After all I've read about jineteros in my guidebook - and after yesterday's incident - I'm in a constant fear of being ripped off when anyone quotes a price.
I'm always wondering if someone is trying to con me when an offer sounds too good or too unbureaucratic, or if the price will suddenly jump up because there are some hidden charges silently added to it.
I can't distinguish if people are really helpful or if they are out to make a quick buck off the stupid tourist... But maybe I'll learn that before I leave Cuba :-)
My journey from Santiago to Camagüey is a very good example of just that: I arrive at the Santiago bus station and immediately somebody (official-looking at first, but lacking a name tag and therefore definitely not an employee of one of the bus companies) asks where I want to go and then sets off to ask for a seat on some tour bus. When that bus is full he tells me that there is another departing about three hours before the departure time of the "official" bus, and that I could buy my ticket in the bus. When his bus finally arrives (about an hour too late), everything has to be quick-quick all of a sudden. In the bus, I wonder for a long time if I made the right decision trusting this guy... but when I arrive in Camagüey, the journey was about two hours faster than on the official bus, and because it left two hours earlier, I arrive four hours ahead of schedule. So in the end, it was the right decision - but I would've liked to know that before I even got on the bus...
So, apart from all the hustling, one thing I noticed about Cuba is that at times it can be very noisy (mostly due to the loud engines in all the old cars), and smelly (cigar smoke is everywhere, and the cars and motorcycles don't smell too good either). Makes me really appreciate all the environmental laws and regulations we have back home...
And since I'm already ranting, here's another thing I could do without: the men's behavior. There's no end to the amount of whistles, kissing sounds, and calls of "hey lady", "beautiful" or "my friend" I've had to ignore. At first they might make you feel appreciated, but when you still hear them when you're sweaty, stinky and desperately in need of a shower, you realize that it's all fake. The only requirement seems to be a pair of boobs...
But despite all that, it's been a very fascinating journey so far. The only thing that's really driving me crazy is the lack of internet ;-)
I'm always wondering if someone is trying to con me when an offer sounds too good or too unbureaucratic, or if the price will suddenly jump up because there are some hidden charges silently added to it.
I can't distinguish if people are really helpful or if they are out to make a quick buck off the stupid tourist... But maybe I'll learn that before I leave Cuba :-)
My journey from Santiago to Camagüey is a very good example of just that: I arrive at the Santiago bus station and immediately somebody (official-looking at first, but lacking a name tag and therefore definitely not an employee of one of the bus companies) asks where I want to go and then sets off to ask for a seat on some tour bus. When that bus is full he tells me that there is another departing about three hours before the departure time of the "official" bus, and that I could buy my ticket in the bus. When his bus finally arrives (about an hour too late), everything has to be quick-quick all of a sudden. In the bus, I wonder for a long time if I made the right decision trusting this guy... but when I arrive in Camagüey, the journey was about two hours faster than on the official bus, and because it left two hours earlier, I arrive four hours ahead of schedule. So in the end, it was the right decision - but I would've liked to know that before I even got on the bus...
So, apart from all the hustling, one thing I noticed about Cuba is that at times it can be very noisy (mostly due to the loud engines in all the old cars), and smelly (cigar smoke is everywhere, and the cars and motorcycles don't smell too good either). Makes me really appreciate all the environmental laws and regulations we have back home...
And since I'm already ranting, here's another thing I could do without: the men's behavior. There's no end to the amount of whistles, kissing sounds, and calls of "hey lady", "beautiful" or "my friend" I've had to ignore. At first they might make you feel appreciated, but when you still hear them when you're sweaty, stinky and desperately in need of a shower, you realize that it's all fake. The only requirement seems to be a pair of boobs...
But despite all that, it's been a very fascinating journey so far. The only thing that's really driving me crazy is the lack of internet ;-)
