Cuba - Lonely Planet [383]
Canada-Cuba Farmer to Farmer Project (www.farmertofarmer.ca) Vancouver-based sustainable agriculture organization.
Canada World Youth ( 514-931-3526; www.cwy-jcm.org) Head office in Montreal, Canada.
Cuban Solidarity Campaign ( 020 8800 0155; www.cuba-solidarity.org) Head office in London, UK.
National Network on Cuba (www.cubasolidarity.com) US-based solidarity group.
Pastors for Peace (PFP; 212-926-5757; www.ifco news.org) Collects donations across the US to take to Cuba.
Witness for Peace (WFP; 202-588-1471; www.witnessforpeace.org) Looking for Spanish-speakers with a two-year commitment.
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WOMEN TRAVELERS
In terms of personal safety, Cuba is a dream destination for women travelers. Most streets can be walked alone at night, violent crime is rare and the chivalrous part of machismo means you’ll never step into oncoming traffic. But machismo cuts both ways, with protecting on one side and pursuing – relentlessly – on the other. Cuban women are used to piropos (the whistles, kissing sounds and compliments constantly ringing in their ears), and might even reply with their own if they’re feeling frisky. For foreign women, however, it can feel like an invasion.
Ignoring piropos is the first step. But sometimes ignoring them isn’t enough. Learn some rejoinders in Spanish so you can shut men up. No me moleste (don’t bother me), está bueno ya (all right already) or que falta respeto (how disrespectful) are good ones, as is the withering ‘don’t you dare’ stare that is also part of the Cuban woman’s arsenal. Wearing plain, modest clothes might help lessen unwanted attention; topless sunbathing is out. An absent husband, invented or not, seldom has any effect. If you go to a disco, be very clear with Cuban dance partners what you are and are not interested in. Dancing is a kind of foreplay in Cuba and may be viewed as an invitation for something more. Cubans appreciate directness and as long as you set the boundaries, you’ll have a fabulous time. Being in the company of a Cuban man is the best way to prevent piropos, and if all else fails, retire to the pool for a day out of the line of fire and re-energize.
Traveling alone can be seen as an invitation for all kinds of come-ons; solo women travelers won’t have an easy time of it. Hooking up with a male traveler (or another woman, at least to deflect the barrage) can do wonders.
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Transport
CONTENTS
* * *
Getting There & Away
Entering the Country
Air
Sea
Tours
Getting Around
Air
Bicycle
Bus
Car
Ferry
Hitchhiking
Local Transport
Tours
Train
Truck
* * *
GETTING THERE & AWAY
ENTERING THE COUNTRY
Whether it’s your first time or 50th, descending low into José Martí International Airport, over rust-red tobacco fields, is an exciting and unforgettable experience. Fortunately, entry procedures are straightforward, as long as you have a passport valid for six months, an onward ticket and your tourist card filled out (be sure to put something under ‘Address in Cuba’; Click here).
Outside Cuba, the capital city is called Havana, and this is how travel agents, airlines and other professionals will refer to it. Within Cuba, it’s almost always called Habana or La Habana by everyone. For the sake of consistency, we have used the former spelling throughout this book.
Flights, tours and rail tickets can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services.
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AIR
Airports & Airlines
Cuba has 11 international airports and more than 60 carriers serving the island. Most travelers fly into Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí in Havana (HAV; 7-266-4644), Aero-puerto Juan Gualberto Gómez in Varadero (VRA; 45-61-30-16) or Aeropuerto Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba (SCU; 22-69-10-14). Travelers on package tours might fly into Holguín (HOG; 24-42-52-71), Ciego de Ávila (AVI; 33-26-66-26), Cayo Largo del Sur (CYO; 46-34-82-07) or Aeropuerto Jardines del Rey (CCC; 33-30-91-27).
The national airline of Cuba is Cubana de Aviación (www.cubana.cu). Its modern