Dangers & Annoyances

There is very little violence or violent crime in Cuba, though normal precautions should be taken. A Cuban can get a jail sentence of up to 70 years for fighting with or attacking a tourist. Purse-snatching is common in Havana and Santiago, so keep your valuables under your clothes and hold tight to your bag to avoid the drive-by thieves on bikes.

There are rip-offs, however, especially when it comes to the black market. I didn’t buy rum or cigars, but word has it that black market goods are often substandard and frequently stolen ("I have a friend who works in a factory...") Just be common sensical: don’t pay touts for casa particular lodging or meals, don’t hand over your dollars until you have their pesos in hand, don’t pay a taxi driver until you get to your destination, etc. The rip-off artists are male, female, old, young, all colors of skin. Be careful and never take the word of someone on the street that you can’t locate again.

The real pain in the butt is the constant bothering by locals, almost all of whom are after your money. They will approach you on the premise of wanting to talk (almost invariably starting with "where are you from?"), but eventually they’ll try to sell you cigars or rum, change money, find you a casa particular, or just give you a sob story about how rough life is in Cuba and then ask for a peso or a dollar. Some just blatantly come up and ask for money. Mothers say they need milk for their children, children say it’s their birthday, men say they need cooking oil or soap for their families. And the biggest problem is that they don’t understand what "no" means, and continue to cling.

Beware also of hustlers who ask you where you live. They sometimes have a pretext, like dropping off a letter to a friend abroad for you to mail. But they may only be trying to gauge your confidence and gullibility. DO NOT tell strangers where you are staying. (from christian.mondor@canadacouncil.ca).

For the sake of travellers who follow you, don’t encourage the begging by rewarding those who harrass you on the street. There are many genuine needs in Cuba, but they’re not met effectively by giving to beggars. Some ideas for those who want to help out without encouraging the hassling:

• A box of pens given to a school (not to individuals).
• A stack of books, magazines or newspapers in English--or another language--given to a university, as they have nothing but textbooks to learn and practice from.
• Old 8-bit ISA-slot card modems (2400 baud or faster) to a hospital. A project called INFOMED is working to connect all doctors and hospitals, and most hospitals have computers but not modems. Ask for "el jefe" at any hospital.
• Medicines like pain relievers, antibiotics, and eye drops.

In mid-January, Castro initiated a crackdown on "subversion," meaning that the law that prohibits Cubans from speaking to foreigners has become more widely enforced, especially against those who the police suspect of being prostitutes, touts, and private taxi drivers. Cubans generally have to pay a fine of $5-15 (assumed guilty with no evidence) and are released within an hour, but in some cases foreigners have been fined up to $40 to keep a Cuban companion from being arrested. "Orientales" are being deported from Havana back to the eastern provinces, since they aren’t allowed to leave their home province and it’s assumed they’re working in Havana as touts. This has succeeded in reducing hassles, but has also instilled the fear of a police state in the locals. There are rumors that things will lighten up in the summer, as tourism has been hurt by the crackdown. (from fv@telin.rug.ac.be and JS in LA).

Yes, there are nice, wonderful people in Cuba. You just won’t meet them on the street. Make friends with the family in your casa particular. Talk to the neighbors. Strike up a conversation with your seatmate on the train. These are the real people and yes, they are wonderful to know.

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