There're many great things about Cuba, not just the beaches or the landscapes, but also the people. I just came back from a 2 week trip. I visited Habana, Trinidad, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba and Cayo Largo del Sur, so I think I got a pretty good idea about Cuba and Cubans. I stayed in private houses (casas particulares) and I am Spanish native speaker, so I had the chance to get to know many interesting things about Cuban life.
After this great experience, I wanted to post this message in this forum also to give my opinion about people in Santiago de Cuba. I got there by bus, and I suffered the harassment since the very begining.
In all the country, Cubans offer you different kinds of services: taxi, house, restaurant, horse riding, diving, fruit... all the time. You listen to them, say yes or not, thank you, and that's all. But in Santiago the Cuba there was a inhuman pressure over tourists, it's not enough to tell them that you don't need the service, they continue insisting, even touching you, trying to convince you. A lot of times, they lie about the service (they don't even have a taxi, they are just playing with you...), so I was cheated several times. I must say that it wasn't dangerous in any case, but they made me feel completely stupid, and forced me to be "in alert" all the time. I didn't want to be mean because i'm pretty easygoing and I like talking to people, I love the Cuban way of being, so I talked to many Cubans. Probably, that's the reason why they cheated me again and again in Santiago.
If you go with a tourist guide or choose a jinetero to "protect" you, you may not have the same experience as me, I guess.
For those of you who have already been to Santiago de Cuba, I'd love to know about your experience. Deep inside of me, I'd like to think that I was just not lucky.
For those of you who are planning to visit the country, I'd recommend to visit other places instead of Santiago, there are many great villages around.
For me Santiago de Cuba was no much different then other places in Cuba. Think the hassle is a little bigger in Havana.
Anyway: good dancing and drinking in Casa de la Trova in the beginning of the evening and then later on in Casa de la Musica till 3 o'clock in the morning. Enjoy yourself!
OP
I had a pretty similar experience to yours last month in Santiago. I'm also a native Spanish speaker.
I think if you know people there the experience can be quite different. I met some fantastic people there, kind and very generous, but we were hassled there a lot more than in other places.
The TT guide describes the jineteros there as "desperate", which I think is accurate; the sense of desperation is palpable.
We did try to get out of the centre, but found it surrounded by shanty town-like 'barrios'. If anyone here knows good areas to go to, do mention them for next time travelers :-)
My 2 pennies: I found 2 good bars with no hassle/cheating prices trip report stgo de cuba 07
Also say how long ago you were there: I found Santiago changed an awful lot within one year!
Jinetero-wise, I find Santiago to be a tad off worse than the rest of Cuba, too. Same goes for overpricing.
Me too. Although I ws there only two times 12 years ago, I found the jineteros' scene kind of predatory...
Santiago, more than any other place in Cuba, seems to me to swing back and forth between heavy jinetero presence to very little. I have been told that this relates to whether or not there is a current crackdown on jinetero hustling at a given time. I personally have been there at times when, in city centre, it was just as the OP described it, even when there were police scattered all about; they just stood and watched. At other times I have been there when, if a foreigner fell into a simple conversation with a local in the park, the police would approach and be aggressive toward the local. During those times, there was little or no jinetero hustle. Visitors complain no matter what. Either because they are being harrassed by jineteros, or because, in trying to carry on a simple conversation and get to know someone, they are interferred with by the police.
Myself, not being a city person by nature, I tend to stay away from the heart of town. There are many poorly-kept apartment complexes, as well as the squatter barrios mentioned by Anabonita on the outskirts of Santiago. This largely due to the fact that the housing situation is probably more acute there than in many other places on the island, more so, even, than around Havana, where it is bad enough. I don't know all the reasons for this, but I would surmise that the higher birthrate in the Santiago area has something to do with that. Also, although many on this branch go ballistic when anyone mentions that the US embargo is in any way hurting the Cuban economy, the fact is that it has, most particularly in the various ways it has interferred with shipping and the delivery of goods to Cuba from abroad. Nowhere has this been felt more than in Santiago, a port with a small industrial base. Both the port and local industry have been severely affected.
ANABONITA: I personally love the area of Santiago just off Avenida de las Americas, from there (Reparto Amplicacion de Terraza)and on over to include Reparto Vista Allegre. There are countless licenced casas in this part of town. I like these areas mainly because they are the least congested, least jineteroed, and most bike-friendly. But there are also interesting things to see out that way, like the Bosque de los Heroes, a memorial to Che and those who died with him in Bolivia; the Museo de la Imagen, the Centro Culture Africano, the zoo, the Alliance Francaise (with a weekly French language film, free), and various sports and medical facilities. Just depends on ones interests, I guess. The Tropicana Santiago cabaret is out that way, too, said to be the prototype (and better) than the Tropicana in Havana. But it might be closed for renovations now; I have heard it was, and don't know whether it has reopened. (Also don't know if those free French language films are still being shown every week--not that that's necessarily something someone come to Cuba would want to see; still, interesting to know it's there, and to see who attends,)
I would agree that the ver persistent jinetero/hustler/begger scene in Santiago is pretty bad, but that is not a reason to not go there. It is a very historical city, with many interesting sites to visit. El Morro has an incredibly beautiful setting on the Caribbean Sea and the Church La Caridad at El Cobre (a little ways out of town) is certainly worth a visit. The Moncada barracks, and just down the street a much nicer Coppelia than in Havana, imo. Great ambiance. I like it, in spite of the hassle involved visiting there.
Oh, of course that's not a reason NOT to go there!!! I agree, siemprepatty. Loved all those places you mention, and el Cayo!!!
i like santiago better than havana, but nightwise the place was completely dried up even on a saturday night in last november. they started to close the bars at 22.00 in parque de Dolores. i have to admit that the morale is declining, even under those that have jobs or live and work under better conditions than most. could be also that if the OP was a little more experienced and knew how to behave towards these he wouldn't have been hassled that much. most one attracts by own behavior, subconsciously ( i'm not blaming or condoning jineteros ). i certainly can tell you that personnaly for me it's getting lesser and lesser each visit, although there are occassions that i still fall into it, that fast are some!...:)
but all in all, i like it better than havana...
trusted partner
