General Info

[Mr Gogo]

Ah, I was confused because my casa owner said he had to register me with the authorities.

Out of 8 trips to Cuba, customs in Havana has asked me only once for the name of my Casa and I showed them the card from the Casa and no problem. Airnb had an article in the Miami herald about how they were making inroads into Cuba. I did a test run with Airnb; 3 weeks ago I sent out inquiries about casas on Airnb to 8 casas and not one has replied. I was told by my current casa owner that Airnb is asking for your travel info to verify that you are authorized. Airnb is currently fighting this but it is killing their business in Cuba. Reliable people tell me American businesses are holding off on Cuba till after the next American presidential election in 2016 for fear that the republicans if elected will undo all the changes and [CodeWord140] Raul off.

My understanding is that Cuban casas don't have to register their customers with the government but they must have the customers info in case someone from the government asks for it. I had one lady pop up at my casa in Viejo Havana as me and my girl were leaving for lunch. She asked my girl for her carnet and I got pissed because I didn't know this lady. My girl calmed me down and handed her the carnet. As we were eating lunch I observed the same lady walking around checking casas.

Some casas owners are really terrified of losing their certification and don't cut any corners. Others, as they get to know you don't worry as much. As Taboc said, respect your casa. Don't be running multiple girls into the casa daily, make sure to see a females carnet in casa it's needed, don't let guests talk on the house phone for extended periods, don't make a mess and have wild parties, when you arrive have a cheap gift for the casa owner or the kids.

[Dandyist]

You don't need to fill out any info about accommodation anymore. Problem solved.

Ah, I was confused because my casa owner said he had to register me with the authorities.

[Muzungufotsy]

You don't need to fill out any info about accommodation anymore. Problem solved.

[Dandyist]

I'm travelling to Havana from Canada soon and booked a package deal including a hotel because it was cheaper. However I am planning on staying a casa particular instead. I will fill out a tourist card with my hotel info on the way there, but what will I have to do once I have to register with the casa? My tourist card will say one thing, but I will have to fill out another? Or a visa?

[Velasco]

If the numbers the Cubanas gave you were landlines, I think there is a good chance you might be able to find them by calling that number. If the number was a cell and it has changed then probably no. Like others said, a lot of Cubans don't have personal email addresses but have no problem using someone's email to stay in touch. I have a Cubana I first met over 5 years ago that I still see. She has had over 6 email addresses, most with a sld. See you domain. I guess she must know a lot of Cuban Ministry of Health (Salud de Cuba) employees who allow her to stay in touch with me.

About gifts, there is really not that much that has changed. Even if you bring something that happens to be in stock in the stores while you are there, chances are there is a shortage right around the corner, such is life in Cuba. I have posted this before and I will post it again.

I think the BEST gift you can give a Cuban is a set of towels (Face, hair and body). Second would be a set of bedsheets and pillowcases. I think most beds tend to be doubles. Other ideas.

1- I would say some good quality makeup / nail Polish. Cubanas are pretty savvy about this stuff, so don't bring cheap crap. Nail Polish REMOVER too. Soap is good, but is pretty heavy when you are talking about airline luggage.

2- A nice purse will go a long way. I have picked up some good quality knockoff bags that earned me quite some goodwill.

3- Sneakers, even if they are your own. Ask her if she knows someone who could use them. If not, she can sell / barter them. A pile of simple cotton socks, you can get then sold in US stores like Target and Costco.

4- Baseball caps and other hats for women.

5- Tylenol / ibuprofen and other painkillers.

6- A bunch of good quality toothbrushes, like Oral-b or something like that.

7- Bras, though the problem is you don't know the size of the woman you are going to meet. I once brought bras to a Cubana on a return trip, but she had told me her bra size, but it turned out they were too large. They probably ended up with one of her older sisters. She has two older sisters that are bustier. In her defense, I once saw a magazine article stating that over 30% of women don't really know their bra size.

[Hobbyist00]

If it's been a few years the chances of the phone numbers still working are not good if they're cellphone numbers. If they are house numbers of the girls family then they probably still work. For cellphones you can try texting them but the chances of them replying is slim because of the cost. Text them saying who you are and send your email address asking them to email you. If they remember you and they are interested they may reply. Most of these girls don't have email addresses but they can pay someone to send an email for them.

