General Info

[EZE_Amante]

I need to find flight info from Windsor, London, or Toronto to Heavanna. Any advice would be appreciated. I contacted one of the travel agencies, but they are very slow in responding. Maybe someone could recommend a legitimate travel agency for flying from Canada. I'm not interested in package tours, only flight schedules and prices.

Thanks,

EZE

[PolyOrchid]

Went to Havana in 1998 and had my backpack, a camera, and a few shirts ripped off from my casa.

Silly me, I was in a locked compound [main house and a couple outer apartments] and I left my little single bedroom to walk to the main house to talk to the landlady. I didn't lock the door. I returned 10 minutes later to find the above items had been lifted.

Worst part of it all was that my US passport was in the backpack. Needless to say, I had overlooked talking to the Treasury folks so was technically spending money illegally in Cuba.

Since I had no option but to report it to the US authorities if I wanted to get out of Cuba, I went to our provisional consular office in the Swiss embassy. Was met by a stern State Department type who told me I was in a LOT OF TROUBLE. Thank God she broke a smile and told me it was no big deal. Within three hours, she had me a replacement passport. The funny part is that I now have a passport which shows its place of issue as Havana, Cuba. In this reign of King George II, I will likely replace that one with one more innocuous in these paranoid times.

All in all, I say Viva Cuba!

[Johan007]

Hi Folks...

http://www.ageofconsent.com/comments/sextourism.htm

this link will show WHY so many mongers go down to Cuba;-)
Cheap,Nice wheather and pretty babes,and save (certainly compared to other SA destinations) Wadde ye want more????

hell...we be doing all those poor chicas a goddamn FAVOR!!! If all those "bad sextourists" didn't showed up...I guess Cuba was starving to death!!

I am off to Colombia in february...but I don't know were I will be next summer!!!!;-)

Happy hunting you mongers.

Johan.

[Explorer8939]

Concerning AIDS in Cuba:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/773024.asp?0si=-

[LittleDickPride]

Why this hype about Cuba?

Qué onda amigos?

I really do not understand why some guys venture to Cuba whereas there is the Dominican Republic next door. Indeed, while I recognize that the Cuban chicas are hot and good-looking, the problem is that there is not really much to do with their politico-economic system which actually prevents tourists from mingling with locals and you cannot live the real life. Everytime I go to Cuba -on my way to Central America- I have this feeling. On the other hand, the DR chicas are as hot and bonitas and you can take advantage of near all facilities available in the US.

If anyone disagrees with my statement, could he argue why? I would appreciate.

Hasta luego.

[CalienteDelNort]

For all of you asking what is really going on about travel restrictions on Cuba you should read this.
I am in touch with many fellow travelers and do belive this is still acurate to this day. (June 11, 2002)
Unedited article bellow including reference.
Regards
Caliente del Norte

Don't panic if Cuba trip is discovered
By David Whitney --
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Sunday, March 31, 2002
Sacramento Bee Web sites
http://www.sacbee.com/content/travel/story/2010394p-2231270c.html

WASHINGTON -- Despite federal laws designed to discourage U.S. citizens from traveling to Cuba, thousands of Americans do so every month and most encounter no problems upon their return.

But "most" may not include you, if you happen to be the one unlucky American on your tour who, upon your return into the United States, is discovered by a U.S. Customs agent to have been in Cuba.

While it is not a crime to go to Cuba, you can be fined for spending money there unless you have special permission or a "license" to travel there. Exempted from this law are journalists and persons attending professional meetings. Specific licenses can be obtained from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for Cuba for travel related to religious activities, humanitarian donations and educational projects.

However, tens of thousands of Americans travel to Cuba each year without licenses. Typically they fly into Cuba from Canada or Mexico, which maintain economic and diplomatic relations with the Cuban government. As long as your passport is not stamped upon entry or exit from Cuba -- and airport officials know this drill well -- your little secret probably won't be discovered.

Even if is, however, there is no reason to panic. You won't be hauled off to jail. Except for an inconvenient series of questions, you shouldn't be held up for long at the border. What might happen, however, is that some months later you will receive a letter from the Treasury Department notifying you of a fine, typically $7,500, for breaching the prohibition on spending money in Cuba.

The well-known secret your government won't tell you is that you can appeal a fine -- although there has never been a procedure set up for hearing these challenges. Barring some change to this policy, demanding a hearing is regarded as the practical equivalent to putting your case permanently on hold.

Finding a company offering bicycle tours in Cuba is as easy as doing an Internet search.

One West Coast company with a variety of special-interest trips to Cuba is San Francisco-based Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org), through which you can travel worry-free, because the company obtains a license for its tours.

Bicycle Africa, out of Seattle, offers cycling programs in cooperation with a Cuba-based tour operator. For information, go to www.ibike.org/bikeafrica and follow the links to "schedule overview"

There's a great range in bicycle tours, so be sure to find one that fits your inclinations. A tour for cyclists of average ability will cover about 40 miles a day, while ones for experienced cyclists in top physical shape will cover twice that distance or more. Tours typically involve buses that carry gear for the group and pick up those too sore to go another mile.

The most appealing time to travel to Cuba is in the winter months, November through May -- Cuba's coolest and driest period. Even so, temperatures can break 100 degrees, and periods of rain are not uncommon.

There are many resources for planning a trip to Cuba. The guidebooks published by Moon Handbooks and Lonely Planet are especially useful (although at 800 pages, the Moon guide is a bit heavy to lug around). Lonely Planet just came out with Cycling Cuba ($21.99), a guide dedicated entirely to discovering the island on two wheels.

[John Dough]

Went to Cuba this spring and noticed they didn't stamp my passport. The only things stamped were the certificate for the $20 airport exit fee, and the visitor visa.

[DIY]

Has anyone used cubalinda to fly into cuba? The guy who used to work in the CIA owns it. That part makes me slightly nervous.

[Explorer8939]

A few days ago, I posted about the AIDS problem in Cuba, mostly due to the 80,000 or so Haitian boat people. Today, Jimmy Carter is visiting an AIDS clinic in Havana:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/05/14/carter.cuba/index.html

So, I guess not even Cuba is immune to this epidemic.

[Explorer8939]

The Bush Administration is conducting a 'top down' review of Cuba policy at the current time. The plan is to crack down on illegal tourism by Americans in Cuba. This will probably mean that they will pick a few guys at random and put them in jail.

[Admin]

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