First off, before I get into the details tied to this post title regarding Cuba I want to let it known that the idea of creating this blog has been so exciting. I have forever been wanting to share my experiences and tips traveling around the world but also tie in aspects of my passion for photography. There is so much to consider when planning a trip let alone the variables of what gear to take, how to transport it, etc. The process of creating this blog in itself was overwhelming for me with all the choices for layouts and themes, analytics, URL's etc.
Without dwelling too much on the boring stuff I guess I'll jump right in and hopefully convince you to travel to one of the best places on earth (in my opinion). If you like glamorous spas, exquisite looking meals and posh surroundings then maybe my opinion doesn't really matter.
Fist off, Cuba is safe. Let me say it again, Cuba is safe. The people were so amazing and friendly. Now of course Cuba is like any place on earth and probably has its sections you don't want to go however how is that diff, from NY, LA or anywhere in the US. And from what I am hearing about Chicago these days Cuba is probably safer.
Cuba is a place you don't just buy a flight and go to. You need to have somewhat of a plan. I'm not normally big on the idea of planning however when you visit here you need to know where to get money, how much to get, locations of places, etc. There is no cell phone service for the most part unless your one of the crazy few with a satellite phone. Nor is there ATM's or credit card machines at venues. Cash is king and if you run out, getting more would not be fun.
I live in the wonderful city of San Diego so we flew out of Tijuana on Aero Mexico
connecting in Mexico City. We did this at the time for few reasons. 1) we live
close to the border and TJX airport is close, 2) the flights are
usually much cheaper and 3) we "thought" we would
beat the system and get less scrutiny coming back as it would show we visited
Mexico not Havana. This did not prove to be a big variable. If your a photographer, its actually not fun traveling out of Tijuana because they scrutinize your gear and force you to check a bag. This is where traveling from the US probably benefits you. I had to check my bag because of my tripod so what worked well is that I checked the bag to connecting airport Mexico City, then grabbed my bag and carried on the second leg.
I can tell you that you have NOTHING to worry
about in regards to the paperwork, system, process, etc. You do however
need to put some research and planning into the trip. I will explain why in a
minute. My cousin and his girlfriend joined us on the trip but they flew
from LAX through Mexico city so they went from the US. At first I was so
curious how he could do this but he met with some travel agents and we both
learned after the trip that the process he followed was exactly the same we
followed. My point is you do not have to worry about flying out of US. Recently President Trump revisited the Cuba travel policy but from what I researched he did not change much that would impact planning and his changes actually benefit the people of Cuba which we should all agree is great. I suggest to just quickly revisit the rules again before booking.
Here is the process; when you go to buy your
tickets, the online form will ask why you are going and it must meet the legal
reasons. Until last few years under Obama there was no easy justification as all the choices
were related to job, education, news reporter, events, etc. You could not lie
really or justify unless you had documented evidence of your reason. Then, Obama added a new reason which was called "Person
to Person Contact". I think the form states "Support the local
people" but they are the same. This is what you would check online if
asked but it may not even be part of booking process.
What "Person to Person" contact
means is that you are going to interact with the culture and not just sit by a
pool or lay on the beach. That would theoretically be an illegal reason to go. To be honest, if you want to sit on a beach or lay by a pool then you can go many other more convenient places. This
is where the research comes in. You need to line up or know of things you are going
to do which interact and support local people. We did the following during our trip;
1) Took a 2 hr Havana tour in a 1953 chevy convertible. $70 total, $35 per hour for 4 people. CHEAP
2) Went to a secret little local cigar shop where
they had demonstration on cigar rolling. We bought the hand rolled cigars from
the local roller and learned about the process, regions, etc.
3) We went to eat at local family owned (not
government owned) restaurants. This is important because the Government owned
restaurants do not give back to the local people and provide crap service and
food. Therefore your money for crap food would end up going to the dictators. You need to research a list in advance or go to hotels to ask.
4) Attended an awesome museum on Cuba history
5) Went to Havana Social club music dinners.
They basically put on a dance and music show as you eat prefix dinner. Flat
rate per person but very entertaining and engaging. My cousin got pulled up to dance with one of the dancers which made for some extra entertainment.
6) Went to an alley music and art festival.
This was very local and also scary at first but turned out to be the highlight
of the trip. Super friendly people, great music and dancing.
There are so many other things you can do as well and the people are so friendly and engaging. They have not seen tourists for so many years and have been cut off from news, internet, etc. so they just want to learn and hear about our lives as much as we want to hear about theirs.
Money: You need to figure out what you will
spend, add a factor of safety and convert all cash. US ATM and debit or credit
cards as I mention do not work anywhere. I stress nowhere. So if you run out you will have
issues. We brought $XXX cash and converted all of it at airport then converted
$XXX difference not spent back at the airport upon leaving. We essentially spent $800 for 2 people going all out not including
room and flights. You do NOT want to change money in town. The lines are 2 hrs
long and takeaway from your trip. I would convert
all at airport when you land and get it over with. You do not get a "deal" anywhere in town and if you did it would not be worth the wait, its same fee everywhere.
Phones do not work although I heard Verizon now does work roaming in very
select spots in town. There are maybe 3 or 4 wifi spots in town we found but you
need to buy an internet card which gives you 1 hr of very slow internet and
then you need to find the street corner location of the hot spot and hang out
on curb. This could be fun as there are many locals all hanging out however they dont get internet often so this is the one time they probably dont want to talk to you and distract from their online time. My advice, don't even
get on internet, its so enjoyable to just forget about everything for a few
days.
Where to Stay: I would basically tell you stay
as close to Saratogo Hotel/Capital building as you can. This is central,
happening area, walk to everywhere and use Hotel Saratogo concierge or
breakfast when you need. Its a nice safe fun people watching and centralized
area. We stayed at an Air BnB )also called Casa Particulare) literally next door over from Saratoga hotel. It
was great because when we needed water or information I could walk out the door
and in 5 seconds be inside Hotel Saratoga. Or just stay at Hotel Saratoga although you need to now check to make sure its not Government affiliated and that its independent. Remember, the money you spend cannot go to the gov't or your breaking the law. Hotel Saratoga seemed to be one of the nicest in town but probably a lot more than you need to spend. You are
bound to encounter someone famous there. Every week celebrities go there
because of the privacy of no phones, internet not to mention the local people do not even know who
they hence why celebrities LOVE Cuba. When we were there we sat next to Chris Rock, ate lunch next to a NFL football player and just missed Robert De Niro by minutes.
One of my favorite experiences from the trip happened just after getting into a local taxi to head to a Jazz club. The driver asked me something in Spanish which I could understand so I just nodded yes with a smile to act like I understood. Next thing you know he pulls over on the embarcadero and gets out to let me drive. Can you imagine the feeling of getting into a 1960's black Ford and driving yourself to a Jazz club in Havana. I get chills to this day thinking about it. Window rolled down, arm out the window, laughing, no power steering and driving an original piece of american history.
We plan to go back again for a second time over Thanksgiving this year and explore the Vinyales
region outside Havana. Its a UNESCO site where all the tobacco fields are located. Kind of like the Napa valley of the US but for cigars. The people we know who have went said the
most amazing things. Once I visit Ill report back. If you want to check out some more photos of the trip you can visit my gallery at mattricciophoto.com/Cuba
The 1957 Ford
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