Information about Cuba

A little history

Do you remember to Cristobal Colon that I tell you? He was a Spanish admiral who discovered the island on October 27, 1492. The conquest and colonization caused the extermination of its aboriginal inhabitants, so they imported African blacks to exploit them as slaves. This mixture defined the Cuban population and culture.

On October 10, 1868, they began their independence struggles against Spain, whose domination lasted 4 centuries. United States intervened in the war and established a pseudo republic in 1902 until January 1, 1959, when the Revolution led by Fidel Castro triumphed, establishing essential transformations for the life of the country and making Cuba one of the safest countries in the world.

Currently, who runs the country is the leader Miguel Diaz-Canel. There have been many changes in politics, religion, social and economic, many positive and negative changes product to the blockade implemented by the United States of America.

But this is really a place of joy of beautiful things, good vibes and good information, knowledge and adrenaline, so we will leave politics aside.

Transportation - Cuba Blue Diving

Our culture and our religion

The Cuban people is very cultured and loves cinema, theater, reading, ballet and all kinds of cultural events. Cuba has contributed to the international culture with important names of writers, thinkers, dancers, musicians, painters, poets and singers. Cuban crafts is interesting, with outstanding works in leather, vegetable fibers, wood, stone, metal and sea products. Cuba's cultural infrastructure consists of theater halls, museums, art galleries and cinemas, where not only samples of the national heritage of all times are presented, but also the world art.

Cuba is host to important international events such as the Ballet Festival, biennials of plastic arts, festivals of popular music and the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, among others.

The Cuban state declared itself "atheist" until 1998, when it was re-classified as "non-denominational". There is freedom of creed and highlights a religion of African origin called "Santeria" (also known as Yoruba, Lucumí).

Existen también iglesias católicas y protestantes, testigos de Jehová, ortodoxas, musulmanas entre otras, pero ninguna con tanta influencia en la vida de los cubanos como sucede en otros países de América. Sin embargo, las religiones que más abundan es la religión Yoruba y la Católica.

Security in Cuba?

Cuba is a country with a lot of security, with a very low crime rate. The tourist is well received and very protected, however, in the streets there are police officers who can be called if help is needed.

However, as in any other tourist location, you should take precautions such as not forgetting your wallet and personal belongings in public places, not taking out a lot of money to make small payments, be alert to scammers or liars looking for tourists, because in their great Most are harmless and easy to identify.

The transport that you may have never seen

Cuba have a lot old cars that seem to come straight out of a time machine. You know why? Americans who lived or were traveling in Cuba when they left in January 1959 left the cars and other properties, which were confiscated and distributed to the population.

As a curiosity, we tell you that these cars are called "almonds" and yes, it are beautiful and for more curiosity, today most walk, always with many inventions and arrangements made by the Cuban mechanics, many of them with hydraulic address, air conditioning, good comfort lounge, good suspension, As if it were all a modern car.

On the island there are several ways to move:

• en taxi que te hacen un recorrido personalizado , es decir, desde el sitio que te recoge hasta donde te deja.
• en taxi público (compartido con otras personas), estos van por líneas de rutas específicas.
• en autobús, conocido como “guaguas” (el más barato pero no recomendable).
• and in the case that it is interprovincial trips, since there are airlines and long distance buses, price from 15USD / person.

Taxi drivers are the best encyclopedia of Cuba: take the journeys to soak up history, anecdotes and lots of laughter. And get ready to listen to a lot of traditional Cuban music and especially a lot of reggueton and salsa (not just in taxis).

There is also the train variant, but it is not recommended as they are usually very slow and small. Another option is to rent a car, there are both state and private companies that rent modern cars so that you can move freely throughout the country, whose price varies depending on the time but ranges from 50USD.

Telephony and Internet

ETECSA (Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A, by its initials in spanish) is the only telephone company in Cuba. In each city there is a telephone center with Internet access. This is where you can buy both phone cards and data to browse the internet.

Lodging

The most economical and original way to stay is to sleep in private cuban´s home. These homes are family run and state regulated and offer room service with a bathroom included and can even provide local food services, tourist information and more. As an experience, it can be unique.

Let's not forget the classic hotels on this island, in addition to very good quality are hotel complexes with all the facilities. There are hotel categories all inclusive in which you consume everything you want in the hotel, totally included in the price of the lodging.

Traditions and Gifts

The Cuban tobacco it is the best in the world and its cigars, made by hand, are extraordinary.

Other interesting purchases are those of cuban music and rum. We have shops and markets for many places, where you can also find varied crafts in the form of wood carvings and paintings.

The authorized places to buy Cuban products are the Habano houses, the Rum Museum, and Craft Centers.

The "jama", our food

The typical kitchen is called criolla and in popular slang it is known as “jama“ and it is very simple and economic. The base of this cuisine, which is a mixture of Spanish and African, is based on local products such as pork, yucca, rice, black beans, chicken, fried plantains, lobsters, prawns and fish.

There are 2 types of restaurants in Cuba, some public that are managed from the state and the "Palates" which are private. The seconds of much more quality than the first.

There are several mobile applications that have their website, widely used in Cuba so you can be aware of restaurants, paladares, recreational activities, of which the most recognized are Get to know Cuba and To the table.

Given curious

Cuba received 4 million visitors in 2017, an increase of six percent with respect to its forecast and a growth of 13 percent in relation to the figure reached in the previous calendar, according to the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR).

According to a press release, the regions that contributed most to this closure were North America and Europe, and highlighted countries from other continents that also experienced significant increases in the issuance of travelers to the island.

The note adds that this result constitutes a commitment to continue raising the quality of the services and the efficiency levels of the sector. According to the forecasts of MINTUR, for this 2018 the arrivals to the largest of the Antilles can reach 4 million 500 thousand tourists.

To diversify this offer, MINTUR prioritizes diving and sailing, nature and adventure tourism, congresses, events and circuits.

        According to the official site. Cubadebate

Written brushstrokes of the name of Cuba on beach sands