UNFORGETTABLE 2 WEEKS IN CUBA
The results showed that November was the cheapest month (scyscanner) when I seached for the cheapest month to Cuba. I thought that it would be a great idea to go to this trophical island which is summer each season, while Turkey was in wintertime and bought my ticket. Samsun-Istanbul-Frankfurt-Montreal-Santa Clara. A tiring, at the same time, full of adventure trip was waiting for me. First of all, I applied for Cuban visa. You can obtain required documents from here…(click).You do not need to apply by an agency. It is enough for you to send them to Embassy of Cuba in Ankara by preparing documents that they want. They dispatch your visa approximately in 2 weeks. Foot Note: Cuba Visa is not attached to your passport, it takes part in a seperate paper. Taking Canada transit visa was the difficult part after taking Cuba visa. You do not need to take Germany transit visa after taking Canada transit visa, because you will be exempted of Germany transit visa when you have Canada transit visa. If you want, you can have a direct flight by Turkish airlines by spending tons of money. It is the matter of your choice. In my first attempt, my Canada transit visa was denied. They thought that I did not have enough reasons for going back to my country. Whereas, I do not like cold weather, what will I do in Canada…😊….I prepared documents they want and reapplied. It was the most stressful waiting I have ever had in my life, but it did not happen like the way I feared and they accepted this time. Yabadabadu, I am going to Cuba. 
Rum is national beverage of Cuba and extremely cheap around 5 cuc (cuc and dolar in same levels). You can reach this unique taste in every place in grocery stores, supermarkets, gas stations. Just think how much tax we pay only for rum which costs us 120 Turkish Lira in Turkey. They have 2 kinds of national beer brand : Bucanero and Crystal. Bucanero has a high percentage of alcohol and the other one contains more low alcohol and their taste is wonderful. You should definetely try their national beers and their prices are around 1 cuc. 
They have one food named Yucca. It is generally served besides your meal in restaurants. Personally I liked this taste. It has a kind of boiled potato taste mixed with some zucchini, you can definetely try this and the taste I loved for is banana frying…🍌 💜…..It is extremely delicious. From now on, I am cooking banana frying at home all the time in Turkey….😊……However, they have very big giant bananas that they are not avaliable in Turkey and they fry them after slicing and crushing them. First time I could not understand. I did not obviously understand that it was banana when I ate. It is a completely different flavor and offered at free of charge in addition to your order in the restaurant. 
Before I came to Cuba, everyone had written that Cubans were very happy people in the articles whom I have read. A happy and stress-free life. … Was it possible even when there was nothing? Our expenditure also increases while our income increases. The more we earn, the more we consume when we look at the end of the month. We add 10 years debt to be able to get a more luxurious car and we are still unhappy. When you chat with people in Cuba, your life is shaped as “before and after” and your perspective on life drastically changes. In this respect, my Cuba trip added incredible experiences to me.
They have one food named Yucca. It is generally served besides your meal in restaurants. Personally I liked this taste. It has a kind of boiled potato taste mixed with some zucchini, you can definetely try this and the taste I loved for is banana frying…🍌 💜…..It is extremely delicious. From now on, I am cooking banana frying at home all the time in Turkey….😊……However, they have very big giant bananas that they are not avaliable in Turkey and they fry them after slicing and crushing them. First time I could not understand. I did not obviously understand that it was banana when I ate. It is a completely different flavor and offered at free of charge in addition to your order in the restaurant. 
Before I came to Cuba, everyone had written that Cubans were very happy people in the articles whom I have read. A happy and stress-free life. … Was it possible even when there was nothing? Our expenditure also increases while our income increases. The more we earn, the more we consume when we look at the end of the month. We add 10 years debt to be able to get a more luxurious car and we are still unhappy. When you chat with people in Cuba, your life is shaped as “before and after” and your perspective on life drastically changes. In this respect, my Cuba trip added incredible experiences to me.
We entered in a supermarket in Yaguajay. Bags are left at the entry and they give you a key after they put your bag in a locker. After finishing your shopping, the attendant at the entry are checking the receipt and those what you buy while leaving the supermarket. That is how they provide security. 
