HAVANA, OOH GA-GA

Hopefully some of you are familiar with the pop song "Havana" by Camila Cabello. If not check it out on You Tube. It is one of the few catchy, fun, newer songs that you can actually sing along with. Darrin told me that when he told Charley I was in Havana, she knew the song & started singing it. BUT Charley & Darrin changed the lyrics.

From:  Havana, ooh na-na
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh-na-na

To:  Havana, ooh ga-ga

Gaga is in Havana, ooh ga-ga

I love it!          

Some snippets & thoughts regarding Cuba:                                         

We had a wonderful lecturer on our ship. I don't think I have ever said "wonderful" & "lecturer" in the same sentence in my lifetime. Normally, the person who stands at the podium reciting tedious facts while clicking through slides bores me to tears or puts me to sleep in nothing flat.

But, Sandy Cares, had a wonderful delivery style. She paced the stage, using comedy, honesty & genuine excitement to tell us that in Cuba we need to take our own toilet paper & there are no toilet seats in the country. She was absolutely correct! Or she told us how cruisers always want to cut across rather than follow the right angle of the blue line in Cienfuegos to direct you to immigration. She reiterated, "Follow the blue line or they will round you up & we'll never hear from you again." People were immediately herded back to the blue line when they tried to cut the corner.

Her passion for & knowledge of this part of the world came through loud & clear. I actually retained some of what she shared remembering quite a few things. She used an inverted pyramid photo to explain how doctors, lawyers or teachers made about 30 CUCs (pronounced "kooks") per month. But tour guides could make that or more in one day in tips. The exchange rate is 1 USD=1 CUC but the Cubans add a 13% exchange fee. With the pyramid balancing on its point, it could topple at any moment. Who wants to be a doctor or lawyer at that salary when you can pick up a microphone, talk to tourists & make way more money?

The classic old cars that are an iconic symbol of Cuba were born out of necessity. I never realized that in 1959 when Fidel Castro over threw Fulgencio Batista as dictator, the United States stopped sending cars to Cuba. The embargo imposed by the U.S. stopped all exports of anything to Cuba. Since then they have made do with small Russian cars. The old cars seem beautifully restored but in reality they now have Russian engines in them & many are painted with house paint. They look great from a distance & earn a good living for those who use them to sell tours of the cities - far more than a doctor makes in a month.

I've never understood the draw of smoking a cigar that costs 10 to 20 dollars or CUCs but they are sold everywhere in Cuba. Most people were buying some of each at the obligatory cigar & rum stop on each tour. I bought Darrin a half liter of Havana Club rum, supposedly one of their best, for five U.S. dollars. Lou did the cigar buying for one of our friends. It is big business now that tourism is opening back up. The Cuban people want us there & want our tourist dollars.

U.S. citizens are only allowed to do "people to people" exchanges through an authorized tour company or cruise line excursions. President Obama relaxed the regulations on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba allowing for easier access. But Trump is doing his best to put more restrictions on traveling within Cuba. We overheard a cruise line employee explaining to a cruiser, "It is the U.S. government who says you can't go out on your own in Havana. But the Cubans aren't going to stop you & we aren't going to stop you." That effectively told us to go for it & wander around to our hearts delight.

In all of our travels around the world, including third world countries, we have discovered that people are people. Everyone just wants to take care of their families & live their lives. Cubans were no different. They were friendly, helpful & much less pushy about selling their wares or offering their services than many countries.