Minty the Pepe and the Guapos

From north to south, Havana to Santiago de Cuba, amidst the decaying buildings, propagandizing billboards and food stores with empty shelves there is one thing in Cuba which are always in full supply: Jineterismos!

Everywhere you go in Cuba, you'll see Western men, laden with shopping bags and with a dazzling, dolled-up young Cuban hanging off their arm. You tend to see this alot in Dominican Republic as well.

There is no single issue in Cuba today as complex or continuous as jineterismo, or the escort or hustler culture. 

As a general definition, jinetero refers to a male hustler, or someone who will find girls, cigars, taxis or accomodation for a visitor and then take a commission for the service. Unlike me, if you have a "foreign face", you may well find yourself using their services. It's better to be polite and keep your cool if the hustling reaches fever pitch!

Many Cuban jineteras the female versions, are quite simply desperate to leave the country and see marrying a foreigner as the best way out, while others simply want to live the good life and are more than happy to spend a few hours or days pampering the egos of middle aged Western swingers in order to go to the best clubs and restaurants and be bought the latest fashions.

Given this fact, single foreign men may find that the ceaseless attention of sometimes stunning Cuban women (and they're loads) may well be the defining experience of their trip.

For me, I blended in so much, other tourists basically tended to keep some distance from me thinking I was a jinetero...and the real jineteros looked at me at competition. Sometimes I'd fantasize that I was really one, and then I thought, I could probably be the best and make mad money cause I speak perfect english and I can come across trustworthy. I can come across as a traveller but I'm actually a hustler.

But I thought nah...frig it.