We bid a sad farewell to this beautiful Island and our lovely guide Ariel at Jose Marti airport.  Pretty much everything in Cuba seems to be named after Jose. 

We’ve met some lovely people.  They are attractive, lively, kind and fun to be with, but there is rarely a conversation that doesn’t turn to politics and the frustration of their lives.   Most people work for the state wage which is about 15-20 pesos a month (£12-16).  They get paid in the local currency which is worth about a quarter of the “convertible” peso which has been devised to halt the wide spread use of the US dollar.  Everyone gets a ration of food which is affordable and can be bought with local currency.  It amounts to a big bag of rice, another of beans, one leg of chicken, sugar,oil, coffee and a bar of soap. That’s for a month!  Anything extra is expensive and has to be bought in convertible and they are given a bad exchange rate, so everyone is working overtime trying to get extra convertibles so that they can buy food and clothes.  But they can’t earn convertibles and it all has to be done backhanded.  It’s very confusing.  The state bans any kind of free lance work or selling goods on the open market.  The healthcare and education is good but who wants to train as a doctor and still not earn enough to feed and clothe your family?  Everyone wants to get out, mostly to the US, but it’s nigh impossible to get a visa and even if they could the ticket alone would cost several years salary.   

The rations shop.

Street vendors sell produce, often illegally, but it keeps the food supply going.  
What you have is a nation of people who aren’t starving, but are hungry, not just for food, but for opportunity and more freedom.  And with Castro gone and his aged little brother now commanding but without such a strength of support, it’s a powder keg.  
On a positive note we spent a lovely afternoon with Juana and Rodrigo, 2 friends from childhood who did the tourist pickup thing and somehow we ended up buying them lunch in a bar that everyone swears Mick Jagger and Madonna went to and where they filmed Fast and Furious 217.  Apparently.  Both single parents (divorce rates are high and birth rates are low due to the expense of having children) she is a trainee teacher and he is a social worker.  Anyway, the rum flowed and the rice and beans and goat was delicious, and they told us more about Cuba than you could get from any guide book.  Like everyone they are working hard and getting little back, and their frustration verged on anger at times, but when they talked about so many people trying to leave they were adamant.  “No, never.  It’s hard here, but mi alma, my soul is in Cuba.  The reason we look happy is because we are happy people despite everything.  We struggle but we dance and drink and enjoy life on this beautiful island”.   Ok, that wasn’t their exact words, I was on the rum too and I’m translating, but that was the gist.   On a superficial note, we assumed they were in their 20s.  You could have knocked me over with a palm leaf when they told us they were both 48.  I’m envisioning a whole new diet fad.  We embrace the glorious revolution whilst losing weight and staying young.   3 portions of rice and beans a day with as much tropical fruit as you can eat and no need to go to the gym as you walk everywhere because you can’t buy a car.   The GR plan.