Thanks to a severe case of the Revenge of Montezuma (or Ricky Ricardo?..,) I am sitting here in the Hotel Havana Libre and I finally get around to create updates from my first 4.5 days here in Cuba. The Internet connection is definitely the slowest I have ever seen in my entire life, (15 minutes to access my messages at Yahoo..), but I am giving it a shot anyways.
Friday morning I arrived at the airport in Toronto at 5:30 am since my husband gave me a ride before work. The plane was scheduled to leave at 10:30 and several transfers with public transport would have taken me 2.5 hours anyway, so I decided to head there early and read a book.
Air Canada was delayed after all (due to a problem with the water supply on the plane) and we had to wait for a substitute plane from Winnipeg and finally got off the ground at about noon. 3.5 hours later we arrived at the airport Jose Marti in Havana - a reasonably modern airport. However, it took me and the other travellers almost 2 hours to collect our luggage and finally hop into a taxi.
On the way in from the airport I noticed that there was a mixture of industrial developments and agricultural areas, right up until the centre of the city, which is strange compared to Toronto, where there is no significant agriculture until way outside the city. The older gentleman driving the taxi was very friendly and explained a few basic things to me, e.g. that most of the area is industrial and agricultural. He also showed the National Sports Centre to me. Of course you see old cars from the 50s and earlier as well as beat-up Russian Ladas everywhere. Old sidecar motorcycles are also a popular way to get around.
I finally arrived at my hotel at about 6 pm where my brand-new friend Pedro (a connection through a friend in Canada) was waiting for me. I had told my friend that I wanted to really spend some time with locals to learn about Cuba, its customs, its way of life etc.
Pedro is a brown-skinned black man in his late thirties with a common-law wife and a young daughter. An extremely nice person and he’s been very gracious in taking me around and explaining things to me.
After I dropped off my suitcase and refreshed myself a little, we hopped into a private individual’s car (a practice extremely common in Cuba), he paid a few local pesos and we were whisked downtown in a very old beat-up Lada which ended up picking up various other locals along the way.
Habana Vieja is a fascinating colonial city and the age and beauty of the building is astounding. Of course I saw the Capitolio (very similar to the Capital in Washington), several of the big museums, the Hotel Inglaterra and some of the bars that Hemingway frequented.
I also saw the big spider exhibit of 2 metallic spiders that are located right in the heart of downtown, an exhibit by a French sculptress that will stay in Havana until April 28 and then apparently move on to New York.
We walked around and chatted about life in Cuba and I started to learn a few things, about some of the practical consequences of the revolution (e.g. blacks have it much better today than before, and there is relatively little racism according to Pedro), and the double economy, where locals receive their salary in Pesos Cubanos, (around US$8 to $30 a month), which is not even close to enough for living, so everybody participates in the underground economy in some way.
We had a reasonably expensive meal in a downtown “Paladar”, a private restaurant in a private home with a maximum of 12 seats, one of the few official private enterprises allowed. When asked about the future of Cuba after Fidel, both my new-found friend and the old man running the Paladar indicated that they thought not much would change after a future passing of Fidel. (Actually the mention of Fidel’s passing often makes people pull up their hands in front of their mouths and start to speak very quietly…).
After the meal, Pedro again flagged down a private vehicle, we hopped in and I got dropped off at the hotel, dropping into bed like a tired sack of potatoes. But I definitely had a great introduction to life in Cuba on my first evening….
Archive for July 6th, 2008
Booking and shopping online has proven to revolutionize the travel industry. There are many pros to utilizing online booking sites to plan your trip. Bottom line is, it saves you time and money, both important factors when planning your trip.
Before you go booking your trip online, read our tips on doing so to ensure you find the best deals and are protected in the process…
1. Shop around:
This has been our motto from the start. We are finding that prices change all the time, so it is important to look around for the best travel deal.
Besides searching our site, we have provided our favorite sites (with reviews) for finding the best deals.
Don’t get paralysis on analysis though. We recommend you pick a price (be reasonable though) and search until you find it- once you find it- take it!!
2. The more flexible you are the better:
Hey, I know when you travel with kids or a group of people, being flexible isn’t an option.
If you can be flexible, it will help, that’s all. Things like flying on certain days (like Saturday or mid-week), or specific times (10pm-6am for example) could be a benefit.
3. Join Frequent Flyer Programs:
This is a travel tip. You don’t have to fly every other month to benefit from these programs. If you use credit cards, you might as well get something back.
Heck, we pay them enough in charges that you deserve something in return. Just pick your favorite airline(s) and sign up for an airline mile card!
4. Read:
Sign up for e-zines.
You can set up a free email account if you don’t want these piling up in your in-box. Many of them have an opt-out section that allows you to quit receiving emails once you are done.
They usually provide up-to-date alerts on what deals are out there. Also, you might want to look into a few information products about traveling on a budget or getting great deals!!
There are experts out there who have been there and done that and know how to take advantage of great opportunities.
5. Know all the terms and conditions:
This is a very important cheap deal travel reminder.
For example, you will want to know if your quotes are locked in immediately or how long you have til you must decide, what their refund policy is, cancellation policy, if their site is safe when you enter your information (if you see a golden key or padlock at the bottom in the toolbar, then you will be fine), changes you might need to make, and so forth. You don’t want to get trapped into something that you can’t get out of.
6. Get Coupons:
Getting your hands on coupons can save you tons of money off various travel necessities. You can find valuable money savers with coupon books.
Other cheap deal travel tips to consider…
7. Check a few sites and once you find your price, go bid at an auction site like Priceline, at a lower price.
8. Book all in one. Sometimes if you book your airfare, car, and hotel or a combo of the three, you can get a better cheap deal. Don’t be afraid to ask!!
9. For flights, you can also do things like get bumped/stay over, fly out of another airport in your region (consider gas and driving and if that’s worth it), and consider 1-2 or more connections (no-stop flights can be expensive).
Bonus tips when shopping online in general…
- Do online shopping with companies you know. We provide some places that give you a good start. You can also compare offline or with major retail chain’s websites.
- Keep your passwords private and choose them wisely.
- Keep good records. This protects you if something arises.
- Check out the company’s security policy and privacy policy. These are typically located at the bottom of the page. Or, look under site map or company information.
- Read the legal terms. These policies let you know what they do with any information you provide.
- Get their contact information. Try it out if need be. Make sure you know how to get a hold of someone.
- Make sure before you purchase, you read their return/refund policies.
- Review all descriptions of products, shipping and handling terms, and any other pertinent information you want to know. This should all be outlined for you.
