Spring Break in Cuba!
- leslydesirerivero
- Aug 10, 2018
- 7 min read
This post is a reflection of what my first Spring Break post-college was like. I was able to travel with one of my besties, Keirys. Make sure to check out her blog post and travel diary!
The first few months after college were incredibly stressful following graduation. While I was ecstatic to have earned a degree in not one, but two majors AND a minor, I was incredibly exhausted. Not long after graduation, I packed my belongings in my Toyota Corolla '99 and drove over 8 hours to Cleveland Clinic's ADHD Treatment Program. I ended up resigning, which will be a blog post for a different day, and drove all the way back home all alone. I started my full-time job (that was secured since the beginning of that year btw) the Monday after returning to my hometown. Not only were those times high-paced, but so was my new job. I was incredibly stressed, depressed, but well-dressed as I dragged myself in business attire to a location that I dedicated my time to. Thankfully, I ended up getting the hang of it -- but, I really needed a release.
Through our daily conversations, Keirys and I decided on traveling together during my Spring Break since she was able to take off during the same time. Finally, something to look forward to. She moved to Florida right after college, which was definitely very different from us being able to see each other daily. We missed each other and desperately wanted to see what all the hype about Cuba was. So, we went to Cuba.
How did we do it? Oftentimes, people think that traveling to Cuba is illegal unless you're like a diplomat or something. That is simply not true. In fact, after Trumpito took office he made the legal language incredibly confusing, which makes it seem like you have to have a documented reason to travel to what Americans think is Communist Hell. In actuality, we bought our tickets online just like we would any other flights and simply checked a random box when they asked us why we were visiting. I think I chose Support for the Cuban People, or something along those lines. Regardless, it didn't matter because the airport does not ask for proof. We also had to purchase a Visa at the airport, which was like $50 and all we had to do was stand in line. If you can't already tell, traveling to Cuba is incredibly easy.
While we were hoping to get a complete #Lituation we were actually not prepared for what we were going to receive. First of all, Keirys' departure flight was cancelled. At the time, there were some storm advisories on the East Coast and Keirys was stuck in Florida as my plane was literally taking off. We were both completely freaking out and the worst part was that we were no longer able to communicate as I was in the air. I was on the plane alone and desperately hoping that she would figure something out so I wasn't stuck in Cuba alone.
Arrival at Havana was bittersweet. I was so happy I made it safely and was amazed that I was doing something I didn't think I would be able to do! On the second hand, I desperately wanted an update from Keirys. I went outside and found my chauffeur holding up a sign with my name and he was confused on where my friend was. After a bit of explanation, I exchanged some US dollars to CUC and we were on our way to my Airbnb. The ride was smooth and it was refreshing to be in a tropical environment. I was met with an assistant that helped me get settled in and had lunch with me, since I was incredibly lonely. I had a couple of drinks by the bar with a bartender who became my companion for the night. I had planned to go out with my travel assistant for the night since it was a popular night, but instead I went home and cried myself to sleep.
The following morning, I woke up to great news! Keirys hopped on the first flight to Cuba and was going to arrive soon. I quickly took a shower and changed, so I would be ready when she got there. We spent time reflecting on what our nights were like and quickly moved on to being excited about our amazing apartment and hosts. We couldn't have asked for better hosts as they checked in daily with us and made sure we had all of the resources we needed to do what we were looking forward to. We ate breakfast together at the restaurant next to our house and reviewed the extensive list of locations to visit we had prepared prior to our trip. Time to explore Havana!
As we walked around Havana, we quickly found everything we were looking for. We asked each other, "is Havana really this small?" In a matter of half an hour, we had traveled all of Havana and I'm not joking. We spent the day on foot and saw items on our list we thought would take days to complete. We were thankful for the history lesson, but agreed we were missing quite a few things on our list of expectations. We tripped over the cobblestones, inhaled fumes from 70 year old cars, lacked technological resources, and experienced limitations that Cuban live with every day. We quickly noticed how hard it was to purchase something at a store as people lined up with their families just to enter. We failed at our mission to buy the notable Cuban cigars since apparently no one had a clue what we were speaking about despite being able to speak perfect Spanish. Overall, we didn't even like the food we paid for.
