Trip to Cuba

I just returned from a 1 week vacation in Cuba where we stayed the new Barcelo Marina Palace. It's located in Varadero which has the largest resorts complex in the Caribbean. International development began here in the 1930's when the US chemical millionaire Irenee Dupont Nemours built a large estate on the peninsula. The peninsula has over 20 km of white sandy beaches.

We booked our trip through Signature Vacations and flew direct from Halifax Nova Scotia to Varadero. Unfortunately the flight was delayed 3 hours due to mechanical problems but we eventually arrived at about 1:30am. Getting through Immigration and getting baggage was no problem. A quick bus trip to the resort and we were ready to go.

The Marina Palace is only about 1 year old and is nicely appointed. The rooms were spacious and clean with all the modern conveniences you'd expect in North America. They use the latest technology mostly from Europe. The resort is quite spread out being almost a mile long. The beach is about 2 kilometers long and as a result there's lots of room where you can have some privacy.

The staff was friendly and the food was fine although selection was a bit limited. There was only 1 day when selections were not great while the rest of the time it was good.

The day tour of the capital, Havana, was eye opening. There was a tremendous number of dilapidated buildings. According to our tour guide, whenever asked about this, the response was "they are targeted for re-construction". There is actually re-construction happening in old Havana around the historical plazas. Obviously being a popular place for tourists these would be the areas they would focus on first. Unfortunately there just isn't enough funds to do them all so I expect many buildings will continue to look run down for years to come.

Impressively there weren't many kids roaming the streets. They appeared to be all in school. The ones we saw were dressed in school uniforms. Now whether this is the same across the country I really can't say. However I do know that education is free right up to university. I had a Cuban man working for me in the IT industry and he had four degrees. The problem is when you get out it's hard to find a decent paying job.

Everyone is given a ration card to buy food, clothes, etc. The guaranteed salary is 350 Cuban pesos a month which is only about $18/month Canadian. So needless to say that doesn't go very far. So whether you're a doctor, dentist, lawyer, clerk or laborer, that's what you get. In order to make ends meet, most take on extra jobs.

Working in tourism is about the best since they get access not only to goods being brought in by tourists from around the world but they usually get tipped in CUC (convertible Cuban Pesos) which are equivalent to a U.S. dollar. This means they can buy goods that tourists could purchase although it's unclear to me how that happens since they're not actually allowed to shop in these stores. I expect the answer is the "black market" which is alive and thriving.

These people work hard. Everyone has to work without exception and get 3-4 days off a month if they're lucky. This combined with a real lack of personal transportation makes it really difficult for the family life resulting in a 60% divorce rate. Working long hours is also a given. In tourism a day that runs from 6am to 10pm is not unusual. But when you talk to people about it, the response usually is, that's life. I'm not sure if everyone feels that way, I expect not.

There seems to be plenty to do if you're visiting. There are lots of country-side tours, water trips, historical places to see and places to explore. There doesn't seem to be many restrictions on travel within the country and there's pretty easy access to vehicles. There's always locals available willing to show you around or guides who will take you on a custom tour.

Bottom line is that in Cuba the weather is great, it's a very safe place and the people are wonderful. Also if you like cigars and rum, it has some of the world's best. I'd go back again.