You could also just call them directly. You could bring these girls a truck load of anything and it's counts for nothing. They just want your money and as much of it as they can squeeze out of you. For future reference for you and anyone who may be a regular visitor to Cuba if you meet a girl that you really want to see again get her phone number, her parents phone number, her address or addresses, etc. If you meet a girl in Havana for instance there's a high chance that she is from another city or town and when you go back she will no longer be in Havana. If you have a phone number and address of where she normally lives you may be able to contact her and have her meet you again in Havana. Even this is very difficult to do without help though. I've been going to Havana for more than 12 years. What I do is email a Cuban contact and offer them a fee do the work for me. It's much easier that way.

Thanks for the response.

You are right, the one I really wanted to see had a new number. But I was able to get in contact with her through another " guide" I met.

This time I worked it a little differently, meeting more people guys / girls and offering them a fee for referrals etc. I still end up going out late and spending a lot of time on the street meeting people and being introduced to the girls. Next time I hope to be able to call and get more of an outcall experience than a streetwalker pick up experience. I guess it would take time though because it's not like I have a webpage to see what they look like. I'll probably still need to put in some street time to get names and faces so that I know who to request. But this last trip I had some success with referrals as one girl I met introduced me to another girl the next day.

Maybe it's because I'm getting less brave, but walking through Centro was a little more concerning this time than it was a few years ago. No incidents, but the vibe I got was different.

The chicas never seem to have an issue with pictures after we meet up, I never tried getting pictures of them on the street when I meet them for future reference, have you ever tried?

One thing that might be concerning though is that some of the "guides" I have, particularly the men, I presume that they are pimp-ish if they have their own stable of girls because he was unable to help me meet this one girl I saw on 23rd in Vedado who was giving me the look. Maybe she wasn't a working girl and was just flirting be / see he kept trying to get me away from pursuing her.

[Vedado Fun]

I recently just found some phone numbers of Cuban girls I met up with a few years ago when I visited. None of them gave me e-mail addresses for whatever reason. Does anyone here keep in touch with their Cubana friends when they are back home in their respective countries? There's actually this one girl that I want to get in touch with since I plan on visiting again soon, I just want to know if she'd be DTF, and I know I could just contact her when I'm there, but I figured I'd like to ask her what she'd like me to bring from Home.

If it's been a few years the chances of the phone numbers still working are not good if they're cellphone numbers. If they are house numbers of the girls family then they probably still work. For cellphones you can try texting them but the chances of them replying is slim because of the cost. Text them saying who you are and send your email address asking them to email you. If they remember you and they are interested they may reply. Most of these girls don't have email addresses but they can pay someone to send an email for them.

You could also just call them directly. You could bring these girls a truck load of anything and it's counts for nothing. They just want your money and as much of it as they can squeeze out of you. For future reference for you and anyone who may be a regular visitor to Cuba if you meet a girl that you really want to see again get her phone number, her parents phone number, her address or addresses, etc. If you meet a girl in Havana for instance there's a high chance that she is from another city or town and when you go back she will no longer be in Havana. If you have a phone number and address of where she normally lives you may be able to contact her and have her meet you again in Havana. Even this is very difficult to do without help though. I've been going to Havana for more than 12 years. What I do is email a Cuban contact and offer them a fee do the work for me. It's much easier that way.

[Hobbyist00]

I recently just found some phone numbers of Cuban girls I met up with a few years ago when I visited. None of them gave me e-mail addresses for whatever reason. Does anyone here keep in touch with their Cubana friends when they are back home in their respective countries? There's actually this one girl that I want to get in touch with since I plan on visiting again soon, I just want to know if she'd be DTF, and I know I could just contact her when I'm there, but I figured I'd like to ask her what she'd like me to bring from Home.

