Havana

[Organicgrowth]

I'm going to be in Havana 29 June through 5 July. Any travellers going to be in the vacinity then? Meet for a drink, share ideas, party etc? email me at sedition2001@hotmail.com or message here. I always go to Cuba in the winter, 4 previous trips but this is my first summer trip.

I see from the older reports that with the colleges / universities being on summer breakes the pickings are very good indeed. We can report back to the forum with fresh facts.

Also any very recent travellers please report back fresh info...

Share and progress...

[Dinghy]

does anyone know if the Cubans use THE SAME PAGE for their entry stamp? (I mean do they stamp the same page for everyone - I have heard that some countries stamp particular pages.

It's easy enough to get to Havana from Mexico City - just want to avoid trouble with US

[Rumjungle]

I met the guy who goes by the alias "No Fingerprints."
He has been offering "tout" services to persons wanting
to travel to Cuba. I strongly advise everyone not to
use him.

No Fingerprints lives in Houston. I visited him in April.
He contacted me after he saw the post of my trip to Cuba in
December 2000. He asked me for advice and contacts to assist
him on his trip to Havana and Cienfuegos that he took in March.
On my first trip I met the blonde that he photographed and
raved about so much. Basically, I hooked him up with all the
right contacts so he had a great time. When he returned
he planned to return at the beginning of May.

I travelled down to Houston to meet him to discuss how to
help him get customers for his tour guide business. I also
wanted to get a first-hand assessment of the person to whom
I might be sending some of my friends to. You see, for
many reasons I am not able to travel to Cuba very often so
I would not be able to take my own friends who wanted to go.

While I was with him, I purchased over $200 worth of clothing,
shoes, and a CD/cassette player for him to bring as gifts. Half
were for my novia (including the CD player), and the other half
were for his novia. My novia and his novia are best friends.
I also gave him a 7-year old laptop computer to give to my novia.
It's worthless to me, but it's gold for a Cuban.

After he landed in Havana we spoke, and he complained that he got stuck with HUGE customs duties at the airport, and he asked me to send him money! Later my contacts told me he was lying. However, at the time I smelled a rat, and thought that he was an asshole to even dare to ask me for money after all the help I had given him.

That night, I called my novia and warned her about No Fingerprints, and she warned her best friend, No Fingerprints' novia. This guy was such an asshole and treated his novia so poorly that his Cuban novia refused to accept $100 worth of gifts, and she told him that she didn't ever want to see him again! You know that he had to be pretty disgusting to evoke that kind of reaction from a Cuban desperate for consumer goods.

To make a long story short, he bartered my CD player and laptop
for his personal use (pussy, casa, scuba diving, etc.), and my
novia only gets some of her gifts. I figure that he might pull a
stunt like this so my letter to my novia contained an itemized
list of what she should be receiving. When she saw No Fingerprints was holding back, she complained. He offered to give her the CD player if she accompanied him on a trip to Cienfuegos. She refused. Again, it's not totally because she's in love with me (LOL), it's mainly because this guy is such a revolting terd, he brings out Cuban character traits that actually rise above sheer materialism.

When I called he lied about the reasons my novia didn't get her gifts. However, he got tangled in his web of lies when I cross-checked his facts against the testimony of others.

We expect to get ripped off by Cubans. However, it's a tragedy when other hobbyists try to screw their colleagues. After I posted this warning on another website, he shut down his "Exotic Dive Specialties" MSN discussion group. I'm posting it on this website so that the rest of you will also be warned to avoid contact with this guy.

[Explorer8939]

The penalties are a $7000 fine for spending US dollars (or their equivalent) in Cuba; ie trading with the enemy.

Travel to Cuba without permission essentially violates the ban, unless the government of Cuba pays for your room and board. Your passport is stamped with a little black mark when you arrive at the airport. Once you turn in your passport to renew, the State Department will see that black mark and know that you were in Cuba. This is rarely enforced, but who knows what the climate will be like when YOUR passport is renewed?

