Juan Téllez, Agencia Libertad
LAS TUNAS, November – A trip from Las Tunas in eastern Cuba to Havana
should take no more than 12 hours. Finding a way to make the trip could take
considerably longer.
To buy a bus ticket, would-be-travelers get on a list 30 days in advance. If
the need to travel arises unanticipated, a family emergency, perhaps, then the
hapless traveler puts his name on a waiting list, hoping someone with a
reservation drops out. If he has some ready cash, for 150 pesos he may be able
to negotiate a seat on one of three buses making the trip.
The procedure for buying a train ticket is different. It involves signing up
15 days in advance and confirming your interest every day. Here, 150 pesos may
also grease your access to one of the three trains available, the "Especial,"
the "Hurón Azul," from Santiago de Cuba, and "El
Holguinero," from Holguín, farther east.
"It’s a nightmare, brought on by a government that keeps
everything constantly in short supply," said one resident.
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