| Yesterday morning I had arranged to meet one | | | | every person receives a "libreta"which |
| of the women from the from the university, a | | | | allocates a certain quota of basic foods such |
| very nice lady in her late 50s, who agreed to | | | | as butter, eggs, cooking oil, flower etc at |
| show me around the Vedado area and take me | | | | very low prices. I was told that the monthly |
| through some local markets.Vedado is a | | | | ration is 8 eggs per person and that if you |
| beautiful residential neighbourhood with many | | | | want an extra carton of 30 eggs, they cost |
| mansions and villas dating back maybe 80 to | | | | about $2 (CUC) (about Can$2.50), which is |
| 100 years or so. Before the revolution it was | | | | equivalent to about 1/10 of a person's |
| the neighbourhood where all the doctors, | | | | monthly salary. No wonder everybody tries to |
| lawyers and business people lived, most of | | | | set up a little side business to obtain extra |
| whom emigrated around the time of the | | | | money, since survival in itself takes a lot |
| Revolution. (Business people and | | | | of energy.We also saw a local neighbourhood |
| professionals were expropriated as part of | | | | repair place, where they repair shoes with |
| the Communist reorganization after the | | | | sowing machines that look like they are 100 |
| Revolution, as a result hundreds of thousands | | | | years old. This is definitely a society where |
| emigrated to the US, where there are | | | | things are reused, mended, fixed and recycled |
| substantial counter-revolutionary and | | | | time and time again, and it's actually very |
| Anti-Castro sentiments. The emigration of | | | | refreshing to see a different way of living |
| thousands of professionals in the early 60s | | | | that contrasts so strongly with our modern |
| apparently caused a real braindrain in the | | | | way of living where we buy stuff we don't |
| country).We walked through the neighbourhood | | | | need, just to throw it out later. Of course, |
| and visited local markets where they sell | | | | the recycling here is due to necessity, but |
| fruits, vegetables and meat. We saw local | | | | it does feel like there is a great |
| vegetables like yucca, malanga, boniato as | | | | appreciation for life here, not just consumer |
| well as fruits such as frutabomba (papaya), | | | | goods, despite all the difficulties.This |
| pineapple, mamey, mangos and others. Most of | | | | 2-hour walk was a great way of getting to |
| the meat that they sell in the markets is | | | | know a little bit about the authentic Cuban |
| pork, and there is no refrigeration at all in | | | | lifestyle and some of the practical ways that |
| the markets, although the meat is inspected | | | | Cubans try to make do in their daily |
| by the government. It is forbidden to sell | | | | lives.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| beef because beef officially is only to be | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel |
| used for milk production. Equally forbidden | | | | and Transitions deals with unconventional |
| in local markets is seafood like lobsters | | | | travel and is chock full of advice, tips, |
| since it is destined for big hotels and | | | | real life travel experiences, interviews with |
| exports only, but we were approached by a | | | | travellers and travel experts, insights and |
| couple of people who were selling both | | | | reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests |
| lobster and beef "debajo de la mesa" - under | | | | and many other features. You will also find |
| the table. This is one of the things in Cuba, | | | | stories about life and the transitions that |
| many things are forbidden, but there is | | | | we face as we go through our own personal |
| usually a way of working around it.I was also | | | | life-long journeys.Submit your own travel |
| taken to a special market hall where locals | | | | stories in our first travel story contest( |
| buy food at certain allocated times on their | | | | and have a chance to win an amazing adventure |
| ration card. Food is still scarce in Cuba and | | | | cruise on the Amazon River. |