Cuba

....or, "Why You Should Vacation In Socialist Countries".

Just after Christmas 2014, I went on my first ever vacation to a tropical country. Ostensibly I was going to a friend's wedding, but just as much I was going because for a brief happy window in about mid-October, when the invitation came out, I had the money and the inclination.

In case anyone looking at this has NOT been to a tropical country, I have to say this: the water actually looks like it does on the pictures, that incredible clear blue, and the beaches in Varadero really are like white sugar, and it's almost as warm in the ocean as people will tell you. It's incredible, really.

Years and years of waiting for those three weeks in late July and early August where you DON'T need a permission slip from your cardiologist to swim in Kootenay Lake, and where there's a stony beach just to GET to that cold water, made the idea that a whole ocean could be as warm as a Holiday Inn swimming pool seem pretty far-fetched. Not only that, but if you're on the beach in Cuba and the wind blows, you don't immediately find yourself thinking about how cruelly short summer, life itself in fact, is. It's just windy, but not cold. Another kind of stunning concept. I always thought people were just making it up to cover their own disappointment at having spent all that money, but no, it really is like that.

See?  Well, take my word for it...

This post isn't supposed to be about the beach and the ocean, I just wanted you to know they're really as good as people say. Look up "How to Avoid Sand Fleas", though.

Everyone knows Cuba is about to blessed with an avalanche of American tourists carrying American money. The Cubans I asked about this seemed to feel like this development is akin to a desperate man making a deal with the devil, hoping blindly that this time the devil will just cut him a break. They REALLY need the money, and they seem a little sad about what they're going to have to do to get it.

But here's the point: they REALLY like their country and the progress they feel they've made in spite of the opposition of what must feel like the whole world. They don't want to be owned or bossed around by anybody, and you get that sense from every person you meet. The room maid wants a tip, and will be jovial with you, but try an attitude on her and see how long it is till you see another fresh towel. The taxi guy wants a tip, but I bet more than a few drunks have found themselves facing long walks back to somewhere after getting a little too rowdy in the cab. All of them, they're working and they know the deal with stupid gringos and their money, but if you are very disrespectful all the money in the world isn't going to fix it. I liked that a lot.

I figured out the "costs a peso" part AFTER the picture...

They're still big on Che and Fidel, although they're pretty clear that Fidel is done. "Va bien, Fidel"

They wanted us to get out of the all inclusive resort and see the country. This was from the guy whose job it is to line people up with his company's excursions: "Take a cab, take one of our excursions because they are excellent, or take a bus to the city, even just take a walk, but GET OUT and see the country and the people!  See the REAL Cuba! This resort is very nice and the food is good and you can always get a drink, but what are you going to see here?  Lots of other people just like you. Get out, try the food, see how real Cubans live, see the country...because it's going to change, and it's never going to be like it is now again."

Not sure this was work or pleasure - dancing

This is Rich taking 8 bars with Los Guys.  They don't
seem too concerned.

So we went out and saw a little of the country. We took a little walk, saw a big giant cactus tree and a very bored, very friendly young guy whose job was to take 2 pesos from everyone and tell us about El Patriarcho...but really he just wanted to chat, wanted some company. I guess not too many tourist buses go there. We saw resort workers waiting for their bus, who laughed and corrected our terrible Spanish greeting. We went to Havana by cab and spent a couple of days wandering around there. We saw a lot of people doing a lot of things, many of which involved trying to sell a good or service to a passing tourist. What we did not see was anything threatening or scary. What we did not hear was anyone cursing us under their breath for not purchasing he good or service they were offering. Everything had a cost, but nobody resented you not spending the money.

So, what does any of this have to do with Socialism, at least in my rather wavy and possibly distorted world view? My theory is that in that country for 57 years everyone has had a job and everyone has been told, more or less convincingly, that their job matters. For this whole time they seem to have regarded each other as peers, with way less of the celebrity or hero worship that other dictatorships seem to end up demanding. So they seem to have a lot of self respect, and that seems to make them resilient and pretty upbeat and easy to get along with. That's the theory. I suppose one big question is whether that theory works in any other socialist regime in power in the world - I don't know. Probably has way more to do with the climate and the people than with the form of government they're operating under, but this blog is all about hare-brained theories, so I say Go vacation in a Socialist country!