Go to Cuba to Go – Part 1

Cuba opened to tourists in November 2020, but put public health ahead of tourism revenue, which makes significant share of Cuban GDP. This means a few more limitations, but the result justifies each of them.

From November 2020 and until the beginning of January 2021, the condition for entry was only a mandatory test at the airport and waiting for the result in isolation. At the beginning of January, the entry conditions were slightly tightened and a negative PCR test was required which did not mean free movement, but only a ticket for the first PCR test performed at the airport, but also a negative airport PCR test did not mean free movement, as after five days they perform another PCR test and only after the second negative result issue a certificate for unrestricted movement around Cuba. At the time of writing, Cubans were still subject to restrictions on movement between provinces, and additional restrictions on movement, including curfew, in the capital, Havana, and some other cities where the situation is the worst. Cuba is by far the smallest of the countries that have developed four vaccines against COVID-19, and the only one to have developed a special vaccine for children.

Shortly after my arrival, Cuba tightened the entry conditions a bit, so all tourists have to spend the first five days in isolation in specially selected hotels, but given that hotels by the sea are mostly the main destination of most tourists, this measure is not so drastic; especially for those tourists who come to Cuba in an All-inclusive package and would otherwise spend the entire holiday in one of the hotels.

To anyone familiar with the Cuban temperament, it is probably clear to you that a strict ban on physical intimacy would pose a danger of dehumanizing the most heartfelt people in the world, so the government preferred to use the mask everywhere and without exception, which people accepted.

Unlike some other countries, in Cuba all shops and even churches remained open, only the way they operated changed. In some smaller stores, they have decided to sell at the entrance to the store, thus avoiding too frequent disinfection of the floor and counter, while in some larger ones they let a limited number of customers into the store. In both churches and shops, however, there is a limit to the number of people by area.

The catering offer was also forced to change, as restaurants are only open in municipalities where there has been no case of infection for at least 14 days. Elsewhere, there is the TO-GO offer in a simple and innovative way. Along with the pizza, you can easily afford a beer, as long as you have an empty bottle or glass with you, where they pour it. The highlight of the innovation was the Mojito TO GO, which also prompted me to the create the title of my Cuba travelogue – GO TO CUBA TO GO.

Despite the pandemic, Cuba has implemented the long-planned reforms

Cuba, however, has changed somewhat in other areas as well. In 2021, the double currency was abolished after several decades, and so only the Cuban peso (peso cubano; CUP) is still in force. With the development of tourism decades ago, Cuba introduced another currency, namely the Cuban convertible peso (peso convertible; CUC), which was intended for tourists to pay in special shops, accommodation (including private), certain restaurants, transportation and elsewhere. And insofar as the dual currency may still have made sense at the time of its introduction, its meaning has been lost year after year. Even before, tourists in the exchange office were able to exchange CUC for CUP and vice versa and buy with one currency in certain stores, and with another mainly in local stores and some restaurants and kiosks. It should be added that every Cuban also has a certain amount of food and other products at an extremely subsidized price, thus maintaining a normal supply even after the crisis that arose after the collapse of the largest trading partner and supporter – the Soviet Union. At this point, of course, the question of the amount of salary is meaningless, as it is low, but on the other hand, every Cuban has an apartment, in addition to adequate food and vital necessities, and a certain amount of electricity at a highly subsidized price. But pensions and wages in the public sector have also risen several times with the monetary reform, and with them the prices of some non-essential goods, such as tobacco products. The prices of basic consumer goods remained at the same level, but the higher purchasing power exceeded the supply and so shops with imported products came to life again, where they can only pay with credit cards. Also, from a telecommunications point of view, Cuba has developed considerably in the last year, as at the previous visit, in November 2019, there was almost no mobile internet, and now Cuba is pretty well covered by 4G network and Wi-Fi transmitters are in every village and most rooms offer Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is chargeable in Cuba, but the system allows you to buy a card for one, two or five hours, which can be used throughout Cuba and after it’s used up, it’s simply interrupted and then connected to the next Wi-Fi point with the remaining minutes. In addition, we can also buy a SIM card that already includes a certain amount of gigabytes. But let’s leave technology aside and return to Cuba to get to know the country in times when everything is different. At the same time, I hope that as you read this travelogue, you will simply smile and remember – yes, there really was once a COVID-19 that made the world stop almost completely.

Since I was travelling solo and staying with the locals (or casa particular, which means private house or rental room), the choice of location was extremely important to me, as the rules are extremely strict and include an expulsion from the country and a high fine. If I decided to stay at a casa particular in Havana after my arrival, I would spend the first week behind four walls or, at most, in the courtyard, so I chose the small seaside village of Playa Larga, where the local epidemiology service allowed solo visits to the beach and walks in nature, although visiting the central part of the village, shops or restaurants wasn’t allowed. After the negative result of the second PCR test, performed five days after arrival, the face mask remained the only restriction that I, like the Cubans, had to wear outdoors or in places where there were other people.

Playa Larga – when the name says it all

Playa Larga is located in the south of the province of Matanzas in the famous Bay of Pigs, which is part of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to endless, both rocky and sandy beaches, the Bay of Pigs is world famous for its failed American invasion of Cuba. In 1961, the US CIA trained some 1,500 opponents of the Cuban Revolution, which ousted President Batista in 1959, whom Cubans resented mainly for being second-class citizens in Cuba and some almost slaves, and for pouring most of their wealth abroad, especially in the US, while most people lived without health care, education and in very poor conditions and worked for foreign owners for a miserable salary. The revolution was soon followed by the nationalization of industry and agriculture, which was largely owned by US companies, and it was the loss of American influence and property on the idyllic Caribbean island that led to the US CIA training fugitive supporters of the previous regime to ensure that the Cubans can hardly wait for the return of the previous rulers. But the only ones sued under the previous regime were the few wealthy people who lost their property during nationalization, and the vast majority of the population supported the Cuban revolution. The expectations of the counter-revolutionaries and the US were therefore completely utopian and so the invasion of the Bay of Pigs completely failed and soon all the captured invaders were returned by Cuba in return for war reparations from the US. It is also interesting to choose the Bay of Pigs for invasion, as it is located on the south side of Cuba. The United States knew that Cuba was ready for a possible direct attack from Florida on Havana, or the north coast, which is so close to south Florida that they could see light from Miami on clear nights. So, they decided to attack in the Bay of Pigs, where they expected a warm welcome from the local population, who would join them on the way to Havana in carrying out a coup.

But the Cubans unanimously resisted the invasion. All information about this invasion is accessible in the Giron Museum, located a half-hour drive southwest of Playa Larga.

After this slightly long historical introduction, in the next issue, I invite you to explore the Bay of Pigs and the over 4,000 km2 area of Ciénaga de Zapata, the largest of the 14 municipalities in the province of Matanzas.