[Dart13]

Hey guys,

I've been to Cuba few times before but to being together with GF never had a chance for any mongering activity. Yet I admire Cuban chicas. I've been to Thailand for mongering few times and I know Cuba scene is very different (I've read the comparison here some posts down the line). From reading few reports it seems like Cuba is more geared towards ST rather than LT or GFE due to difficulties with bringing chicas to casa e. T. see. , is it true? Is it still possible (easy?) to find someone for LT? I don't really speak Spanish, just some basic one, but I want to learn it bit more before going to Cuba. I'd rather stay out of Havana pros and maybe explore some cities like Cienfuegos, Camaguey and Holguin. For the reasons of both cost and attitude as I'd imagine its less "pro" in province cities.

Thanks!

[Rrandyg]

Helloall,

Just bought my ticket for travel to Havana June 28- July 5 directly from Cubana airline website using US credit card without any issue (well the CC company called for fraud alert and I confirmed transaction) the transaction was processed by a 3 rd party travel site which was directed from Cubana. The price was the same when I checked Skyscanner site too but Kayak said $607. The ticket is round trip from SJO as I will be at CoCal 24-28. I checked the price from Nash Travel that was mentioned in the forums and they were charging over $730 (Canadian?) yikes what a scam!! Anyway if anyone is going to be at Cocal or Havana during this time PM me also appreciate any recommendations for Casas in Vadaro, Guanabo and Miramar as I was planning on splitting my 7 nights between the 3 locations for fun and entertainment. Please PM me with any info. On Casas.

Thanks all.

Cheers,

Randy

[JoaquinnMe]

When I was walking around Havana in 1997 I met multiple teenage and early 20's gals who were very social. I hooked up with a good 40% within hours or days.

However this trip (and as an old man) I am cycling -- not long distance, just within the city. And I am concerned about reception. Why? In Cambodia and Thailand, also in Vietnam, working girls spurn cyclists. Bicycling is declasse, super working class, eccentric, something that little boys and old men do. It amazes me, but all except the poorest of the poor turn up their noses (or even outright mock me) if I turn up at a brothel, nightclub or disco on a bike. Less of a problem at malls or cultural events if I am hunting for normal girls. They don't distinguish between a $3000 bicycle and a $29 beater. Funny, one of the gals (that one a real hooker) met me when *she* was riding a bicycle, which she assured me was her little brother's. Wonder how it would work out if we both were on wheels?

Anyway, in Asia reception is proportionate to vehicle: car winning the race, motorcycle OK, walking marginal (maybe better than skateboard!) This of course is no different than the West: it's much easier to chat up a gal during an international flight than on a bus ride. Women have something in their genes that is a money detector, even when it doesn't work properly.

So fellow cyclists, own up!

[JoaquinnMe]

Eighteen years have passed. I may return. Curious to know if things have improved or not.

01. Eating out was very poor value. Restaurant food consisted of beans and rice, occasionally seafood in coastal areas. About 1/3 of everything was out of stock. Very difficult for a strict vegetarian (lard used in cooking).

Now?

02. Eating in was poor value. I was in shock after the marketplaces of Bangkok. There were only three places worthwhile shopping. The expensive supermarkets where everything was priced in US stores and selection of Japanese and Indian foods were abysmal, as in non-existent. The local market, priced in pesos but I had to really wash my beans there were so many tiny rocks, and vegetable selection was very poor and low quality. And the very cheap and fresh pulled from the soil agro-mercados, of organic produce. I think I will take my own miso, shitake mushrooms and dried seaweed this time. Worst cuisine for my tastes, next to the Philippines.

Now?

03. Hotel rooms poor value compared to elsewhere in region (E. G. Other countries in the Latin Caribbean). I refused to pay the high prices so stayed in a casa particular which I was introduced to by a Spanish friend. That was the use of the kitchen, bathroom and living room etc plus private bedroom in an apartment with a retired women with connections (ex-husband one of Castro's cronies). Rather junky and price was $10. Or as it $20? I forget. I moved onto renting a small apartment near the University of Havana, also for what I thought was a high price USD $250 per month. But I compare everything to Thailand and Vietnam. I am not a Latin America traveler.

Now?

04. Women ran the range from white as an Argentinian to as black as a sub-Saharan African, and everything in between. I was partial to the coffee with a little cream and the cream with a little coffee. Curiously, the white woman I stayed with was openly racist.

