Date:         1998/03/15

Report: Varadero, Cuba (March 1998)

I've been on holiday in Varadero last week and thought to update all of you,
who are probably worried (like I was) about the recent reports in the WSG
that prostitution in Varadero is dead. Fortunately, these rumours have been
exaggerated, although it's clear that the Cuban police are trying hard.
Before going, I studied the WSG's reports on Cuba and found them very
helpful, especially in getting to know the price level. I especially liked
the longer reports (for the details) - and this is a long report too. Lonely
Planet's Cuba Travel Survival Kit was helpful in getting general information
about the country; it includes a good map of Varadero.

Varadero is a holiday resort town on a narrow peninsula, roughly 150 km east
of Havana. Most of the city is stretched along Primera Avenida, which is
crossed by calles, numbered from west to east.

On Friday evening I arrived on Varadero's airport with Martinair's flight
from Amsterdam, after a long flight with a stopover in Holguin on the other
side of Cuba. I took the tour package bus to Hotel Dos Mares on Calle 53,
which is a friendly little hotel right in the town. Only breakfast was
included in my package, so I had to find restaurants for lunch and dinner -
which is how I like vacation. My room had a good, large bed, a small
bathroom with shower, and a television with some 20 American and European
satellite channels in addition to the 2 Cuban TV stations, which are all
that the Cubans get. After arriving, I just went to sleep, as it was 2 am on
my biological clock.

Saturday morning I walked down the Avenida Playa and Primera Avenida to the
east, because both Lonely Planet's guide and the WSG indicated that most
action was around calles 10-15. It's a long walk, but I wanted to do some
reconaissance. Before Hotel Acuazul, on calle 14, a girl was asking me "Que
tu quieres? What do you want ?". 2 streets further, I walked around a market
of artesanias. Two black girls were sitting on the low wall surrounding the
market. One of them had locked onto me with her eyes, following me around.
All this is too early in the morning (10 am) for me, so I walked back
towards my hotel. When I had walked until about calle 20, some 100 meters in
front of me a girl crossed the street from the other side. When I reached
her, she asked if I wanted a girlfriend. Since she was not that
good-looking, I answered her no, and walked on. Some streets later I
encountered a terrace. I decided it was time to sit down and have a cola
(all simple drinks are $1). There were two Latina girls sitting at another
table, and they started to ask what my name was, where I was from, what was
my hotel, until two older Cuban men sat down with them. I walked back the
rest of the way to my hotel and decided, recon complete, that Varadero is
still a hot town with plenty of possibilities for guys carrying dollar$.

Saturday around noon, I met my Dutch tour guide and booked two excursions to
other parts of the island - Varadero is of course not the real Cuba. In the
evening I walked the other way (west) and had dinner at a restaurant that
didn't impress me. On the way back, I noticed that right next to my hotel
was a plaza with some little shops. Across Primera Avenida from that plaza I
was asked by a guy "Chica?" and I'd already said "no, gracias" when I saw
his girlfriend sitting behind him, young, Latina, long black hair,
nice-looking. But, no, not yet. I bought some supplies at these shops, took
them to my hotel, then went back out to the plaza to have a beer and watch
the action. The young girl across the street tried, but could not hook any
man - and she wasn't bad-looking. I was still sitting there when the shop I
was buying the beer from closed, and I noticed another girl walking down the
Avenida, a Latina with longish hair, somewhat older. Some minutes later she
walked up to me and sat beside me. "Where are you from ?" "From Holland, I
speak some Spanish" She was constantly looking around, and told me she was
watching for the police. Her name's Katia, 24, from Matanzas.
After talking for a few minutes she suggested we get inside, because it was
dangerous (police) out here. Okay, I like to get seduced, so we went to my
hotel 200 meters away. I had to walk in front of her and she'd follow me,
and speak to the "custodio", the night watch man. I'd entered the hotel and
was waiting inside, when the custodio asked me my room number. Then he told
me to go to my room, he'd come later with the girl. All very conspiratorial.
So I went up and in less then a minute there's a knock on my door. I open
it, Katia comes in, and the custodio says "that's $10". I give him the
money, and he says that when Katia leaves she has to call his phone number
first (probably so he can make sure there's no police around when she leaves
the hotel). Then Katia and I get undressed and go for it. She kisses quite
well, lets me eat her pussy (to a point where she pushes me away because
it's "too much") and is generally quite enthusiastic - much like
"girlfriend" sex. There's no rush, and afterwards we cuddle and kiss some
more, Katia takes a shower, and finally she phones the custodio. I clean up
the evidence (condom). By then we've been at my room for some two hours, and
I feel satisfied. I give her $30 and when I ask if that's OK she says "Si" -
note this is the first and only time we talk money. She asks if she can see
me tomorrow and I say "maybe". Then the custodio knocks and retrieves Katia.
Scores: I'd give Katia a 7 for looks and an 8 for enthusiasm.

