Languages Plus - Havana, Cuba

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Weather in Havana
The Cuba weather is mild subtropical, thanks to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer, its narrow configuration, east to west oriented receives the refreshing action of tradewinds and marine breezes. During the short winter are influences of cold air masses coming from the North, but they are of short duration. The average temperature throughout the year oscillates between the 20 and 35ºC, lowering sometimes to 10°C. The Eastern region enjoys a warmer weather than the western and the variations of temperature between the day and the night are less accentuated in the coastal regions that in inland. Those that enjoy the beach will be glad to know that the average water temperature surpasses 25°C.

By its geographic situation, the country is affected between June 1st and 30th November by the cyclone season. They can affect the island in hurricane form with winds that goes up to 200 km/h and heavy storms. This cyclone stage agrees approximately with the rainy season (May to October), in front of the dry one (November to April).

The experience of a cyclone emergency is a moving but non dangerous fact; all the hotels have modern structure or are rehabilitated and protected to receive the phenomenon. Around all the streets are circulating vehicles with megaphones giving instructions to the population and is requested only to leave the houses in case of extreme need. In the buildings, the person in charge places instructions in the lobby for the guests and the windows as the doors are protected. For the non Caribbean visitors it is a new experience; the television, that exceptionally emits by the morning, initiates to first hours its emissions with weather parts.

Eating in Havana
The typical Cuban gastronomy is the result of the interaction of the Spanish, African and Asian influences. The Spaniards took to the island diet vegetables, rice, oranges, lemons and cattle. The African incorporated foods like ñame -a kind of tubercle-, to which were added the existing in the island, like yucca, gumbo, sweet potato and maize. All these elements were fused with time in what today we denominate Cuban kitchen. By now, the basic products in the elaboration of their dishes are rice, beans, yucca, corn, banana and pig, as well as a rich variety of tropical fruits.

The typical Cuban dish is the ajiaco, a vianda and meat soup. The calf and the pig are the meats of greater demand; it’s traditional to cook the pig to the prong, roasted to the whole furnace, gutted and shaved. Also much fish is consumed, mainly in the cities. The most appreciated is pargo, although also great amounts of shrimps, lobsters and other varieties of seafood are consumed. The Cuban kitchen has many creòle plates, like the rice with chicken and the romeritos, prepared with white flour and leavening.

In the rich and varied afro-Cuban kitchen, the plates conserve their African name. The most traditional is congri. This plate has two varieties: rice with red beans, called Congo, or with black beans, known as "Moors and Christians". Other specialities of this kitchen are zambrilla, based on banana slices fried and kneaded; pig cracklings and minced meat, known as picadillo habanero.

Among desserts the best is guenguel, candy done with ground maize, sugar and cinnamon, and among drinks the champola, with gunábana, sugar cane and milk. The cane juice and the molasses serve to prepare sweet drinks. Between the spirits the best are the rum and the beer, although in the bars the absolute star is daiquiri, a drink made of white and dry rum, lemon juice, sugar and pricked ice, and that became famous by the fascination that felt by it the American writer Ernest Hemingway.

Nightlife
The Cuban nightlife is concentrated in Havana, the Varadero beaches and in the tourist resorts. Salsa dancing is one of the most known aspects of the country, and the visitors can take lessons with a Cuban professor or shake their hips to the rhythms of clubs like the Tropicana and the Varadero Mambo. It’s advisable that night time activities are planned by the tour operator or guide, since the most common thing is to attend in groups.

The theatre, opera and ballet offers in Havana are also interesting, and generally very cheap; the cinemas have films translated to Spanish, although sometimes they have subtitles.

Sports
In Cuba, all the sport events are for free. The national sport is baseball, although other ball sports like soccer are practiced.

Some of the watersports that can be practiced are diving, snorkelling, windsurf, fishing and surf. The best places for it are Varadero, the Keys, Pinar del Rio, Guardalavaca, and Isla de la Juventud, from where leave excursions to the coral barrier.

Although it is possible to practice trekking in some faraway regions, it’s necessary to have an official permission, and is also advisable to contract a local guide. In the Sierra Maestra range is the highest peak of the island, Turquino Peak, in addition to some interesting footpaths. The Mountain range of Cubitas, near Camagüey, it’s characterized by his rivers that run among cliffs, whereas the Escambray mountains, near Trinidad, contains a very dense tropical forest. The Mountain range of Guaniguanico, in the north of the island, offers a spectacular landscape of rivers running among mountains and limestone caves.

