Today we returned from Havana, or La Habana, as it is referred to in the Spanish speaking world. Wow! Where to begin? Cuba is a world apart, no doubt about it. It is a shining gem in the distance for those brave enough and fortunate enough to venture forth to seek its beauty. Before heading there, Cuba was a bit of a mystery to us, as there isnt a ton of information available to the average person. I hope our time there helped us understand our place, their place, and our common place in this world. But I digress, lets take it a bit slower.
Why did we return to the armpit of Mexico (Cancun) you may ask? Well, unfortunately traveling in Cuba turned out to be a little more expensive than we had hoped, even though we sorta expected it. Our initial month in Mexico we were budgeting $50 dollars per day, where as our time in Cuba was running us around $92 per day. Roughly double the costs associated in Mexico. Although we had budgeted this amount for the trip (we roughed out about $90 bucks per day), we were actually hoping it would turn out to be cheaper as we had budgeted kinda worst case scenario prices. But, as it turned out to be a bit more costly than we had planned, we decided to cut our trip in Cuba a little short so as to extend our journeys through other lush and beautiful countries and landscapes.
Okay, I said a lot so far. What do I expand upon? Armpit of Mexico? Yeah, Cancun kinda sucks. If you want to fly to the Miami Beach of Mexico and be surrounded by Americans and Europeans and pay too much for everything and get ripped off half the time, well this is the place. You are a walking wallet in a world of greed. Its a bit sickening. If you want to experience Mexico - the language, the culture, the sites and the smells, well..... you get the point - don't come here. This place is an amusement park - abusive to the senses. Okay okay, I see what you are saying. Perhaps Travis is a little harsh on Cancun. Perhaps I am, but its a bit more transparent stepping back into this setting fresh from Cuba where the citizens possessed far far less, but still treated you as an equal. Cubans are very generous, helpful, courteous and kind. As we took a collectivo today upon our return from the Cancun Airport into downtown Cancun, we watched, a bit helpless, as a young French girl paid (got ripped off) $15 dollars for the same ride that Mari and I paid 50 pesos for ($4.16 USD). We discussed it, and decided that this type of injustice just didn't happen in Cuba. Not to say it 100% couldn't happen, or doesn't happen, all I can say is it never happened to us. We were always quoted fair prices and never felt like anyone was raising prices on us solely because we were tourists. Returning to Cancun, I see that Cancun is a bit of a game. How much can they charge you, how much can they add to the bill and still get away with it. Cuba is more along the lines that they charge you, but no one is getting rich. Its a subtle, yet bonding and identifiable difference. As Dorothy once said, we're not in Kansas anymore. Well, as Mari and I now say - we aren´t in Cuba anymore. No more instant security and ease of mind. We are back in the battle.
As for Cuba, I hope to be posting more on that soon. I need to outline several threads. Food, housing, cities, people, ocean, money etc. But for now, what I want to say is that it was eye opening and spectacular. What I am about to say is a generalization in the larger sense, but for the most part is true. Of course I am sure there are exceptions, but from what I am told - not many. In Cuba there are no guns, no drugs, little violence, no rape, little petty theft. Amazingly, by law, all children go to school. Thus, there are no poor needy kids begging for change or candies or looking poor and desperate. They all walk the streets in their tidy school uniforms looking sharp. Because school is mandatory, and college is free, Cuba is a very well educated city - although still a bit shut off from the world. At night, we would walk down the creepiest of creepiest looking streets in downtown Havana, with light bulbs burnt out and crowds of people here and there in the shadows while slowly making our way back to our casa particular. Anywhere else in the world a dark, seemingly dangerous looking street world would have scared the shit out of us. Yet in Cuba we walked with security and little to no fear - because it´s safe. It´s safe for tourists, locals, women, children and all. Totally amazing. Mind blowing if you really really think about it. I dont know what Fidel did, but in this respect something really worked to create an honest, respectable society.
I hope to expand on this topic in the next couple days. As for now, I need to plan. Its 10 pm, Mari is up in our room sleeping, I am finishing a rum and coke, and we should really start discussing our future plans. Originally we were to return to Cancun on the 25th, and stay a week here in Cancun between Christmas and New Years. But, with a quick call to my travel agent (my mom *thank you) we blew off the scheduled week in Cancun and have set our sites on juicier destinations rather than spend another 15 days in and around Cancun.
T
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