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Sunday, October 09, 2011

Mi casa es su casa

Cuban hospitality is at its finest in Casas Privadas (private houses, which we will call casas). These are homes belonging to local families that are licensed to accept foreigners. They are both cheaper and more interesting than hotels, and we know that the money we spend here goes into local hands, rather than directly to the government (even though licensing fees and taxes will take most of it the long run...).

In each casa that we´ve enjoyed so far, we´ve had a room all to ourselves, and in one home, they even hauled in an extra bed so that the three of us could share a room. There is always an attached bathroom with a cold shower and sometimes even a fridge or small kitchen. There is always a fan and sometimes an air conditioner. And, of course, there is always a smiling face ready to greet us and ask if there is anything else that we need.

They serve dinner and breakfast and the food is far better than anything we´ve had in restaurants so far, though we are beginning to suspect that there is somewhat of a set menu for tourists. With every dinner, there are fried bananas (the Cuban equivalent of french fries and delicious!!), some kind of vegetable (avocados and cucumbers are obviously in season right now...), a nice mix of rice and black beans, and then a choice of meats. Beer costs extra, but at a dollar apiece, the taste of a cold beer at the end of a day of riding in the heat is more than worth it!

Breakfast is a little more hit-and-miss and can range from bread with guava jam and coffee to a full spread of eggs, bread, cheese, coffee, fresh-squeezed juice and a heap of fresh local fruits.

Fortunately, these places aren´t hard to find. In fact, it´s a bit eerie how there is always someone waiting at the entrance to any town to direct us to the casa of someone they know. In some cases, it is prearranged by the casa where we stayed the night before. Other times, we figure that word must spread quickly that cyclists are on the way so that everyone with a casa or meal to offer can get out onto the street in time to offer it to us as we pass. So far, though, our luck has been great and we haven´t felt like we´ve been ripped off or led astray (knock on wood!). Quite to the contrary, the owners of every home where we´ve stayed have almost perfectly hit the balance between being open and welcoming and respecting our privacy. Our only slighty-less-than-great casa experience we´ve had so far was one morning when I managed to lock myself in the bathroom and we had to spend an hour dismantelling the doorknob to get me out!

So far, our tent and camping gear has only served as extra padding and weight (good training, right?), but as much as we love staying in casas, we do hope we get a chance to camp as we continue along the coast and find more secluded beaches...

-Christine

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Fried bananas sounds different... I love bananas and must try them fried!
Good luck in your future casas... no more getting locked in the bathroom, eh?

Have fun... camp safely when you do pitch that tent. Take care.

Alvina (Vanessa's mom) :)