Now?

05. Most tourists were Spaniards and Italians, followed by Canadians.

Now?

06. Felt very safe. Of course, this was partly because petty theft, not to speak of violence against tourists, is heavily punished.

Now?

07. Only shopping bargains. Cigars and rum.

Now?

08. Some discretion was required bringing home jinateras.

Now?

09. No cop bothered you as long as the girl was legal age (which then was 15). Yes, I know there are many Anglo nations with sex travel laws now, but Cuba enforced only its own laws. Yanqui go home. And the police didn't bother one for making arrangements or taking legal age women home. If there was a crackdown on they totally ignored foreigners and hassled the ladies of the night, which by the way, could just as easily be ladies of the day, or afternoon. Then they sometimes arrested the gals, shamed them in the newspapers and TV and put them in jail for a while.

Now?

10. Sex with Cubanas is the very best of my life, and I am *very* well traveled in Asia. - China, SE Asia, South Asia etc. Cubanas are my favorites, with Filipinas a close second and some ethnic Africans third. But I was not 60 then!

Now?

11. Sex cost what was it. $35? And not that much more for all night.

Now?

12. Few people had telephones in their houses. Neighbours shared.

Now?

13. I felt very much at home. Despite a different economic / political system, and a different language I felt like we were the same. I found Cubanos and Cubanas very easy to 'read', not so concerned about etiquette (but polite), genuine, warm, in good humour and a huge change from Theravada Buddhist Asia -- educated leisure readers. I speculate that if that had a free market in ideas they would produce great intellectuals.

Now?

14. Depressed about their political freedoms. As a character in the stage play I saw at the Havana opera House put it: "Oh, those brightly lit spots in Cuba at night? They are not that way because they have better electrical infrastructure, it's because they have boyfriends from Canada" Surprised the government permitted comedy critical of the state.

Now?

15. Havana was bicycle-friendly -- flat and very little traffic.

Now?

16. Cuba was a time warp, like time stopped in the late 1950's (decor, cars, architecture etc).

Now?

17. Cubans were paid shit. The physician across the street had a salary of $25 per month. The model I met was expected to work for free 'for her career', although the Canadian and European companies pay the state. It is a conspiracy of corruption between foreign investors and the Cuban government as far as I can tell. But, at least they get decent housing, basic education (maybe university too, although I expect the children of dissidents don't qualify) and food staples are rationed so at least they don't starve.

Now?

18. The Cubana I stayed with was getting tired of Che Guevara repeats every Thursday nights. Try this on for size. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eMLk1nQh5o.

Now?

19. Condoms were rarely expected.

Now?

20. Blowjobs were considered normal.

Now?

21. Cuba didn't have the virgin-working girl dichotomy of mainland SE Asia (well, maybe Thailand and Malaysia are exceptions). Women were approachable for sex for money even though most were not strictly speaking prostitutes. There was a full range of sexual accessibility -- from 100% hardened hookers (but even they didn't seem so hard) to innocents with whom you might be their first lover. Well, foreigner lover. Usually money was involved. No, money was *always* involved. But it wasn't strictly commercial. You gave some money after. And gifts too. It had a certain gentility. If that's what it seemed to take. Of course, with a streetwalker at 10 pm, clearly you made an offer and didn't beat around the Bush. A smile and kind words never hurt. This doesn't seem to be necessary in Vietnam and who knows about Ukraine.

Now?

22. Cuba was more of a secular culture, like China and Canada. It's not that there weren't Catholics, Santerias, and born again Christians. I even met one Protestant Evangelical on a bus trip who wanted to share what he thought of Castro. But Cuba didn't reek of religion like a good part of the USA and almost all of the Philippines. They left you alone to believe or not believe and seemed by an large skeptical of faith.

Now?

23. Blackouts. Electricity was not reliable.

Now?

24. Other than sex and relationships (including friendships with women and men too) I actually didn't have a good time in Cuba. Everything was a hassle. But for two decades I have missed the place.

Now?

25. You didn't have to pay the casa particular extra for bringing a girl home. It was *understood* that's why you were there.

