Havana stole my heart, and my camera

[Philboid Studge]

I had wanted to launch a thread on my jaunt to Cuba last week, replete with all manner of spectacular pics out the yinyang, but some piece of shit stole my camera outside Havana Stadium after a beisbol game. (Sancti SpÃ*ritus defeated Havana City in ten innings or crisp, error-free ball. Beer-free, too, unfortunately. In fact there was very little vending at all.)

People are pretty great -- curious, friendly, and everybody with access to cigars somehow. Religion isn't taken very seriously, with or without the revolution. Santeria is widely practiced, which is no more goofy than Catholicism (in fact it owes much to that Mother of Superstitions).

I especially like the billboards. One, using just pictures rebus-like, posed the equation: Bush + Luis Posada Carriles = Hitler.

Anyway, Havana was pretty frigging cool, thieving little bastards notwithstanding.

My lungs are clogged with cigar tar (for a change).

Edit (the pic I took was better!):

Sorry about your camera Phil, glad to hear you had a good time :)

Philboid Studge wrote

I had wanted to launch a thread on my jaunt to Cuba last week, replete with all manner of spectacular pics out the yinyang, but some piece of shit stole my camera outside Havana Stadium after a beisbol game. (Sancti SpÃ*ritus defeated Havana City in ten innings or crisp, error-free ball. Beer-free, too, unfortunately. In fact there was very little vending at all.)

People are pretty great -- curious, friendly, and everybody with access to cigars somehow. Religion isn't taken very seriously, with or without the revolution. Santeria is widely practiced, which is no more goofy than Catholicism (in fact it owes much to that Mother of Superstitions).

I especially like the billboards. One, using just pictures rebus-like, posed the equation: Bush + Luis Posada Carriles = Hitler.

Anyway, Havana was pretty frigging cool, thieving little bastards notwithstanding.

My lungs are clogged with cigar tar (for a change).

Edit (the pic I took was better!):
http://i17.tinypic.com/40nvu40.jpg

I had a girlfriend in Panama that practiced a form of Santeria and she would put an upside down broom against the door at night when we went to bed. I asked her what it was for and she told me it would keep evil out. I showed her my 9mm and told her she could leave the broom in the closet. :lol:

BTW - she still put the broom there every night.

Did you go to Cuba via some other country, I'm guessing?

[Philboid Studge]

Bahamas.

A Merkin can arrange -- and prepay -- for an entire trip via a travel agent in Canada.

[GodlessHeathen]

There's a bill in the US Senate right now that will ease travel restrictions on Americans who want to go to Cuba. I don't know if they've tried to pass something like this before, though. There seems to be more and more support all the time for ending the embargo.

[Choobus]

but the embatrgo is just starting to work.......

[Smellyoldgit]

....no rush then ?.......

Philboid Studge wrote

Bahamas.

A Merkin can arrange -- and prepay -- for an entire trip via a travel agent in Canada.

Wouldn't your American passport will reveal that you traveled to Cuba? And if the Cuban government stamped your American passport, would you have any fines from the American government or you're clear?

I'm asking you this because my partner is American Citizen and she wants to visit Cuba but she's heard some where that if the American government sees that her passport has been stamped by the Cuban government she would be fined $ 5,000.00 dlls.

I heard that they won't stamp your passport if you go through canada, but it's a bit out of the way for her, I'm guessing.

[Kate]

But right across the lake from me! :D

The US government restricting citizen travel…yup, it’s the land of the free.

[Philboid Studge]

HomoCyclist wrote

Wouldn't your American passport will reveal that you traveled to Cuba? And if the Cuban government stamped your American passport, would you have any fines from the American government or you're clear?

I'm asking you this because my partner is American Citizen and she wants to visit Cuba but she's heard some where that if the American government sees that her passport has been stamped by the Cuban government she would be fined $ 5,000.00 dlls.

They don't stamp US passports. (They give you a separate tourist visa that you hand in when you leave.)

I've heard that the fines (and even prison time) are theoretically possible, but even the US customs agents sort of turn a blind eye to it. There's about 20,000 Merkins who visit Cuba every year, most of them illegally.

The difficulties in Cuba for Merkins is more about $$. You can't use US-issued credit or ATM cards. It used to be the case that dollars were accepted everywhere, but El Jefe passed a decree in 2004 that makes tourists use 'convertible' pesos (CUC). The exchange rate is ostensibly $1 = 1 CUC, but the motherfuckers take 20% right off the top when you exhange.

[Philboid Studge]

GodlessHeathen wrote

There's a bill in the US Senate right now that will ease travel restrictions on Americans who want to go to Cuba. I don't know if they've tried to pass something like this before, though. There seems to be more and more support all the time for ending the embargo.

Yes and no, my Godless friend. Monkey Boy actually tightened restrictions on travel a few years back (and Castro responded with the 20% reaming on the exhange rate, see above). The House of Reps is now considering a bill which would restore the freedom to travel to Cuba (HR 654 currently w/ 76 co-sponsors). I don't know if the senate is involved yet; if you know of any such thing, pls lemme know. I'm writing about this right now.

PinkFlamingo wrote

I heard that they won't stamp your passport if you go through canada, but it's a bit out of the way for her, I'm guessing.

Thanks for the info, PF!