That time I became a Cuban smuggler | Part 2 of 2
The reality is that the common folk struggles to get basic products such as toilet paper, hand soap and deodorant. They have it in Cuba, not everywhere but in some stores but it is too expensive for the average Joe. Those are common needs products, so now imagine how hard it is for a woman to get a new bra, a pair of jeans or some cosmetics.
Yeah, it's very hard. Not because they have no income - which is also a problem there - but because they don't have access to certain products or if they do, it's too expensive
I learned this from a Cuban friend living in Playa del Carmen a few days before I left Mexico and then heard similar stories when I spoke to a lot of people while I was in La Habana.
Another thing is, the people who have passport and a permit to leave Cuba for a few days, have permission to bring products like these when they come back but there is a limit: if I recall correctly they can't bring suitcases full of products more than once every six months and each product has a number limit. Let's say, no one can bring in more than 10 soap bars or more than 4 bras every six months.
So now you can imagine why this shady dude wants other people to deliver this kind of goods to their people in La Habana.
It's kind of obvious once you learn about the situation there. People who have money inside Cuba don't have access to certain goods they can afford. So Cubans, as witty Latinos they are, found a way to game the system and all they have to do is get people to bring the stuff to them. They know the regulations and product limits there are and the guy on the outside carefully assembles every suitcase so it follows every customs and immigration rule.
After learning all of this it all made sense to me and it was obvious this guy wasn't going to ruin his reputation - he was quite popular among Mexicans, Argentinians, and Chilean people living in Cancun and Playa del Carmen who wanted to visit Cuba every once in a while - or let his business collapse by making this Mexican smuggle some drugs, weapons or illegal products into the Che Guevara’s territory.
So bearing this in mind I was very calm the moment I met the dude in the airport...
...he gave me my ticket, handed me the bags - heavy as hell -, introduced me to an Argentinian girl who happened to be traveling with me with another pair of suitcases and I left off for Cuba...
I was still a bit nervous. After all I had only been like 10 times to the USA but that's it, that's the only country outside Mexico I had visited at the time so, the anxiety of the unknown was present at that moment of my life.
Nothing happened. I just let it flow and when I arrived to Cuba I went through customs without declaring anything, got a green light, the hound waiting for me to sniff my bags didn't even pay attention to me, the cute immigration officer signed my passport after 30 seconds of interview and I got inside Cuba.
Pretty boring huh?
Yeah, the first part of the story was the best one, I was actually thinking of not finishing it but some of you were really interested in the end.
After all, even though I've had spectacular adventures after this little Odyssey in Cuba, it definitely all the nomading started that day, when I thought of myself as a Cuban smuggler...
Wow! Never knew about these details. I have always liked Cuba, ever since i watched a movie, which i am struggling to remember right now. Their tropical drinks got to me and would love to visit one day but the limit is something else. I can relate to that, seeing average citizen couldn't gain access to basic needs. That is totally frustrating, and it is not surprising why people are looking for ways around the system. It is a terrible condition to be in.
It´s always amazing what you find out once you go out of your comfort zone and start speaking to locals, you really get to know how the real life in a country is, instead of what the TV and social media want you to believe.
Where are you from? Is your country similar to this or why can you relate to the story?
You are absolutely right. What we hear and see on the TV is never a true reflection and this has been confirmed also by @tangerinetravels ever since they have been touring Mexico. So many wrong things being said about Mexico but the reality is different from the inside.
I can relate to it because, here in Nigeria, the common man couldn't gain access to afford basic needs due to bad leadership, not due to ban or illegal deals. The rich keeps getting richer while the poor keep struggling and hoping on luck. Due to ailing economy too, the price of good and services have gone up when there has never been a significant increase in income.
It is the sad reality of those who live in dictatorship, a great experience of truth, here in my country Venezuela, the situation is very similar, it is very difficult to get some products and if you manage to find are very expensive, dictatorships ruin a country their people and The happiness of a people, that great story friend @anomadsoul
It really is, I think Cuba and Venezuela share a lot in common. I hope you guys in Venezuela find a way to keep hanging on my friend.