I decided to have my hair plaited to feel like an inhabitant of public. I entered in a place which was told as a hairdresser, it was a room of house in my opinion, a hair styling saloon in their opinion )) I asked her how much for hair plait, answered me 20 pesos. First I thought that it could be cuc, I realized that she was officially telling me only peso. When we think that 1 cuc is equal to 25 pesos, they had my hair plaited only for 3 Turkish Liras When my hair plait was about to finish, I had a very interesting and funny experience. I would like to share it with you. My hair was plaited, only elastic band should have been affixed to the end of my hair. The woman sitting in front of me had a preservative in her hand. While I was thinking wonderingly, the woman opened it and cut it into pieces by a scissor. She used the preservative as a rubber hairpin. I still smile when it comes to my mind. They can not reach anything in the country because of embargo. They are obliged to produce an alternative. There is no toilet paper in any cafeteria, restaurant. Even if it is available, you take piece by piece toilet paper on the table. Therefore It is my advice that you should not forget to put products like toilet paper, wet wipe into your luggage. In Matanzas, there was a long queue to be able to make a currency exchange outside the bank. We came into line and started to wait. The attendant at the gate was taking customers inside one by one. Their security precaution was in this way. Afterwards, the attendant at the gate told us that the electricity was cut off and it was not certain when the electricity will come back. Everyone at the queue pulled away. If it happened in Turkey, everyone went crazy, maybe even quarrel would occur. But in Cuba, this crowd pulled away without telling nothing. I continued to wait little more time, it was not possible that the electricity would be cut for hours. While I was waiting, one guy approached and telling me that he could exchange my money. I rejected his offer against the possibility of fraud politely. Afterwards, I learned that this man’s job was to exchange money of tourists who do not want to wait at the queue and get his own commission. Then I understood that also people in Cuba know trade and how to create opportunities very well.
I decided to have my hair plaited to feel like an inhabitant of public. I entered in a place which was told as a hairdresser, it was a room of house in my opinion, a hair styling saloon in their opinion )) I asked her how much for hair plait, answered me 20 pesos. First I thought that it could be cuc, I realized that she was officially telling me only peso. When we think that 1 cuc is equal to 25 pesos, they had my hair plaited only for 3 Turkish Liras When my hair plait was about to finish, I had a very interesting and funny experience. I would like to share it with you. My hair was plaited, only elastic band should have been affixed to the end of my hair. The woman sitting in front of me had a preservative in her hand. While I was thinking wonderingly, the woman opened it and cut it into pieces by a scissor. She used the preservative as a rubber hairpin. I still smile when it comes to my mind. They can not reach anything in the country because of embargo. They are obliged to produce an alternative. There is no toilet paper in any cafeteria, restaurant. Even if it is available, you take piece by piece toilet paper on the table. Therefore It is my advice that you should not forget to put products like toilet paper, wet wipe into your luggage. In Matanzas, there was a long queue to be able to make a currency exchange outside the bank. We came into line and started to wait. The attendant at the gate was taking customers inside one by one. Their security precaution was in this way. Afterwards, the attendant at the gate told us that the electricity was cut off and it was not certain when the electricity will come back. Everyone at the queue pulled away. If it happened in Turkey, everyone went crazy, maybe even quarrel would occur. But in Cuba, this crowd pulled away without telling nothing. I continued to wait little more time, it was not possible that the electricity would be cut for hours. While I was waiting, one guy approached and telling me that he could exchange my money. I rejected his offer against the possibility of fraud politely. Afterwards, I learned that this man’s job was to exchange money of tourists who do not want to wait at the queue and get his own commission. Then I understood that also people in Cuba know trade and how to create opportunities very well.
I was in the bus station to pass to Matanzas from Havana. The bus ticket was 10 cuc between Havana-Matanzas. I did not exchange all of my money in my pocket so that I could exchange it in a good rate in Matanzas. I had some cuc and euro for bus ticket. Do not come to this country with some dolars because there is 10 percent cut for exchange. Matanzas bus leaves at 5 and you can take a ticket from the cashier’s office half hour before trip. I really did not understand why they sell tickets half hour before trip. I started to wait too. I went to cashier’s office at 5 and told him that I wanted to buy a ticket to Matanzas. We could not communicate because of my Spanish deficiency and cashier man’s English deficiency. The only thing whom man said to me was “Wait”. I did not understand why I was waiting there. One hour passed. When it was at 6, people went towards cashier’s office. Immediately I got up. I came into line too. The ticket had been started to be sold. Foot note : That day, clocks in Cuba was set back, but I was not aware of this. Therefore my clock was at 4 when it was at 5 )) It was my turn. I gave him 10 cuc and the man at the cashier told me “no cuc only peso”. It was like a joke. I tried to explain him that I only had cuc, did not have any peso. He said no. I asked him where I could exchange my money to peso. But he did not reply me. Meanwhile, he talked to the man behind me something in Spanish. I could not understand what they were talking about. The cashier told me that you could thank the man behind you. This man told the cashier that he could exchange my money. I approached the guy and thanked him. He was going to Matanzas too. I did not know how sympathetic the French were clearly. We had a conversation along the trip, laughed and gave his card to me telling me that he expected me to see in Paris and could call him every time. Friendships made in trips is unique every time for me. It starts suddenly and is amusing. If you have any questions about Cuba, I try to help you as much as I can. Do not forget to smile and stay in trip….you can also reach my Youtube channel on here.
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