Cuba - Lonely Planet [375]
Machismo shows an ugly face when it comes to lesbians and female homosexuality has not enjoyed the aperture of male homosexuality. For this reason, female lovers can share rooms and otherwise ‘pass’ with facility. However Jurassic you might find that, it’s a workable solution to a sticky problem. There are occasional fiestas para chicas (not necessarily all-girl parties, but close); ask around at the Cine Yara (Map; 7-832-9430; cnr Calles 23 & L, Vedado, Havana).
Cubans are physical with each other and you’ll see men hugging, women holding hands and lots of friendly caressing. This type of casual touching shouldn’t be a problem, but take care when that hug among friends turns overtly sensual in public.
See also boxed text.
Return to beginning of chapter
HOLIDAYS
The Cuban calendar is loaded with holidays, but there are only a few that might affect your travel plans; among them are December 25 (not declared an official holiday until after the Pope visited in 1998), January 1, May 1 and July 26. On these days, stores will be closed and transport (except for planes) erratic. On May 1, especially, buses are dedicated to shuttling people to the Plaza de la Revolución in every major city and town and you can just forget about getting inner-city transport.
July and August mean crowded beaches and sold-out campismos and hotels.
Return to beginning of chapter
INSURANCE
Insurance pays off only if something serious happens, but that’s what insurance is for, so you’d be foolish to travel without cover. Outpatient treatment at international clinics designed for foreigners is reasonably priced, but emergency and prolonged hospitalization get expensive (the free medical system for Cubans should only be used when there is no other option).
If you’re really concerned about your health, consider purchasing travel insurance once you arrive at Asistur (Map; 7-866-4499, alarm 7-866-8527; www.asistur.cu; Paseo de Martí No 208, Centro Havana, Havana). It has two types of coverage. For non-Americans the policy costs CUC$2.50 per day and covers up to CUC$400 in lost luggage, CUC$7000 in medical expenses and CUC$5000 each for repatriation of remains or jail bail. For Americans, similar coverage costs CUC$8 per day and provides up to CUC$25,000 in health-care costs, plus CUC$7000 to repatriate remains or evacuate you. See also Click here.
It’s strongly recommended that you take car insurance for a variety of reasons; Click here for details.
Worldwide travel insurance is available at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services.
Return to beginning of chapter
INTERNET ACCESS
With state-run telecommunications company Etecsa re-establishing its monopoly as service providers, internet access is available all over the country in Etecsa’s spanking new telepuntos. You’ll find one of its swish, airconditioned sales offices in almost every provincial town and it is your best point of call for fast and reliable internet access. The drill is to buy a one-hour user card (CUC$6) with scratch-off usuario (code) and contraseña (password) and help yourself to an available computer. These cards are interchangeable in any telepunto across the country so you don’t have to use up your whole hour in one go.
The downside of the Etecsa monopoly is that there are few, if any, independent internet cafes outside of the telepuntos and many of the smaller hotels – unable to afford the service fee – have had to dispense of their computers. As a general rule, most four- and five-star hotels (and all resort hotels) will have their own internet cafes although the fees here are often higher (sometimes as much as CUC$12 per hour).
As internet access for Cubans is restricted (they’re only allowed internet under supervision, eg in educational programs or if their job deems it necessary), you may be asked to show your passport when using a telepunto (although if you look obviously foreign, they won’t bother). On the plus side, the Etecsa