BTW, no American has answered the question of where to stash your cash, since US credit cards and ATM cards don't work in Cuba. Canadians have no problem, though. I have asked this question many times, and the stock answers have been:

a) I'm a Canadian, I use my Canadian credit card.
b) I carry around thousands of dollars in cash, even at the beach, although I am traveling by myself. I stay in private homes and have no fear of leaving large amounts of cash in the room while I am gone.
c) I was thinking that maybe I would get a Mexican credit card, bet that would work.

Originally posted by clix
I am interested in visiting Cuba, but am an American.
Have read that traveling there can be a offense in the States ($1000 Fine) but usually not enforced.

[Clix]

Hi all,
I am interested in visiting Cuba, but am an American.
Have read that traveling there can be a offense in the States ($1000 Fine) but usually not enforced.
I have read on this board (the old one) that if you fly to another location than come in, usually there are no issues upon return to the States (passport issues).
Would like to know if this is feasible.
I think Cuba is good and close to home and might be a viable alternative to other locations.
Any comments/insights/experiences are appreciated.
Thanks

[max]

Havanaman,

regarding your question, stay close to old havana area and 23 st. and Malecon. around 7 pm and so forth, there are many young girls walking along malecon. Either in groups or single.

Based on what i read on the previous messages, many believe that malecon is dead. but that all depends on several factors. What time of the day you are there and whether you are lucky.

I used to act like a dumb tourist with a camera walking about 3-4 km along the coastline and I always encountered somone who was interested to socialize, specially girls!

On the police activities, right next to the water fall on 23rd (across Air Cubana office) for a few nights I saw some young Jinetera (rating 6 out of 10) around 15-16 years old used to hang around (around 8-10 pm). Everynight there was a new one. One night, there was a police raid and those girls disapeared but a night after some more showed up.

Good luck

[Gladiator]

In 2 weeks I'll be in Havana for the first time, and thanks to your good pieces of advice I hope to make the most of my visit.

One more question: what's the best part of the Malecon to pick up chicks? Because it's 7-8 km long...

Thanks in advance.

[Organicgrowth]

Hi,

I agree totaly with Max, some good info' well shared, $35 is a bit on the high side however, go for soemthing in the $15 - £30 range and you will be happy. Here is a little more for you Akhan:-

http://users.pandora.be/casaparticular/
http://www.geocities.com/cubanexchange/index.html
www.dtcuba.com/eng/cuba_turista.asp

All give casa info & general help.

Happy to help but please post back your experiences (costs, adventures! Action, the police activiety....).

About food: DO NOT GET TRAPPED BY A STRANGER TAKING YOU TO A LOCAL "HOUSE RESTAURANT".... Go it alone....

[max]

Akhan,

There are many places that you can stay in Havana, but i recommend you stay close to Malecon.

visit this site and pick a few. the worst case scenario is you stay in one over night and move on to the next. just take a bunch of addresses and confirm it with landlord if they're available.

http://art-estore.com/casaparticular/

Most of the landlords have someone to pick you up around 2 AM and drive you home( for free), but if that's not the case make sure they know you are arriving at that time and take a taxi to get there (if possible) shop around for taxi.

Your worry should be on the first night. Later on, just walk on street and people will find you if you need a place to stay.

I recommend you find a seperate apartment so that way you can have your own freedom if you wanna invite a girl to your place.
There was a place around the corner of 23 and Malecon and it had a great view to the water and the fee was $35. sorry i don't know the exact address, though, there is a sign saying apartment for rent)


In Veradero, I don't think you can rent a casa particular, as it's illegal to rent one.

There are some restaurant that they serve sea food but the prices are $20 and up (based on my experience). Sea food quality is 4 out of 10 (ranking 1-10)


good luck.

[akhan]

I will be going to Havana on the 24th of May and was wondering if anyone can give any suggestion on where to stay in Havana and in Veradero. I will arrive at almost 2 in the morning so should I have a reservation before? Any addresses for casa particular's would be great.

