I know my posts do not reflect the Cuba that 90% of the population experiences. If I had any doubts because I speak a little Spanish, I was even told so.
It was wonderful to visit Cuba. Our trip was intense, but I loved every minute. I have a better understanding why so many of my friends and family mourned the Cuba of old. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to see your beautiful country decline like the Cuba of today.
Sarah and I live in Miami-Dade, and when we met locals and they found out we were from Miami, they seemed to light up. On the flip side, our travel group included people from other parts of the U.S,. and I was struck by how little most knew or understood about Cuba.
The government has put all its economic eggs in the tourism basket. There is no other major industry. An armed forces holding company, Gaviota, owns most of the top hotels, and the Cuban state owns the Gran Caribe and Cubanacan hotel groups. If involved, foreign partners cannot hold a majority share.
The régime seems to be making lots of money off the backs of its people. Not only have they drained the country of doctors, engineers, and other experts by farming them out to foreign countries, but they also control the hotel workers. In most cases, these workers receive 10% or less of the fees paid to the government.
The Future?
Things are bad. There are food shortages, the electrical grid teeters on total failure, and the plumbing system is woefully inadequate. Land that could be farmed lies fallow. Trash is everywhere. Havana lost a million residents since the pandemic-driven tourism slowdown. Many left the country. A crowd was at the Spanish Consulate trying to prove ancestry and get visas to leave. Many who stay are content to receive government handouts, but those are rapidly diminishing. There were lines at banks. I think it’s about to get worse.
On our last full day, we had a morning session with a former diplomat. He was very charming until he started talking about “South Florida” and our politicians. I believe all our politicians want to save Cuba. The debate is how to do it. I certainly don’t know the answer or if it is even possible.
At the end of this post, I’ve included a recent opinion piece about Cuba by the Wall Street Journal’s Mary Anastasia O’Grady. It’s worth a read.
I would love to go back someday, see more of the country, and find things better for the people of Cuba.
Kadir Lopez’s “Light House Studio” is famous for salvaging and repairing vintage neon signs. He’s known for looking into the past and future, and the political consequences on society. Lopez has traveled outside of Cuba, and his work is shown in various U.S. galleries. His home/studio was very interesting. One piece above represents Molotov cocktail ‘bombs’.
If you found this post interesting, check out the rest of my series, Reflections of Cuba:
When we think “Cuban,” it often conjures up thoughts of Cuban food, music, mojitos, and daiquiris. We’ve covered music, so it’s time to talk about food and drink.
The Cuban government allows a system of private establishments to exist and often thrive. The privately-owned restaurants are called paladares (from the Spanish word for palate). The system has evolved through the years. There are now two types, those in private homes and others in commercial buildings, just like a regular restaurant. Officially, they provide a way for visitors to support the Cuban people directly. That is true. However, it also allows the government to collect taxes based on revenue. I feel you can never really escape that reality. The average Cuban does not eat in these establishments – they are way too expensive, even though quite moderate by American standards.
We ate most of our lunches and dinners in paladares, and they were wonderful. In every case, our tour director asked that leftovers go to the locals. It’s hard to completely enjoy the experiences when you know they are so out of reach for so many. The reality for the Cuban people is that there are significant food shortages.
Reports indicate anywhere from 500 to 2,000 paladares throughout Cuba. It was a challenge to find good information before we went, so for anyone planning a trip, I’ve put together a photo rundown of the few spots we visited. Special thanks to my travel partner, Sarah, for her many great pics; she is a much more responsible food photog than I am!
La cocina de Lilliam
Our first experience with a paladar was a lunch at the charming La cocina de Lilliam. Dining with a group, we were usually served family-style with three entree choices. We were always welcomed with a special drink and a variety of appetizers (including croquetas of some type) before our main course. Dessert followed.
Michifu
Serenaded by an entertaining guitar trio at Michifu, we tried the grilled local lobster. Like our Florida lobsters, it was tasty but tough.
Rita and Champagne
During this rainy-day lunch, we experienced one of many rolling power outages. Outside seating had to be pulled in, and the lack of light dampened any picture-taking. Like many paladares, they must’ve had a generator in the kitchen and didn’t miss a beat. I read that the chef here at Rita and Champagne previously had a restaurant in Madrid. My lunch of really good swordfish was finished off with delicious chocolate ice cream. Not surprisingly, the most common dessert offered was flan, which I have never been a fan of. Surprisingly, they had cans of Pepsi. The only time we saw a non-Cuban soft drink.
Al Carbón
Sarah and I dined on our own at Al Carbón in Habana Vieja. The paladar is on the first floor of a beautifully restored 1766 building, and up a circular staircase is the related dining spot, Ivan Chef Justo (Fidel’s former Chef). This was our best meal, and we shared various appetizers, including duck foie gras, fish croquetas, and lobster quesadilla.
La Esperanza
A top experience for us was the delightful dinner we had at La Esperanza. Under the supervision of owner Hubert, the beautifully curated 1939 home was named for the close friend who used to own it. Hubert gets the award for most elegant table settings and best dessert – a wonderful lime pie made with Maria cookies. Power was out again, and a generator ran the kitchen and some ambient lighting. The wall-sized glass doors were opened to the patio, bringing in the evening breeze.
ChaChaCha
This fun spot was another Habana Vieja surprise. I finally tried the pumpkin soup appetizer offered at so many other paladares. It was very good, but we were told, this is not a locally common dish. In another deviation from local food, I enjoyed some pasta, basic but good. ChaChaCha has an amazing array of Old Havana Rums (see the pics at the top of the post). As shown, we were served daiquiris here. In other places, offers included mojitos, “Coke” & rum, wine, or beer. The “Coke” was a local brand.