Your first experience is not good. But this is possible due to lack of information. After this there must have been very good with you. I saw this historic Indian city a few days ago, I liked it, you also see in this post, you will also like.
https://steemit.com/mgsc/@indianculture1/historical-city-jaisalmer-tour-of-india
Oh yes, when you are not familiar with some place the fear of the unknown is always there, but every adventure has a drop of fear in it and that´s why I love them!
The situation in Cuba is very similar to the time when perestroika was in my country. Everything was very expensive, and the essential goods were on the lists and not everyone could buy them.
Oh yes, I can totally understand that ex-soviet union countries went trought similar problems... It would be very interesting to read about Perestroika, do you have any links?
Eric, specifically for you I will describe the most interesting thing that was at this time. Although I do not remember that time ... I was very young then))).
Cubans have always lived on what the government offers them, and this is happening here in Venezuela. We Venezuelans are living on what the government can give us as the economic blockade has Venezuela in a difficult situation .
Nowadays I live from what steemit gives me ... because here in Venezuela there is an exchange that does not convert our steem and sbd to local currency.
if it were not for steemit that would be my ..!!
maybe he was already emigrated to another country..
Steemit indeed has helped a lot of Venezuelans to stay afloat and for that I think everyone should be grateful, to be able to monetize our content. I hope everything gets better for you my friend!
Si steemit ha sido de gran ayuda para los venezolanos con decirte que 1.5 steem es el salario minimo mensual que generan los venezolanos en su empleo por este motivo cuando un venezolanos conoce steemit se enamoran cuando se dan de cuenta que aqui se puede ganar hasta 5 salario minimo en 1 mes yo fui unos de ellos que conoci steemit y me quede.
It is incredible how bad governments oblige people to have to devise such plans, it is something similar to what happens in Venezuela when bringing products from another country only stronger, that is, if the guards call them attention they are able to take away what you want from clothes, medicines, personal items, among others and if you carry dollars even faster, they ask you to take bribes if you want to go to prison and start to infuse terror so that you do
Actually this two part post was quite the thriller/drama/real- life combo category story. The sad economic condition of Cuba did put a very hardcore real life angle to the situation and in the end it did make sense why people were being paid to travel. This was a very important part for my skeptic brain, because after reading it the the first part sounded even more real.
Although the highlight of the post was the "Dear FBI..." piece at the end of the first part :-)
Thank you so much for this comment mate, this kind of comments are what writers (I like to call myself a writer in the making) live for.
Lol, well, you gotta include some humor in the post otherwise people get bored :P
Glad that you liked it man!
The story was all the more engrossing because it was real and told first hand by the person experiencing it. It was more than just a good read. It was a Great read :-)
Aún se puede? xD. Aquí hay mas mexicanos pobres queriendo visitar la hermosa cuba :P
Todavía se puede! Si quieres te paso el contacto compadre!
Hahaha, oh damn if you didn't finish the story it would have been pretty cool xD But still, it was interesting read the whole story.
It's rather shocking how some basic items can be considered so valuable in some places even now. And good that those people figured out how to survive in that system.
I've heard some fascinating stories from my mom about USSR back then, because of embargos. For example you couldn't buy jeans, yet everyone had them :D
Oh believe me I was tempted to leave it like that and let everyone think I was tougher than I am lol.
Oh wow, you have Russian heritage? The past days I was in Russia I fell in love with the country, I would like to hear more about those times in the USSR!
Ukrainian heritage from my mother's side ^^
I haven't visitef Russia, but I'm sure it would be fascinating :D
I'm visiting my family :D
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Well, this is a bit like Venezuela, here everything is a blockade everywhere, you can not access basic products, and if you do it is too expensive, and the worst is the tremendous corruption that is sinking the country.
I hope that someday he will recover from all these evils that they themselves wanted.
Yes, they are in a very similar situation, but Cuba is actually getting out of it already, Venezuela is just starting a few years ago, I really hope it ends soon and you guys get better life conditions.