For those who saw Cuba, you were lucky

Cant say I disagree, but would like to see the place hopefully when communism collapses.

Link

Edited by Carol Hill--Hi Pirate, I made your link clickable.

What a piece of BS. Sorry that we didn't get there.

The week of Obama's first inauguration ( you know, the one with the piddly [censored] small crowds) we were flying home to Toronto from STT via Philly. The plane was full of young Americans headed for Washington to be part of history and I had the pleasure of sitting beside a young 20 something lady. We chatted about all of the countries visited and when I mentioned going to Cuba she replied, "yes it was such a great place to visit" Puzzled I asked how she had gotten in and she explained flying to Mexico and then catching a new flight to Cuba from Mexico. Apparently in those days flights that did not overfly USA did not report their passenger list to Homeland Security....they may have to today, anyone know?

On my first visit in the 90's our plane from Toronto had a group of upstate New Yorkers. In Cuba their passports were not stamped but they were given a stamped paper that they carried with their passport. As they left the country they handed in that piece of paper. I am not sure how, when crossing the border at Niagara Falls they explained to the border guards how they had such good tans in the middle of a Canadian winter.

In those days, just after the Russians had left, we were told to take extra toiletries to use as tips for the hotel staff. It was illegal for a Cuban to hold USA $. Soap, shampoo, tampons, toothpaste...items that were all in short supply were highly prized.

On my last visit a couple of years ago I commented that the whole country must get all of the dollar store rejects,...perfectly good facsimiles of brand names were plentiful.

Fabulous beaches and some of the friendliest people on the planet IMO.

I have went to Cuba 3 times in the last 2 years. After what I seen and talked to the citizens of Cuba.. Cuba is a very oppressive government. I have good friends there now and I feel the government needs to change. My friends haven't been able to buy potatoes for over 6 months. When they did it was limited to 5 pounds a month. Yes, they have free health care but no medicine to treat ( I have took alot of medicine to them) Local Cubans can't buy beef yet there are cows all over the island. In Cuba if you kill another person you get 15 years in jail, if you kill a cow you get 26 years in jail. Everything in Cuba is broke, trains, carnival rides, etc

As now as a few years ago the whole world vacations in Cuba except the US. the money made from tourism and exporting beef go to support rogue regimes ie Venezuela. And i have seen and talked to and helped Venezuelan refugees that went to Colombia.

I would be perfectly happy not to be able to go back to Cuba if it meant a government change for my friends but I would miss them. And I wouldn't even whine about it because me as an American have many options for my vacations.

I really didn't want to get political but you really can't talking about Cuba.

Wendell

Right on, Wendell. How very true,