Sunday I went on a bus tour to Havana, with a small group: 2 other Dutch
people, 4 Canadians, and our guide, a young Cuban man who speaks English
very well. On the touristic walk through the historic center of Havana I
notice just a few jiniteras. The Malecon does not seem very active, but all
this probably changes when it gets dark. Havana looks very nice, but one day
is obviously not enough.
Back in Varadero, I have dinner in a better restaurant (Albacora) this time,
and walk back to my hotel, to have a beer at the outdoor bar right next to
my hotel. I haven't even paid for the beer when Katia's suddenly standing
next to me. "Hello, Katia" (kiss left, kiss right), "sorry, no chica
tonight, I'm tired after the trip to Havana". I buy her a beer, and she sits
at my table, until after a minute suddenly - Panic! Police! - she jumps up
and stands at the bar instead. Then she sits down again, but not even a
minute later she jumps up already. I notice that across the street a man
is looking out for Katia and gives her warning signals. When she discovers
that I'm really not interested tonight, she walks on, together with her
boyfriend.

Monday it rains. I stay inside, read a book, and go to sleep early.

Tuesday is the first day of my two-day trip to the south of Cuba. A
medium-size bus picks me up in front of the hotel at 8:15. The front of the
bus contains three German couples, the back has three English and one
Canadian couples and me, the lone Dutchmen. We go to Cienfuegos (very short
visit, okay) and Trinidad (a longer visit, very much worthwhile). We spend
the night in a Stalinistic worker paradise hotel, where also a lot of Cubans
are staying, but we have dinner and breakfast in capitalistic restaurants
outside the hotel.
Wednesday we take the "Rambo tour". We're driven on the back of a Russian
army truck across some mountains to a fast-flowing river. Then we walk up
through the forest, having to cross the river rapids several times (no
chance to keep your shoes dry), to a waterfall. After lunch we drive back to
Varadero.

Back at the hotel I shower and freshen up. I intend to go to the disco near
my hotel tonight (Kastillita), but that one only opens at 23:00. Dinner
first. The wind is blowing cold from the north, so I'm looking for a
restaurant where I can eat inside. I noticed one 300 m east from my hotel,
called Mallorca, so that's where I go. When I get inside, around eight
o'clock, I see a real stunning girl sitting at the bar, having a drink with
a Western man - lucky guy. I sit at a table, and notice there's an older
Western man having dinner with what looks to me a Cuban girl, less
spectacular than the other one, but nice. I order dinner, and get a mojito
cocktail for free. A third girl (she's black and I don't find her terribly
attractive) walks in, has a talk with the cook and the waiters, and walks
out again. When I take a look through the window at the stunning girl, the
black girl just walks back in and starts to talk to me. She's Claudia, 24,
from Cardenas. We talk for a few minutes, while she's standing near my
table, until I ask her if she wants anything. Then she sits down across the
table from me. Surprise! I don't have to have dinner alone - and as I said,
I like being seduced.
Claudia tells me she's a dentist, she has worked today, but she's off work
tomorrow. She didn't tell me what she ordered, just that the cook knows what
she likes, but I soon found out that it's lobster, of course the most
expensive meal of the house ($28, small wonder that the restaurant likes
these girls getting in here). We talk some more over dinner, and Visa saves
me from spending too much cash. It's 21:30, so I ask her what she wants to
do - it's too early for me to return to the hotel.
Claudia suggests we go to La Patana, a disco (on a barge) just across the
bridge into Varadero. We take a taxi, my first time here, and I'm pleasantly
surprised that it's just $6 to go to the other side of town. The disco is
nearly deserted, but after Claudia checks that it's in fact open, we go in.
We order beer, but it's not cold yet :-) so we take Cuba Libre instead. The
music is a mixture of popular Western and Latin American music - very nice.
Claudia takes me to the dance floor, and we start dancing. Boy, can she
dance! Her whole body moves with the music, and when we dance together, she
rubs her body against me until she can feel my erection. Only then will she
let me sit down at our table again, where we'll have a beer (it's cold now)
and kiss deeply for minutes at a time, with our tongues moving around one
another. Claudia's hot, amateur, and it's clear that she's enjoying herself
as much as I do.
When we've been in the disco for half an hour, a blond girl comes in, a real
looker. At first I think she's Canadian or English, but she turns out to be
Cuban. The one guy who was in the disco before us starts dancing with her.
The blond girl isn't dancing as well as Claudia, but she has a very nice
figure. It amuses her to see how Claudia and I get intimate on and off the
dance floor. After a while Claudia and she meet and introduce themselves and
each other's boyfriends. The other guy is Canadian, and I consider him lucky
when he leaves with the blond girl not long after midnight. Around that time
Claudia asks if she can come with me to my hotel. Sure she can. If she has
sex the way she dances, sparks will fly. She asks for the bill, it's $21 for
eight drinks at $2 each plus $5 entrance. Then around 1:00 we take a taxi
back to hotel.
I had already noticed that there was the same custodio as on Saturday, and
he gives me a knowing smile. Once again, I go up first, then Claudia and the
custodio after me, and he gets another $10. Claudia doesn't have any of
Katia's inhibitions. I can lick her pussy as much as I want, and when she
rides me, it's like when she dances - keep the body moving. When we've been
at it for some time, she takes off my condom, and I think "what's this, does
she want to stop now?". But no, she slips me right back into her and starts
moving into even higher gear. Well have I ever ... this girl is really hot.
When we're finished, Claudia asks me at what time I intend to wake up. I say
9:00 (then I can still get breakfast) and we lay down to sleep in each
other's arms. Well, I don't sleep, I feel so lucky and warm, and Claudia's
also only just snoozing.
At 4:00 she says she has to get back to Cardenas because her mother expects
her. We exchange addresses and telephone numbers, and she makes me promise
to call her. Then she gets dressed and I call the custodio. I give her $20
(remember, I've already bought her lobster) and she complains that she needs
$5 for the taxi, so I give her another $5 bill. When the custodio arrives,
he makes Claudia get rid of the incriminating evidence of sex (condom and
its wrapping).
Points for Claudia: 6 for looks, but 9 1/2 for enthusiasm.

