Name: Karen
Country: Germany
In reply to the Viazul scam
I have been in Cuba several times and traveled by various means of transport, also by Viazul bus. The one thing that is true about the story is that it is very cold on the bus and it's advisable to have a warm sweater and jeans rather than shorts. But other than that I found the 16-hour trip from Havana to Santiago quite agreeable and as I traveled mostly during the day it also gave me the opportunity to see parts of Cuba I would otherwise probably not have seen.
We stopped in several cities, about every 2 hours - but that was to be expected, as it was according to schedule. The stops were long enough to do whatever you needed to do, including eat something.
As for the food - whenever you travel a little off the beaten tracks you\'ll notice how difficult it is for Cubans to procure even the basics and I\'d think twice before complaining about the food. Only us - the spoilt tourists - get pretty much what they want. Also, as always it helps a lot if you speak the language. Even the slightest effort is well received, I always found the Cubans very helpful and was never ripped by anyone.
Name: Tim
Country: Canada
Viazul = great bang for your CUC buck! Everyone who has checked out Viazul online before heading to Cuba knows to ALWAYS bring a pullover. An overnight trip anywhere would find one in my pack.
As for my fellow countryman's take on the Cuban doctor: she could afford time away from her practice because Cuba has so many doctors. Cuba has one of the, if not the, highest doctor-patient ratio in the world and many Cuban doctors can be found spending time with family or indulging in a favorite pasttime that may afford them a little extra income. eg:painting and selling artwork. And if it was not his wife....who cares.
As for the scam, $10 CUC, wow you really got ripped off. A buck or two is fine but $10? A taxi would never cost that much.
As for bad roadside food...ya, your in Cuba. Again, ALWAYS pack for the trip. Food and water is a must, always. Crackers, peanutbutter and H2O is alwasy with me, as is fruit bought roadside and that will get you through until you hit your casa and a great local meal.
Can't stand the the music and the trip? Try bussing through Belize or Guatemala, among other places. Load up your smart phone or i-pod with a couple of thousand songs and you won't have to worry about it.
Cheers
From: Brad
Date: August 20 2009
Country: Australia
In response to Canada 1 June 2009.
I havent had the opportunity to catch a Viazul bus, but i will next month. Your story of woe sounds to me like you have not experienced much in the way of terrible transport in the past. You might want to try and catch a bus in Bolivia some time. Actually, probably best you don't bother. They make your version of Viazul to sound like its first class travel.
Date: June 1 2009
Country: Canada
The Viazul Scam
The guide books tell you how great Viazul buses are. How comfortable etc.
However I have to disagree.
They're as cold as ice box for a start. Any polite request that they turn down the a/c is met with a very gruff... 'No Possible'.
So you sit throughout your 15 hour overnight journey shivering. Sleep is out of the question. They love their Scarface movies and DVD's of very loud salsa bands snakehipped charmers in glittery tuxedos circa 1978 and large ladies howling at the top of their voice prohibiting at possibility of sleep.
Viazul stops every hour in ever village and town in Cuba, throughout the night this slow torture continues.
There's no pint in getting off unless you are desper4ate for the men's room since all you will find in those desolate cafes is the ineitable stale cold white bun with a sliver of plastic cheese that will stick in your gut like a lead baloon all night.
Here comes the scam. As you pull into your destination, in our case it was Varadero, you ask politely if you can be dropped off 5 minutes past the terminus as it is closer to your hotel. Sure, no problem they tell you.
What they fail to say is that they will mug you for another 10CUC once they hop off to retrieve your bag.
The 10CUC is swiftly stashed in their pocket. A nice little earner when you consider how many they try this on with during the Santiago to Havana journey.
The charmer who drives the bus is usually accompanied by his wife who brags that her husband earns 5ive times her wage and she's a doctor in Havana. I can believe it if he pulls this scam each night. Little wonder his doctor wife can take time off work to accompany hubby on his long overnight journeys.
This little charmer can be spotted snogging in the front of the bus with his doctor wife when the other driver takes over. Not snogging like a married couple I might add.
If you can find an alernative method of transport throughout Cuba I would advise it. I would not recommend Viazul to my worst enemy. The overnight journey is a particular purgatory, and the scam at the end of your journey is all you need when you are low on cash and at the end of your holiday.
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