Anyone been to Cuba?
 

I went to Cuba last month for a week off and came home with mixed feelings about the whole thing.

Who else has been there, and what did you think about it?

I lived there while in the military for 6 years both active and as a gov. contractor.

Spent most my time fishing and eating jerk chicken

Tell us about it! What are your experiences?

Ask xxxjay about Cuba. He has a good story.

I went for a friends wedding and would never go back. Call me a snob but I am used to much better.

The Cayman Islands are one hop south of Cuba and provides me a much nicer vacation.

I read his story. Doesn't apply to me.

What do you mean with 'mixed feelings'? Are you trying to say that you were proved wrong of some of the misconceptions you had about socialism? Please tell us more what you saw there.

is it safe there at all?

I went to a friends wedding last year in Varadero. The people were some of the nicest I have ever met. We hired one of the resort activity workers on his day off to take us into Havana. We went into one of the poorer areas and handed out things like school supplies and baseball hats and equipment; I think we might have got some of the smaller ones beat up for their goods. On the way back our cuban friend took us to his house to meet his family and have some coffee. It's a damn shame the conditions they are forced to live under.

I would never go back due to the communism. An example of the propaganda I saw were children's morning cartoons where U.S. troops in tanks drive children on there way to school over a cliff and into the sea.

/me puts on tin foil hat. One night I got into a drunken rant about commies and Castro at the poolside bar. The next day I forgot my camera in my room. When I went back to get it there was a man in my room spraying the vents with a liquid but I didn't think much of it. I ended up losing my voice for the rest of the trip. Damn Commies :mad:

why in the world would you go there? what's next, North Korea?

Im going to cuba this year

and I would love to go to north korea

Cuba, great place to vist, nice people, great nature.

stupid banana rats

The beaches were beautiful, the food disgusting (you don't go to Cuba for the culinary experience) and I found the hotel staff (a five star) to be rude and "off" I wouldn't go back...I can think of much better places to spend a week to enjoy beautiful beaches and sunshine. :2 cents:

Haven't been to cuba, but i'd love to, if that would bring back Che Gavarra! (i think he's hot) and smart of course....hahahaha Are they still under socialism there?

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh and what's the next stop after North korea?

Randy, you underestimate the perv factor on GFY.

Seventeen posts and no one has mentioned the most important reason to go to Cuba? To fuck pretty girls for peanuts, of course. It's exploitative for sure, but a lot of guys go on sex vacations there to enjoy the locals. I think they have cracked down a bit on the discos stocked with part-time working girls and the girls that line the streets hooking up with Western and European tourists in the several years since I have been there. I went three times and it was certainly an experience. I even filmed some footage there that I put in one of my movies a few years ago.

I got married in Varadero a few months back. I found Varedero too touristy. Many locals aren't even allowed there.

The second week I was there we travelled all around the north-east part of the country. (Havana, Trinidad and Vinalles) I didn't care much for Havana, too many locals trying to get a peso off you. Trinidad was an amazing experience. We stayed with the people in thier houses and ate with them. I found them very kind. Vinalles was simply amazing.

I didn't have any bad experiences. The people are great.

I went to cuba last year.. stayed in Havana and had guides take us into Santa Maria for a few days... I lived in 3 places in one week and partied with the locals and hung out on Malicon which is where all the people go and party. The people are some of the nicest people but unfortunately they live in such poverty and they are about 60 years behind in technology. The foood sucks ass due to lack of imports from the U.S embargo, but there women are still hot but don't seem to like tourists as much as they did in past years. Things have changed alot in cuba, and i don't think i would ever go back!

Bomber

Wow. :helpme

Evil Chris, What were your experiences?

Nothing really bad happend to us down there. We just think that our money could have been better spent elsewhere. Cuba felt kinda 3rd world to us, and yeah the food wasn't great. I actually lost weight during that week.

i've heard mixed things too, but i want to go experience it for myself

Went to Cuba to work, filmed rock concert Audioslave, Poeple friendly and free... Travel to Maria De las Gorda by car picking up Cubian hikers along the way.. Walked around Havana with no problems, no crime or fear of crime.

People have access to schools culture and healthcare... Most third world countries would dream of such advances... of course for rich first world citizens without the imagination to understand they just see it the way their govt want them to see it as poor... but if you were poor where would you want to live? Cuba or a Brazilian slum, Haiti? or even a black getto in the states.

Is the country perfect? of course not! but it is a country that tried to make things better for the majority of its people. The US to its shame has used terror and illegal blockcades to destroy this small island.

No doubt the food sucks! Unless you get fresh lobster cooked by the locals.

Has anyone been to the Dominican Republic? I personally hated it. I found it far more poor and the people just hastled you.

I've been to Punta Cana and enjoyed myself more there than in Cuba.

I'm pretty sure me and my guys have fucked every Cubana from Havana to Santiago de Cuba.

Jim, Cuba is not the same place as you probably know it as. The past few years have been hard and they have cracked down on everything. Most of the discos closed and even many of the private homes that would allow girls in, now don't.

I've got some scenes shot there as well on a new latin site about to open: StickyLatinas.com I'd love to see yours. I can't get enough of the Cuban girls.

I've heard that about Punta Cana. I was in Puerta Plata.

I'm not really a resort type of guy though. I like to travel around the country and experience the culture. Costa Rica is great for that

Ignorance is a bliss. :disgust

Forgot to answer the original question...

YES, I have been all over Cuba a few times!

What do you want to know? It's a been about 2 years since I have been, but I'm very familiar with the real Cuba, not the resorts in Varadero.

I think I'll stick to my house rather then going to Cuba.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1097.html

I am surprised. It look this long for a racist to appear.

Maybe the board is changing. :yinyang

I hear ya. I love to do the culture thing but it depends where I am, like Europe. But when I'm in the tropics, I just want to be spoiled at a resort.

Cuba wasn't all bad. A few of the staff were really cool, the beaches were probably the best I've ever seen, and the COHIBAs were awesome.

I've never heard of anyone referring to Cuba as anything BUT third world. Some third world countries aren't all that terrible though, the developing ones.

Fuck man, I would have given my left nut to see Audioslave in Havana. I tried to go for that but I found out too late what was going on and could not make it in time.

I'm glad you got to see Cuba, and not just the resorts. I feel for the people, but on the other hand, even though they are poor and some are oppressed, they have something special and will lose it all the day the embargo drops and the rest of the world rushes in to exploit them. I would not be surprised if 10 years after they open up, they wish they were back the way they were now. Cuba will end up worse off than they are now when it's all said and done.

That's exactly what most Americans have been programmed to do. "Cuba = Bad" is what we are told from grade one.

I drove down 8th street in Miami once. Does that count?

i have never been in Cuba but i would like to visit this...

Note to self, DWB will give his left nut for concert tickets.

I bowled my best game on the base (GITMO) (246).