Thursday was my last full day on Cuba. I took the walk down Primera Avenida
west again. I stopped twice to drink a cola and rest my feet. My knees were
still hurting from last night's dancing, and my pelvis smarted from
Claudia's hot ride. At calle 13, across the Avenida from Hotel Acuazul, I
had lunch on the terrace of a place simply called "13". Three jiniteras were
sitting at a table, some more were walking by. All of them looked to see if
I'm interested. No way prostitution is dead in Varadero.
I took a taxi back to the hotel and got some more sleep, because the night
was too short for me. I had a plan for this evening - you'll see.
At 20:00 I went out for dinner. I thought to go to the pizzeria at calle 43.
When I got there, they told me that there was a show and it would cost $10
just to get in (maybe I misunderstood, dinner may have been included).
Anyway, I didn't want that, so I went to the fast-food joint next door.
Inside, it looked like how somebody would imagine an American fast-food
place without ever having been to one. When I had ordered my meal, I noticed
that outside were two good-looking chicas, Latinas, obviously sisters. There
were of course some guys around. The girls I've met only speak Spanish,
which is no problem for me, but other men want someone who can speak English
or German, and that's where these guys come in. One guy entered and asked if
I liked one of his sisters - they had a room just across the street, if I
wanted. I said no - I had a plan. Then another brother entered and told me
that he usually didn't earn money with girls, but with magic. His English
was not very good, and he was relieved when he found out I understood German
as well; quite a lot of these people have lived in the DDR (East Germany)
while it existed. He gave me a magician show for something like half an
hour, while the girls were watching just as astounded as I was: this guy was
really good. After some time he asked for a $5 bill to use for one of his
tricks. As I didn't have any of those, I gave him a $10 bill instead, which
he promptly made to disappear, and then made it reappear again. At the end
he asked if he could keep it (of course he would ask) and I liked his show
so well that I said that he could. I thanked him and said goodbye to the
girls and walked back towards my hotel. I did some more shopping at the
plaza and stayed at my room for one more hour, in some anticipation because
of my plan.
About 22:00 I left my hotel. I was surprised that the police had parked two
cars in front of it and were stopping the cars and checking on the people
inside. I went to the plaza and had a beer, once more watching across the
Avenida. There she was, just like before, the young girl with the long black
hair, with her boyfriend who would try to sell her. Earlier on the day I had
passed them and he had asked again "Chica?" and she "Girl? Foogie-foogie?".
Another boy and girl were with them this time, but they walked away after
some time. Meanwhile, a guy asked me if I wanted to eat lobster at a private
house - $10. Sorry, I answered, but I just don't like lobster. I was having
another beer and hoped the police would go away. When they didn't, I made a
short walk and passed along my chosen girl, with the long hair. Of course
she did ask if I wanted a chica, and when this time I said yes, and started
to talk with her, quickly indicating that I could speak some Spanish, I saw
her boyfriend scurry away. I asked if she wanted to come my hotel, but she
said "Are you crazy? There's police!" and then told me she had a room
nearby. It was just 20 meters away (so that's why she was at the same place
all the time), but it took some trouble to get in. But first we had to
negotiate a price - she asked $40, I offered $30, which she accepted after a
second try (I'd seen her get no action all the time, so I felt my
negotiating position to be strong).
Her name was Yanilla, age 18 or 19 (I didn't ask), from Santa Clara. She was
clearly afraid of the police near my hotel, and tried to stay out of their
view. She had to wake up the woman in whose house she used a room. But
finally we got in, and we went into a nice bedroom with a large bed and a
bathroom, which she promptly had to use. First I had to pay her (little
professional girl, this one), and she asked if I would swap the $10 bill I
handed for one of the $20's she saw in my wallet. It was my little head
doing the thinking now, so OK, she got her $40 instead of $30. We got
undressed, and she turned out to have a really wonderful body, smooth and
tanned, with firm tits, just the right size for my hands. I didn't feel
rushed, but there was a little more time pressure (this wasn't my own room)
and we finished inside an hour. She asked if I wanted to see her again the
next day. Once more my answer was "maybe". Then she asked if I had another
$10 for the woman whose room she rented. This time I said no, my big head
doing the thinking now (and I'd given her $10 extra already). She didn't
want to unlock the door until I paid, it seemed, but I knew this kind of
lock, and opened it. I went back to my hotel, feeling very satisfied -
executed as planned.
Marks for Yanilla: looks 8, enthusiasm 7.

