Cuba Trip Report 7/17 to 7/25

[Corylax18]

Wow. What a trip. So much has changed since my last trip in March, very little of it for the better. I had some of the best times I've ever had in Cuba and also some of the most difficult. I spend 4 days at the far western tip of Cuba in Guanahacabibes National Park. Its the most naturally diverse and beautiful place I've ever been. I'll create another specific thread on that in over the next few days. This thread will be focused on Havana and PdR. 

I know the news here in the States has covered some of the fuel shortages and electrical outages, but they haven't even scratched the surface. The vast majority of Western Cuba was without power for the majority of my trip. From the Mariel Special district, West, there was no diesel, so no power, for over almost a week. That's more than just uncomfortable when its 92f and 80% humidity. 

You cant work, you cant have fun, so people in PdR have been protesting more and more over the last few weeks. 

Havana (Nuevo Vedado at least) had power 100% of the time I was there, but the lines for Gasoline where hours and hours long and Diesel was essentially impossible to find in Havana. Beer and Bottled water could be found in Havana with a good deal of effort, but good luck finding them anywhere else. 

I've never experienced anything quite like I did last week. A trip to Cuba is always an adventure, but the trip had an entirely different feeling than ever before. The discontent/unrest is certainly growing outside of Havana, but the government knows it and appears to be cozying up to the "Imperialists" more than ever. All the packaged food I saw in the ration stores came from the united states. Chicken, Rice, Pork, Powdered Milk, Etc. All paid for in Cash.

I heard from two people that a large contingent from the Treasury Department(NOT the state dept.) was in Havana the week before I was. It didn't make the news in either Cuba or the States, which I think is a very good sign. The Cuban government is apparently discussing how they can sell their 50% stake in the Habana Libre, Melia Cohiba and a hotel in Varadero. If they do it correctly, the Treasury department will supposedly be removing all three from the list of places that US citizens are forbidden from patronizing. That would be a MASSIVE step in opening up tourism and hopefully just the first step of many. 

Some photos of the situation below:

Gas Lines at the "Acapulco" Gas Station in Nuevo Vedado:

Line for Diesel at the Mariel Special District about 27 kilometers west of Havana. Notice its 3 wide along the left side and goes up and won both sides of the Highway. We only had to wait about an hour for Gas at this station 4 days before, the photo of that line is below. Video:

Rio Almendares 1962 or 2022?

 

 

[bates40]

Thank you for the report. I hope the Cuban people as a whole and those whom I know very well individually make it through yet another "special" period. 

[El Presidente]

Thanks Cory and welcome back. 

Even the calmest/most zen like  of my Cuba domiciled mates are redlining right now. Getting out is not an option for reasons of family. They have reached the end of the rope. 

[Corylax18]

47 minutes ago, bates40 said:

Thank you for the report. I hope the Cuban people as a whole and those whom I know very well individually make it through yet another "special" period. 

 

38 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Thanks Cory and welcome back. 

Even the calmest/most zen like  of my Cuba domiciled mates are redlining right now. Getting out is not an option for reasons of family. They have reached the end of the rope. 

I heard several people mention that its starting to feel a lot like the special period again. Even the most basic necessities are becoming harder to find every day and if you can find them, the price is higher than ever. The same inflation all of us have been seeing has hit there as well. But even worse in some cases. 

The people who where too comfortable to complain a few years ago aren't so comfortable anymore. People who had means and ways to make their lives comfortable are finding fewer avenues to do so. When the most fruitful/productive part of the country doesn't have power 12-15 hours a day its hard to get much accomplished. 

They only glimmer of hope is that as things get worse, we get closer to an eventual long term solution. Its hard to see any light through the trees right now. 

[NSXCIGAR]

9 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

They only glimmer of hope is that as things get worse, we get closer to an eventual long term solution

Always hope so but it looks like they're going into pressure release mode already with this talk of allowing foreign investment, etc. Losing a few hundred thousand people helped. I expect more "freedom" over the short term to provide some relief. When conditions improve they crack back down. Rinse and repeat. 

 

[Corylax18]

I came down with Dengue Fever Wednesday night and I'm just starting to come around this morning. My Fever spiked at 103f Thursday morning and I was extremely uncomfortable Thursday, Friday and most of yesterday. Lots of aches/pains, a nasty headache and the chills/cold sweats. Not something to be messed with. I still haven't had Covid though. Haha. My friends wife came down with it the day after I did, she hasn't started feeling better yet. 

I was aware that the government wasn't fumigating this year because of the fuel shortages and I came prepared, but I still got bitten, a lot. It was much worse in Havana than it was in Pinar del Rio or Maria La Gorda. If you're making the trip in the next few months, go heavy on the repellant. I was using 98% DEET and  some repellant bands and it still wasn't 100% effective. 

I added a link to the video of the gas line in Mariel, about 27 Kilometer west of Havana, it was like this for days on end. Nobody can work with out it, so they just park their car/truck/tractor and wait. I captured about 150 GB of super high quality video scuba diving, but I haven't had a chance to edit any of it yet. I post a bunch of links to those videos when I complete them. 

[SCgarman]

Can't really see any reason Cuba would even be a viable tourist destination with the issues at hand there. The lure of bringing back "cheap" boxes of Habanos is certainly a ship that has sailed. 

[El Presidente]

6 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

I came down with Dengue Fever Wednesday night and I'm just starting to come around this morning.

Get well Cory!!! 

[Corylax18]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:25 AM, El Presidente said:

Get well Cory!!! 

I'm on the mend. Its a nasty virus, that's for sure. I didn't really know anything about it until recently. The lack of fumigation seems to be the real cause of the current outbreak. It appears to be getting worse with the blackouts:

https://eltoque.com/dengue-en-cuba-que-hay-detras-de-las-cifras-oficiales

 

On 8/1/2022 at 4:24 AM, SCgarman said:

Can't really see any reason Cuba would even be a viable tourist destination with the issues at hand there. The lure of bringing back "cheap" boxes of Habanos is certainly a ship that has sailed. 

Yeah, it really doesnt make sense for the vast majority of travelers. It can still make for an extremely cheap and fulfilling vacation, but it takes a lot of work to make it happen. I'm still planning a third trip for later this year, but with very limited time spent doing what used to make up the entire trip. (Cigar Shopping) 

[Greenhorn2]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:24 PM, SCgarman said:

Can't really see any reason Cuba would even be a viable tourist destination with the issues at hand there. The lure of bringing back "cheap" boxes of Habanos is certainly a ship that has sailed. 

Yep, can't see spending money and precious vacation time visiting a country with no food, fuel,power, medicine, cigars,etc.