Cuba - Lonely Planet [378]
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POST
Letters and postcards sent to Europe and the US take about a month to arrive. While sellos (stamps) are sold in Cuban pesos and Convertibles, correspondence bearing the latter has a better chance of arriving. Postcards cost CUC$0.65 to all countries. Letters cost CUC$0.65 to the Americas, CUC$0.75 to Europe and CUC$0.85 to all other countries. Prepaid postcards, including international postage, are available at most hotel shops and post offices and are the surest bet for successful delivery. For important mail, you’re better off using DHL, located in all the major cities; it costs CUC$55 for a 900g letter pack to Australia, or CUC$50 to Europe.
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SHOPPING
If shopping’s one of your favorite vacation pastimes, don’t make a special trip to Cuba. To the relief of many and the disappointment of a few, Western-style consumerism hasn’t yet reached the time-warped streets of Cuba’s austere capital. That’s not to say you have to walk away empty-handed. Pampering to a growing number of well-off travelers, Cuba’s tourist industry has upped the ante considerably in recent years and specialist shops are spreading fast.
The Holy Grail for most foreign souvenir-hunters is a box of Cuban cigars, closely followed by a bottle of Cuban rum, both of which are significantly cheaper than in stores in Europe or Canada. Another often overlooked bargain is a bag of Cuban coffee, a potent and aromatic brew made from organically grown beans and best served espresso-style with a dash of sugar.
Elsewhere memorabilia is thin on the ground. Aimed strictly at the tourist market, you’ll find cheap dolls, flimsy trinkets, mediocre woodcarvings and low-quality leather goods, but Cuba is a world leader in none of these things. Far better as long-lasting souvenirs are salsa CDs, arty movie posters, musical instruments or a quirky string of Santería beads.
Paintings are another of Cuba’s fortes and local artists selling their work from small private studios are both numerous and talented. If you buy an original painting, print or sculpture, be sure to ask for a receipt to prove you bought it at an official sales outlet; otherwise, it could be confiscated by customs upon departure (Click here).
In a country where clothes were – until recently – rationed, and lycra is still considered to be the height of cool, finding the latest pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans could prove a little difficult. Incurable fashion junkies can spend their Convertibles on pleated guayabera shirts or a yawningly predictable Che Guevara T-shirt (if you don’t mind being reduced to a walking cliché). Take your pick.
Cigars
Visitors are allowed to export CUC$2000 worth of documented cigars per person. Amounts in excess of this, or black-market cigars without receipts, will be confiscated (Cuban customs is serious about this, with an ongoing investigation into cigar rings and more than half a million seizures of undocumented cigars annually). The tax-free limit without a receipt is two boxes (50 cigars) or 23 singles of any size or cost. Of course, you can buy additional cigars in the airport departure lounge once you’ve passed Cuban customs, but beware of your limits when entering other countries. (Mexican customs in Cancún, for instance, conducts rigorous cigar searches.) If you traveled without a license to Cuba, US customs will seize any tobacco you have upon entering; licensed travelers are permitted to bring the equivalent of US$100 worth of cigars into the US. (Imitation Cuban cigars sold in the US contain no Cuban tobacco.)
La Casa del Habano (www.habanos.net) is the national cigar store chain, where the staff is well informed, there’s a wide selection and sometimes a smoking lounge.
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