![Picture](/uploads/8/2/8/1/8281240/7578683.jpg)
The three days from the Dominican Republic to Cuba were a bit of a blur but there are two things I know for sure: 1) it wasn’t very comfortable and 2) the Caribbean vomit free streak has come to an end.
Fortunately our arrival in Cuba was fairly painless. The checking in progress was very detailed; they went through our fridge, our food stores, and even smelled and tasted our spices. I filled out and signed loads of forms and answered many questions but they didn’t bother bringing the sniffer dog aboard. I guess we don’t fit the profile for drug smugglers or bomb builders - despite Adam’s appearance.
From what we’ve seen so far Cuba is a very interesting and complicated place. That’s code for confusing. The locals that we’ve talked to all seem to have a different take on the country, government policies, and life here in general. Education and health care is free but the salaries are very low and many products and consumer goods aren’t available. We are currently in the small village of Puerto Vita, which is about 22 km from the nearest store or banking facility, so we’ve taken taxis into the next town for money and supplies. There is one bakery there but they will not sell bread to anyone because it all goes to the hotels and resorts in the town.
One of the interesting things about the country is that Cuba seems to exist in different time periods all at once. We have seen large scale chicken farming across the road from huge fields with a few men using hoes to tend to the crops. You can see Cubans with shiny new cars, alongside a parade of old ones from the 50’s and 60’s, and cowboys driving carts pulled by horses and oxen. And you can get a glass of homemade pop (you return the cup) at a roadside stall across the road from the 24 hour El Rapido convenience store that sells the canned variety along with pre-packed pastries.
Sailing in Cuba is a bit of a challenge. The Cuban government is very concerned with keeping Cubans in Cuba (some people are still desperate to get off the island and are willing to swim out for several miles to meet boats) and there are restrictions on where you can go and for how long. Our plan is to sail west across the north coast and stay in anchorages along the way but it looks like a lot of the bays are closed to boats or only accessible for one night at a time. We’ll see how many we can get to.
Fortunately our arrival in Cuba was fairly painless. The checking in progress was very detailed; they went through our fridge, our food stores, and even smelled and tasted our spices. I filled out and signed loads of forms and answered many questions but they didn’t bother bringing the sniffer dog aboard. I guess we don’t fit the profile for drug smugglers or bomb builders - despite Adam’s appearance.
From what we’ve seen so far Cuba is a very interesting and complicated place. That’s code for confusing. The locals that we’ve talked to all seem to have a different take on the country, government policies, and life here in general. Education and health care is free but the salaries are very low and many products and consumer goods aren’t available. We are currently in the small village of Puerto Vita, which is about 22 km from the nearest store or banking facility, so we’ve taken taxis into the next town for money and supplies. There is one bakery there but they will not sell bread to anyone because it all goes to the hotels and resorts in the town.
One of the interesting things about the country is that Cuba seems to exist in different time periods all at once. We have seen large scale chicken farming across the road from huge fields with a few men using hoes to tend to the crops. You can see Cubans with shiny new cars, alongside a parade of old ones from the 50’s and 60’s, and cowboys driving carts pulled by horses and oxen. And you can get a glass of homemade pop (you return the cup) at a roadside stall across the road from the 24 hour El Rapido convenience store that sells the canned variety along with pre-packed pastries.
Sailing in Cuba is a bit of a challenge. The Cuban government is very concerned with keeping Cubans in Cuba (some people are still desperate to get off the island and are willing to swim out for several miles to meet boats) and there are restrictions on where you can go and for how long. Our plan is to sail west across the north coast and stay in anchorages along the way but it looks like a lot of the bays are closed to boats or only accessible for one night at a time. We’ll see how many we can get to.