Putting Cuba back on the
map
No longer a draw for Americans, but perhaps it should be
March 4, 2007
By Elizabeth Ballantine and Will Leavitt | Special to the Herald
If you go
What you will need when Fidel Castro dies and the rules change
on travel to Cuba.
• A good travel guide. The Moon Guide to Cuba , by Christopher
Baker, is excellent.
• A good hotel concierge. You want seriously good information,
not the packaged stuff from the government travel service.
• An open mind ready to unravel a complicated political and
cultural situation. You will be a better informed American
citizen for the experience!
• Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana . A light-hearted comedy
that provides easy after-tour entertainment and sets the mood
for the visit. Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not also provides a
portal into the romance of Cuba, though tangentially.
HAVANA, Cuba -
Imagine white beaches and soothing tropical breezes. Fine
hotels, beautiful beaux-arts architecture and salsa music in
every caf`E9 and restaurant. Friendly people, heady cigars,
classic automobiles and the lingering spirit of gangsters who
ran casinos in the 1950s.
This is Cuba. Long rumored to possess the best beaches in the
Americas, this Caribbean island draws tens of thousands of
tourists each year. They windsurf off beaches, hike in topical
forests and bike along rough but scenic country roads. The
island boasts sprawling resorts, festive restaurants and a
vibrant nightlife.
Only 90 miles from Florida, Cuba was once a Mecca for American
tourists, but today only a handful of Americans join the throngs
that arrive from Asia, the European Union and Latin America.
The popular American mind associates Cuba with images of violent
revolution, a charismatic bearded leader dressed in combat
fatigues, and families fleeing to Miami on thread-bare rafts and
boats. Many are aware of the U.S.'s historical antagonism toward
post-revolutionary Cuba, including the economic embargo it has
enforced since the 1950s, when the new regime's leader, Fidel
Castro, nationalized the predominantly American-owned sugar
plantations. The embargo was subsequently strengthened when Mr.
Castro permitted the Soviet Union to place nuclear missiles
there in 1962.
Though it has been more than 15 years since the Soviet Union's
collapse, the embargo - which effectively bans general American
tourism - endures. As a result, few Americans surmount the legal
barriers to explore this neighboring land. In the meantime, the
world outside the U.S. has embraced the island.
Since 1959 only a few thousand Americans have overcome the
barriers to visit this neighboring land to learn what's going
on. In the meantime, the world outside the U.S. has not stood
still.
About 40 airlines service Cuba, although some come and go. The
majority fly to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport. Seven
other cities connect with international destinations in the
Caribbean and Mexico. Reportedly, thousands of intrepid U.S.
citizens illegally visit Cuba simultaneously, utilizing
scheduled flights from third countries such as Mexico, Canada or
Jamaica.
As part of its socialist vision, Cuba welcomes "volunteer work
teams" that wish to "aid the revolution" by contributing to
human needs (for example, by bringing medical supplies),
supporting community development (for example, by restoring
historic houses) or lending cultural support (for example, by
sending pianos). Many American groups associated with such
endeavors petition the U.S. government for official permission
to visit the island.
Technically, such permission is superfluous. Contrary to popular
belief, U.S. law does not prohibit American citizens from
visiting Cuba. (Although there is no explicit right to travel in
the U.S. Constitution, federal courts have recognized it is
implicit in the First Amendment.) However, the U.S. financial
embargo means that visiting Cuba legally entails either spending
no money while there or qualifying for a license issued by the
U.S. Treasury Department to buy goods (a meal at a hotel) or
services (an airline ticket).
The only persons who do not have to obtain special permission
from the Office of Foreign Asset Control are official government
travelers, journalists, persons visiting close relatives (though
only once a year), athletes competing in international
competitions, students and teachers, missionaries, and "fully
hosted" travelers, i.e. people who will not pay any money for
transportation, lodging, meals, and any other purchases.
When the Castro regime and U.S. laws change and Americans can
travel without encumbrances, Americans will be surprised that
many tourists have already been there. They will be part of a
landslide and possibly miss the amazing sites that remain
undeveloped today. On journalist trips this year, we were
surprised and pleased by how normal the travel logistics were,
how much tourist infrastructure there is on the island and how
helpful and thorough information exists in U.S. guidebooks to
the region. But for U.S. treasury regulations, even last-minute
travel arrangements are not hard to make.
The trip
We worked out a rough plan: to visit three cities in one week
and see what obstacles we encountered. It was necessary to make
our travel arrangements in Mexico City as they cannot be done in
the U.S. One of Mexico's national airlines offered convenient
air/hotel packages. We bought a round trip ticket to Havana from
Mexico City, though one must book at least three days in advance
to receive package discounts on hotels.
We obtained our Cuban tourist visa, necessary to enter the
country, with no trouble and no questions at a small booth at
the airport in Mexico City.
The passengers on our flight to Havana, who appeared to be
Mexican or Latin American, seemed no more excited to be
traveling to Cuba than if they were traveling to any other
Caribbean island. This was our first taste of the normalcy of
non-American tourism in Cuba.
This sense of routine continued upon our arrival at the airport
in Havana, a modern, high-ceilinged, light-filled place. Customs
and passport control were uneventful. We picked up our checked
bags and took a cab to town.