Friday was my last day in Cuba. At 16:00 the bus would pick me up at the
hotel to take me to the airport and back to Holland. I had no intention of
having sex this last day, but I was to be tempted more than I had thought
...
Once again I made the western walk, sitting down at "13". I noticed a girl
in a red top ogling me, winking at me, but I just ordered a beer (their
offer: Bavaria, a Dutch one, half a litre, for only $1 - about the same as I
would pay in a supermarket in Holland). A Cuban who spoke good English sat
down at my table. He told me he'd lived in the States for some years. And he
said: you should have seen it here 2 years ago - women everywhere, but now
the police are making it difficult. I said it was looking fine to me, as
another pair of good-looking girls were walking by. He told me he'd rather
try "black" jobs here than work in his profession as engineer; a Cuban
engineer or doctor would make 600-700 pesos; at 20 pesos to a dollar that
would be $30 a month. He took me to a private house to buy some Cuban
cigars. I bought 25 Cohiba Lanceros encased in glass tubes for $35, and then
returned to the "13" terrace, to buy another Bavaria.
This time the waiter said to me "that girl at the next table, doesn't she
look good?", so I asked the girl in the red top to sit at my table. Her name
was Yamila. I found it a bit difficult to understand her Spanish, as she was
speaking quite fast, but I understood she had a little son and was trying to
make money for him. She wanted an icecream, so I bought her one, and then
the security guy of the place (a very muscular young Cuban) asked me if I
wanted to take her across the street, to one of the rooms they had there.
Suddenly Yamila moved to another table: police had arrived. After some
minutes they left, and she returned to my table, until the security guy
warned here for police once more. When she got back again, I'd almost
finished my beer, and she asked if I had a "present" for her boy. I gave her
$5 before leaving, after we exchanged addresses.
I walked back to the hotel, then checked out just before 14:00, leaving my
suitcase in the reception. Back to the plaza for one or two more beers. A
good-looking black girl walked by and sat down some 20 meters away, not
making any obvious signals, but clearly available. A guy walked along with
two beautiful mulata chicas; they came back again, and then walked into the
other direction once more. I looked, they looked, but there wasn't any time
... Then, across the street, Yanilla and two nice-looking girlfriends walked
out the door and sat in the sun wearing swimsuits. She made "come here"
moves with her hand, and I was quite tempted, but my bus would soon arrive
... I left to have another beer at the open-air bar next to my hotel, where
I would be able to see the bus coming. Then an English-speaking guy with his
good-looking girlfriend (I'd seen her with Yanilla) stopped at my table and
offered me some rum from his glass for some of my Mayabe beer. It was good
rum, and he offered to buy me a bottle, if I supplied some money. So I gave
him a $10 bill (the bottle was less than $6, and of course he never returned
the change) and chatted some with his chica. He returned with the rum, and
then two women started playing "Guantanamera" and other music at my table.
Everyone got some rum, and it started to become a genuine party, until
suddenly the bus came, and I had to leave, back to cold Holland. My last
hours in Varadero are well worth remembering.

I plan to return to Cuba, maybe this year, maybe next. The next time, I'll
spend more time in Havana, but I'll definitely stop by in Varadero. The
Cuban people are really friendly, whether they are after your dollars or
not. There's good music, salsa dancing, rum and sun most of the time. And if
you're looking for girls, you can find some real treasures: beautiful,
unhurried, hot.

Please note that nearly all conversations with girls were in Spanish.

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