Vista Mar
We were too busy taking pics of the water crashing over the seawall to take pics of our food. We both, however, made a good choice with the snapper. Vista Mar is right on the water, and with the open walls facing the gulf, it’s lovely. People sitting closer to the water did get wet.
Finca Referencia Concha y Paco: Paladar La Rosita
Eduardo Hernandez runs the Paco-Concha tobacco farm, which I wrote about in an earlier post. The farm has been in his family since 1888, and the paladar is named after his sister Rosita. The pork and chicken served were tasty, and it was nice to have yellow rice. This was where the frog joined us for lunch!
Floridita & Mojitos
I can’t write about food and drink without mentioning the spot Hemingway made famous – Floridita. We did try out his daiquiri, which was made with grapefruit juice and replaced sugar with a maraschino liqueur. I prefer the more sugary option. We tried mojitos in many places, including Sibarita’s rooftop bar and the Iberostar Selection Parque Hotel (pictured above). Hands down, Nelson, the cheerful bartender in our hotel, the Iberostar Marques de la Torre, made the best!
If you enjoyed this post, check out my other content about Cuba:
Reflections of Cuba: Music & Dance
Reflections of Cuba: Historic Havana Architecture
I always envisioned Hemingway’s home in Cuba. Finca Vigía, to be on the water. But in fact, it’s inland, about a 30-minute drive out of town. From the back terrace of the home, you can see the city of Havana and the Gulf far in the distance.
His famous boat, the Pilar, was kept 10-15 minutes away in the port of Cojimar. Built in 1886 by a Catalonian architect, Finca Vigia was Hemingway’s home from 1939–1960 and is now a museum. The Pilar is now housed on-site.
While renting the home, he finished For Whom the Bells Toll and used the proceeds from book sales to purchase the 15-acre property for $12,500. He lived at Finca Vigía with his third and fourth wives (Martha & Mary), and many beloved dogs and cats. Hemingway added a pool, tennis courts, and a cock fighting ring in addition to the many nature trails he enjoyed throughout the property. The home is full of taxidermy animals, but I didn’t see any displayed fish – I guess they ate or released what they caught.
It was here, probably standing at his typewriter in his bedroom, that he wrote his most well-read, famous book, The Old Man and the Sea, a story about a Cuban fisherman. “Papa,” as Hemingway was known, dedicated his 1954 Nobel Prize in literature to Cuba, a country and a people he dearly loved.
After Hemingway left, the property deteriorated despite U.S. efforts to preserve it. It was eventually placed on the World Monuments Foundation list of the world’s most endangered historic buildings. The Cuban government finally restored the property, and it’s been open to visitors since 2007.
When I say, open that’s a literal statement. Most windows are open, and you can look through them to see the interior of the home. You cannot enter. You can see the continued deterioration of Finca Vigía and its grounds reflected in my photos. For a few dollars, the ladies working in the home will quietly borrow your cellphone to snap a few close-ups.
While there, we were told his widow had donated the home and contents to the Cuban government. Independent sources, however, indicate the property and contents were seized by the government, a few months after he returned to the U.S. in 1960. It is reported his widow was pressured to “donate” the property in exchange for collecting a few personal items and manuscripts that were in a vault in Havana. Which version do you believe?
Hemingway was allowed a residence permit, but was never able to return to Cuba before his death by suicide in July ’61.
Details (l-r): Bullets on his desk, bullfighting poster, original Picasso plaque, books & hunting trophies.
Of note for my cat-friends: No cats are living at Finca Vigíia now, and the Cuban cats were never the six-toed (polydactyl) variety like their famous Key West “cousins.” Hemingway had a fluffy gray Angora, Princessa, from a breeder in Key West, and Cuban cats, Good Will and Boise, to name a few.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my other content about Cuba:
Reflections of Cuba: Music & Dance
Riding in the vintage cars was the most fun and whimsical part of being in Havana. They have become the most symbolic visual of Havana. Today, most are brightly re-painted in tourist-magnet colors, and some of the old sedans have even had their tops sheared off to create more convertibles.
Pictured above: Orange ’50 Buick Super 8; Light Blue ’54 Chevy; Bright Blue ’50 Chevrolet Deluxe; Burgundy ’41 Buick 8; Blue & White Fins ’59 Buick Electra.
The cars provide an income for the lucky families able to hold on to cars they had in the 50s. Each has been carefully restored and maintained. Parts come from cars ready for the junk lot, creatively crafted knock-offs, or bought from secret out-of-country sources (sometimes smuggled in by visiting Americans). Entrepreneurs own several cars and hire drivers to work for them. But most of the drivers we experienced were proudly operating their own cars.
A lo Cubano is a vintage car club, and we visited the garage of a member who was happy to showcase his two award-winning cars. The green car above is a ’56 Plymouth, and the black is a ’58 Didge Kingsway. These cars were carefully restored in their original form and colors. Internet sources say there are about 60,000 Classic American cars in Cuba; half from the 50s, and a quarter each from the 40s and 30s.
Many owners have gotten quite creative to keep their cars running. One car we rode in was retrofitted with a Hyundai diesel engine. The new engine provides big gas savings – he had been getting 7 miles a gallon before the switch. In a country where gas is a very scarce and expensive commodity, you can imagine his savings.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my other content about Cuba:
