如何品尝古巴的日常生活床和早餐Stay in卡萨斯的特殊性对丰富文化有更大的了解 Article and photos by Lies Ouwerkerk
Senior Contributing Editor
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| Street music in Trinidad, Cuba. |
Most visitors to Cuba, wishing to escape the dark and long winters in their own countries, book into all-inclusive beach resorts promising sun, sea, and cheapmojitos, far away from where real Cuban life unfolds. At best, they may sign up for an escorted daytrip to Cuba’s capital Havana, to stroll through the touristy and spruced up part of the historic center, and ride along the 8km (5-mile) long Malecón esplanade in a classic American car from the 50’s. 但是，越来越多的旅行者发现，古巴比仅美丽的海滩要多得多：特立尼达，卡马吉亚和圣地亚哥·德古巴等风景如画的殖民城镇。冒险的旅行者可以享受远足，攀岩，在国家公园和维纳雷斯山谷，飘荡，水肺潜水或浮潜，并且不要忘记，不忘记古巴音乐的陶醉节奏俱乐部或其他音乐场所。但是，最大的吸引力无疑是古巴人本身，他们试图玩有限的卡片，他们被赋予了令人钦佩的足智多谋，毅力和终身的热情。
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| 特立尼达的鹅卵石街。 |
Traveling along Cuba’s卡萨斯particularesis an ideal, affordable way to meet ordinary Cubans and get more insight into their daily lives. Privately owned single family residences, but strictly licensed and regulated by the government, the卡萨斯是我们的床和早餐的古巴版本，也是古巴人可以赚取几美元来补充其最小收入的几种方式之一。虽然简单，但房间很干净且空调，并设有带淋浴的附件私人浴室，并在院子里提供丰富的早餐。房间里通常也有冰箱。最重要的是，因为口号，您会得到这种伟大的成为他们家庭的一员。mi casa es su casa”总是统治。一旦攻入他们的网络，您将在古巴的其余旅行中摆脱住宿和运输问题：casa乐于帮助您的业主只会将您转介给整个岛上的家人，朋友或联系人。
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| 徽标卡萨斯particulares。 |
After traveling nine hours on the overnight bus from Santiago de Cuba, I am welcomed at Trinidad’s station by a bici-cab driver carrying a signal with my name, who pedals me swiftly to Miriam’scasa。我像一个失散久的家庭成员一样受到欢迎，豪华的早餐已经在茅草屋顶上等待着我。Gregarious Miriam joins me to offer some tips about her native town, where pedi-cabs, horse-drawn carts, old Ladas and American cars of the 50’s still dominate the scene in the picturesque cobble-stoned streets, lined with pastel-colored colonial houses and centuries-old churches.
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| Bici-cab in Trinidad. |
返回到casa从那天晚些时候在城镇漫步，我与casa的门锁。但是，不久之后，邻居立即从一个敞开的窗户上咆哮着，引起了Miriam的注意。 “今晚在镇上跳舞怎么样？”米里亚姆稍后在她的屋顶露台上俯瞰特立尼达，尽管听起来这是一个好主意，但我还是受到可怕的喉咙痛的困扰，失去了声音。米里亚姆（Miriam）没有前往舞池，而是没有任何失望的迹象，作为一名敬业的护士，给我带来了一大堆沸水和一条毛巾，可以垂在我的头上，以嗅探蒸气，茶和魔法药，以便恢复过夜。当我提到第二天前往Viñales的计划时，西北地区7小时的车程时，Miriam立即拿起电话确认我的保留地并咨询她的网络，以找到第二天清晨共享出租车。 That my co-passengers are a charming young couple from my native country is already a bonus, but chatting with the taxi driver about life in Cuba, makes the ride priceless. He rents his taxi from a doctor with family connections overseas, who provided the funds to purchase this second-hand vehicle. Nevertheless, in order to keep and maintain it, the doctor has to rent out the car to my taxi driver and so earn some extra income from it. Pointing at huge cattle trucks transporting people standing in upright position, and at clusters of people hitchhiking along the highway, he says, “Look, that is how doctors and lawyers go to work when they have to go far. They don’t earn enough money to pay a car, taxi, or bus.” 我们还讨论了许多地下网络，这些网络存在于各种赔率上，即古巴人购买的物品否则昂贵而无法考虑的黑市（尽管人们总是认识一个朋友的朋友的朋友）谁确实有一台计算机），以及获得出国旅行的签证的困难 - 大多数古巴人只能梦想着。他说：“是的，每个古巴人的教育和健康确实是免费的，但是如果您真的想要足够的医疗护理，最好带一瓶朗姆酒或一瓶肉类的肉。”为什么我认为像他这样的人，大学毕业生，正在开出租车？因为古巴与世界隔离开来，因此很难获得更好的工作。
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| Havana's colonial architectural treasures are deteriorating at an alarming rate because of age, humidity, and neglect. |
我在Viñales的可爱主人，无论是医生，都从一个未公开的提供商那里烹饪美味，新鲜的龙虾和河虾，供其他一些客人和我自己。他们还加入我们的餐桌，找出我们想如何在该地区度过时光。第二天，我发现自己与一个烟草农民迷住了，他向我展示了他的家族财产，解释了从种子到雪茄的过程，并将我带入了与公鸡与公鸡的禁忌运动中，他训练他成为成熟的竞争对手。
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| 烟草农民。 |
下午，我徒步旅行，穿过“ Valle dePalmarí”，这是一个令人着迷的绿色烟草田和mogotemountains (oddly shaped limestone formations that attract a growing amount of rock climbers these days), encountering tobacco farmers and horsemen along the way, always eager to have a friendly chat.
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| 耕种帕尔马里地区的土地。 |
然后，这是在另一辆共享出租车中去哈瓦那的casa尤其是在韦达多（Vedado），这是一个绿树成荫的社区，有许多殖民地房屋，距离市中心几公里，但要走得多。
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| Paseo del Prado, Havana's first paved street, lined with trees and marble benches. |
这是圣诞节前夕，安娜邀请我去她”Nochebuena,"以精致的餐点和莎莎舞庆祝，这是快速成为“家庭一部分”的理想方式。 在紧随其后的日子里，他们引导我穿越城市，推荐我去可靠的出租车司机，烹饪美食，准备莫吉托斯，给我看家人图片，谈论他们的生活，恐惧和对未来的希望。
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| 沿着哈瓦那著名的Malecón艺术中心行驶。 |
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| Old Havana's pastel-colored colonial buildings. |
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| 一辆50年代早期的汽车通过了一个账单委员会，其中包括过去的革命英雄。 |
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| 在老哈瓦那修复了大教堂。 |
还有另一个庆祝活动在等待我casain Varadero, one of Cuba’s main beach resort locations, from where I’ll catch a cheap flight home. Not only do they celebrate their son’s birthday, but my host Roberto and his wife have also become grandparents on Christmas Day. Friends and family flock together at the house for西班牙海鲜饭and drinks, treating me like a guest of honor. I am hardly surprised anymore when I am invited to meet mother and newborn baby in their bedroom, nor when a taxi driver drops me off at the airport and bids me a tender farewell, before I am disappearing into the departure hall.
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For More Info
- 重新确认casa预订至少前两天（您的当前casaowner will call for you; U.S. cell phones do not work in Cuba), otherwise there is a chance your room may be rented out to someone else. Although this might look as ifcasaowners are unreliable, the reverse — travelers not showing up after having booked — is actually occurring more frequently. Not being able to demand a down payment from their prospective guests in advance and often relying desperately on their little extra income, Cubans find themselves in a vulnerable position.
- 到达公交车站后，请坚持casayou have arranged.Jineteros(hustlers) or taxi drivers may try to bring you to some other, often unlicensedcasainstead.
- 古巴货币可能会有些混乱，因为有两个系统：古巴比索当地人，外国人的古巴敞篷比索（CUC）。1 US $ =约1 cuc。
- Changing money into CUCs can be done upon arrival in the airport, in hotels, at any bank or Casa de Cambio. To avoid long lines, the airport is by far the best option. The best exchange rates are for Euros and Pounds. Bringing traveler checks and American dollars is not recommended.
- 签证和主卡（如果不是美国银行发行的话）可能会偶尔工作，但是古巴的付款方式在大多数地方是现金，当然是卡萨斯particulares,paladares（私有小餐馆）和出租车。
- Cubans are incredibly friendly, and you will feel quickly at ease with most of them. Caution with “friendships” that blossom in the street is advised, however, as someJineteros可以通过建议您去远离他们自己的财务影响力的咖啡馆或餐厅来利用您，并在账单到来时突然消失。
- 尽管由于美国政府施加的旅行限制，美国普通旅行者不容易到达古巴，但无论如何，一些美国人都在访问古巴（无论哪种法律途径（输入您最喜欢的搜索引擎）：“法律旅行到古巴”），通过由外国旅行社或通过加拿大，墨西哥或巴哈马的后门进行的安排。古巴欢迎美国游客，如果要求这样做，将不会邮票护照。您获得的旅游卡将有效期30天。
- 互联网访问仍处于古巴的相对婴儿期。如今，每个较大的城镇或城市都有一个州经营的ETECSA办公室或高档酒店，您可以在其中每小时使用计算机（预计会有一些较旧的设备，并排队等候）。不幸的是大多数卡萨斯particulares不要提供互联网访问，因为个人计算机和永久性连接对于普通古巴人而言是遥不可及的。
- 在古巴（Viazul，Transtur和Astro）的主要公交公司中，最好的选择是Viazulwith its air-conditioned buses and relatively punctual departures. Private, shared taxis charge about the same fee as buses, but are faster, pick you up at yourcasa，将您带到下一个。而且，如果您会说西班牙语，那么与驾驶员交谈的额外好处是听听他们对古巴和世界的经常兴趣。
- 卡萨斯的特殊性有时可以直接联系，但法律经常与负责预订的中央机构有关。我有很好的经验Viñales +古巴的床和早餐(always cross-reference, for instance, reviews on Tripadvisor). Typically, acasa有一个或两个房间，每晚收费$ 20- $ 35，包括早餐。午餐或晚餐可以要求额外$ 7- $ 10。
美国人直接去古巴的最佳方式之一is through legal人与人之间的旅行计划。长期存在的众多程序之一被称为全球志愿者, but there are many, many others cultural, artisitic, volunteer, educational and other programs that you can find on the Web depending upon what appeals to you most. |
Ouwerkerkis originally from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and currently lives in Montreal, Canada. Previously a columnist for The Sherbrooke Record, she is presently a freelance writer and photographer for various travel magazines.
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