Hello
I have been reading this forum for the last hour and and half, and I'm inspired to take a trip to Cuba this summer end of June for 2 weeks. I will be traveling solo, middle aged woman, my Spanish is decent, and I am interested in biking around parts of the island. I have found bike tours online that don't seem to be Cubano owned.
Does anyone know whether there are locally owned bike tour companies and if so names or contact info. I'd like to do a 5-6 day tour. Then I'd like to hang out in beach towns, snorkel, relax, be a tourist in beautiful towns, and perhaps do some salsa classes or go out to venues that have dancing. I am also one of those annoying gluten free vegetarians, and I assume I can find vegetables and such easily to eat? I just made my decision today so have not gotten a guide book yet, so forgive me if you feel I should have more info than I do.. Thanks and I'll be getting a guide book this weekend.
I am also one of those annoying gluten free vegetarians, and I assume I can find vegetables and such easily to eat?
IMO, if asked, probably 0.0001% of Cubans would even know what that meant, and most of them would be in the high end tourist restaurant business in Havana or maybe a couple of other big cities.
"Salad" is usually shredded cabbage, with maybe a tomato or cucumber slice if its a high end restaurant, maybe 3 lettuce leaves if really high end. A vegetable side is likely to be overcooked and sparse.
You can buy a very limited variety, but sufficient quantity, of vegetables in the local markets. Request the casa owner cook for you.
Personally I find it hard enough to find decent food in Cuba without imposing those conditions.
I was looking on the alamesacuba site and they list a Restaurante Habanera (Calle 16 #506 e/ 7ma y 5ta) in the Playa neighborhood of Havana, with a (organic) vegetarian menu "the majority without wheat flour"
It's true that Cubans are not big on fresh veggies, but they are certainly available. Most towns now have agro-mercados, often open only morning hours, and point-of-sale kiosks at community gardens; just ask and somebody can direct you to them. Also, as Poster #1 explained, casa hosts will happily prepare food to your specifications. The main thing is to make it clear to them what you eat (or more importantly, what you don't), as soon as as possible after you arrive, and agree on the price, which for a good breakfast should be 3-4 CUC and for a good veggie dinner, 5-6 (excluding beverages.) I might add that I am also vegan, although I do eat eggs and have no problem with gluten, so that does give me a tad more scope than you will have. When I was in Cuba a year ago, I met a Swiss cyclist who said she shopped at agromercados all along her route, and prepared her own salads from the veggies she got there, which she carried with her in plastic containers she had brought for that purpose. My preference when cycling was to have the casa host boil eggs for me the night before, which I carried in my pannier and ate at my first rest break in the morning. When I stopped at the end of the day's ride, I ordered veggie soup and/or rice and beans, emphasizing that I did not want any grease or animal product in either. They of course thought I was crazy but were happy to comply. That plus lots of fresh fruit worked very well for me. My protein intake was covered by the eggs; if you don't eat eggs, you can surely find rich-and-beans (congri, Christianos y Morros, etc.) In my experience, salads are now far more common, and way better, in casas than in restaurants, even high-end ones.
The best locally-owned bike touring company I know of is WowCuba. The wife, Kristin, is Canadian, of PEI's MacQueen Bike Tours company, but she and her Cuban husband Abel live just outside Habana (in Playas del Este), and have run cycling tours for years, including one that combines cycling with organic agriculture in Cuba. You can see what's available on their website, www.wowcuba.com
I personally have never been on one of their cycling tours--I did my cycling in Cuba independently--but have used them for other things and found them to be very helpful.
Incidentally, most veggies grown in Cuba are organic, although only about half a dozen would meet strict North American or EU "organic" standards. Generally speaking, Cubans use little or no pesticides on their produce. The main issue with what you find in the agromercados is that, for lack of refrigeration, they're often a little wilty; thus not as "pretty" as what's available in our markets. One reason for the prevalence of cabbage in leiu of lettuce is that cabbage handles the heat better. Ditto cucumbers. But lettuce is always available at the kiosks of community gardens which exist in most town of any size; a common sight is someone on a bicycle with a basket full of lettuce and other veggies--picked fresh that morning and probably on the way to some casa that caters to foreigners.
Thank you so much for your in depth reply. I'll take a look at WOW Cuba again now that I know they are locals.
Best beach town in Cuba is Varadero, imo. Beach towns in Cuba aren't as developed as you'd find stateside, in Mexico or the the other parts of the Caribbean.
Varadero--one of Cuba's most beautiful beaches, for sure. That does not make it the best beach town, especially not for cyclists, given the heavy tourist rental car and tour bus traffic in the area. But you're right, YanquiBoy, if Mray just wants to "be a tourist" in a beach town, well, that's what Varadero has specialized in for 100+ years.
TTjpda,
Which beach town do you think would be best for a few days of relaxing. I teach middle school , this was a particularly hard year. Also would you say Havana is the best town if I'd like to check out Afro-Cuban dance or drumming classes?
Thank you
trusted partner
