Traveling to Cuba

[Wookie]

How did she know you were an American rather than a Canadian? Canadians have been traveling there in droves for decades. Maybe frugal Canadians don't hire drivers with classic cars to take them to the rural places?

Edit: Oh, you said it was in Havana.

Yeah, I was be-bopping through the city, wearing white sneaks, she hawked a lunger and hit me right on the toe. She could have been just clearing her throat except she eyed me while doing it.

 

[Snoweman]

Yeah, I was be-bopping through the city, wearing white sneaks, she hawked a lunger and hit me right on the toe. She could have been just clearing her throat except she eyed me while doing it.

We really need a "wow" emoji in the likes.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Great point. I'm not sure even knows why she is hesitant. She might be afraid of the government using us as pawns. It might be the perception it's not a USA friendly country. . . .

Whether visiting does political harm or good seems like a very individual decision, and if that's important to her, I would say SB is not the best place to research that.

As for friendliness, what country have you visited as a tourist where you received a warm welcome that was genuine, as opposed to a welcome to you and your wallet? I don't think Cuba is any different. Wookie's anecdote aside, I don't think the average Cuban cares where you're from, so long as you're contributing something to their pockets when you visit. Half of them have relatives in Miami (I made that proportion up). I may be getting into territory I know nothing about, but I suspect the average Cuba differentiates American people from the American government. I know I feel the same way about the Cuban people and the Cuban government.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Yeah, I was be-bopping through the city, wearing white sneaks, she hawked a lunger and hit me right on the toe. She could have been just clearing her throat except she eyed me while doing it.

The sentiment may not have been anti-American but rather anti-capitalist or flaunting of wealth. She would probably have spit on a Canadian, too. Or any other foreigner.

 

[Snoweman]

I tried looking for flights on Kayak, but it said it was prohibited from displaying the search results. Delta will give me prices, but Kayak will not? Weird.

 

[hilljo88]

About 6 years ago, I spent two nights in Havana before heading to liveaboard in Jucaro. Stayed at the Parque Central hotel in central Havana. Walked around safely, without concern at night. All the Cuban people I met were very friendly. Hotel was fine. Food was just okay. Bar scene lively and inexpensive. Note that there are two types of pesos. One kind is only worth one tenth of the kind available to tourists. For me, two days in Havana was enough to see the sights. Judging by the bus ride to Jucaro, the rural parts of the island are extremely poor.

 

[Snoweman]

Whether visiting does political harm or good seems like a very individual decision, and if that's important to her, I would say SB is not the best place to research that.

As for friendliness, what country have you visited as a tourist where you received a warm welcome that was genuine, as opposed to a welcome to you and your wallet? I don't think Cuba is any different. Wookie's anecdote aside, I don't think the average Cuban cares where you're from, so long as you're contributing something to their pockets when you visit. Half of them have relatives in Miami (I made that proportion up). I may be getting into territory I know nothing about, but I suspect the average Cuba differentiates American people from the American government. I know I feel the same way about the Cuban people and the Cuban government.

My wife likes going to Europe. So do I, and so does everyone else based upon current airline prices. I like the prices of traveling to Cuba.

I did read an article (I think it was on here) about a guy that went out partying with locals. After he left Cuba, one of the girls at the party stated (confessed?) she had sex as a prostitute with him. She was 15. When he returned to Cuba on another visit, he was arrested and thrown in prison. Whether it was legit or not is another question, but I don't know if the US government is keen on helping people get out of prison in Cuba.

There's another article of a guy that flew his drone in the wrong area? He got out of jail after some time, weighing 40 pounds lighter. I need to lose weight, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to do it that way.

 

[SysGreg]

Hi. Been to Cuba twice. Once before the ”soft privatization“ in 2012 and the back in 2015. The changes were huge just in 3 years time, mostly in positive way. Since 2013 over 250.000 jobs were cut in the public communist sector and people were allowed to open small one man businesses. That changed a lot within local people, they became more open.

Cubans have always been very friendly, inviting you home and serving a meal. I did rent a car and was driving from Varadero all the way to Gitmo. There were no issues and never felt unsafe. That was back in 2015. Few years passed, so there could be some changes.

On the other hand several charters fly weekly from Europe to Cuba, so I don’t think there are big issues in terms of security. As American you will melt in, and remember spanish is the language to be spoken there.

 

[Tournesol2000]

Cuba is beautiful. I went to Cayo Cocco before COVID.
It’s a balancing act between supporting a repressive regime and the good people who live there. I ended up going.
The hotel was in ok condition but I expected as much given I was in Cuba. People are super friendly and appreciative of what tourists do for them.
Don’t bring US money for tips. They can’t do anything with it and I saw one guest trade us and cdn dollars with the staff.
We brought cloths and medicine, which we gave the staff and people around the resort.
The staff needed a letter from us stating what we were giving them. I think it was proof they did not steal anything.

I would go! Have fun, be respectful and enjoy the beautiful culture and people.

 

[Snoweman]

Here's a challenge I am perceiving from reading blogs: Food.

A close childhood friend married a Cuban girl. I visited him for a while when I was going to be in his wedding. We would go over to her parents house for dinner, where her abuela would cook for us. The family took it as routine, but my buddy and I would chow down on her delicious cooking and let her know how great it was. She loved us for that reason alone.

Now, I am reading that it is tough to find good food in Cuba. None of us speak Spanish worth a damn, so I think it would be difficult to eat at a local's house. Thoughts?