10 Things You Must Know about Cuba (Part I)

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1. One country - Two Currencies: the cuban peso (CUP) and the cuban convertible (CUC) - being it about 25 CUP = 1 CUC = 0.78 EUR. Cubans generally get paid in CUP, and salaries average around 400-500 CUP per month (which equals 12-16 EUR). This is really low, given that many consumer items now sell at international prices. As a tourist, you'll only trade in CUCs and, unless you go off the beaten track, will never come across a CUP.

2. Where do all the Graduates go? The education system in Cuba is enviable: school is free for everyone and it focusses on students to understand rather than memorize. Teachers/Professors demand a high level of participation and students have research to do at home, every day (oh, btw. there's no internet at home - what about that?). In bars, restaurants and hotels, you easily come across with engineers, biologists and historicians, who, after graduating, realized that they are better off working at the bar of a hotel than actually making use of their career - basically because tourists tip in CUC, which, as I explained, already equal 25 CUP!

3. No rights to buy or rent a house. When you drive across La Habana, you probably wonder who lives in all these beautiful colonial villas - at least I do! Well, anyone can live there - they can't be bought or rented. The only way of getting your "own" home, is by inheriting it. In the case the person leaves the country, if he/she doesn't come back after a year, the apartment/home will immediately belong to the Government, who will donate it to someone it believes to be in need. This results in many locals having to live with their parents (and grandparents!) even when married with children.

4. A Sip of Rum for the Saints. Every time a new bottle of Rum is opened, a sip is dropped to the ground and said to be offered to the Saints. This is a funny tradition, considering that Cuba is mainly a christian country. Well, it's not! There's a strange mix between christian and african-tribe-type beliefs. No wonder that you'll find several corners taken up by people dressed up in white tunics reading tourists fortune by staring at a glass of water.

5. Tell me about your car plate and I'll tell you about yourself. Not only are the old-timers that circulate through Cuba a whole sightseeing for tourists, but who gets a chance to glance at the streets (which I have - I sit next to a window) will notice the variety on number plates. There are several colours: the black ones (starting with TUR) are cars rented by tourists, the red ones are rented by companies, the yellow plates indicate private cars (most of which are these classic pre-revolution cars from the 40s-50s). Green plates are from militars, blue ones from the State and whenever you see one with a white number plate, it will probably be a government minister or an important state person.

Want to know more? Click here for reading Part II!