If you could, would you visit Cuba?

[Billy Burnett]

Just checking the temperature here. ;)

[ChangoLoa]

1. Sure

Although, I would avoid the places reserved to foreign tourists.

[flamingdem]

2. I have been many times, but now can't afford to visit because

of cost. I am going to figure out here how much extra I pay now based on a ten day trip.

Before visitors could use US dollars. Now one has to convert to Euros and then CUC = loss of 10-15% plus hassle.
($100)

Health insurance is now charged to visitors at a rate of 3-5 dollars a day. This mostly hits US travelers since
their insurance isn't recognized but I'm not sure how this is implemented.
($50)

Now the flights from Cancun to Havana are limited because Mexicana went out of business. Aero Mexico has only
one daily flight so I'd have to overnight in Cancun, tack on another $100 coming and going.
($100)

The biggest cost has always been having to take 2 flights. Now that is something that would improve if things
open up. Right now US to Cancun 400-600 dollars but frequent flyer seats are pretty easy to come by at least
off season, Cancun to Havana (plug in similar gateway such as Nassau) is
around 350 PLUS the General License fee - was 60 dollars now 100-160.
(extra $100)

Forget about flying direct because carry on is weighed and there is a strict limit on baggage. Plus, it's pricey.

Here's the irony though: IF things open up to US tourism my main area of savings will also go up. Right now I
stay for 25-30 a night in a Casa Particular - a private home - and I can cook. I used to pick up food at the
market paying in pesos. Once the Yumas arrive from the Yunay Estate the Casas will be overbooked and the prices
will be raised. Other changes will surely take place as I cannot see the peso markets being flooded with touristas.

(add $50 per night for hotel for extra $500)

[Peace Patriot]

3. Well, you've certainly looked into it. What about driving across country (from wherever you are) and

taking a boat? Seriously. Or, train to boat? It's only, what, 90 miles off Florida?

And won't there be low-cost package tours--with charter flights--for leftists? Global Exchange type of thing? Aren't there some now?

I'd guess that, if the U.S. lifts the embargo on travel, all kinds of deals will spring up.

:think:

[Billy Burnett]

4. You can't legally take a boat to Cuba from Florida.

Florida's coast is surrounded by a 50 mile Homeland Security Zone, and one can't take a boat from here to Cuba because Cuba is on the US's Terrorist Nation list.

Boats and rafts FROM Cuba (which is on the US's Terrorist Nation list) are OK, good to go.

America has gone F-ing nutz!

[Peace Patriot]

19. Yeah, I know. I meant when the travel embargo is lifted, maybe going by boat...

...would be an option, if air fare remains high or goes up. Groups chartering boats, for instance. The travel embargo ending would likely make other things possible, too--like group charter flights. Or train or bus to boat packages. I would think that groups like Global Exchange would be into making it more possible for poor folks to visit Cuba and it might even work out as a business idea.

It's possible that, even with lifting of the travel embargo, Florida would remain an armed fortress with its own foreign policy. That would hamper boat trips, unless maybe Louisiana or other Gulf states decided that boating to Cuba could be an economic boon and do their own thing. Day cruises from New Orleans to Cuba! A longer trip (would it be overnight?), but still an interesting idea. But I have a feeling that Florida might bend for the same reason. Travel is profitable.

[Billy Burnett]

20. The last thing Disney wants is Cuba travel.

What Disney wants - Disney gets, in Floriduh.


Even if the embargo is lifted, Cuba still remains on the US's terra nation list.

There are stacks of laws and regulations to be undone before anything close to a reasonable travel policy can be established - and that doesn't include the many draconian statutes and laws in Florida relating to Cuba travel from here, and by Floridians (non Cubans & non Cuban family).

[dipsydoodle]

6. Cheaper

to change US$'s into either Euros or £'s sterling and then into CUC's isn't it ?

Whoever accused Fidel of money laundering is responsible for the current situation there re. US$s. And, as I would imagine you are already aware but others maybe not so - there is no blackmarket : possession of US$s is a criminal offence in Cuba.

:hi:

[flamingdem]

8. US dollar in Cuba

The dollar was depenalized in 1993, the government doesn't worry about dollars now as far as I know and you can pay with them privately for instance to a taxi, but that person will have to exchange it at a loss of 15-20 percent.

Yes, that's what I wrote about exchanging to Euros in the USA then into CUC. It's a hassle and you can get ripped off at all points. I'm not sure if Canadian dollars are a viable choice now. If you exchange dollars in Cuba you'll lose that much but there is some talk about using US issued Amex travelers checks for a 10% fee - but who knows.

There is an AMEX exchange in Cancun but it's not always open and the percent charged is worse than some US outlets. A US bank that can really be a ripoff.

[dipsydoodle]

10. I still think you'll find

that its currently illegal for non government Cubans to be in possession of even one single dollar. I was told that by our Cuban guide - a government employee of course.

Might be to with this issue back in 2004 : http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/UBS_accused_of_laundering_Cuban_money.html?cid=4011360

Social_cretin might know - he claims to have relatives there.

edit to add : this is more specific http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/us-cuba/laundering.htm

[flamingdem]

14. It's not illegal, they just have to pay the 10% fee if they exchange them

I find it kind of odd that your guide would say that. Cubans getting in trouble for having dollars is a concept from the Special Period, the bad old days.

http://www.gocurrency.com/countries/cuba.htm

On October 25, 2004, President Fidel Castro announced that the US dollar would be removed from circulation in Cuba, in response to renewed sanctions enacted by the US government. The Cuban convertible peso (informally, the chavito) was its replacement, and residents of Cuba were given until November 8, 2004 to exchange their existing US currency (though this deadline was later extended to November 14). After that date, it remains legal to hold and exchange US dollars, but there is a 10% commission, or surcharge, imposed during the exchange. There is no surcharge for converting any other foreign currency to the convertible pesos.

