Havana

[QUOTE=KingSanto;3080139]A lot of Cubans boil their tap water. A lot. As a foreigner though, I'm not doing any of that. At some point a line needs to be drawn because at the end of the day, we are on vacation for the most part. And who wants to be Boiling tap water on vacation? In my opiniand, it would be better to find a reputable / safe / consistent spot to purchase my water bottles.

KingSanto.[/QUOTE]I dunno, bro. The water situation is pretty dire for everyone in Cuba. I wouldn't take the chance that any spot will consistently have water and that the quality standards will always be conformed to as desperation increases. Better to just grab an emergency supply at the airport on the last leg of your flight. It might cost more due to airport inflation, and it will take up a lot of space in your luggage. But for a 3-4 day trip having 4-6 liters of water is what I would recommend. But that's just how my planner / preparedness brain works.

-CISCO.

Lifestraw products have worked well for me for several years. I used to use a Lifestraw waterbottle that I would fill with bottled water or tap water, depending on the country, and then the Lifestraw filtering tech removes 99.999+% of bad stuff. Never had a single stomach problem when using it.

NOTE: IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE AGAINST VIRUSES, only bacteria, parasites and other things larger than viruses.

I have now moved onto the individual straw that works up to about 1,000 liters

Product page link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D16CHTTZ?th=1

Details section from the Amazon product page:

About this item.

Removes Microplastics: the microfilter removes 99.999% of microplastics, as well as particles, dirt, and cloudiness.

Filters Bacteria and Parasites: protects against 99.999999% of bacteria (including E. Coli + Salmonella) and 99.999% of parasites (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium).

Reusable and Long Lasting: the filter lasts up to 1,000 liters over a year of daily use. It's your sustainable solution to single-use plastic bottles, even during international travel.

Premium Materials and Includes Carry Case: the Sip is made from high-quality stainless steel with a silicone mouthpiece, and also includes a premium leak-proof carry case for portability and protection.

User-Friendly: no batteries or electrical outlets required; simply sip through the straw, and let the filter work its magic. It's the hassle-free way to access safe drinking water on-the-go.

[QUOTE=CiscoMech;3080495]I dunno, bro. The water situation is pretty dire for everyone in Cuba. I wouldn't take the chance that any spot will consistently have water and that the quality standards will always be conformed to as desperation increases. Better to just grab an emergency supply at the airport on the last leg of your flight. It might cost more due to airport inflation, and it will take up a lot of space in your luggage. But for a 3-4 day trip having 4-6 liters of water is what I would recommend. But that's just how my planner / preparedness brain works.

-CISCO.[/QUOTE]

Just back from 10 days in Miramar / Playa. This was my first time staying outside of Habana Vieja. I stayed in 2 AirBNB's with solar and some form of backup or generators. NOT cheap for sure, but it made Apagon August tolerable. I cannot speak to Habana Vieja's or Vedado's apagon situation (Santo is the expert), but in Miramar we got between 1-7 hours per day of luz, and then it was up to solar and backup. August is definitely not the best time to visit Cuba.

Miramar is a million times more tranquilo than have. It's classic suburbia to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Not once in 10 days and nights did anyone bellow "taxi? Change money? Cigar?" at me. In fact I felt almost invisible walking about (in a good way). The only downside is the tiendas are few and far between, whereas you can't go a block in Habana Vieja without encountering at least a tiny one. It's sad how beautiful Miramar must have been before the commies ruined it.

I'm going to agree with King Havana (as usual) that Antojos is probably the best restaurant. PLUS it has some enormous generator and when I was there in June their AC was hurricane force during an apagon. You should only trust restaurants that have generators not to poison you, because Cuban power plants can't keep the lights (or frios) on. I'd recommend the mango daiquiris there. Another cool thing about Antojos is they filter their water so you can trust the mixed drinks. They have figured out that if they poison one tourist, their rating is screwed on Trip Advisor. It's also one of the few restaurants in Havana where the camareras understand their job is to wait on you, instead of standing around chatting with their coworkers. Really one of my pet peeves about Cubans. They just cannot take their jobs seriously, not even in Miami. Even at MIA airport they just stand around and talk as I glare at them stupefied.

Regarding water, my typical MO is to bring a backpack and fill it with 9 liters of Smartwater at MIA after I'm through security. Honestly I've thought about adding more water to my carry on. Not cheap, but I wasn't peeing out of the wrong holes due to some pathogen either. I was able to find some 500 ML waters that were supposedly from the US at a Tienda just across the blue tunel, but I only gave those to Chicas haha. Another tip is, you can always rely on some form of soft drink (eg, cola, lemon lime) or juice in sealed cans to safely supplement your hydration. Plus beer of course. I was happy to find Heinekens there (600 CUP), as Cristal does not agree with my stomach (Tacoma has confirmed this). God knows what those crooked Castrismos use as adjuncts in their beer.

As far as chicas, I saw some of my usuals; but every time I go to Cuba, another one of my bullpen has been traded to Suriname or Guyana for a draft pick not to be named later (no Badoo). Even my main chica is trying to get out. Honestly I don't know when I'll be going again, after 25+ trips since late '23. Busy with work until December, and unless I can find a viable Badoo replacement, the allure is fading.

Travel Alert!

The US government has ramped Cuba sanctions and detentions of Americans returning from the island who had transactions that violated USA Sanctions, which prohibit all transactions with Cuban government-owned entities, including restaurants, hotels and shops.

Returning US citizens can face extra scrutiny including seizure of cell phone devices and copying the data, as such, best to travel with plain sanitized cell phone and computer.

[URL]https://apnews.com/article/us-cuba-sanctions-rubio-castro-f60f12386ac528c3511d929cc3e1431c[/URL]

Safe & Happy Travels.

Rainman.

Great post. Yeah the loss of Badoo was a major blow to the guys who don't hunt the street meat (I'm one of those guys); I don't blame you.

KingSanto.

[QUOTE=Jiniterinator;3080573]Honestly I don't know when I'll be going again, after 25+ trips since late '23. Busy with work until December, and unless I can find a viable Badoo replacement, the allure is fading.[/QUOTE]

I just got back yesterday from another trip. I was totally fine. Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone else will be fine, but I didn't see or notice anything different.

KingSanto

[QUOTE=RainmanSahut;3080694]
Returning US citizens can face extra scrutiny including seizure of cell phone devices and copying the data, as such, best to travel with plain sanitized cell phone and computer.
[/QUOTE]