"La Candela" is how the Cubans describe something or someone that is HOT or ON FIRE.
Cuba is la candela!!!
All I ask of you is that you PLEASE don't forward thid to anyone who works for the U.S. government or immigration!
So, I just got back Sunday night and suffered through a pretty busy week at work where my poor feet cried out for the flip-flops they got so accustomed to! After 9 days of vacation, being in a cube in Michigan is a little painful, I must admit.
Although I was only 90 miles south of Florida, I felt like I was on another planet.
I don't even know where to begin. I guess I can start by saying that I went to Cuba with a lot of romantic notions about Castro and Cuba. I felt like Cuba was this small island of socialism, surviving through the years, telling Dictator Bush to "F off!" I had a lot of respect for Castro in this sense. Who else has resisted succumbing to the evils of capitalism like Fidel?
However, I can tell you that after having been to Cuba, I have changed my mind. While many Americans are buying bottled water as a fad, although our tap water is clean and healthy, Cubans are lacking in so much. Here are some facts that you might not know:
- Cubans are not allowed to leave Cuba. They have to get permission to go anywhere. Most people we met had never been on a plane.
- Many Cubans don't have jobs. Almost none have careers. There is almost no industry to speak of, and they're paid so little, that if they wake up and feel like going to the beach, why not? Monthly salaries range from $10-$20/month.
- Cubans are given rationed food. Yes, even in 2006, Cubans have to go once a month and get their allotment of rice, beans, sugar and oil. Beef doesn't exist on the island, although pork and chicken are favorites. Fruit is scarce, although tostones are amazing friend plantains. The sweet potato is another common dish. Having gone to a grocery store in Havana, I can tell you that their groceries cost as much or MORE than ours. Can you imagine paying $4 for a can of tuna fish? Can you imagine paying $4 for a can of tuna fish when your monthly salary is $10?
- Cuba has 4 channels. All are state-controlled. 2 are educational and 2 show news and pro-Castro rallies.
- Cuba doesn't have billboards or commercials to speak of. This is due to the fact that they don't have anything to buy. Going from the most consumeristic society in the world to the least consumeristic country was a shock, to say the least.
- Castro's government owns all houses and land in Cuba. Cubans rent it from the state, but cannot buy.
- One Cuban friend had an operation recently. It was postponed a day because there was no water in the hospital. Another friend had to go to the hospital to have his blood pressure checked. Both blood pressure pumps were broken.
- There is an American embassy in Havana. Strange, huh? It has a scrolling marquis that scrolls anti-Cuban slogans. Even stranger, huh? Castro erected about 50 flagpoles with black flags to partially block the embassy (now for this, I can't blame him!).
- Cubans are not allowed in most nice hotels/resorts. Very socialist, don't you think?
- The most popular year for cars in Cuba were apparently 1952 and 1982. We should learn a lesson from them about the mechanics of cars, because how is it that no one we know has a car more than 10 years old???
- The main highway in Cuba is two lanes wide. You often see people selling cheese or jam on the side. You also see tractors, horses and carriages, open air trucks filled with people, scooters, and motorcycles with sidecars.
- Cubans have appliances that are about 50 years old. Being in a Cuban kitchen reminds me of a 1950's movie set. The government has an exchange program where you pay $5 a month for the next ten years to get a new fridge/stove/etc. because the newer ones use less electricity.
- When the "special period" began in Cuba in the early 90s, after the Soviet Union fell apart, electricity was only available for a few hours each day. Now, electricity stays on, but we had to cancel our Thursday night dinner party because there wasn't water. The Cubans weren't surprised, since they had heard the government might not turn on the water the day before.
Having said all of this, you might be thinking that Cuba is horrible or crazy or backwards. This would be a totally incorrect impression. I would go back tomorrow, and in fact I plan to make another trip there!
Cubans are the happiest people I have ever met in my life.
Cubans are the friendliest people of any of the 26 countries I have ever visited. They're totally sociable and outgoing.
Cubans have amazing rhythm and must have salsa in their blood, because they are constantly dancing!
Cubans know all their neighbors and although have little, give what they do have.
Cubans are the most inventive people ever. If you have no money and there are no supplies available, I guess you figure out how to be inventive pretty quickly.
Cubans are appreciative.
Cubans are interested in learning about other places and meeting new people.
The architecture in Cuba is phenomenal. Even the crumbling buildings are gorgeous.
As you can see, Cuba is a complete contradiction.
They have nothing and are happy. This could be another lesson we take out of their book. The one thing Cubans will all agree on is "no es facil" (it's not easy). Yet they invent and scrounge and give and above all, they survive.