Another possibility is horse riding, offered by some tourist farms in Baconao and Trinidad.

Shopping in Havana
The typical Cuban products, those that are impossible not to take are, without doubt, Cigars and Rum. Considered like the best of the world, some of the main Cigar marks are Cohiba, Hoyo of Monterrey and Punch. It’s advisable to buy them in official establishments, asking for the purchase bill. It’s also possible to acquire them in the airport stores and the main tourist hotels. It’s not recommendable to buy them to the street salesmen, since they are not of so high quality. Good rum can be acquired in the island, of which it is recommended to buy marks non commercialized outside Cuba, like Santiago, Paticruzado or Legendario.

The wood statues are an interesting shopping option, mainly those that are in the crafts stores. It is suggested not to buy old books, because the published before the 40´s are declared National Patrimony and they cannot leave the country without the due authorization.

If you acquired a picture in a crafts market it has to assure that they are legalized - this is, that has their license -, or will be due to ask for an official certificate for his export, with the consequent loss of time. A Cuban typical product is the virgins statuettes made in stucco or plaster and hand painted with showy colours and a style somewhat naïf, found in any Cuban swap-meet or product stores. Cuban music is another good option of purchase.

Getting around
Airports: The only international airport of Cuba is in Havana. Other airports are in Santiago of Cuba, Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas, Bayamo and Varadero.

Airplane: Is the fastest way to move through the country, although it is necessary to consider that most of the flies are made in old airplanes that do not reunite all the desirable comfort conditions. The prices are reasonable. From Havana it’s possible to fly to different cities and to the tourist centres. Some flights are regular and other charter. The airline company Cubana de Aviacion offers these internal flights.

Cars: The state of the Cuban roads is generally acceptable, but many secondary roads had its asphalt pocketed. The main road goes from Pinar del Rio to Guantánamo, crossing longitudinally the island; it goes through most of the province capitals. It has freeway rank from Pinar del Rio through Havana and to near Jatibonico. Also a small Freeway section out of Santiago de Cuba. Rent: the main tourist hotels of Havana, Playa del Este, Varadero and Santiago de Cuba offer a car rental service, that usually is rented with limitless kilometre.

The fuel is paid in dollars. The stations do not abound, reason why it is necessary to try to travel with the possible fullest deposit. The obligatory insurance is not included in the price. The minimum age to rent a car is 21 years, and in addition it’s demanded to have a minimum driver experience of a year. A good alternative is to rent the car with a driver, which avoids problems, in addition to not being much more expensive.

Bus: Cuba has an acceptable interurban bus service, and although they can be somewhat uncomfortable, is a good way to travel. The tickets are sold directly in the bus terminals and it is advised to purchase the passages in advance.

Train: Cuba has a 5,000 km public railroad network and almost 8,000 km more dedicated to the transport of the sugar cane. Havana is communicated with the main cities, such as Matanzas, Santa Clara, Ciego de Avila, Camagüey, Victoria, Las Tunas, Bayamo, Holguín, Santiago and Guantánamo. The trains are divided in express -with air conditioned - and regular -slower than the first and without air conditioned -. The service schedules and frequency can be consulted in the railway stations.

Taxi: The island has several types of taxi. The known as Panataxis are for exclusive tourist use, and had to be contracted for a precise service of hours or days; usually are in the front of the hotels, restaurants, cabarets and nightclubs. The same benefits have the Turistaxis, but they are more expensive. The conventional taxis are taken in any place but there are quite little. Although they have a taximeter, it’s not usually used, since they agree to the price of the service with the client.

Also exist taxis for the locals, known as colectivos, that in principle cannot take foreign passage but they skip the rule generally to gain a few dollars. Finally are the particular taxis, known as boteros. They are private cars without license that offer themselves to the client in strategic places of the city. The taxi stops are known as piqueras. The important cities have a bike-taxi service, offered as a tourist stroll but also is a good way to move by the centre of the great cities. In Havana they are of two passengers and in other cities, like in Baracoa, of one. The price of this service is very economic.