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Cuba
May 18, 2017 21:08:12 GMT
Post by DADDY O on May 18, 2017 21:08:12 GMT
Granty - Did you have to do anything "Special" to get into Cuba?
Some of my relatives tell me you can only travel to Cuba if you have a job there. I think that may be more of an American restriction than a Cuban one. If so, I'll simply go to Cuba through Mexico City and have two vacations instead of one.
Did you hit any restrictions coming into Cuba?
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Cuba
May 19, 2017 8:50:10 GMT
via mobile
Post by granty on May 19, 2017 8:50:10 GMT
Can't really remember, the wife does all the paperwork etc, I just pay 💰 for it all. I'll ask her tonight and get back to you.
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Cuba
May 19, 2017 15:03:08 GMT
Post by DADDY O on May 19, 2017 15:03:08 GMT
Thanks Amigo. I suspect my relatives are not very knowledgeable is traveling abroad........especially Cuba.
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Cuba
May 19, 2017 19:03:17 GMT
Post by granty on May 19, 2017 19:03:17 GMT
She's away out for a meal with her work mates, so I'll tell you for sure even later. Cuba is really nice, it's clean, you don't get pestered off the locals to buy stuff, it's as safe as houses to walk about, and I never saw any poverty. And they all had smart phones. It's not commercialised, everything is locally produced because they can't afford to buy stuff abroad because the American banks won't give them credit, so they have to pay for everything up front. (so the rep said) It's full of Canadian and Russian tourists with a few Brit's, but no Americans. And the local beer (Cristal) 4.8% is spot on.
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Cuba
May 20, 2017 8:36:08 GMT
Post by DADDY O on May 20, 2017 8:36:08 GMT
I'm in. Gracias Amigo.
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Cuba
May 21, 2017 20:45:49 GMT
Post by granty on May 21, 2017 20:45:49 GMT
We booked through an online travel agent, and they done all the Visa's and stuff. They even took care of the departure tax. We had a little bit of paperwork to fill out on the plane, and had the usual carry on when we got there, but weren't interrogated. It could be a bit different for you Americans, you haven't exactly saw "eye to eye" for a few year.
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Cuba
Jun 16, 2017 20:23:38 GMT
Post by granty on Jun 16, 2017 20:23:38 GMT
It's on the news here that Trump won't lift sanctions until political prisoners are free. blah, blah. If you listen to the propaganda, and the bullshit etc, you'd think Cuba was a police army state where they lock you up and throw away the key for anything. Well it's quite the opposite, it's a lovely peaceful country, where you never even see the police.
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Cuba
Jun 17, 2017 0:32:46 GMT
Post by beachbum on Jun 17, 2017 0:32:46 GMT
It's on the news here that Trump won't lift sanctions until political prisoners are free. blah, blah. If you listen to the propaganda, and the bullshit etc, you'd think Cuba was a police army state where they lock you up and throw away the key for anything. Well it's quite the opposite, it's a lovely peaceful country, where you never even see the police. You must have been to a different Cuba that I went to. A first impression. We got off the plane in Cuba, and of course people need the bathroom. When Beachbitch went, before she was even allowed into what we would consider a cesspool, she was forced to pay a dollar before she was given a couple of sheets of toilet paper. I thought, "welcome to this communist paradise."
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Cuba
Jun 17, 2017 6:47:20 GMT
via mobile
Post by granty on Jun 17, 2017 6:47:20 GMT
I've been to worse places than Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Egypt. Once you step out of the hotel, you're risking your life.
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Cuba
Jun 19, 2017 20:00:07 GMT
Post by granty on Jun 19, 2017 20:00:07 GMT
And another thing Beachbum, what about London? You must of seen enough on the news lately to put it in the worlds top ten of dump cities.
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Cuba
Jun 19, 2017 22:13:12 GMT
Post by sherri on Jun 19, 2017 22:13:12 GMT
I would love to see England & I know there's a lot to see in London but all the unrest across England and Europe is giving my husband cold feet. He's not a good traveller at the best of times and although he says he would love to get away, I can't pinpoint where. I've been told not China, not Vietnam, not Bali, not Thailand, not the South Pacific, probably not Europe. Maybe America. London's a worry. (the middle east wasn't mentioned-that isn't even on the list of possibles. It makes me laugh as we live in the one suburb where the first terrorist attack in Australia took place. Only about 1 km away. We've got 17 on the terrorist watch list living here and 30 in surrounding suburbs. Maybe we'd be safer in London!!
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Cuba
Jun 20, 2017 1:23:32 GMT
Post by beachbum on Jun 20, 2017 1:23:32 GMT
I've been to the Dominican Republic and the difference I found was in the hotel staff.
They talk pleasantly and freely.
In Cuba, they were looking over their shoulders all the time for the security guards, who were supposed to be keeping us guests safe, but seemed to be watching the staff for political correctness.
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Cuba
Jun 20, 2017 20:33:01 GMT
Post by granty on Jun 20, 2017 20:33:01 GMT
Bolloxs, you try and leave the resort, and the darkies are all over you like a cheap coat. In Cuba they don't bother you and you feel as safe as houses, when was the last time you went to Cuba?
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Cuba
Jun 20, 2017 23:34:49 GMT
Post by DADDY O on Jun 20, 2017 23:34:49 GMT
Havana was the hot spot of the America's until the 1960's, when JFK got caught up in all the BS the Miami Cubans were telling him. It had magnificent Casinos, Theaters, gambling, Hotels, etc. The Rat Pack played there regularly. Unfortunately, JFK......due to his incompetence at the Bay of Pigs, placed a total a ban on Cuba for Americans. What an idiotic thing to do. If you want to get rid of Communism, open it up for free trade with Capitalism. Capitalism will win every time.
One President after another continued this idiotic blockade of Cuba. And it was all political. If you want to win the Presidency, Florida is one of the "Heavy Hitters" in electoral votes. If you want to win Florida, you have to win Miami (largest city in Florida). If you want to win Miami, you have to win the Cuban vote. Remember Elian Gonzales? The little boy who was fished out of the Atlantic and the only survivor of a boat lift from Cuba to Miami? He wanted to go home, his father wanted him to go home, but the Republicans didn't, citing all of those bad Communists in Cuba. Elian's father sued and won every court case there was. Finally, the Attorney General went to the house where Elian was staying and took him.....which really pissed the Miami Cubans off.
Hence Al Gore lost the election, by the thinnest margin ever. Elian Gonzales won the election for George "W" Bush.
Obama is not stupid. He lifted the sanctions knowing that normalized relations with Cuba are the only way to rid this area of Communism.
Unfortunately. Trump isn't that astute.....in fact, he's an idiot.
When Fidel died and his brother Raul took over, things changed in Cuba. Raul knows their economy is in the toilet, and he wants to stabilize relations with the USA.
So, I will close by saying Beachy and Granty are both right. When Fidel was in power the place was a shit hole. Now that he's dead, they are trying to attract business and tourism to reopen trade. It's the only way they will survive.
My Nephew returned from Havana a week ago, and his description of Cuba is "Spot On" to Granty's. My wife and I will be going soon.
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Cuba
Jun 22, 2017 20:19:40 GMT
Post by granty on Jun 22, 2017 20:19:40 GMT
Daddy-O, you're spot on about tourism being the only way Cuba will survive. 80% of Cubas exports went to the communists block, since it collapsed, they had no choice but tourism. So the rep told me.
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