Thursday, 3 November 2022: How to Beat the System in Cuba

Up at 5:00 this morning to pack for my return to Trinidad and catch up on these notes.  I’m feeling defeated by my exclusion from national park trails because I can’t pay with a credit card.  I give up trying to fight the system and decide to explore the area in the vicinity of Rancho Bee Hole.

After another excellent breakfast, I head back down the trail from the rancho toward the Vegas Grande.  Would it be possible to see the falls from above?  Probably not but it might be fun to try.  I take another trail toward the Río El Colín.  It descends toward the river and is very muddy.  A good-looking white Cuban guy around 40 on a burro catches up with me.  Too bad I don’t think to ask if I can take his photo.  He doesn’t think there is a way to get above the falls.  I ask if it’s ok to continue down this trail.  Yes, and there is a village at the bottom of the trail along the river.  He heads off toward the village and I follow in the distance.  When I reach the river, the heavy riparian vegetation prevents me from seeing much up or down the river.  I see a single strand electric line following the shore and assume the village must have power.  I turn back before I get to the village after encountering a very steep, muddy section of trail – a recipe for my slipping and taking a mud bath.  No, seeing the village isn’t worth it.

I go back to the main trail and turn off in the direction of the river to climb a hill a couple hundred meters from the start of the trail down to Vegas Grande.  There is no trail but I walk past towering pines and continue to the top without difficulty.  I can barely make out the sound of the falls in the distance and the terrain slopes steeply downhill from here.  On the way back to the main trail, I’m harassed by a barking dog.  I back away from him, yell, and show him my walking stick and he keeps his distance.  

I follow the main trail back in the direction of Rancho Bee Hole and take a couple side trails that lead south, away from the river.  It’s nice countryside – forest with some agricultural land.  Eventually, I get back down to the main road leading back to Trinidad.  I follow the road back in the direction of the rancho passing a school and the El Colín bridge.

All of a sudden, I am shocked to hear a man in a car yell, “Will?”  “William?”  Who the flock would know my name out here?  The driver introduces himself as Pedro, the Cuban-American owner of Rancho Bee Hole who lives in Chicago.  We had exchanged a couple emails when I first made my reservation.  He’s here with his business partner, Liber, who lives in Havana.  They have just arrived for a couple days to check on the rancho and take care of some other stuff associated with their nature tour company, “The Nature Xperts” (www.thenaturexperts.com).  

I have a long talk with them both here along the road and after we reconnect at the rancho.  Pedro and Liber put together Cuba trips for groups from Europe, the U.S., etc. such as bike tours, visits to places associated with Fidel, hiking trips, etc.  I tell them that I have really enjoyed Rancho Bee Hole, the food, and the coffee farm tour.  I add that the damned electricity blackouts are a pain in the ass but certainly are not their fault.  Pedro has been a bit concerned that Carlos and Pedro Antonio would be able to put together good vegetarian meals for me but I assure him it has not been a problem.

I also tell Pedro and Liber about my hassles with the national park not taking cash payments for hiking tickets and insisting on credit cards which, as an American, I am unable to use.  I think they are aware of the problem but it doesn’t come up much because most of their guests are from Europe or on pre-arranged tours.  Pedro says I should have called him in Chicago before my trip.  They weren’t sure what I wanted to do so had only arranged for the coffee farm tour.  Pedro thinks they could have figured out a way to get hiking tickets for me.  I had told him in my email that I wanted to hike in the national park.  I had had the impression that the ranch manager could arrange for guides or rides to trail heads.  It never crossed my mind that I would need help with paying park fees with pesos or dollars.  Damnit, I should have called him before leaving Denver.  A hard lesson learned – when visiting a place like Cuba, do your homework and get advice in advance from people like Pedro and Liber who know the ropes.  Getting to Cuba from the U.S. is now very easy.  But once you get here, it’s way more complicated than driving to Canada or flying to France for a vacation!  And you certainly can’t rely on guidebooks like Lonely Planet to tell you everything you need to know. 

Not surprisingly, the conversation soon drifts to politics.  Pedro says the reason Cuban-Americans continue to push US politicians to maintain sanctions on Cuba is not so much about revenge against the Cuban government for confiscating properties and businesses after 1959 or about anti-communism.  It is simply that there are Cuban-Americans with powerful connections to politicians like Senator Marco Rubio who are profiting from the sanctions.  It’s complicated but these people have businesses that help people get around the embargo.  No embargo means no need for their businesses.  The bottom line is that the sanctions are about money – not political ideology or what happened 60 years ago.  Also, Cuba is a good issue to rile up American conservative voters who equate communism with “El Diablo”.  Certainly, no one with any political savvy still believes that maintaining an economic blockade on Cuba will bring down the communist government in Havana.  After all, it hasn’t worked in more than 60 years. 

