Why travelling Cuba is scarier than dating Taylor Swift

When I think of Cuba I imagine old cars, cigars and mojitos. Cuba seems like an amazing destination for old and young Rum- lovers. But truth to be told the country can also seem very alarming. Behind all the colorful houses and live-bands there are a few things that seem unfamiliar and foreign. there are quite a few situations and unspoke rules that can put us tourists off. Let me explain them. 

Wifi-Cards 

I think it is commonly known that Cuba does not exactly provide the best Internet connection. However, what I did not know before travelling there was that you actually need a Wifi-Card to access any kind of Wifi. These cards cost 1-2 Cuban Pesos for one hour of Internet. So when you cannot wait anymore to check who liked your last Instagram post you have to find a person selling those specific cards. And believe me, you spot those people very fast. They usually hang out near spots with public Wifi and you see them just casually walking around looking for customers. The usually young men are often dressed pretty nicely and always, always, always carry around a little purse. After you identified these pretty dodgy looking guys, you make your deal. They usually look at you and whisper: "want wifi card?". So you hand them over your coins and they proceed to supply you with the beloved cards. This whole process feels like some sort of drug deal you see in a bad movie, but it's  the truth. So next time your urge to look at your phone and check if your cruch has texted you back, search for these specific guys who equip you with the finest Internet-cards Cuba has ever seen. 

The mojitos

When visiting Cuba you probably try out mojitos and daiquiris. But be aware! In most western countries there are laws that restrict too much alcohol in drinks, but in Cuba there there are absolutely no such restrictions at all. Bartenders will just casually pour 3 double shots of rum into your drink and call it a day. At first this seems like heaven, especially for students. But you will regret it in the morning (unfortunately talking from experience). And if this is not enough, the drinks are also super cheap. This dangerous combination makes drinking in Cuba the perfect opportunity for new embarrassing viral videos. And a video of you doing stupid sh** is much worse than having Taylor Swift writing a break-up song about you.

Taxis

Driving in Cuba in crazy. Absolutely crazy. Apparently rules are non-existent or people simply ignore them. So if you look for encountering a near-death experience, this is your chance! Here are a few "situations" that I found myself in while sitting in a Cuban taxi: nearly hitting a horse, another car and a dog; driving next to the street on the grass because the driver got distracted by watching cows; and my absolute favourite: getting stopped by the police and seeing our taxi driver bribe them with money. All in all I can say that using taxis in Cuba can resolve into a very unique but pretty scary situation. 

No English, por favor

If you can't speak spanish then I have bad news for you, mi amigo. The majority of Cuban people do not speak English at all. The only way to communicate is to unravel your 10th grade Spanish knowledge and just hope that they will understand you. Having no internet access does not exactly help either. Not being able to communicate properly can cause weird and akward situations, which can be worse than meeting one of Taylor Swift's Exes. So before you travel to Cuba, make sure that you keep up your practice on Duolingo and learn how to say a few phrases in Español. 

In this spirit there is only one thing to say: ¡Mucha salud y manténgase seguro, por favor