The People of Cuba

In Cuba, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the people who work for the government and those who are forging their own path. These are their stories.

Meet Andito

Imagine for a moment graduating from medical school at the age of 25. You’re elated to begin your career as a doctor, specializing in Internal Medicine, except there is one slight problem – your salary. You will be earning $56 per month. Yes, per month. Such is life as a doctor in Cuba.

When we met Andito, it wasn’t because we were seeking medical attention. Instead, looking to experience the Cuban nightlife with a local, we booked his Cuba Bar Hop experience on Airbnb. Like many professionals in Cuba, Andito has been forced to turn to tourism to make ends meet.

While the cost of living is lower in Cuba, Andito says that people can’t live on only their monthly salary. Almost everyone has a second job. As a result of these unlivable wages, many Cubans are even leaving their professional careers to look for better money – usually in tourism. You have architects, doctors, and professors quitting their jobs to work as bartenders or tour guides. It makes you think about the long term effects that this may have on their country.

Andito started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 18. First as a taxi driver, he went on to sell cigars and did just about any work he could find related to tourism. During medical school, he discovered Airbnb Experiences, “the only platform in Cuba that actually gives you a chance of CREATING anything you want” as he told me. Andito jumped at the opportunity to be his own boss and design a truly unique experience.

There were always two important objectives in which he wanted to devise an experience around: taking tourists to places they won’t find by themselves, and getting them surrounded by real Cuban people. With these goals in mind, he gravitated towards an area he knew well – nightlife. And thus, the Cuba Bar Hop was created in December 2018.

Andito is one of the most welcoming, hardworking and fun-loving persons I have ever met. Doctor by day, life of the party by night. His Bar Hop was a highlight of our trip. One of his most admirable traits is his passion for Cuban traditions and culture. He showed us the right way to smoke a Cuban cigar, using techniques learned from his dad and granddad. We were also introduced to the traditional Cuban drink, which I still struggle to pronounce, canchanchara.

During our time with Andito, he had just one request: spread the news that everyone can travel to Cuba.

When you are planning your trip, make sure you check out his Cuba Bar Hop experience. If you’re going on a bar crawl, what’s better than having a doctor by your side?

Meet Don Pepe, Jorge and Jorge

Have you ever seen the movie Cuba and the Cameraman on Netflix? If not, you should watch it this weekend. Filmed over the course of 45 years, one of the most memorable segments of the film follows the lives of a family of Cuban farmers. Their story is moving and heartbreaking.

Although I was unable to track down the farmers in the film, visiting Don Pepe’s farm on our Vinales Valley tour was a fitting alternative. While Havana is a city in the midst of change, the farming regions in Vinales feel untouched by technology. You won’t see tractors or other farming equipment; instead, the land is plowed by oxen, and tobacco seeds are planted by hand.

Don Pepe (not pictured) is the patriarch of a family that has been farming their plot of land for five generations. At 86 years old, he is still the first to arrive to the field and the last one to go home. We didn’t get to meet Don Pepe as we arrived during his two hour siesta – a ritual for him when the sun is at its peak.

After touring the fields, we sat down for a cigar rolling demonstration. Jorge (pictured left) did the honors. He is known by his nickname, Frances, as his grandfather came over from France in the early 20^th century. Frances, 50, is married to Don Pepe’s only daughter.

Horseback riding was guided by the man on the right, also named Jorge, or El Viejo (meaning “the old”) which was given to him as a kid because he was very responsible. He can’t say if that still applies today. A genuine Cuban cowboy, El Viejo, 53, is Don Pepe’s oldest grandson.

Cigars here are made by a simple process: three dried tobacco leaves rolled together and sealed with honey. That’s it. No chemicals, no additives.

As a tobacco farmer, Don Pepe is required to give 90% of his tobacco crops to the government.

In the evening, it is tradition for the entire family, including children, to sit down and roll cigars together. When asked who the best cigar roller in the family is, they admitted that Don Pepe was the fastest, but Jorge (Frances) rolled the finest cigars.

Saying that these farmers work hard is like saying Michael Jordan is good at basketball. Free time isn’t in their vocabulary. Seven days a week, from sun up to sun down, all they know is their work. There’s a beauty in that, in some ways.

Meet Lula, Pedro and Nalia. And Chaplin.

When you go to Cuba, you want to stay in a casa particular. Similar to a bed and breakfast, you stay in the home of a local Cuban family. This is how we met these wonderful people.

Lula, 67, and Pedro, 76, are artists. Many years ago, Cuba stopped importing mannequins. Recognizing a need, Pedro built a successful business constructing mannequins for local Cuban artists, theaters and business owners. There’s that entrepreneurial spirit again. When the first ballet came to Havana, the lead ballet dress was displayed on one of Pedro’s mannequins.

Perhaps due to their Spanish heritage, it is common, even expected, for multiple generations of family to live under one roof. Lula’s 92 year old mother, Nalia, also resides in the casa. Lula told us they are planning a big party for when she turns 100. If there is one regret we have about our trip, it is not being able to converse in Spanish. Nalia, or “Abuela” as we got to know her, didn’t speak English, but her vivaciousness was evident. You just know she has some stories to tell.

And of course, Amanda’s favorite, Chaplin. The cat went by a different name until a guest pointed out he looked just like Charlie Chaplin – and the name stuck.

Lula and Pedro’s favorite part about operating a casa particular is it has allowed them meet people from all around the world. They have had guests from China, France, Brazil, and Germany stay within the past few months. Cuba is no longer a place that is shut off from the rest of the world.

Meet Papita, Rene and Victor

Travel has a way of providing surreal moments. Sitting at Papita’s kitchen table, in a house that her husband, Rene, built by hand after a hurricane wiped out their previous one, feasting on a home-cooked farm to table meal was one of those moments.

Situated on an idyllic plot of land in the Vinales Valley, Papita and Rene have been running their coffee farm for 30 years. When she isn’t cooking insanely delicious meals for her guests, you can find Papita amongst the coffee trees, picking each individual coffee bean by hand.

In spending time with Papita, Rene and their grandson Victor, age 9, we not only were able to learn about their way of life, but also share some aspects about our life in the US. After showing them a few photos of the Rocky Mountains, the snowstorms that we deal with, and talking about baseball; we landed on a topic that was of the utmost interest to Rene and Victor… bears.

They were fascinated by bears. “Do they attack?” “How do you keep them out of your house?” “Can’t they just bust through your door and eat you alive?” We told Papita, Rene and Victor that we would love for them to come visit us in Colorado, but I’m afraid that the presence of bears ruined any chance of that ever happening. 

During our talks with Victor, the topic of a girlfriend came up. In Cuba, you don’t ask a boy if they have a girlfriend; instead, it’s how many girlfriends do you have? As a 9 year old, his answer was an emphatic zero. It’ll be interesting to see how that answer changes the next time we see him.

What are your travel plans for 2020? Why not take a trip to Cuba? You can tell Andito I sent you!

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram. Until next time!