Also how is the seafood in Havana?

[max]

Howdy,

To Explorer8939:

I had a pouch (or a passport carrier if you like) hanging around my neck all the time. I had combination of credit card (Canadian bank Visa, all visas are accepted except the one issued in USA) and 50's and 20's. Don't take 100's. In most of the cases they don't except them.

The best way also to carry your cash is to have a secret pocket in your pants.


To Gladiator:
The prices are now ranging from 15 to 80 USD. But in no way I'd pay 80. For one girl i just paid a 20 dollars for dinner+taxi and the sex was for free. For the two sisters i paid for both 55+a bottle of rum($4)+20 for room rent. For one of the girls on Malecon, I paid $20 + a $10 room rental for 30 minutes. The other one was a kinky teenage girl with super cute ass. I really liked her so I awarded her for the great sex and i paid $35. In China town in Havana, a girl offered me 15.

About your questin which night clubs, I sincerely feel if I reveal that, it may ruine my next vacation . but since you asked: TUNEL (read TOONEL) is one of the few. Hint: Do your reaserch.

Hope that helps, if someone has a question a particular area I would be more than happy to answer. cheers!

[Explorer8939]

Max, given that you stayed in a Casa Particular, how did you stash your cash for a week?



[QUOTE]Originally posted by max

-Bring enough money and leave $20 USD in your passport for the airport fee when you leave!

[Gladiator]

max, thanks for your advice, I find it useful.

What's the going rate for the Cuban chicks at the moment?

Which night clubs would you recomend?

Thanks

[max]

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to say this is a great site and i really enjoyed everyone's comments. As the matter of fact, before going to Havana this Month, the comments helped me alot.

I just wanted to suggest if you ever decide to go to Havana please consider these:

-Bring enough money and leave $20 USD in your passport for the airport fee when you leave!

- Speaking Spanish (at least a little) is great, however, if you don't speak, you will be able to get some action but much less than what you might expect

- I found a boy who was my guide all the time in my trip and he helped me alot showing me all the places and night clubs that a regular tourist would not go.

- I fucked 5 girls ( just like models) during my stay and I didn't put much effort towards that. (2 of them found me on Malecon, one I picled up in a taxi ( the old taxis), and the other 2 (super cute sisters) from a night club.

-food is a nightmare in Havana ( overall cuba), if you plan to stay in Casa Particular, pay a few $ and get the landlord makes you somethin descent)

-Be open to people, they are exteremly nice. I had no problem with connecting with people.

-Havana is exepensive, as a rule of thumb take enough money so you can fulfill your wildest dreams. I spent about $100/day.

-The last thing is don't go to night clubs where Italians are there. They fucked up everything in Cuba.


Have fun!

[Cubanpete6969]

Welcome to this new forum all. I would like to just post that I have removed the MSN site that I had set up for pic viewing;
For the same reasons as before.
___________________________________________________
Hey Guys ,I am sorry but I have to Close this site ..http://communities.msn.com/CubanPetesDivingRetreat ....too much exposure . Will be opening a new site that is a little more inconspicuous. Soon to be announced ! Thank you for your understanding!

No Fingerprints
___________________________________________________
You can view the pics of the trip here.
http://communities.msn.com/ExoticDiveSpecialties
You must join the community to see pics... its free , but I had to set it up that way due to the nature of the pics and Content. I will check my email once a day for new members and do approvals.

Enjoy


"No FingerPrints"
____________________________________________________

* Jackson .... Did you get those pics?

If you did feel free to post them if you like.

I am working on some annonymity issues.

In anycase I just wanted to post this so that It is not in anyway misleading to anyone.

Thanks for your understanding, And pardon if anyone didnt get to see the pics. I will be creating a new " No Charge " Viewing area soon to be announced.

Thanks

CP

AKA " No Fingerprints "