THE
INCREDIBLE STORY OF ONE PESO NOTE FROM CUBA
Cuba
has two types of currencies, one for the local people and one for the tourists
and unfortunately the one for tourists, which is traded at 25 times the value
of the local, one is the favoured one, creating an apartheid of economies, in
this socialist system aiming for a general and equitable distribution of
wealth.
I
was at the Centurion Lounge by American Express at the Miami airport waiting
for my flight to Havana. As usual, the workers greeted with great warmth, and
one particular lady from Pinar del Rio, with a sweet face, with great show of
affection typical of the Cubans in the island. I just came back from the
island, she said and I told her I am on my way. How lovely is to be in our own
island, we both exclaimed and I told her that she should aim at getting her
American citizenship and plan on dividing her time, like I am doing between the
innocence and open mindedness of Cuba and the efficiency and the chance of
making money in the USA. We both laughed.
She
comes back a little later and puts the one Cuban tourist dollar in front of me,
saying this is left over from the last visit, and I want you to have it.
It
is I who is supposed to tip her, when she brings over my usual Sauvignon Blanc.
Here the roles are reversed. I the professor am receiving a tip from the drink
server.
One
of the enigmas of our Little Cuba!
