No way (San) Jose, back in the real world

Yeah, it's definitely a wake-up call going from probably the least americanized country to the one of the most americanized countries in latin america.
Last night when I was walking down the main avenue in San Jose (Costa Rica) the McDonaldssigns hit me right back into the face of reality.

Leaving Cuba was for sure wayyy easier than entering. First of all, when I was in Cancun, I was waiting and waiting and waiting for some info on my flight of 1.30am to pop up on the screen. When even the lady behind the counter couldn't even give me info, I became quite anxious. She told me my flight didn't exist. It was 1am at night, I was tired and sleepy and just wanted to get on the damn plane. Because I was so tired my Spanish was definitely not as well as it normally is and I got really upset because no one really cared to help me. Eventually there was a really nice guy who spoke really decent English and told (well actually angrily demanded) the staff to get the manager.
A long story short, he gave me a new flight at 7am for free and got a night in a reaaally luxurious hotel with breakfast and airport pickup also for free. Caitlin was a happy girl again. The happy girl became less happy again when she got to Havana. I either have forgotten my camera in the hotel in the rush or it got stolen on the way to Cuba. I uploaded probably half of my photos on a website but it still sucks. I also got interrogated like crazy at the airport and they got through all my stuff, probably because of my superterrorist looking face. After 1,5 hours they finally let me through and the guy said 'bienvenida a Cuba'. Yeah, thanks a lot, asshole.
Anyway, shit happens and first world problems, on to the Cuban adventure.

When I entered Havana I felt kind of, trapped. Maybe it was because I was on an island, or maybe it was because I travelled back like between 60 and 30 years in time. It was hard for me not having any contact with the outside world, my family and friends for a month, but it was a nice challenge to sort things out without using internet and to actually post letters and buy a phonecard to make a phonecall abroad.

Some things that I really liked about Cuba: free hospitals and healthcare, there is 1 doctor per 170 people; very few poverty; food like rice, beans, bread, oil and milk is pretty much for free; free education for children as well as universities; Cuba has a literacy of 99% (this is actually 0,8% more than in the netherlands) and not only can people read and write, they actually read books as well!
Another great thing about Cuba is that Cuban men are reeeaaally attractive, I think it's good when everywhere you look, everyone is goodlooking. Is good eh. If you'll go to Cuba as a girl, I can guarantee you, you won't lack any attention.
This whole invasion of attention was good for my selfesteem the first couple of days, then it just got really annoying all this pssht, butiful ays, wer yu froh? and taxi lady? And when you say no, i don't need a taxi, they'll ask you ten times more and then just randomly suggest places you should go to.

I spent my first nights in Havana in a casa particular by the malecon. (Hostels don't exist in Cuba except for a few exceptions in Havana, so what people do is they rent a room in their house to foreigners. A house like this is called a casa particular, foreigners are by law not allowed to enter any other Cuban household.)
It's nice to have a room for yourself but it's harder to meet other travellers this way. You don't pay per bed but per room so it's quite expensive to travel by yourself since you pay from 15 tot 25 CUC per night. (1 CUC is about a dollar.)
The casa was owned by an old couple who were watching telenovelas (the latin american equivalent of Goede tijden, Slechte tijden) and cuban baseball. Pretty much the only things you'll see on tv, and also the news, which is either about Cuba or about Venezuela.

On the first day I bought a new camera which i paid wayyyyy too much for in CUC. CUC stands for Cuban Convertibles.
Cuba has two currencies, CUCs and the Cuban national peso. To explain a little something about this:
One national peso is worth 1/24 of a CUC, or just over four cents, and in socialist Cuba state salaries are fixed; the range as of mid-2012 was between about 250 and 900 pesos a month. Hence the workplace philosophy: “They pretend to pay us, while we pretend to work.”
CUCs were introduced a decade ago as a replacement for the dollars and other foreign money that began flooding and disrupting the country after the Soviet Union collapse in 1991. In practice, pretty much everything that is 'a luxury' you have to pay it in CUC.)
Still confused? Read this article of the national geographic: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/new-cuba/gorney-text

Furtheron, I went to the latin American cinefestival, watched a brazilian movie called Bruna Surfistinha with spanish subtitles and understood like 95% of it. w00t w00t!
I'm sure 20 years ago Havana was a beautiful city, now it looks like all the buildings could use a likkie verf. It's surrounded by american cars from the 50s and soccerplaying 'jovenes' in parks. There are no commercials whatsoever in Cuba, if you'll try to exlain to a Cuban what it is, they will call it 'propaganda'.

