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My second trip to Cuba. Havana this time - beautiful city. Very clean place with friendly people. I went for a walk last night at 11 PM and did not feel unsafe or threatened in any way.

Took a tour around the city a few days ago and just happened upon a Santeria ritual next to a river. Chrissy came to mind immediately because part of the ritual involved a white fowl Said to myself, so that’s what those guys are talking about when they mention white fowls. Made my taxi driver stop and I videotaped the final eight minutes of the ritual.

Fascinating stuff to this novice when it comes to other-worldly things

You've got to speak Spanish to get immersed in the culture - do you?

I want a trip there this summer!

In reply to Walco

An island well advanced to others..Cuba is the perfect example of beating the odds at all costs,the vindictive USA couldn't stop them,only made them better stronger and more unique...

Cuba is the true big brother in the region,a big brother that had it hard but prevailed.

Now Trump wants to take them right back..but they cannot be stopped,humanity always prevails and Cuba has proven time and time again that they put humanity first despite the odds.

We are all friends of Cuba never turned our backs on them and they know that,the only place that Manning would go for medical attention,we have hundreds of Cuban medical personnel doing a great job in T&T.

In reply to XDFIX

I speak enough Spanish to get by, but I need to really learn the language.

In reply to bravos

Cuba is a true friend of CARICOM. Learned the other day that the CARICOM countries, with the exception of Jamaica, do not require Cubans to obtain visas to visit as tourists.

In reply to Walco

Yep and they have extended similar courtesies..

In reply to Walco

A good friend of mine visited recently and he also had good things to say about the country.

In reply to Titleist

Even the street hustlers here are nice. They try to sell you cigars or introduce you to women, but they back off as soon as you say you are not interested. Not pushy at all.

In reply to Walco

My buddy said he went to a cigar factory and he sampled a freshly rolled cigar and was impressed.

His 21 year old son was also eager to sample one.

In reply to Walco

In reply to Titleist

I was offered Cuban cigars several times while walking around yesterday. But I don't smoke. Well every now and then I will light up a ... but otherwise no.

The antique cars here are out of this world. I would estimate that 30%-50% of the cars in Havana are antiques. The thing about Cuba that still has me puzzled is that cars are more expensive than houses. Took a tour in a 1957 Chevy. The driver told me that it still had the original engine and is worth US$75,000. My partner who is married to a Cuban just purchased a nice 3 bedroom house in Varadero (a tourist area) for US$35,000. Well his wife purchased the house because non-Cubans are not allowed to own real estate in this country.

In reply to ProWI

In reply to Walco

One thing I noticed walking around Havana on Saturday was lines everywhere. Didn't know what the lines were for but I noticed one of the facilities with a long line was selling/distributing hot dogs. I later asked about the lines and was told it was most likely people collecting rations. Apparently, food distribution centers are all over Cuba to make sure no one goes hungry. Apparently not everyone uses them.

Americans can no longer travel to Cuba as tourists. So I traveled under a category called "Support for the Cuban People. There was an itinerary arranged by a Cuban dancer I know from when she worked in Jamaica. I visited and donated to a dance school, visited an art museum in old Havana, purchased artwork, saw a dance show, and ate at local restaurants.

I had an interesting conversation with my host about race relations in Cuba after noticing that virtually all of the hotel front desk, restaurant and bellman staff were white, and virtually all of the housekeeping staff were black. I was told that this is a current struggle in Cuba.

My host also told a story about her black sister dating a white Cuban who ended the relationship after migrating to Florida because his family in Florida disapproved of him dating outside his race. My host said that such intolerance would not be allowed in Cuba, which led me to think about the white hotel staff.