I'm a lone female planning on going to Cuba in August. I've
been told that I'm crazy for going alone as I'll be
constantly harrassed. How easy is it to meet other
travellers once there?
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hola,lisa...como esta usted? i traveled to cuba solomente
for 2 weeks in december and had a wonderful time. yes,you
will get the catcalls "hey meja" alot and after two weeks,
i did get weary of it.some problems encountered was going
to clubs and having a local attach himself to me and not
leaving.i would have to remove myself from the table,etc
to give them the idea.but,the majority of the people are
kind,gracious,etc.the country is beautiful,even habana
vieja in it's decay.i wandered for hours thru the city.
besides all the monuments downtown,some don't miss would
be the colon cemetery in the vedado district.the museum of
the revolution is interesting and also,kind of a hoot.great
clubs for musica,ah ya ya...but,i understand august is
hot,so be prepared.try to get to tinidad,as well...5hour
bus ride,but worth the trip for a weekend.veradero is
okay,but,reminds me of cancun,too touristy.pinar del rio is
worth a visit and the hotel jasmine is supposed to be nice.
a good website with lots of info is www.1000traveltips.org/
by a fella from belgium.i've contributed some info to it
and it's very informative.pls feel free to email me,if you
like.i have friends who would be happy to assist you in
acting as tour guides for your journeys around
habana.ciao,e
Maybe true in regard to inconvience, but any and all harassment to single females are curtail as of January with Fidel putting a clamp on everything. In Havana there is police in every corner so your worry is unfound, outside of the capital, which I believe is where the real Cuba lies, the people are friendly and gracious.
The best way to meet other traver is on this board or just by the luck of encounter. I've been there multi times and enjoy each time. I'll be there for 3 weeks this july and will give you a update if you e-mail me afterward. If you reschedule and go Earlier we can link up. I post in the link below about requesting info for dance lessen.
Lisa, you should not be annoyed greatly by Cubans on your
trip. When you say that people have told you that you will
be harrassed constantly, I assume you mean that Cubanos will
want to talk to you.
-
That was the situation before the crackdown in January, but
things have changed. The authorities have initiated a strong
effort to prevent Cubans from pestering the tourists with
offers of cigars, taxis, casas particulares, paladares, or
sex.
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Your visit can be as free of harrassment as you want it to
be. You simply need to learn a few phrases in Spanish with
which to deter the Cubanos. Whenever the person is too
persisent, you can simply say, "Do you want me to call the
police?" That should cool his ardor very quickly.
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On the other hand, the choice will not be yours as to how
MUCH you interact with the Cubans. The police have put
limits on that by harrassing the Cubans. (See other posts.
There will be some disagreement as to the extent towhich
the police have curtailed such interaction, but you should
get as many different views as possible. Then, you can make
your own judgement.) Do a search on dejanews for Cuba
crackdown and you will find several accounts including a
recent one in English which is obviously written by someone
who does not have a strong command of the language. His
account parallels mine very closely.
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The tourists who go to Cuba to interact with the locals will
find it more difficult to do so freely. Of course this is a
matter of opinion. For some people, interacting can mean
talking with a Cuban and asking for directions. For others
it can means sitting down, having a beer, and talking freely
on whatever topic you chose.
-
Still others will think of interacting as being able to
invite a Cuban to have a beer and then take a walk with you.
At this point the interaction bercomes limited. The police
will stop the two of you, review the Cubans carne (a
personal identification booklet similar to your passsport)
and begin asking many questions of the Cuban.
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I may be offering more than you asked for. To return to your
question, your are not crazy for going alone, and you should
not be harrassed unduely. You can put a limit to that very
easily.
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Meeting other travelers will be very easy. Go to the usual
tourists haunts and simply begin a conversation with those
whom you meet who are obviously tourists. Those who are
traveling solo or in small groups who are not fluent in
Spanish will often be eager to meet another English speaking
traveller.
-
Lisa, when you are reading the acocunts of those who say
that interacting with cubans is not difficult or limited,
you should attempt to learn when the person was in Cuba. The
crackdown began in November, 1998 and reached a crescendo
with a speech by fidel on January 5, 1999. Things have not
been the same since.
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About 20,000 additional policemen were brought in from other
proviences and trained to facilitate the recent changes in
Cuban law. They are there to see that you are not
harrassed. You should have a good trip, and the harrassment
should be minimal.
-
Buenas suerte.
Hey everyone, my girlfriend and i are planning a vacation in late 08/99 or 01/00. looking for someplace tropical/caribbean with great beach, natural beauty, delicious food and strong drinks! i want to swim, fish, relax, watersports, horseback, etc. she wants privacy, peace, and tan. No Hotels!!! a villa overlooking ocean would be perfect. want to rent moped/jeep and experience REAL culture. got any ideas?? our budget is around US100 per day, each. we were thinking cuba - more specifically cayo coco or cayo guillermo. if you've been, we would love to hear from you! any must sees/must dos? got any contacts? Thanks.
