The Brazilian influencer Armando Netto, with over 755 thousand followers on Instagram, shared a video about his first day in Cuba, where he highlighted the challenges faced by tourists and shed light on the harsh reality experienced by the Cuban population.
Upon arriving on the island, Netto and his companions had estimated expenses of 55 dollars for the first day, but they spent 20 dollars just on the taxi. "We were starving," he explained.
Brazilian tourists were not flush with money. They were staying in an Airbnb and planned to cook, so they tried to buy food. They went to establishments that only accepted local currency and were not able to use dollars or their credit cards.
“We reserved 20 dollars for transportation and 15 for some food, but we didn’t know where to exchange the money.” The Havana residents taught the tourists how currency exchange rates work in Cuba.
“According to the government, one dollar is equivalent to 150 Cuban pesos, but on the street, one dollar is worth 350 pesos. So, what did we do? Of course, we exchanged dollars on the street.”
Thanks to the informal exchange, they obtained over 5,000 pesos, whereas through the official route they would have received just over 2,000. With that money, they bought the essentials for their meals during the three days they were going to stay on the Island.
"We were embarrassed to see children asking us for money, but we were barely getting by," she confessed.
They bought rice, eggs, and three potatoes. “There were no vegetables at the supermarket, only at street stalls,” he said. A woman wanted to sell them a whole sack of potatoes, but they could only buy three. “We covered her face for safety; we don't know if she has government permission to sell,” the influencer commented.
Netto also showed a bag of bread they bought, which, upon inspection, had insects. That wasn't all on the first day: “Suddenly, the power went out. We thought it was just a temporary blackout, but no, the government rations electricity,” he stated.
The Brazilian made a comparison between prices and wages on the island: “The minimum salary in Cuba is 2,100 pesos, about 87 reais (Brazilian currency) per month. A bucket of 30 eggs cost us 2,000 pesos. Groceries for three days came to nearly 5,000.”
"On the first day, we witnessed the reality of the Cuban people, a reality that many prefer to hide," Netto says at the start of the video, which has garnered over 250,000 views and sparked numerous comments.
The Brazilian announced that he will continue to publish more content about his experience in Cuba, which he referred to as “an entirely socialist country.”
Filed under:
