Cuba - 2022
Cuba - so close, yet seemingly so far away to US citizens. Or so many people think! But I am here to tell ya, WE CAN EXPERIENCE CUBA! Sure, there are some extra hoops to jump through, but that's what a good travel agent (who has experienced it firsthand) is for!
My time in Cuba was amazing, it has jumped to being one of my top 5 countries I've visited in my life. The people I met were so kind and welcoming, and it was fascinating to hear about their daily struggles and triumphs, as well as to understand better the history that has brought the US and Cuba to the point we are at today.
When in Cuba, one of the requirements for US citizens is daily "meaningful engagement with the Cuban people." Let me tell you about some of the things I experienced that met this requirement, and that I can provide to my clients:
Our first night, we had dinner on a private rooftop with Cuba's only Michelin star rated chef personally cooking our food. It was a 4-course gourmet meal, the likes of which I don't think I've ever experienced! I even got a selfie with the chef - not many people have selfies with Michelin star chefs.
We took a walking tour and classic car tour of Havana with a guide who was not employed by the government, so he was very candid and open to any questions we had. We learned about how the situation in Cuba is not so black and white for the people, and more about how Fidel Castro came to power and how people felt about him throughout his time in power.
We went into a home and learned more about the Afro-Cuban religion called Santería. The "priest" showed us his religious shrine and answered questions about the practices and worldview. After that, we received a hands-on cooking lesson (I made okra!) and got to dance to typical Santerían songs while the food was finishing up being made. Eating that food we cooked was *chef's kiss* and totally delicious.
We drove to the Viñales region to the west which is the best tobacco growing region in Cuba (and they say in the world). We explored some limestone caves in the mountains and then went to a tobacco farm and learned more about how cigars are produced from start to finish, as well as more about Cuban rum and honey. After we got our lessons on that, we rode horses around the farm before eating a fantastic lunch (I had lamb which was seasoned perfectly). It's illegal to bring cigars that were produced in a factory home to the US, but buying cigars that were produced on a tobacco farm is ok - so we bought a bunch of cigars here to bring home to friends and family too.
Our main tour guide (who hosted the walking tour, joined us for Viñales, and came to a couple other things) invited us to a dinner at his home, with his wife and female family members cooking the lobster, chicken, eggplant, okra, rice and beans, and yuca dishes. In case you hadn't noticed by now, Cubans make DELICIOUS food. This experience was also great because we got a peek inside the private life of Cubans - seeing what their living room and kitchens look like and how they live on the daily.
We got a private salsa dancing lesson at a dancing school. As someone with 2 left feet and no rhythm, this was much more fun than I expected. They paired us with professionals, so each person had 1-1 instruction as well as the main teacher. We started off with basic salsa steps, moved on to a few intermediate ones before pausing for a break to watch the professionals dance a few songs (they put us to absolute shame!). Then we moved on to learning the bachata, which was significantly less complex to learn than salsa. It was really quite fun to learn and everyone came out knowing more than they did coming in.
Cuban entrepreneurs are resilient and are pushing through to get their businesses to be successful. We were able to have a private shopping day at three separate small businesses. The first, Beyond Roots, is a business all about celebrating the black heritage and black culture of Cuba. They also have one of the only natural hair shops in Havana - promoting natural hair and teaching how to care for natural hair. The second, Zulu, creates gorgeous handmade leather bags and wallets. Our final stop was at Dador, a local clothing designer in Havana that now has a shop in the Oculus Building at the World Trade Center too!
These are just a few highlights of my week-ish trip to Cuba, and the whole time was an amazing, delicious, fascinating, and immersive experience. I would recommend Cuba to anyone who is reasonably mobile (they definitely aren't ADA compliant) and interested in meaningful interactions with locals.
