My Trip to Cuba, Expectation vs Reality. Chapter 2

We woke up with hope to the first lights of the 3rd day. All I can thought of is to drink water, take a shower and eat like an animal. Because in Cuba there are serious problems with water and food. The water you buy as drinking water tastes like mercury. You cut it in 2–3 sips. We dried out of thirst. The shower itself is a mystery. Maybe it originates from the hotel we stayed, but the water in the shower tap was like the new bride. Love to those who can play. My hair is like a fur. If I go under that water, I can’t get out until the European Union disintegrates. We turned from the scum and heat of the city to the bacon smelling guys who were officially hated on the public bus. No, the relationship can’t be tested like that, buddy! What are we going to say in the future, did I love you even when you were dirty? Let us find a solution to this problem! Turgut took priority and plunges into the shower like John Snow, like conquering the castle. He came out after about half an hour with justified pride of taking a shower. But as it turns out in caps, they think you are happy to take the castle. :) With that shower cap, he took all the water bottles in the room and fills them for me and washed me with a pet bottle, as if in a throne fight. I don’t know how we could look at each other’s faces after that day, but I guess this is the part of the good day and the bad day, the bad day.

Anyway, after getting over some of the water shortage, we got to the food business. Would you believe me if I said we haven’t eaten for 3 days? The breakfast provided by the hotel consists of omelettes and coffee. As long as my stomach is full, I don’t get caught up in the beauty of the food, but why do you put essential flies in the omelet? I was so hungry that I carefully separated the fly from the omelet and continued to eat. The only good thing is, really Cuban coffees are delicious. Since there is no cattle in the country, there is a shortage of milk in the country. We manage with powdered milk, but it’s still pretty tasty. Apart from that, eating out is another problem. For example, you order a salad. What is a salad? Seasonal vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, whatever you find, right? They wrote a nice salad on the menu called this main dish, but what came was not related to the salad. Half an avocado, 2 slices of cucumber, two slices of carrot, some greens. Does a person eat carrots with bread? You are eating. Another example:Chicken. No matter how genetically modified or officially steroid bodybuilding, it’s chicken man! How bad could it be? But It was. It was really really bad. Nothing we ate had neither flavor nor appearance. We got diabetes from raising blood sugar with mohito.

Now do not call me you are too elitist, the men are poor. They weren’t communists then. If you don’t have bread to feed your stomach, milk and yogurt to give your child, why are you communist? What do you trust? What happened? Make revolutions in your efforts for so many years, let your country not have a place where you can even produce a nail to hammer your wall, leave the people hungry for an ideology, then make Chanel fashion shows and Rolling Stones concerts in your country as if nothing had happened. Even the Kardashians, as a family, traveled to Havana, took pictures of their people as if they were visiting a zoo, and broadcast it here and there. Where is your pride? If you were going to have a good relationship at the end, why did you make your people live like dogs all this time? I don’t mind. I was going to collect these details at the end of the article, but I couldn’t help myself.

Anyway… After the breakfast and the shower we had in the hotel, we hit the streets again. Actually, there was still hope inside of us. We would see new places, we would disappear in the historical texture, who knows, maybe we can even find a good meal … Thinking about these, we were rising to the base of El Morro castle. The history of this castle is very important for the country and its location is very famous with its breakwaters. If they restore the place, put cafes, pubs, restaurants and so on, it can be a place where you will feel peaceful as well as you will not feel peaceful. But of course there is no such thing. We left saying okay we saw this place too. Normally I hate water tourist buses. Why should I take the tourist bus if I can sleep or take public transport and explore? But since Havana is so big and everywhere is so diverse, we decide to take it. We took the breath in Paseo del Prado and head towards the direction. Charcoalists, oil painters, very successful artists exhibited their works all the way. Each one of them was beautiful and fun. While we were going so happy and peaceful, we didn’t not know that the last hope within us will end, and after a very short time, we said hello to the series of events that I will not be annoyed for all my life…

A couple came to us. He said hello to us very warmly. The woman was a salsa teacher and the man was a primary school teacher. When they found out that we are Turkish, they smiled. At school they were teaching the history of Turkish revolution. They are really very close to the Turks. There is Mustafa Kemal Ataturk statue in their country.Foreign someone in a country that likes to persons in against the inevitably of people owned sympathy about Turkey. As a person who suffers from the questions of ass-headed westerners whether you are riding a camel, I feel sincere with this couple. We walked and chat for about half an hour. We were very enjoyable. Then the man excitedly ‘“ There is a public concert of Buena Vista Social Club today? Do you know ?’ said. We got crazy! So to hit the Buena Vista concert in Cuba is like coming across Brad Pitt in Hollywood. You move your mind. Especially because Turgut loves them so much, I am more happy for him. I am so happy that I jump, dance on the floor, I will cry with happiness if I am not shy. Here is the day fate is frozen! I’m going to dance salsa on Buena Vista at 5 o’clock! The couple who see my excitement were very happy. They put us in a cafe to write down the location of the concert in a way we can’t get it. That cafe was a place where Buena Vista guys hang out. We saw their photos on the wall, we got more excited.

We sat at a table to write an address. They seem to know the people in the café and served us 4 of the most ridiculous cocktails in the world. We continued the conversation. The woman described what they achieved monthly in the communist system. 3 eggs, half oil, some meat, some vegetables. It hurts. They said they don’t have soap, notebook or pens. He asked me if he give an address, can you send a notebook, pen and soap to my school? With love! Meanwhile, the man asked for permission and left. When he came back, he brought a cigar and a coin belonging to the people of the cuba with a picture of Che Guevara on it. He gave the cigar to Turgut, the money to me. “Take my friend” he says “you will remember us.” There is no limit to the gratitude I feel… While we were broken with emotion like this, the moments when I said I would not be there even if God gave the curse begin. These people who conquer our hearts first ask us for milk money for their children. We understand that something is wrong, but we still give 10 Cuc. Then the same cigar conversation starts …”Today there is a 50% discount…” I was not believing I’m an having the same experienced again. We said we have no money. He asked if there is money in the hotel. We said no. Then they got up by throwing the national tribune of Cuba and disappeared after leaving us alone with the 40 Cuc recipt.

How sorry, how upset I was I can not explain … So selling a 1 dolar magnet for 10 dolars is fraudulent, but you decide to buy. You can buy it or not. When you buy it, you get screwed by your own decision. But if you were trying to conquer a person’s heart first and use your emotions to rip it off, I’m sorry, but you’re an uninvolved son of a bitch. I cried like a kid in the street after I left the cafe. Turgut was more angry because I am sorry. I didn’t calm down, but I stoped crying. It was then that I will never trust a Cuba member again, nor will I have any hope of a nation. My heart has never been broken this much before.

Look what happened then … We went to the center to take that stupid tourist bus. What would you like to see? The man who told us that he worked at the hotel on the first day is hunting tourists there! He didn’t work in a hotel or something, he’s standing there all day looking to see which tourist he can fuck! I was already sorry and angry that I almost fight the man. But I meditated myself, calm down and went back to hotel. It was really enough!

…to be continued.