Throughout this trip we were trying to be thankful for being able to have this experience together, but it was incredibly difficult. We looked to the Cuban people for inspiration, but we lacked their optimism and gratefulness. So, we started to look for satisfaction in other activities. Visiting the museum in Havana was a learning experience as we read texts and observed the artifacts that helped Cuba gain their freedom. Taking the rides in old fashionable cars uplifted our spirits as we saw Havana from a different view and engaged in taking photos that would be cherished for our lifetime. Despite not having a taste palate for real Cuban food, we went to different restaurants recommended by locals and focused on trying for the experience rather than for our intrinsic satisfaction.
With our new consciously created mindset, we were able to compose a list of favorites. La Floridita was one of Ernest Hemindway's favorite restaurants in Cuba and while we were unable to get a reservation, it was refreshing to listen to their live music and feel the positive energy exhibited by the guests. Although it was full of tourists, we were able to enjoy others' company and see what the hype was about. We opted for a quiet place to eat instead called "El Chanchullero" located behind El Capitolio where the drinks were made to order and the food was better than we have experienced up until that point. After some food, we found "El Helad'oro" and had some life changing Guava helado -- this was the most satisfying food we had put into our bodies the entire trip, so you need to visit if you travel to Cuba!
"La Bodeguita del Medio" was an all-time favorite since it had everything. The food and drinks were great, the staff were attentive, and the performances were lively. The venue consisted of two floors with plenty of space and natural lighting and ventilation. Their menu was also very extensive compared to the very limited options we've had at other restaurants. While most restaurants only offered pork or beef, something I personally do not eat, La Bodeguita del Medio had a full menu with all kinds of options even a dairy-free non-meat eating (except occasional chicken and seafood) person like me would be able to eat from.
Aside from the walkable experiences we engaged in, we also traveled to this beautiful beach called "Santa Maria del Mar." We hired a chauffeur recommended by our host once again and it was only about half hour from our location. The skies were clear, the water was warm, the sun was just enough, and we were able to rent beach chairs and umbrellas. While it ended up being a great beach day, we were again disappointed by the food (not a surprise), so we just chose to eat back at our place. We were also able to see "El Cristo," which is a monument similar to Brazil's Jesus Christ and enjoyed a bit of "La Plaza de la Revolucción." All in all, what we lacked in #Lituation we made up for it in #Education.
What would we do next time?
Our Airbnb was thankfully about 5 minutes away from all the entertainment, so we were grateful for that. In addition to the convenience, it was also incredibly cheap. Both of us LOVED our hosts and would definitely stay there again. We both spent about $500 US dollars in cash, which was converted into roughly $450 CUC (the main Cuban currency). While we tracked our spending, we realized it was not enough and felt limited since we were unable to travel to a bank and make a withdrawal given that it was not possible. We also relied heavily on taxi transportation, which wasn't that much per trip (ranging from $10-15 CUC), but it did add up. So, we would bring some more cash and exchange all left-over Cuban money at the airport. Sidenote: I still have about $100CUC that I haven't been able to exchange, so let me know if you need it for your Cuba trip lmao.
While we did have a television at our place, it often just shut off due to what we guessed were Cuban production laws. I had some Law and Order episodes downloaded from Netflix on my phone that we were able to watch on our downtime, but had I known the bouts of boredom we would experience, I would have downloaded way more content and brought my iPhone TV adapter with me. Given that we both prefer to stay at home rather than going out, we also wished we brought some games to play before bed so we didn't have to rely on talking shit and running out of things to say. Keirys also had an app called Triposo, which apparently works offline and unfortunately did not download all the way through before our trip. We were able to do some research (and communicate to our families that we were alive lol) by paying to use the national hotel's WiFi, but it would've been transformative to have the fully functioning app with us.
Despite all of the disappointments we experienced due to our high expectations, we were thankful to have experienced it together. Although this trip wasn't what we had planned it to be, we tried to roll with the punches and enjoy what the days had to offer. We hope to visit Cuba again in the future when it's more technologically advanced during a weekend trip rather than the almost a week's time we spent. Thank you Cuba, for the learning experience!
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