Years after the collapse of the USSR, Cuba remains a bastion of communism, central planning... and shortages of basic goods. Anyone returning from a trip abroad, therefore, takes as many of these as they can carry - even if they are flying from Moscow.
Sarah Rainsford lived for a while in Russia before glasnost and remembers the days of long lines, endless shortages, and central planning during its Communist era. Who would have guessed that she'd wind up working in Havana - and now looks on a trip to Moscow as a chance to stock up on the household essentials? For while Cuba still has few retail outlets which aren't run by the State, and goods are still hard to find, Russia's shaken off most of its Soviet-era controls - and some people now see shopping as a way to have fun.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28785420
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/multimedia/2014/09/140908_cant_fooc_audio
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p024tkm6
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