After a couple of days in La Habana I took a bus to Viñales, the owner of my casa knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who has a bike so in 10 minutes I had a bike to cycle around las Viñales, a precious valley where crops of fruit, vegetables, coffee and especially tobacco are grown by traditional methods. I also spend a day in the eco-village las terrazas and had dinner in one of Cuba's very few vegetarian restaurants. When I took the bus back to Havana I met two mexicans and ended hanging too many days more in Havana. I met an 83yearold revolutionary who knew Camilo Cienfuegos and got really welcomed into the family. It was nice to spend christmas with this Cuban family and we made a delicious Cuban dinner together.

Although I wanted to stay longer, I felt like I had to continue my trip so after lots of fuss I got on a nightbus to Santiago de Cuba. Santiago is the capital of salsa and everyone in the street tells you they want to be your salsateacher or your tourguide, either way it's not a question.
For those who don't know, mostly Santiago (and also Baracoa) got hit by the cyclone Sandy. Lots of houses got destroyed and many rooftops had to get fixed again. Although Santiago got some help from foreign countries like Venezuela but also Holland and Germany, Cubans mainly fixed everything themselves. Not by construction workers, but by teachers, nurses, painters, really everyone. Cubans are really able to do anything. If you want a pink russian speaking pony with wings, a Cuban will get you one.

After santiago I took off to Baracoa, probably my favorite place in Cuba.
If you ever go to Baracoa, make sure you will eat Calalu, a veggie dish with coconutmilk and rice, it's delicious!
I hooked up with a Canadian and a Cuban, we ate coconut at the beach, swam in the rivah, took a coach with a mule to the jungle, went out dancing in Baracoa and celebrated new years eve.

The whole family of my casa brought me to the busstation the next day, so sweet, and I took a bus to Camaguey, a labyrinthe city, followed by Sancti Spiritus and Trinidad. In these cities I just did some sightseeing, eating, reading and laying low for a couple of days.
Trinindad is an old city in which it seemed time stood even more still than in the rest of Cuba. In Trinidad I went out to a music cafe on some outdoor steps called casa de la musica, there was great live Cuban music with dancers and everyone was dancing, a great experience!
The following day I was in Cienfuegos, also called the pearl of the south. A calm city by the bay with a very nice malecon, good food and great arquitecture.

When I was waiting for the bus to Santa Clara I met a girl from Finland. Aaawhhh yeahfinally people, and she was also going into the same direction as me, so we shared a room in a casa saving both shitloads of money.
We paid a visit to this huge Che Guevara statue just outside the city of Santa Clara. I don't know, I just had... double feelings about this statue.
First of all I have a thing against huge statues of people in general, they ideolize people and turn them into symbols in which you forget that 'even' Che Guevara was also just a man. I am sure lots of people are happy about what he has done for Cuba, yes, and I understand people want something to remember him by. This statue was just a little bit of the other extreme to me. I hope the Cuban is not going to kill me now, but they don't have internet so I should be fine :)
So, Finland, a Dutchie and me went out to Club Mejunje in Santa Clara for 3 nights straight. Every night there was different music and shitloads of people came out, every single night. It felt like everyone had vacation but I guess Cubans just don't give a shit. Santa Clara is quite an alternative city. Every October there is a metalfest, and even the metalheads can dance salsa! Quite hilarious to see bearded metalheads with black metalbandshirts twist and turn girls around and swing their hips.

The night before my plane left to San Jose, I spent in Havana, got a photo taken with a camera from 1901, bought a Cuban dress and drank a daiquiri in la floridita which has a statue of Hemingway with my friend (yeah, surprisingly called) Ernesto from the Habana familia. And just like Cuba is a country of contraries, I felt divided about leaving. I was sad to be leaving behind these great people that I met, this colourful and dynamic culture of people who seem to be able to do anything. I felt too priviliged that I even could leave this amazing island, but I also felt... relieved.