Havana Cuba

[SouthSide Johnny]

Ahh the cars, drinks and cigars, wonderful people, food and maybe the best beaches and water in the world.

[SouthSide Johnny]

Cuba

[SouthSide Johnny]

Cuba

[Arkiehawg (kingfish0318)]

Thanks for the pictures!  I'm plannng on going next summer before the U.S. get's in there and totally screws it up!

[SouthSide Johnny]

Cuba

[HawgWild]

Thanks for the pics. How about sharing a little more about your trip? How long did you stay? Where on the island did you visit? What's the best thing you ate? What does stuff cost? TIA

[majestic]

Thanks for the pics. How about sharing a little more about your trip? How long did you stay? Where on the island did you visit? What's the best thing you ate? What does stuff cost? TIA

For sure.  I'd like to know all about it.

[SouthSide Johnny]

First of all Americans Just can't go to visit yet, there's a narrow list of specific reasons to get in or with a tour group that is registered with the US State Department.  I went with a small group out of Canada and I was prepared to be turned away, certainly helps with people that have been there before and know the process and language, much like Mexico.

Spent 4 days mostly around Havana and taking Taxi around the Island, Food prices where very similar to Ft Smith area, beer was cheaper, local items seemed cheaper also.  I let the others pay and convert and I just reembersed them.  I'm not much on spicy foods so stuck to fish and chicken and fruits and salads which where all very good and fresh.

We have been to Playa del Carmen Mexico for years and the experience beaches, climate .etc was similar. The Cuban people where friendly and got the impression that are anticipating the American tourist.

And par I hate getting back across the border to the good ole USof A, real duch bags with their long line of idiotic questions, especially when you had a passport for 56 years. Never had a problem going to another country after a few questions.

I spend 45 minutes once coming back in to Michigan from Canada sitting on my motorcycle, keep asking me where you from? he was holding my passport I said Fort Smith Arkansas showing my DL and staying in Pentwater Michigan for a month with family, finally I said USA, he smiled and said have a good trip, Idiot %$)%^#

[husker71]

I have a friend in Vegas who has been there 3 or 4 times    loves it  BUT he is a single man with some money who is in his late 50s and so his ideal scenery may be different than some of ours   He had a travel agent who flew him through Mexico City and somehow some way he goes and returns with no questions asked.  I would really like to go and probably could have gone several years ago before marriage   He stays in a new hotel that is really nice owned and run by Germans or Swiss  not sure which

[john c]

Nice pictures.  Looks like you've been "infected".

I've been there 4-5 times over the last 10-15 years, going in with a license from the USA.  (Getting in is not so hard, getting back can be difficult without a "license" - before relations were normalized.)  The infrastructure has improved each time but is still very "developing" in my opinion. 

Best thing about Cuba, among many good things, is the people.  Going to a small night spot can be very entertaining when the locals break out into song and dance.  My experiences cover the entire island and I prefer Santiago to Havana.  They still have a nice Teddy Roosevelt memorial there.

Even though the US and Cuba are getting friendly (and gladly so, IMO), it is still a Communist country and you need to treat it as such.  USA automakers, long ago sold outdated tooling to other countries such as Venezuela and Brazil and those older body styles ended up in Cuba, often form those countries (so I was told).  Not uncommon to see a '57 Chevy with a Toyota diesel in it.  And baling wire?  Our best baling wire "fixers" have got nothing on the Cubans.  The last time I went (3-4 years ago), I took a bunch of O'Reilly Automotive T-shirts to work in.  I had a clean one on in Santiago one evening as we walked to dinner and was absolutely mobbed by Cubans wanting the shirt.  They were taking off their shirts and asking me to switch right then and there.  Rafael go it.

The times I've been we were on church business and we made sure to avoid any problems, even to the point of being very careful to watch our language in our hotel rooms and careful to avoid political conversations, not always knowing who you were talking to.  We did construction work and worked side by side with the Cuban citizens.  Having worked around many Latin/South America countries on church business I found the Cubans to be the hardest working (haven't found any non-hard working).

The Cubans I've been around were cognizant of their situation and loved America.  That said, it has been pointed out to me by many of them that while they loved America, they just wanted to be free Cubans.  America is great, one said, but we Cubans have style.  And that they do.  So, if you go, try to touch base with the common folk there.

My wife has made the trip with me three times and the last time I was worried about getting her back home because the people had gotten in her heart so much.  She cried for several days and still has pictures and mementos out as well as names on her prayer list.

We went to Guantanamo (the city) once, where certain of the residents worked at the Naval base.  I was told that the Naval Base jobs held by Cuban nationals were kind of handed down within the same family and that those people got a check from the US government.  Our driver that day told us that the previous week he had driven a couple of Americans to Guantanamo and as close as they could get to the Base.  He asked if we had ever heard of a "Michael Moore".  It was neat to drive up a long hill as the sun set and see the lights of Guantanamo Bay Naval Station - so close and so far away.

Regardless of the political arguments, I'm glad we are getting relations back as the Chinese have been getting very friendly down there.  By all means go.  You will probably get the same fever Southside Johnny has.

[Old Tusk]

I have friends who have been for the last several years. They go to Grand Cayman then to Cuba. They ask the Cubans not to stamp their passports.

[DeltaBoy]

I want to go just for the Cigars.

[husker71]

My understanding is that they can "camouflage" the Cuban cigars so they appear they are from the Dominica for a price

[cosmodrum]

I hear the Cuban people are just wondeful. I hope we can get back to full travel/trade status soon. There's no reason in these times to keep us from one another.

[DeltaBoy]

Yep Getting Americans and American dollars back will change the country faster than this Nonsense we had since JFK shut us off.

[dhornjr1]

Yep Getting Americans and American dollars back will change the country faster than this Nonsense we had since JFK shut us off.

Eisenhower imposed the first travel restrictions and Kennedy was right to extend the restrictions. Things are far different now.