A video shared on Instagram has generated a wave of reactions by showcasing a heartwarming story that, beyond being emotional, exposes the deep inequality that permeates everyday life in Cuba.
User Dos Bucaros wrote that a power outage led them to discover that the best part of traveling is not the places, but the people you meet. "And this was our story with José Juaco."
The protagonist of the video, a young tourist, describes how they met the driver who transported them during their stay in Havana. "While we were searching for transportation during a blackout in Cuba, we came across this character. What we didn't know was that he was going to end up being the best part of our lives," she recounts.
According to what they say, the driver's name is Gustavo, although for them he became known as José Juaco.
"He was the one who transported us throughout the entire journey in our super limousine (an electric tricycle), but without us realizing it, he became more than just a driver; he became companionship, laughter, conversation, and home," she said in the video.
Prohibitive places for the average Cuban
The young woman explains that the relationship transcended the transportation service, and they decided to give him something special: to make him a tourist in his own city.
"Days as a tourist in his own city, places he had never been to, because as he told us, they were places that only tourists visit," he stated.
The phrase does not go unnoticed. In a country where most workers live on salaries that barely suffice to cover basic food needs, a restaurant is beyond the reach of the average Cuban who is trying to secure the essentials for daily life.
The video shows how tourists take Gustavo and his children to various restaurants.
On one occasion, she asked him, "What do you think about being a tourist for three, four days?" His response encapsulates the magnitude of the experience for him: "Unforgettable. I've explored, I've had fun, I've visited places I never dreamed I would go to, but God made that reality come true using these people as instruments of blessing."
A portrait of the social gap
The young woman also mentions that they met the driver's family.
"We embarked on a journey with both José Juaquín. That is, Ester and Daniel, Gustavo's two children. We got to know their family, their home, their story, and there we understood something we will never forget: you don't need luxuries to be happy," he expressed.
The message aims to highlight human warmth, but it simultaneously reveals an uncomfortable reality: a Cuban worker needs foreign visitors to gift him the opportunity to enjoy, for a few days, spaces that exist in his own country.
The video conveys an authentic human exchange. "Sometimes you travel to discover a country, and you might meet people who change you forever," says the young woman.
The sentence captures the spirit of the story, but also invites a broader reflection: when a citizen relies on tourists for a bit of enjoyment, it reveals the level of economic exclusion present in society.
Gustavo's experience is not exceptional; it represents thousands of workers who sustain the tourism sector with their efforts without being able to enjoy it themselves.
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