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Money
There are 3 forms of currency of use in Cuba.
US Dollars or “divisas”: used in hotels, for trains, planes,
long-distance buses and other transport, for food in some restaurants, and in
dollar stores. US coinage is used as well.
Convertible Pesos: since the physical supply of dollars understrips
the demand, Cuba prints bills and coins fully interchangeable with and
convertible to dollars.
Pesos or “moneda nacional”: This is the money Cubans earn and spend.
You can spend pesos on street food, in peso restaurants, in peso stores
(assuming they ever have anything you’d actually want), local transport,
movie theaters, beauty salons, local (not tourist) discos, and sometimes even
peso bars.
Officially, the exchange rate is $1=1 peso. The market exchange rate is
around $1=20 pesos, and the government finally acknowledged reality and set
up CADECA (Casas de Cambio) to change money for both locals and foreigners at
the market rate. The one in Havana is
open until 9 pm, and foreigners can go straight to the front of the line. You
can also change on the street for the same rate. (from jean-marc.dugauquier@is.belgacom.be).
If you change on the street, just
take the normal precautions, and take their pesos and count them before
turning over your dollars. The exchange rate makes peso goods extremely
cheap, but since you can only spend local currency one or two pesos at a
time, be careful not to change too much at the beginning. Start with a few
dollars’ worth and change a few dollars more as you need it. I spent less
than $15 worth in my 3 weeks there, and I tried pretty hard, even splurging
for a 12-peso facial towards the end of my trip.
Cash vs. travelers checks: I had no problem cashing Thomas Cook
traveler’s checks in dollar hotels. They’re happy to oblige, namely because
they rape you for a 4% commission. Take all you can in cash (I had no idea
what it would cost, so I didn’t), and preferably nothing over a $20 bill, as
larger bills are harder to change.
Kcfoster@hotmail.com successfully changed US-issued Visa Checks at the
Hotel Nacional in Havana for a 5% commission, and found a bank below the
Hotel Habana Libre on Calle 25 that changes Visa, Thomas Cook and American
Express for a 3% commission and is open 9 am to 7 pm 365 days a year. There’s
a Cadeca office diagonally across from the Hotel Havana Libre at the Copelia
shop that is open until 10 or 11 at night as well. Other travelers report
that it is possible (though expensive) to cash traveler’s checks from AmEx
and Visa issued by US banks at most banks in Havana. But pogue@frognet.net warns from personal
experience that Visa and AmEx can’t be replaced in Cuba, and that Visa held
up his refund because he told them they were stolen in Cuba.
Kanako Yamaoka found that Banco Metropolitano S.A. only charges 2%
commission, but Banco Financiero Internacional has raised their rates to 3%.
They’re located “3 blocks to the coast Malecon from Habana Libre in Vedado.”
You can also wire money to the Vedado office of one of these banks (if you’re
not American) and retrieve it by showing your passport.
Credit Cards: You can get cash advances on your Mastercard or Visa, as
long as it’s not issued by a U.S. bank. 0% commissions are the norm, which
can make it a better deal than traveler’s checks, depending on the fee your
card issuer charges you. Almost all the big cities have a Banco Financiero International (BFI) branch that
will issue cash advances. In Havana there are three BFI branches that will do
this: the National Hotel (basement), the Hotel Riviera, and at the Jose Marti
airport. (This info courtesy of berg.chabot@pi.net).
Credit card cash advances are becoming more common in Havana, and the Banco Nacional de Cuba and others may now provide
the service as well (from hjbos@wxs.nl).
Andreas (s898@ii.uib.no) recommends the Banco Popular for its lack of lines.
Language
Cubans speak a very rapid, syllable-dropping accent of Spanish that can be
pretty daunting. There aren’t a whole lot of English speakers, and while you
can get along in just about any corner of the world if you can say “how much”
and count, to supplement your sign language, it’s a lot easier to get around
if you speak Spanish, even if it’s just beginner Spanish. It will help in
buying tickets, as you’ll be able to ask about alternatives or reasons when
your preference isn’t available, saving frustration. And the biggest plus is
that you’ll be able to talk to the people you meet and be able to understand
more about their lives.
If you want to learn Spanish while in Cuba, one school, Proyecto Cultural E.L.I. in Havana, has a web page with more info.
For personal tutoring, wtucker@roadrunner.nf.net
recommended:
Conchita Prieto
Calle 26 No. 4511, Apto.1, entre 45 y 47, Havana
Tel: 29-4769
She charges $5 per hour
Wayne (sirwayne_66@hotmail.com)
recommended Martha, tel: 406676, who teaches English at the university and
Spanish in her home.
La Universidad de la Habana has a Spanish course for foreigners that starts
the first Monday of every month. They offer different levels, and classes
usually have 10-15 students. There are 4 45-minute classes per day, Monday
through Friday, and they are conducted only in Spanish. Cost is $200-300, and
the office for foreign students is on Calle J, just north of Calle 25 (no
sign). (from Andreas s898@ii.uib.no)
Idiomas + Aventuras
has programs at 2 schools in Havana and one in Santiago.
If you are studying in Cuba, you can change
your tourist visa into a student visa and stay longer. More information on this can be found here.
colarowl@chlsnr.nestrd.ch also offers the following advice for speaking
Spanish with Cubans: Cubans (but not those in Havana) speak very clear and
affectionate Spanish. “Affectionate” means that they attempt showing respect
and polite ways by using words such as “mi vida, mi corazon, mi tesoro” when
they encounter a new person. It’s better to show respect the same way to open
sincere contacts with Cubans of any age. Cuba is a big family and the target
is to become a member of the family as soon as possible. Human contacts in
Cuba are unusually rich in affection and the Cuban Spanish fully demostrates this.
Spanish Spanish sounds cold to them. It’s also better to call people by their
first names than saying “Señor”.
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