Cuba Now - What We Saw
Hey Everyone. I just returned from 9 days in Cuba. A few were spent in Havana, and the rest in the small fishing town of Playa Larga. We were a group of 8, and this had been a trip planned for more than a year. As you can imagine, there were many talks along the way about the situation in Cuba, and whether or not we should even go. The truth is, of our original 8 guests, 6 canceled their trip early on. I was able to add others, but as time went by and we all saw more and more headlines about fuel shortages and blackouts, people started to wonder if the trip made sense.
Luckily, all my remaining guests trusted me to keep up with the situation, and to get that information directly from friends in Cuba rather than the media. I also continually talked with our outfitter-partner to assess the situation. With only 3 weeks to go before our dates of travel, we committed to going, and my clients paid their final invoice. We were on our way.
As I mentioned, we spent some time in Havana before leaving for fishing. And, we had both great experiences while there, and some that were sobering. I have to say first of all, that there was more activity in the city than any of us expected. No, there were not as many cars on the streets, but there were cars and taxis available. And, lots of people are now using electrical vehicles to get around and to do their business. What was starkly evident, was that there were virtually no tourists there except us. The good of that is that we were welcomed warmly by the people at Casa Cuarteles where we stayed, by the restaurants and bars we went to, and by our friend and guide Carlos who showed the group around the city. They had seen few guests in recent months, and so our business meant a lot to them, and in seeing that, meant a lot to us.
Now, we did see some things that made me both angry and sad. First, we were approached a lot by people asking for help. Sure, we have seen this before, but this time was different. These people were obviously suffering and desperate for help. We also were dismayed by the continuing decay in the city, and the poor sanitation. Many corners were piled with garbage, awaiting the trucks that probably weren’t coming because of lack of fuel. We also saw blackouts throughout the city, although our hotel was prepared with additional power generated through solar panels. Since my guests had filled Casa Cuarteles, I rented an Airbnb near the Capitolio. I experienced several power outages, one of them lasting 24 hours. That meant climbing the five flights of stairs to my room in the dark, and having no air-conditioning through the long night. I of course opened the windows to get a breeze, but I also got eaten alive by mosquitos. It was only one night. This is what the poorest parts of Havana and cities across Cuba experience nearly every day.
I have to say, it really pissed me off. And yes, I will make a bit of a political statement here which I don’t often do. Governments are supposed to exist as servants of their people, and to make decisions that make their citizens lives better. And yet, in this situation they are both pig-headed, stubborn, and seemingly immune from the suffering of the 10 million or so inhabitants of Cuba. Will things ever change? Will either government start thinking of the people rather than their own pride and political leanings? Maybe…….. And maybe not. Time will tell.
Once in Playa Larga, we really had a great week. Staying on the beach there, with our good friends at Casa Sol y Caribe is always a pleasure, and this time was no different. They went out of their way for us, and all guests were impressed and grateful. Yes, we still did not have a/c all the time due to blackouts, but we had most of the power we needed from their generator.
As far as our week of fishing went, it was for some reason a bit off. We all know that happens sometimes. Now, we had some very good days. But, they seem mixed, with some being very good and others when very few fish seemed present. The river did not seem to fish well any of the days we went there. Again, this is fishing and everyone seemed to understand.
I am going to keep abreast of all that is happening in Cuba, and will do my best to pass along the news. AND, I do plan to look at adding trips to Playa Larga later this year if possible, and throughout the first six months of 2027. So, keep posted. If you would like a more complete report on this most recent trip, click on the link below which will take you to my YouTube channel.