Our last trip to Cuba?
The people and the country have changed. The cohesion of friendship no longer has the significance as before, the hunt for the money has divided the society. A few privileged Cubans have much money, many Cubans try to make more money by any means, but most Cubans are currently and will remain poor.
Granted, there are in recent years, the facades become more colorful, the buses from China are new and run regularly. There are shops with modern shoes and modern clothing, good meat and fresh vegetables in the market, and Mobile Phones and Internet are available. But where will the money come from for this tempting stuff? 40 to 80 CUC per month, a hotel staff earn, but because it is already much better paid than workers in the factories and in agriculture.
So once again the question "how" to get the money for the expensive needs of daily life? Money, send by relatives in the states, from ancillary business in the tourism or from the merit of women in prostitution?
The "NEW" Tourists are not as generous as the Cubans were accustomed from the previous individual tourists. The group travelers give unfortunately hardly tip (The tourists think this is all paid by the tip Packages!) and when local food and drink are visited, we have noticed that these places are often Cuban exiles, who pay only the Cuban minimum wage.
