Things to see and do...
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- uncle_helv
...In Cuba/Havana. I'm going for two weeks on friday, staying just outside Havana.
Anyone been, can recommend anything worth a visit?
- ********0
Try to assasinate a dictator and see what happens.
- akrokdesign0
dude, he is going on vacation. he doesn't want to bring work there.
- univers0
This has a good list.
- Spookytim0
Walk around with your pants and trousers round your ankles telling people you need a toilet.
- Shuffle. Shuffle around.Spookytim
- sure you didn't ment to post in "tip of the day" lolakrokdesign
- It certainly influenced the post, no doubt.Spookytim
- rafalski0
http://www.cuba-junky.com/
http://www.geocities.com/faqcuba…
http://www.cubaadvice.com/englis…
http://www.cubacar.info/englisch…
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.co…
http://www.geocities.com/stevest…While you're at it, make sure you read
http://www.therealcuba.com/Not everyone knows, there is a bar with a dance show on the roof top of Hotel Inglaterra, at least on Saturdays. It's weird, there is no sign informing you about it, you need to "know" it. Enter the hotel, go into the elevator and the guy who operates it takes you to the roof without even looking at you, assuming you "know" and top floor is the one you want.
If you go to the oceanarium to see a good dolphin show, there is a huge spooky building nearby. It is Russian embassy.
Bring some basic meds and give them to people. Bring a bunch of ballpoints and give them to people. Yes they're that poor unless they run a casa particular advertised in Lonely Planet guide which made them a local tourist hub. Leave your English-Spanish dictionary to a child you think might use it, speaking English is the way out of poverty there. Use taxis at night (learnt first-hand after a midnight gang chase through calle Reina, luckily it's a totalitarian regime and police are on all corners). Nightly gangs with machettes have been reported in Barrio Chino.
Use a guagua (city bus), one of very few things you can get for Peso Cubano (have small change). You might have one that'll take you daily to Havana. You won't see many tourists on it.
Peso Cubano also buys you white bread if you can get it before it's gone. Comes in two major variations (pan suave and pan duro) and is very good (delicious, if you're from the British Isles).
Where are you staying, a hotel, a casa particular or something else?
- ernexbcn0
I'm not touching Cuba until the bearded fucker dies, it's like ripping off the cubans :(
- paraselene0
take a few sets of guitar strings. if you really like a street musician or a band that you see, give them as a gift. they are incredibly hard to come by in cuba and people are very grateful for them.
if you're into architecture and want to see something unusual, try and get yourself to the lost art schools in the outer vedado.
http://www.antillania.com/Lost_a…
they were holding classes there the last time i went, but i did have to get an introduction from the municipal cabinet of archaeology before i was allowed in. not sure if it's easier these days, that was about five years ago.
don't expect too much from the food, it's usually pretty terrible.
- paraselene0
also, the diving is alright out in the cayes, but don't do it unless you're at least advanced padi certified, the air can be bad and you want to be sure that you can recognise bad air.
- rafalski0
Ernexbcn, that seems rare coming from a Spaniard (or a Catalan). I thought it was quite common among Spanish to be somewhat supportive of Castro's comunismo.
I had the same opinion as yours, didn't want to go there before I was sure I wasn't paying to support the system, but eventually went there and tried to make it as good as possible. I paid to the people whenever I could, rather than to the state. I didn't buy official cigars. I took bicitaxis (it's illegal for them to carry tourists), I stayed at casas particulares only. I talked to people and took thousands of pictures, then told many people outside Cuba what I saw there.
Cubans are very misinformed and a lot of them are afraid to talk openly. The misinformation comes not only from local propaganda, but from many Europeans who tell them that the capitalist world outside is just as bad or worse than the propaganda says and that USA is the source of all evil.
It was funny sometimes.. There is a small square in the centre of Trinidad, la Plaza Mayor:
A few palm trees, a few benches. There was a guard sitting there at night, telling us about a great communist achievement: such place as that square would've been closed for the night in a western country, but in comunismo it's free for everyone all the time. He was just as much "telling" as he was asking for confirmation. He was, just like many other Cubans, unsure of what he knew about outside world and hungry for information. I smiled, agreeing that in many countries some parks are closed after dark, but such square would likely remain open even in the US. Not sure if he believed. Then he asked if we had already bought cigars, because he had excellent ones for sale and that he could take us to the station in his bicitaxi the next day as that was one of his daily businesses.Some people were particularly interested in us Poles, as we were "brotherly countries" until the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 89. Again, it got unintentionally humorous at times. "How is it there, is it better now?" a waiter asked us having found out we were Polish. "Better" I answered. "Better.." he nodded, looking in my eyes. "We live in Ireland now, though", I added. "Better?" he asked again. "Better" (I had no better answer at the time). "Better.." he nodded, looking at me, his eyes showing deep understanding.
- you are right, Cuba is Spain's brothel, it's sad because girls over there sleep with you for toothpasteernexbcn
- USA IS the source of all evil.
That's not misinformation ;)********
- uncle_helv0
Wow thanks guys, and thanks rafalski, a lot to think about there, I'm staying a week in Varadero (hotel, resort kind of relaxing break) and then we plan to travel to in and around Havana for a week, staying where we can!
- CALLES0
watch out for las jineteras
- ********0
hey dont bring Spain into this, that was Spanish territory before the Spanish/US war... i guess they are still having relations without US support
- rafalski0
You're gonna need these then:
http://www.casaparticular.info/
http://www.particuba.net/Some casa owners are lucky to be included in Lonely Planet guide. They get all tourist traffic and redirect it to others collecting a hefty cut. They are rich in Cuban terms. We tried to avoid these hubs, trying to give a chance to others, who just weren't accidentally visited by a LP researcher.
There's plenty of good addresses on LP forums.