[Recursion]

18. Wait. Did you just say there is no black market in Cuba? (nt)

[dipsydoodle]

22. Not for US$'s

Not as far as I made out anyway. Not much point really.

Its the convertible pesos that the general population want and as their own ones are of no use to anyone else its hardly likely there's a black market for those.

[Recursion]

23. Ah, ok

That makes more sense. When I went people liked Euros, though.

[dipsydoodle]

24. Even those are an inconvenience.

Closest analogy I can think of to Cuba's dual currency system was countries like the The German Democratic Republic aka East Germany. In the GDR there was a huge blackmarket between their own mark and the Deutch mark - 10 times and more the official exchange rate. In Czechoslovakia late '60s it was about 25 times so just to get hold of either sterling or dollars - was also an arrestable offence if you got caught dealing.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Be back there like a shot

Super place. Truly wonderful people, well organised and even cleaner than Switzerland.

:hi:

[Judi Lynn]

7. Hope they can keep it safe after the travel ban for US'ians is lifted. n/t

[flamingdem]

9. In Havana the deisel fumes are a problem pollution-wise

People keep things very clean in their homes there is a near obsession with floor mopping!

[Mika]

11. You won't find any dogs or cats anywhere in Cuba. They've all been eaten.

:sarcasm: :rofl:

{Post made in homage to a certain poster to this forum, now tombstoned.}

---

I would move to Cuba in a New York minute. With my little dog.

K&R

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[Judi Lynn]

12. I saw that, too. It takes all kinds, apparently.

I've seen kazillions of photos of dogs in Cuba. They probably plan to eat them all gone later!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/3610/3509672925_7cf6148c5a.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/3137/2930176420_1f5dc9164b.jpg http://i.usatoday.net.nyud.net:8090/communitymanager/_photos/paw-print-post/2009/10/30/dog-havanax-large.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com.nyud.net:8090/198/522345928_839c9d86fa.jpg http://www.havanatimes.org.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/gallery/dogs-2010/perros008.jpg http://image.shutterstock.com.nyud.net:8090/display_pic_with_logo/65211/65211,1236708257,74/stock-photo-this-image-shows-a-dog-looking-out-his-window-in-centro-havana-cuba-26413976.jpg http://www.havanatimes.org.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/gallery/dogs/0909100001.jpg http://www.rightpet.com.nyud.net:8090/thumbnail/provdetailphotos/352010_94155312Prov_MyGirls12200.jpg http://i.usatoday.net.nyud.net:8090/communitymanager/_photos/paw-print-post/2009/10/07/dog-cubax-large.jpg http://c0170361.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com.nyud.net:8090/1083578_166016_ed814f350d_p.jpg

ETC.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Caught me out that one

:rofl:

I love cats and there are always plenty of strays roaming around the grounds of hotels - kittens too. The hotels post notices asking guests not to feed them which most of the guests ignore.......lol. There are small dogs too on the loose which get adopted on a day to day basis to make sure if nothing else they get enough fresh water quite apart from chicken whatever exported from the restaurants. :) That was in fact how I pal'd up with two Dutch girls. I found them in bar with two such dogs they'd adopted that day and in the knowledge I was about to spend the last week on my own I asked them to adopt me. They said "no - dogs only" so I howled and went "woof woof". They adopted me the next day. There's a moral there somewhere.:)

What did surprise me given the that their staple diet seem to be pork /ham was not seeing any pig farms anywhere. :shrug: There was a couple of 30 year odd Russian guys from Canada - both been there since they were kids. They'd bought a whole pig and a lot of rum etc and threw a pig roast party for the whole of local village. Great guys !

[dipsydoodle]

25. I'm still laughing at that.

:rofl:

[amyrose2712]

26. What did I miss? nt

[Mika]

27. There was a poster/disruptor here who INSISTED there were no stray dogs/cats/pigeons in Cuba. Eaten.

Poster was TSed a while after that doozy.

===

protocol rv Thu May-13-10 05:56 PM
Original message
Cuba agricultural problems continue to impact the economy
http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x36337

===

:rofl:


:hi:

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[flamingdem]

29. In Oriente I was told cats were eaten during the Special Period

but not dogs! Maybe they were messing with me but it seemed pretty sincere.

[roody]

15. Other. I can and you can. I did twice and will do so again.

www.ifconews.org

[jancantor]

16. Depends...

I can think of about 1000 places I'd rather visit. If you gave me a free ticket and free room and board, I'd have no aversion to visiting, but it's hardly much of a draw for a # of reasons. The question is "why would I choose Cuba over..." and I can think of very few places that I wouldn't rather visit. Ok, maybe Arkansas...

[leveymg]

17. He who retires from the Cold War on the nicest beach wins.

I'd say, let's call it a virtual tie.

Varadero Beach, Cuba

Corolla Beach, Outer Banks, NC

Peace and good seafood. Margaritas - free bar!

[spanza]

21. I could and I did. A month ago. Loved it.

Beautiful, amazing people and, true, very very clean! Almost a mania :)

At the same time, those trying hard to present its political model as a vibrant and open democracy won't be able to hide the sun with their pink finger. I consider them to be (almost) as false as others trying hard to make Cuba sound like hell.

[Downwinder]

28. Only if I did not have to contend with TSA.