Solo/Sólo en Cuba

Solo en Cuba. Alone in Cuba.

Sólo en Cuba. Only in Cuba.

This is a place that isn't yet saturated with snapchat stories, instagram models, and facebook one-upmanship. Sure, it's not by choice, and it's only a matter of time until this culture permeates its shores. But for now, it is in that phase of wide-eyed wonder a lot of us felt in the late 90's, stuck in between two vastly different generations.

One week, one American woman, one purely unique experience that could only been had by visiting this vibrant, historical place.

It's a country that's less than 100 miles from the USA, but it may as well be on the other end of the earth. The moment you step out of the airport, you realize that there is nothing recognizable to an American here. You exchange your USD for CUC, crawl into a vintage car after a brief negotiation in Spanish, and grab the crank to roll down the window to take in the sights and sounds of a country that has long been off-limits to you.

The old cars are for REAL. They account for a majority of the cars on the road. The road is also much emptier than I imagined- there aren't many cars in the first place. I rode in a car that the driver told me was nearly 70 years old. This throws the consumer culture into question- buying something new when you can fix what you have is not an option in Cuba.

Havana is pure chaos. 4 million people, all seemingly out in the street all at once. The lack of access to wifi or digital entertainment as well as air-conditioning means that most of the locals are extroverts, lively, chatty, and out-and-about. It truly like is rewinding time 50 years. This place is ALIVE.

Salsa beats pound through every corner of the city. The incessant "bop, bop, bop, bop" of a cowbell in the background of every song sinks into the core of your skull, like a Cuban metronome implanted inside of you.

Bop, bop, bop, bop.

Keep moving. There's more to see.

Kids play with makeshift balls and bats. Stray cats and dogs are roaming everywhere, street musicians play hoping for a tip, taxis of every kind are shouting for your attention. Men are trying to bring you to their family members restaurant, or sell you Cuban cigars at their friends house. If you're a woman, you're getting whistled at or cat called by nearly every man you pass on the street.

Guapa chica, muy bonita, dame besito!

Quieres un chico Cubano?

Nobody is invisible in Cuba.

I visited for a week in mid June, and I'll admit I was a little nervous beforehand. Cuba is a bit intimidating and hectic. It's not a super easy place to travel for solo adventurers- you will get much better deals for taxis and accommodations in a group, and hostels are still quite rare here. I found a hostel in the mid-city of Havana called Rolando's Backpackers Hostel, which has a capacity of 15 people. It proved to be invaluable to meeting people that I later traveled with by taxi to other destinations in Cuba.

I spent the first day exploring the main tourist areas of Cuba, like Old Havana, Cathedral Square, Revolution Square, and the University of Havana. My first day, I was a little surprised by the amount of garbage and rubble piles filling the streets while walking around, and the state of dilapidation of the buildings. The city proved to be safe, but I did feel somewhat uncomfortable drawing a lot of attention as a foreign tourist at first. Women will be met with kissy noises any time they walk alone, like someone getting a cat or a dogs attention. This feeling melted away after a couple days and I embraced it. If you open up and chat with the locals, your experience becomes enriched. By the end, I was sitting eating at a local peso pizza joint. I ordered and was told to wait, the woman gesturing to a small table already occupied wit with two older Cuban men. I attempted to make conversation with only my mediocre Spanish skills.

"Hola. Soy Americana. En Cuba para 6 días. Fuí a Viñales ayer. Y mañana.... **motions with hand flying up to the sky** a Chicago. Tengas niños? Cuantas? Y... cuantas años tengen? Quieres pizza? Necesito ayuda... para.... **makes cutting motion with knife** cortar!"

During this exact exchange, I was complimented multiple times for my "beautiful" Spanish, offered a cigarette and a light, shared many belly laughs with the two at the table with me, despite the language barrier, and told I had 'beautiful eyes' (a compliment I heard multiple times this week). This is a pretty typical conversational exchange with a local. After my table-buddy cut my pizza and I laughed that I was "como una niña" (like a little girl), we shook hands and said goodbye. The people are genuine, friendly, and hilarious.

I met friends at the hostel and decided to take a taxi collectivo for 20 CUC per person. A 1957 Plymouth with 3 in the front seat and 3 in the back. The seats are like trampolines that twist your spine every which way as you bounce along the road, nearly hitting your head on the roof. Along the road, you pass horses and broken down cars. Our driver stopped to help a motorist whose engine had completely fallen apart, and waited for help in the form of some other bus filled with locals until we continued.

We headed to Vinales and the tobacco farms. It was torrentially downpouring and fog covered the valley and mountains. And older woman we met on a muddy path showed us to her home, where they were butchering a whole pig. She led us to her tobacco drying hut, where she rolled us fresh cigars and dipped them in honey while handing us fresh mangos.

While I was in Cuba, Donald Trump gave a speech restricting travel again. I was standing in a 2 hour line attempting to change 100 USD to CUC. 'Line' is a relative term. It was a group of people standing in no particular order, locals getting preference of course and tourists being denied by what looked like a bouncer. I was denied entry for wearing shorts and had to give my money to a local to exchange for me. Luckily, I did not even hear about the Trump speech until I got home. News doesn't travel very fast in Cuba. Instead, there was a spontaneous parade of cars honking and waving the national flag to the cheers of people on the street that day.

In Cuba, you can find clever, colorful and extroverted locals. You can find the most beautiful beaches and reefs, classic cars, fresh fruit, and delicious drinks. You can salsa dance with a local in the street. But the culture should be respected. Respect and knowledge of the culture are essential before traveling here.

#Cuba #Havana #Vinales #Backpacking #SoloTravel #tobaccofarm