Man in Havana

My guidebook states that nine out of ten people that approach you in Cuba are hustlers or 'jineteros/jineteras' (the female equivalent). We're frequently approached asking if we need somewhere to stay or eat, want to exchange some money, buy rum, cigars or old Che Guevara notes. Some are innocuous enough and normally a 'no gracias' is sufficient, but some are more difficult to shake off and follow you down the street asking questions like 'Where you from?'.

Although healthcare and education systems are good here (Cuba sends doctors to Venezuela and in return Chavez provides Cuba with cheap oil) there is a shortage of basic items. Many shops I went into had bare shelves or had run out of certain things.

With Castro's rationing system, little available work and a low minimum wage, there is crushing poverty and many Cubans resort to begging. Walking around we're regularly approached for certain items, usually in the order of money first, then soap, pens and sweets.

Jineteras are in effect prostitutes who approach western men selling their services. I'd read about the flourishing sex trade in my guidebook but never really saw any evidence of it. Several male travellers we met along the way said they'd been constantly plagued by female hustlers.