Our horse carriage driver, Michel, explained it sagely: "The population of Havana is 2M people...1M regular people and 1M policemen!" The police presence was indeed very obvious...and very comforting to me.
That's Michel. After our buggy ride, he told me, "If you didn't enjoy, you don't have to pay me. But if you enjoyed, a tip would be appreciated." Savvy way of asking for gratuity...so of course I tipped him well.
Our neighbours in Canada, old hands in Cuba tourism, had warned us about two things: (1) Never take a photograph of anyone in uniform, especially when he is carrying a gun; and (2) Never photograph children without permission. Cubans are very protective of their children. I took those warnings to heart so here is my only photo of a police officer. Can you see him? He's the man in the grey shirt.
One person explained to me that the locals police themselves quite effectively. They know how important tourism is to the community so if they see anyone trying to harm tourists, they will apply pressure to stop it. This is not to say that nothing bad can happen to you in Cuba. Tourists are still fair game. I couldn't walk one block without anyone offering a cab ride, cigars, or a salsa party. I got the feeling that overcharging tourists was allowed but causing any bodily harm was dealt with very harshly. Most of the time, they were probably offering a legit product/service but would try to get away with an indecent price. Two ways to look at it: (1) That extra peso they charge you probably means more to them than to you so just let them have it. (2) Have fun bargaining. They expect it anyway and is a good way to interact too.
These cheerful ladies offered to braid my daughter's hair but she didn't want to.
These cheerful ladies offered to braid my daughter's hair but she didn't want to.
My first encounter with the opportunism was right at the airport when we arrived. I went to the local cafeteria and got 5 bottles of water. A man, looking like the manager, approached the cashier and tried to charge me 10 CUC per 500ml bottle! (1 CUC...the Cuban Convertible peso that tourists use...equals 1 dollar less fees.) I was tired from a long trip and was in no mood for fun and games. From out of some dark corner of my long-term memory came a few words of Spanish. ¿Es un chiste, no? (It's a joke, right?) ...and I got them for the fair price of 1 CUC per bottle. I guess I wasn't born yesterday. he! he! (That's Varadero airport by the way.)
Once, while my wife and I were walking along the Prado, a couple with a child in tow, approached us. At first, I thought they were just being friendly...but my antenna perked up when the man called me "my friend" 5 times inside 3 sentences. I led him on, just to see how the scenario'd pan out. He offered to give us some information about a salsa festival but he needed something to write with so he brought us to this cafe, sat us down and borrowed pen and paper. As his wife wrote down the supposed information, the waitress came and he tried to propose a toast to new friendships. Of course, we were expected to order...which we didn't. I put an end to it right there and told him we just had had a drink. I thanked "my friend" for helping us but said we were too tired to go to any festival anyway. We gave his son some gummy bear candies and went on our merry way. I was pretty sure we had escaped from some pretty over-priced drinks.
After a day or so, you'd get "the look"... that jaded mien that told the hustlers that you'd heard it all before...that you had had enough sales pitches. Then they'd leave you alone. I think I achieved that status after a man asked me for the time supposedly to check the time on his watch. Then, he showed me his cheap digital Casio and extolled that it was the finest timepiece ever made in Japan. He was going to give me a great deal by trading his watch for my G-Shock. Nice try, buddy! I wasn't annoyed or anything...I actually found it amusing and I just told him he had a good watch and I wouldn't want to take advantage of him. We parted ways smiling. After that, I had "the look" and I was untouchable! Bwahahaha!
When you do want to engage someone for some service, make sure you clearly agree on what you are receiving and what you are paying...before making that irrevocable handshake. Heard a sob story of a group who had thought they were paying 20 CUC for a cab ride only to be charged 20 CUC per person when they arrived at destination! Our hotel concierge told me that.
The hotel provided a safe in our room. The kind where you set your own 4-digit combination. My 7-year-old asked: "Daddy, why are you putting your wallet in the microwave?" :-)
(To be continued...)
(All photo credits: Yours truly. All rights reserved.)
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