Peggy and I just returned from Cuba. We went because a friend of mine from Cuba encouraged it. We used his friend Laura destination management company to line it all up. It was easy, inexpensive and very safe. We learned much about Cuba that we have been told in the USA that is simply not true. We had the best Guide Ever. Renier. I recommend him.
Do I embrace or support the Cuban government. NO. But I support and want to help the people in Cuba. I did so under that travel auspices. As much as possible we with the help of our guide avoided as much as possible government restaurants, shops (there are few) or lodging places.
Here are some observations in no particular order.
Cuba is more beautiful and safe than I imagined. We have traveled much of the Caribbean and this is better
The people are wonderful and welcoming. Many speak English, some in amazing ways. We met young men and women who were self taught and fluent. It would have been better to be fluent in Spanish but not a problem really
The old Havana area with run down buildings is a single geography. There are neighborhoods that have some of the most spectacular homes I have ever seen.
As a fan of Cuban music I could not get enough. But I listen all the time anyway. In any case the music is great when it is fresh. We did hear some of the same tunes over and over again.
It was cheap to travel there and everything we ate, drank or bought was cheap. A bargain.
We ate at all kinds of restaurants and never had a bad meal. Service was excellent at all times. One place made us a pizza and it was superb.
The weather was in the 80s most days except the day we were scheduled to walk around Old Havana. 90s and hot. Didn't rain much.
The Hemingway house was a highlight. I thought it was really interesting.
If you go, be prepared to climb stairs. There are a lot of them.
It was sad to see the vacant citrus fields where once there were millions of trees. Citrus greening is also killing trees in Florida. There are some newer cures for the bug that spreads the disease. Perhaps the orchards will return.
In the countryside everything was skinny, cats, dogs, horses and the people. No obesity there.
The country is frozen in 1959 just like all the old cars. There are over 50,000 still on the road. all Pre 1959. But they are gas guzzling pollution machines. One day where we were the weather was just so that all the pollution from Havana came our way. I could hardly breathe. We were across the bay at the old fort and looking at Havana at night could see a plume of smog rising out of the city.
The garbage problem is bad. Just piles and open fires. Just like 1960 in North Dakota.
Some things are in short supply. No supermarkets like in the USA. Open air markets yes. Gasoline is spotty for supply. Long gas lines. Some people wait all day for gas. Electricity is unstable. We had blackouts a couple times. The internet which we did access was intermittent. Didn't use the phone much with CUBACELL. Could have with a plan from T-Mobile. If We go back I will.
Men don't wear shorts, women wear dresses because it's cooler, but slacks and shorts for women are fine. The women and the men are really really good looking.
The Cuban people love their country. Don't love the Russians. Honor Castro brothers for what they did. Are optimistic that things will open up. The USA sanctions is encouraging more trade with China for basics. Sanctions only hurt the USA. Medicine is hard to get. We aren't changing anyone's mind in Cuba.
They have a two party system just like in the USA we have the uniparty made up of Republicans and Democrats. They have the Communist Party and the Communist party. They don't have free and fair elections, and neither do we.
They did have a pretty tough secret police at one time, the G2. Military Intelligence Service, or State Security. It is a very effective organization trained by the German Stassi and the Soviet KGB. My Cuban acquaintances say it is far less onerous than it was before the fall of the Soviet Union. As in East Germany, citizens did spy on citizens. There is far less than that now if any. I saw very little military presence. Some police but unarmed. No need to. People don't have guns. Far less militaristic than most countries I have visited in Europe, like Italy. The USA is more militaristic than Cuba, but with the thug mobs roaming the streets they have to be.
The USA is becoming more restrictive and communistic than Cuba is and Cuba is getting freer. The people get the news and some I spoke with (remember they know English pretty well) said they see the trans, LBGT, Drag Shows, riots, corrupt cities and crime to the point that the only Cubans leaving are those desperate and poor or criminal. The estimate is the Island has lost 10,000 of its 11 Million residents in the last year. The desire to come to the USA is much less than it used to be.
One dual citizenship Cuban American I met, Alan, has kids about to go to college. He has seen what college in the USA does to destroy kids, he will not be sending those kids to the USA to college. The Cuban people see the USA going down the drain. Besides education and literacy in Cuba is better than most of Urban America.
They liked Obama because he opened things up and made it better for Cubans. But I met many who liked Trump and thought he was a good president, for the USA. Not so much for the Cubans.
I paid in dollars. It was just reversed the day before I got there that you could take dollars. I was loaded up with Euros.
It was easy to go, clearing customs and passport control. Hard to come back. TSA is a curse. Passport control took twice as long coming back as going. Over an hour of standing in line.
Because I got to spend time with Cubans with no agenda, and they loved speaking English with me, I found that they love Americans but don't want too many of us there. The term they use for Tourists and in particularly Americans is A NECESSARY EVIL. Sure we bring money, but some don't know how to behave. I met Germans, Russians, French, Tunisian, British, and Canadian Tourists. Well behaved. If Cuba opens up wide to Americans I fear for the purity of the county.
Wandering around there were a few beggars. Not as many as Chicago. We were warned there might be pickpockets, But not that many, cause I didn't hear of any from anyone I met.
Last the palate of Music. There are more songs than the dozen of so that we heard over and over again.
All in all, a wonderful vacation.
GO