During lunch, I ask Pedro about the origin of the name “Rancho Bee Hole”.  He explains that Bee Hole is a play on the Spanish word “bejol” which is a type of Latin American seasoning.  It was Pedro’s nickname when he was growing up.  In addition, they have talked about raising non-stinging honey bees here at the rancho. 

As I’m finishing lunch, four new guests arrive:  three women and one man.  Two are from Spain and two from Cuba; all friends.  So, they will fill the accommodations here with two to a room.  Shortly thereafter, the ticket taker for Vegas Grande shows up.  He wants me to pay him the $10.00 for yesterday's hike.  I tell him that I tried to pay it at the information center yesterday afternoon but they wouldn't take my cash.  He is very insistant and rather than make a scene, I shake my head in amazement and hand him a $10 bill just to get rid of him.  Maybe the part of yesterday's phone conversation that I didn't understand was his supervisor telling me to give the ticket taker ten bucks cash after my hike to the falls.  The Cuban bureaucracy continues to be full of unfathomable surprises.  

We take final group photos and I say my goodbyes to Pedro Antonio, Carlos, Pedro, and Liber.  Pedro and Liber walk with me to the main road where I will meet Barbara, my trusty Trinidad cab driver, at 3:00 PM.  I find Pedro and Liber to be likeable, fast-talking characters.  I think they can be trusted to provide good tours.  I have a few friends in mind who may wish to avail themselves of their services.  I’m not sure a tour will be my cup of tea but it will depend on who is going and the itinerary.  I certainly hope to get back here before I’m too old to enjoy it.

Just before 3:00, Barbara arrives.  I like her effusiveness.  Her 18-year-old son, Davier, is with her.  He says he taught English but lost his job due to covid.  I’m not clear as to how he was a teacher at such a young age.  His English isn’t all that good – he knows it and wants to improve.  I offer to give him a lesson or two?  What else do I have to do in Trinidad during the heat of the day.  Besides, I remember that I enjoyed teaching English to a young guide at La Mariposa, the Spanish school where I studied in Nicaragua four years ago. 

Barbara asks where I’m going after I leave Trinidad in four days.  I tell her I’ll be heading to Cienfuegos, 1½ hours to the northwest.  She wants to drive me there adding that the normal price is $40 but she’ll do it for $30.  Sure, I may be able to find a colectivo for less but going with her will be easier and more comfortable.  Plus, she’s fun to be with and I’m glad to throw some dollars in her direction.  I’m more relaxed about spending money now than I was a week ago as I’m way below my budget and have more than $500 in cash left.

We arrive at my casa particular (not the same one I stayed in this past Sunday night).  It’s on the Calle Gloria and only three blocks from the Plaza Mayor, the historic center of Trinidad.  I’m met at the door by Pedro who is in his 30s and is the son of the owner who is also named Pedro.  This is another home with historic furnishings.  The family actually lives in the adjacent but interconnected home.  My room is simple but adequate – one double and one single bed with a private bath and shower.  I opt to sleep in the single bed as it’s closest to the bathroom and I have more room to spread out my stuff on the double bed.

I walk up to the Plaza Mayor.  There is a colonial church (nice but not spectacular) on the upper (northeast) side of the plaza.  For the first time since leaving Havana, I encounter a few hustlers wanting to take me on tours, sell me stuff, or change money.  This being a tourist town (which is not currently overwhelmed by tourists), there are more dining options than in Santa Clara or Sancti Spíritus.  I spot a little café one block off the plaza which advertises free wifi and veggie tacos.  I settle in for an hour enjoying a limonada and tacos and catching up on emails on my cell phone.  The bill is little more than 400 pesos (about $3.00) and the mesero (waiter) wonders why I give him a 500 peso note when he sees I also have 100s and 10s in my wallet.  He is pleasantly surprised when I tell him the rest is for him.

Barbara is picking me up early tomorrow (7:00 AM) to drive me to the Playa Ancón, a Caribbean beach about 12 kilometers south of Trinidad.  It was her idea to go early so I can avoid the heat and the crowds – she’s on my wavelength!  I head to bed early as the power goes off at 8:00 PM and it’s no fun reading and writing with a damn flashlight.

© Will Mahoney 2022

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