Now?

26. It was considered bad form in Cuba for a man to be seen publically, and certainly with her coming out of his bedroom, a woman young enough to be his grand-daughter. This is not the case in S. E. Asia, where a 60 year old man an a 19 year-old woman might be snickered at, but it doesn't shock anyone. It's life! In Cuba I had the impression that there is a more of a shame in prostitution and inter-generational sex. In Thailand, the attitude is (or at least used to be), 'she's taking care of her family, what she is doing is virtuous'.

[MrSoulo]

I think it is all a hoak to make sure Cuba doesn't become the next great "sex tourism" spot. Whats the best way to kill a possible sex tourism destination? Make up some new super disease.

Here's why I think this:

This new disease popped up a month after Obama made his announcement to ease travel restrictions and formalize relations. If you go back before Obamas announcement Cuba was being hailed as a model country for the way they handled the disease and for having the lowest percentage rates in the world. There is no intravenous drug use there, the gay community is very small, and prostitution with foreigners is limited. Also all expectant mothers are tested as are high risk persons.

Now this new study was done by a Belgium group from a University, why not Cubas great doctors? The study said they monitored people who had unprotected sex with multiple partners, how did a Belgium group find such people? Perhaps they were known prostitutes living high risk lifestyles or gays living high risk lifestyles. The study also stated they purposely left these infected persons without treatment to see how the disease would progress, were they quarantined or amongst the population? Would Cuba allow infected persons to roam free without treatment? They only had 59 people for the study which is very limited.

I strap up always now just to play it safe but I think they want to promote tourism and keep the tourists from interacting to much with the people to make sure all the money and information flows from the top.

Great assessment and I don't necessarily disagree with your assertion. Funny thing is, when I read it my "conspiracy radar" went off. LOL. But when it comes to issues of health and possible death I do not take any chances and always air to the side of caution. So I posted it here because I believe this type of information should be shared and I was hoping for some dialogue from members. Thanks for your response, you made some very valid points. But I'm still going to wrap up. LOL.

[Mr Gogo]

I hear they no longer quarantine them because of budgetary constraints. Instead they educate them, give them meds, monitor them more frequently and warn them to abstain from unprotected sex.

Not so sure how accurate this info is but I sure as hell ain't taking any chances. I always wrap up and I'm extra cautious with whom I bed. As cautious as one can possibly be under the circumstances that is.

I think it is all a hoak to make sure Cuba doesn't become the next great "sex tourism" spot. Whats the best way to kill a possible sex tourism destination? Make up some new super disease.

Here's why I think this:

This new disease popped up a month after Obama made his announcement to ease travel restrictions and formalize relations. If you go back before Obamas announcement Cuba was being hailed as a model country for the way they handled the disease and for having the lowest percentage rates in the world. There is no intravenous drug use there, the gay community is very small, and prostitution with foreigners is limited. Also all expectant mothers are tested as are high risk persons.

Now this new study was done by a Belgium group from a University, why not Cubas great doctors? The study said they monitored people who had unprotected sex with multiple partners, how did a Belgium group find such people? Perhaps they were known prostitutes living high risk lifestyles or gays living high risk lifestyles. The study also stated they purposely left these infected persons without treatment to see how the disease would progress, were they quarantined or amongst the population? Would Cuba allow infected persons to roam free without treatment? They only had 59 people for the study which is very limited.

I strap up always now just to play it safe but I think they want to promote tourism and keep the tourists from interacting to much with the people to make sure all the money and information flows from the top.

[MrSoulo]

Thanks, But:

If the Castro Regime finds out a Cuban has AIDS or HIV, they quarantine those people to a different location of the island, they used to quarantine them on an island off the mainland. Not sure if it was Island of Juvantude. I think they still do it.

I hear they no longer quarantine them because of budgetary constraints. Instead they educate them, give them meds, monitor them more frequently and warn them to abstain from unprotected sex.

Not so sure how accurate this info is but I sure as hell ain't taking any chances. I always wrap up and I'm extra cautious with whom I bed. As cautious as one can possibly be under the circumstances that is.