, no running water, and barely any flushing power to be had there. We shared our resources with other ladies in the tour group who did not know about this. The second use, at the Cabaret Parisien, was fully stocked and it was a good thing since I forgot to bring my larger bag with supplies. So, always bring some backup paper to Cuba, because you don't want to be left to hang out to (drip) dry.
Another thing that you won't have access to on the island unless you shell out money, is internet. You can buy expensive data cards, but just assume there won't be any and take a map and addresses of everywhere you'll want to go. I did not even bother researching internet options there but this blog has tons of info. This applies to use of your American credit card too. It's as useless as your phone there, so let's talk about money next.
The issue of money was troubling me. This is the first time I've been to a country where you have to exchange money and I was nervous. But it couldn't have been easier, really. The hardest part is planning how much cash to take, because you don't want to over or under estimate due to losing from the conversion rates. I exchanged $200 and got less back due to the conversion rate. Since you don't know what stuff costs there it's hard to estimate but I'd rather have more than less so, calculate accordingly.
At the port, we were presented with currency exchange stations right after going through immigration, which was convenient, but you can also do this at banks. There are two currency systems in Cuba, the Cuban Peso (CUP) which you won't be using as a tourist, and the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) which you will be using. These are the same rate as American dollars, which is good for the math-averse like myself. If you are going to be on a cruise ship and will be out very late and the ship leaves before morning, be aware that those currency exchange stations close like real banks and that explains why I have $28 in Cuban pesos in my possession right now. I'll be giving them out as souvenirs and keeping some for myself as the same too.
So how about the stuff you want to buy with those pesos? Yep, we're talking about the rum and the cigars. I bought a 70 cl. bottle of Legendario blanco rum for $4.85, an amazing price for Americans. You can only take one bottle of rum back into America without having to declare it. Any more and you start having import taxes or something like that apply. I wasn't interested in learning more about it so I stayed within the limits!
For the cigars, it's important to never, ever buy from street people. We asked the waitress at the restaurant we went to where to go and she sent her "cousin" over to sell to us. He harassed us for a few blocks as we made our way to an actual store. The reason for this is that they can roll up banana leaves in cigar wrappers and you wouldn't know until it's too late. I wanted to get cigars for souvenirs for people without having to worry about them being out of a humidor so I got ones that came encased instead of just wrapped in plastic. I got 15 Punch petit coronations, each was $5.75. The shop lady even gave me the box too, which was exactly what I was hoping for! You can bring 100 cigars back without having to declare.
Finally, I'll talk about transportation. Yes, there are a ton of classic cars in Cuba! But there are also a lot of newer Asian cars and plenty of motorbike type things. Many of the classic cars with have a TAXI sticker on the windshield so you know they are legit. They'll often crowd around the tourist areas looking for folks to drive around. Pick your favorite car color and enjoy! We stepped directly out of the cruise terminal and met Michael, who ended up driving us around all night. He seemed to not know what to charge us so we just gave him money, and once we realized at the end of the night that we had a bunch of pesos and weren't going to be changing them back, we tipped him a lot.
Traffic in Cuba is nuts. From the street it looks like dangerous chaos, but from our balcony on the ship, you could see that people are very forgiving and flexible on the roads. People let other people over, they look out for vehicles of all types coming from all directions, and they stop when someone else needs to cross in front of them. I was impressed with it, and hope to bring a little bit of that kind of driving understanding back to my daily commute, which often involves a daily single finger salute.
So will I go back to Cuba? YES. Although the next trip will be direct. And not during a summer month! They don't exactly have air conditioning readily available there, do know that. I think staying in Cuba itself will be one of those vacations that isn't relaxing so much as it's a journey that will test your mettle. Living in a foreign country, even for three or four days, can really test your flexibility and will to learn how to survive somewhere new. And I want to test mine, more, as Havana is worth it to me.