In the last post I mentioned that I find Cuba intimidating? So why do I find Cuba intimidating? It’s because it’s hard for me to understand my place in the hubbub of life here. There are two different monetary systems here, one for natives and one for visitors. Different places accept different currencies and you need to hold a special license from the government in order to interact with non-Cubans. Those that do sometimes accept both currencies dollar-for-dollar, meaning that my price of 2 tourist pesos (equal to 2 American dollars) is actually 10 times the price that a native pays 2 local pesos for. Some small markets give out rations of things like meat and dairy products, obviously not to tourists. Other places only accept local pesos, which I have yet to acquire any of since the banks won’t exchange dollars into local pesos. I also don’t like the constant feeling of being ripped off – even if it is a method of survival for people here.
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