The real Cuba isn’t what we see

My wife and I were in Cuba the day Castro died. While I was walking around the pool, a good Cuban friend who works at the hotel told me the news. We have been going to Cuba for 16 years, about 42 times to this hotel. We have made many Cuban friends over the years, some we have sponsored and brought to Canada to visit.

Times are hard there. Cubans only make $20 a month. I’ve been to villages where people have never seen tourists before. They give us strange looks but I feel safe. To help out families with kids, the government gives extra milk, rice and beans. The rice they get is full of mice droppings. Every Cuban gets a ration book that allows them to get a piece of bread that is about the size of hamburger bun.

My friends told me the government is starting to cut hydro. The shops don’t even have the supplies they need like soap. When the Russians left and they had no more support, they called it the “special period.” The country collapsed.

It’s a communist country and Cubans have to watch what they say. They have people in their towns who belong to the government party who will turn you in if you do something you aren’t supposed to do.

As I walked around the hotel the day of Castro’s death, I tried to look at the expressions on the faces of Cubans. It was if nothing ever happened. I asked if it will be better now with his brother Raul. No comment on that. Tim Mc Dade, Hamilton