Ok, onto the actual trip (I'll try to be shorter here!). Having passed through Mexico to pick up my friend Inge and stay one night in Mexico City, we took a bumpy plane ride on Cubana air and two hours later, landed in la Habana. Havana was nothing like I expected. I mean, you think you know what it will be like from the news or from documentaries or from pictures, but when you arrive you realize you had no idea. Our taxi driver brought us to the center of the city to Vedado, next to Centro Habana, where our casa particular was. We had the luck of staying with a fantastic gay Cuban named Pancho. To make ends meet, Cubans often rent rooms in their house. Inge and I each payed $30 a night--you must be thinking that Pancho is rich! However, he had to pay $300 a month in taxes, whether or not he has guests, so in the end he is just surviving. This is a common theme among Cubans.
Our first night in Havana, we went to dinner at a place called Jazz Cafe, overlooking the ocean. Upon our waiter's advice, we then headed out to Casa de la Musica in Miramar, where we got to see live Cuban music. Unfortunately we noticed quite a few tourists at the bar, so we decided to head out and see what we could find. When we got outside we were confronted with a. 20 taxistas and b. 20 prostitutes. Prostitution is probably the most common (and best paying) job in Havana. It provides people a chance to earn some money and enter into bars/clubs/restaurants. It was not at all uncommon to see a 50-year old western man with a 20-year old Cubana. So if you know someone who goes to Cuba solo and often, you might want to check up on him! Just kidding (sort of)...
Anyway, heading towards the taxistas, only one of them didn't hassle us and when we asked him where there was a bar, he took us along. His name is Joel (pronounced Yo-ell) and his friend, a santero named Andres, joined us. 
Santeros believe in Santeria, an ancient African religion, and Andres dedicated himself to wearing all white for a year and abstaining from alcohol and drugs. Well, Andres and Joel decided to take us to another bar. As we pulled off of the side of the road in Joel's 1981 Lada, we hit another car! All the people in the street were yelling "Go! Go!". 
Apparently accidents between two 25-year old cars don't really count for much. The guys took us to play pool and to a club that seemed to be upstairs in a tree house, although my memory could possibly be impaired on that account.
This first night is when "Inge and Emily" became "Ana and Emilia". No one could understand our names, so we decided to choose new ones for ourselves!
And from then on, Joel was almost our constant companion. This worked out extremely well since we had planned to rent a car but I forgot my license and Ana's was expired. Combined with the fact that there are no street signs, it could have been difficult. So we became friends with Joel and although illegal, he took us to and from the beaches. Yes, illegal because Cubans are not allowed to have foreigners in their car. Another arbitrary anti-Cuban law. The miles he drove us in his Lada! The amount of times we were stopped by the police! The bribes we had to pay!
Ana and I spent a few days at various beaches around Havana. We went to Playa Santa Maria, west of Havana. 
It was a paradise--we rented chairs for $2 and sat by palm trees and ocean. We had grilled fish for dinner. We went to Baracoa one day, which is east of Havana. We went to Salado my last day. We went out every night and listened to amazing music. We even had a DJ burn us a CD from a bar we particularly liked. The only things I brought back with me from the trip, and I mean the ONLY things (because I was kind of freaked out about going through customs) were two burned CDs. I'm obsessed with the music from Cuba after this trip!
One day Joel took us to the "Baths of the San Juan River" about two hours outside of Havana. 
It was probably only about 30 miles away, but we had to stop every few minutes to add gas to the car (under the hood, who knew?!) or add water to the engine. We explored Habana Vieja (the old city) and walked along the malecon (boardwalk).
Overall, without going into too much detail because this seems quite long enough, we had an amazing trip. We met some of the greatest people. We were invited into people's homes. We got such a sense of life in Cuba. We stayed up way too late and slept way too little. Ana missed her flight (she had to leave 2 days before me) so she only left one day before me. I almost missed my flight because it was randomly an hour earlier, but $10 later I had my bag checked and was at the gate. Corruption is great when you have money.
Ok, I have officially written way too much. I guess I hope this conveys how fantastic Cuba is. I think everyone should go there, and tell me beforehand so I can send you with a suitcase of stuff. Things like aspirin, toothpaste, and bars of soap are a luxury in Cuba. One guy told us he doesn't like to drink because he feels bad buying a bottle of rum when he's lacking something. And he's always lacking something...
Anyway, I did miss you all, and I hope this story finds you well. Please, drop me a note and fill me in on what's new. If it takes me a little while to write back, it's because I'm pretty swamped. But I wanted to at least tell you I'm home and tell you that you have to go to CUBA!!!!
XOXO Em