Hey everyone, my girlfriend and i are planning a vacation in late 08/99 or 01/00. looking for someplace tropical/caribbean with great beach, natural beauty, delicious food and strong drinks! i want to swim, fish, relax, watersports, horseback, etc. she wants privacy, peace, and tan. No Hotels!!! a villa overlooking ocean would be perfect. want to rent moped/jeep and experience REAL culture. got any ideas?? our budget is around US100 per day, each. we were thinking cuba - more specifically cayo coco or cayo guillermo. if you've been, we would love to hear from you! any must sees/must dos? got any contacts? Thanks.
To the original girl who posted her message, i would
reccomend you to visit varadero, as it is the prettiest most
confortable and fun place you can possibly visit in all of
cuba. The accomodations here are better than anywhere else
in cuba, and if you think that because it is too
touristy(which i find lovely), that you are not going to
get much in the way of the real culture, well , you can
always take one of those daily excursions to the various
cities of historical relevance such as Havana, trinidad, or
Santiago de cuba, as well as other recreational excursions
of little historical value, but more on the way of natural
beauty. For example, this would include visits to the Valley
of vinales in pinar del rio, etc etc etc. so, there is lots
to do outside of varadero if you want to venture out a
little, but still stay in this most beautiful of places.Now,
there is lots of fun to do as well within varadero. From
discos, to pretty much every sport you can think of, to just
anything good or bad you can think of hehehe.
I take it that when you were referring to being annoyed, you
were talking about Cubans as suposed to fellow travellers.
Well, if you visit varadero, the only cubans that you will
probably interact with, are going to be employees, or the
usual loser that will approach you at a club. But if you are
uninterested then just diss them and ditch them like you
would a loser at home, just ignore them, or give them the
"evil look" if you know what i mean, and problem solved.
Now, cuban men are a bit flirtatious, so if you want to shy
away from having anything to do with them, dont flirt with
them , or respond to flirtation. In all honesty it should
not be that bad. It really is alright. Dont worry, they wont
harrass you if you dont actually want to. Just pretend they
dont even exist and they wont bother you. On the other hand,
some cuban guys are pretty fine themselves, so if you feel
like doing someone, you can do it, i mean you
probably(unless you are really ugly) can get any cuban guy
that you want. Although i am sure you are lovely and you
would attract lots of men(or whatever), if anything, the
cuban men will like you mostly for your "green $$$$$$$$" on
your pockets. But hey, if you are aware and confortable with
that,and you still want your fun, then great.
Now, i dont think you should have any problems meeting any
fellow travellers. In fact, it would be nicer in my opinion
than actually meeting a cuban. But oh well, to each its own.
Try to visit singles-friendly resorts. There is always cute
guys who go there from all over, mainly from france, canada,
britain, spain, and oh yes, ITALY. italian men are so fine
hehhe.Of course, the dating rules that work at home will
apply here. so, if you are ugly, your green $$$$$$wont help
you so much in this case, unless you got millions hehe.
whereas if you are an ugly chick, you can still get a cute
cuban. But if you are cute, i dont see no reason why you
should not get a nice guy, who happens to be a fellow
traveller.
ANYWAYS, if you are in your thirties and up, i reccomend you
to go to CLUB MED VARADERO. Trust me on this one, this place
is great for SINGLES, HEHEHE. If you are really young, early
twenties then go to Las Sirenas. Nice for a younger
crowd.Some great night clubs include:"La Bamba", or "Palacio
de la Rumba".
Even if you dont want to do anyone, thats cool. These places
are great to make friends, and hang out and have a good time
with them . Just dont be shy and open up.
Anyways, i hope you have a good time wherever you go, but i
would reccomend Varadero before even thinking of visiting
another Cuban destination.
Now there are a few hotels i would stay away from, not
because their service is not good(oh by the way, both Las
Sirenas, and Club Med Varadero, are great as well in terms
of facilities, accomodations, services, food, entertainment
etc), but rather their atmospheres are not single friendly.
By this i mean that most people that go there are couples,
so these places tend to be quite antisocial , as most
couples tend to stick to one another or each other. These
include the following: SUPERCLUBS CLUB VARADERO, BEACHES
VARADERO, AND BRISAS DEL CARIBE.So, if you are single, and
your idea of a perfect holiday aint seating there alone all
bored and left out, and you actually want to have a good fun
exciting time hehehe, then stay the hell away from these
places. On the other hand, if you are a couple, then these
three places are a paradise for you
anyways, have a good time,
BONNE VOYAGE
Hey there
Sounds like you had a WILD time in Varadero!
-
I've just booked a couple of weeks at Brisas del Carribe.
I'm going with my friend (girl)- we are both in our early
thirties. I hope that we're not going to be too bored.
-
Anyway, I have a question for you...
I know that some All-Inclusive hotels will allow you to
spend the day there even if you are not a guest. You just
pay a fee, collect a Day-Pass & leave your passport at
reception until you leave.
Do you know if it is possible to do this at CLUB MED and
LAS SIRENAS? It sounds like a day-trip over there could be
a lot of fun.???
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I hope you read this - look forward to your reply.