Friday:
After class I decided that I didn’t want to hang around our house or neighborhood so Celine, Anna, and I walked to the bus stop to catch the P-1 to Miramar. After waiting almost an hour and having two full buses passed us, we decided to try our luck at catching a fixed route peso taxi.
Ok… here is a quick rundown of the transportation system as I know it here in Cuba. There are 7 (probably more) public transportation options, the bus (guaguas), fixed route peso taxis (boteros), peso taxies, CUC taxis, coco taxis, horse drawn carriage, and the bed of a utility pickup truck. The buses are Chinese hand-me-downs that cost $0.40 pesos (about $0.02 USD). Riding the bus is always a trip since they fit as many people as possible onto the buses. When a bus arrives at the stop everyone runs to the entrance to secure a spot. Usually it pulls away with people literally hanging out the still open doors. I like the bus. Fixed route peso taxis are the old American cars everyone associates with Cuba that run along designated streets. They pull over, you ask the driver where they are headed, then if it’s headed to where you want and there is room you jump in with other people and pay $10 pesos. When I looked down at the clutch in the fixed route taxi we took to Miramar, I could see the road moving below us. Another time, the car continued to run when the driver took the key out of the ignition. Peso taxis are just taxis that you take where you pay in pesos not CUC. They are usually difficult to find and we have to fight to be allowed in because they are legally only for Cubans. With our University of Havana student ID cards, we are allowed to ride in peso taxis. CUC taxis are the same as peso taxis, but you have to pay in CUC. Coco taxis are these very odd three wheeled egg shaped vehicles that fit two or three in the open back seat. These are also in CUC and are for tourist. I don’t know much about the horse drawn carriages, but they are also for tourists. Riding in the back of a pickup truck I assume is in pesos but I will report back on that later since it is on my list of things to do in Cuba.
I suppose I should also say something about the money system. There are two currencies, Cuban pesos and CUC. The exchange rate between USD and CUC is technically 1:1 but the government takes out a %20 tax. The exchange rate between CUC and pesos is 1:24. Any and all things related to tourism are priced in CUC. Most museums have a CUC and student peso price which is why having University IDs is so wonderful. Pesos are so much cheaper. For the most part street food and all other “Cuban things” are priced in pesos. The dual currency system makes no sense to me at all. When there are actually things to buy, they seem to be priced completely haphazardly.
Now back to Miramar… there was nothing on our agenda except for exploring. After randomly picking a corner to get out of the taxi, we found the National Aquarium of Cuba. The combination of the cloudy dark weather, the lack of visitors, and the fact that half the tanks were empty made it seem like we had entered the twilight zone. This was one of those instances where being able to pay the peso price made a huge difference. I paid $7 pesos instead of $10 CUC. The ticket price included the sea lion show and dolphin show. Both were very entertaining. Yet another testament to Cubas passion for dancing, the sea lions could salsa and move to the always present reggaeton beats. Despite it feeling like a ghost town, the aquarium was quite professional. They had educational information scattered about, and it seemed like the animals were kept in good condition. There was one exception… in the exhibit with the pelicans and turtles, there were stray cats just chillin next to them. There are cats everywhere here. I love it.
Saturday:
Our entire group of nine extranjeros went to the Feria Internacional del Libro. Two buses later we were across the Bay of Havana in El Morro at the book fair with what seemed like every other person in Havana. The book fair is an annual event that brings in exhibits from countries around the world (I even found a Merck Manual in Spanish). It’s a big deal. Being in the sun all day and constantly elbowing people for position in line was all part of the experience. Everyone bought a few books and I managed to secure (semi-steal) an awesome (free) poster of the fair that was hanging in an unoccupied booth.
After a nap and dinner we all headed out to the Union of Writers and Artists. Before leaving for Cuba I had in my head that nights would be spent in classy summer dresses, sitting outside on an ornate patio surrounded by palm trees, sipping mojitos, and listening to a handsome Cuban man sing son and bolero. That exact scene went down Saturday night.
Sunday:
To continue to educate myself about traditional Cuban music, I took a stroll to Callejon de Hamel. This is a community of artists and musicians in an awesome ally decorated with colorful murals, statues, poems, and other art. It’s based around Santeria (a religion that combines traditional African beliefs and Catholicism) and is known as one of ‘the’ places to go for Rumba. Despite the heat and humidity intense chanting, drumming, and dancing ensued. Very fun. Very sweaty.
Monday:
Spanish class was full of laughing at funny situations based on cultural and language confusion... as usual. There is a group of Puerto Ricans living with us. They are also here studying at the University of Havana. Gina, one of the Puerto Ricans, joined a soccer team and extended the invitation to us. Of course I’m now on the team. This is the club sports equivalent. Each faculty in the university have a team and they compete against one another. Right now I am double booked, playing for the philosophy team and the biology team. This is Cuba… I don’t think anyone will care. Monday afternoon we (the Philosophy team) had practice. Our “coach,” a grad student, was a little ADD and had us switch drills about every 2 minutes but the scrimmage for the second half of practice had me huffing and puffing. It was great to play. Soccer is such a wonderful sport. The facilities were a little lacking… ruts, puddles, dry grass, no nets, a single duck-taped soccer ball, and fashion sneakers instead of cleats. This is a perfect example of Cuba. Here, they use what they have, work (in this case play) hard, and are always in good spirits. I am lucky to be a part of the team.
Tuesday:
My only class of the day was canceled so…BEACH! The above picture is proof I have been wearing sunscreen (mom and dad). I am so pale. Ha!
Sorry for the diary style entry… I am getting lazy (I know… my life is so hard). This weekend the group is off to Pinar del Rio, the province to the west of Havana. I’m so excited to get out of the city again… especially because this time there is mountains and rock climbing!
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