Over the next few days, we would learn to ask for information as
we went along and grew increasingly confident about normal tips
and prices, when to use the state-run travel agencies and when
to pay directly (almost always pay directly).
Our first view of the rows of dilapidated but handsome Spanish
colonial style buildings in the center of town was thrilling. We
loved the sight of the Malecon , the long seawall and
seaside-embankment where residents of Havana gather at night to
talk and cool off from the heat, and the dome of the capitol
building, modeled on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Our hotel, The Parque Centrale, was located not far from the
former legislature or Capitolio, at the edge of the oldest parts
of the 16th and 17th century port and the later suburban
expansion of the city. We explored the city from its central
location and relaxed in its luxurious roof-top swimming pool
after our efforts.
Travel options
During a break in exploring we considered a variety of travel
options. We decided against a long, 12-hour bus ride to Santiago
and instead booked a flight there to spend two days seeing the
architecture, naval fortifications and learning about the city's
role in the Cuban revolution and Cuban independence.
Because of the difficulties of travel and our relatively short
time frame, we decided to spend the remainder of the time in
Havana. We were disappointed to miss the town of Trinidad, a
UNESCO world heritage site, and las Americas, the fabled
one-time Irenee Dupont estate, now a series of sprawling beach
resorts called Varadero.
We strolled around the old town of Havana, enjoyed our first of
many Cuban mojitos (a drink of white rum, lime, sugar, water and
mint leaves) and savored the excitement of being in such an
historic and lovely city. Our first dinner was at La Guarida, a
private restaurant made famous by its inclusion in the Cuban
film "Strawberries and Chocolate." It was located near our hotel
in an area of dilapidated residences and shops.
To dine at La Guarida was to be on a movie set. A big black man
stood outside the door as a bouncer would, checking
reservations. Inside, the dimly lit ground floor was like a
garage - a dirty floor littered with cars and assorted machines.
Four men sat playing dominos, a Cuban national pastime. Few wore
shirts and none looked up as we passed. A corner staircase led
to a salon of faded grandeur, with six Greek columns and ornate
capitals lit by dim and naked light bulbs. A lavish marble
staircase led to yet another floor, portioned into smaller rooms
and apartments. Unsure of where to go, we were guided by an
elderly woman who had been hanging laundry on a line - also
without a shirt - to the apartment that housed our restaurant,
composed of a kitchen and two rooms.
The dining rooms were small (three to four tables each) with an
intimate ambience and candle-lit walls covered with dozens of
photos of friends of the owner. The d`E9cor seemed a microcosm
of our romantic image of Cuba as sheltered from the passage of
time: antique furniture, clocks, busts of historic figures,
dried flowers, a vintage typewriter, white porcelain masks. We
ate the most delicious food we were to enjoy all week,
surrounded by the vestiges of a storied prior life.
In Cuba, these privately owned and operated restaurants, called
paladars , are a relatively recent phenomenon. In the early
1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union dealt a severe blow to
Cuban economic stability. Forced into a deep financial crisis by
the loss of its former ally's oil subsidy, the government began
to permit a narrow range of small-scale private enterprise. This
included the legitimization of a few existing, but previously
illegal, private restaurants and room-rental operations. We
later would visit another paladar in Havana, called La Cocina de
Lilliam, where former President Jimmy Carter dined in 2002; the
food was tasty but unexceptional.
Santiago in a day
The next day we flew to Santiago, where we found we could see
the sites in about a day. As everywhere in Cuba, a large part of
the fun is found simply in strolling through various streets,
avenues and parks, taking in the energy and spirit of the
architecture, music and loitering denizens.
That night we dined at a simple rooftop paladar and looked out
over the city of Santiago under a full moon, attended to by an
older waiter who also works as a professor of English at a local
university. Here we adventurously took our first - and last -
bottle of Cuban wine, which, we were unsurprised to discover,
tastes little better than vinegar.
Upon our waiter/professor's advice, we hopped to a simple night
club where the music, a salsa combination of Spanish, creole and
folk, was spectacular. Many French migrated here from British
islands in the 18th century and this influence is visible in the
wrought iron balconies and the music tradition.
Much action surrounding the gaining of independence from Spain
and the Cuban revolution is associated with this city. Nearby is
San Juan Hill, where in 1898 Teddy Roosevelt led his Rough
Riders to victory, and which warranted about 10 minutes on the
way to the airport for our return flight to Havana.
Cuba is waiting. The rumors of Castro's declining health remind
us that the fairy tale city of Havana may abruptly be
transformed by politics and money. Why should the rest of the
U.S. be held hostage to electoral politics in Florida that
prevent most Americans from seeing Cuba? The time to see the
island and its treasures is now.
If you go
What you will need when Fidel Castro dies and the rules
change on travel to Cuba.
• A good travel guide. The Moon Guide to Cuba , by Christopher
Baker, is excellent.
• A good hotel concierge. You want seriously good information,
not the packaged stuff from the government travel service.
• An open mind ready to unravel a complicated political and
cultural situation. You will be a better informed American
citizen for the experience!
• Graham Greene’s Our Man in Havana . A light-hearted comedy
that provides easy after-tour entertainment and sets the mood
for the visit. Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not also provides a
portal into the romance of Cuba, though tangentially.
[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ]
