So true Nickmacuk. Things have already changed so much since I first visited in 2005 - some changes for the better and some for the worse and no doubt the same will be true of future changes. However, anybody wanting to catch the flavour of Revolutionary Cuba needs to get there fast - I reckon you have 2 years max before it changes for ever.

SM

I also agree go now because i realy do believe that western ways will not ruin but certinaly change the country for the worse. i know that americans have still been going for years via canada but once they are free to go you will see the likes of mcdonalds taking over..

I’ve visited both Cuba and Jamaica several times. And I think it might be useful to compare the islands since Jamaica is Americanised - Cuba is far from that.

If Cuba goes the way of Jamaica and becomes the same, with American style, security guarded Shopping Malls, and Jamaican locals selling drugs on every street corner, and junk food everywhere, and local youth culture which is lazy and crime ridden – it will be spoilt.

Cuba is a lovely country now – they mend and modify things instead of following the American way of buying everything new and repairing nothing. They still have their ancient railways which, while somewhat slow and unpredictable, do still operate.
Jamaica has allowed its railway network to become completely rusted, jungle overgrown and useless.

Cubans have a unique culture and don’t follow US fashion like sheep. Cuban food variety is somewhat limited - yes – but somewhat healthier than promoted by the ghastly American fast food industry. It is interesting to note that even MacDonalds gave up on Jamaica and left that country in 2005 unable to operate a safe, profitable business there.

Havana, the capital of Cuba, is a wonderful city to visit, lots to see, and the country continues to develop and repair it. The government seems proud of their capital.
In contrast, Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, is pretty much a NoGo area, tourists are warned to avoid it, excursion buses don’t stop in the city centre, and there’s more razor wire there than anywhere else in the whole Caribbean.

I’m really unhappy that our biggest UK tour operator TUI chose to remove Cuba from its program last year – I can only assume they were not making enough profit from it.
Jamaica is still in the TUI program though – yet all passengers on every single return flight from Jamaica, have to be scanned by sniffer dogs aiming to detect drugs – which has to say something pretty bad about that island....

If there’s really a risk of Cuba opening to the “American Way” – I’d suggest folk intending to visit go NOW – before it is ruined.
My opinion - PLEASE Cuba – keep the Americans OUT!

I had the privilege of visiting Cuba on a cruise a few years ago and staying in Havana a few days which enabled me to visit the countryside and see some of the Cuban way of life. I would hope to be able to go again and just hope I can do this before it gets "opened up" to the USA. I appreciate that there is a desperate need for money to renovate buildings in Havana, and that things have to change, but please let it not happen that the flavour of Cuba changes.

It's funny how you are drooling over Cuba, when quite a lot of their citizens try to swim or go in small boats risking their lives to the land of the McDonald.

But all is not lost, I hear North Korea has many old fashioned customs. I wonder if the 787 can get there without re fuelling? Perhaps Dazbo can tell us.

Living in a place is a lot different to having a holiday there.

I love to visit the UK and often after having a holiday there I tell my friends about some of the lovely places I've visited. I will drool over pictures of Welsh and Scottish beaches, the lake district and the Yorkshire dales.
I'm pretty sure though that I wouldn't want to live there.

I also risked my life driving in my right hand drive car on the right side of the road to reach my new home when leaving the UK many years ago.

PS. Although I don't drool over the country I also think Cuba is well worth a visit

I don't think that anybody who has posted on this thread is 'drooling' over Cuba. I love the Cuban cultural scene and find most Cubans good company. Living with local families as I usually do when I visit Cuba, I am also very aware of the difficulties that many of them face and one of the interesting things is that once they get to know you they are very open about their criticism of the Government - even state employees. I wonder just how free employees of the North Korean Government would openly discuss the shortcomings of their Government with a foreign visitor?

And whilst many Cuban nationals would like to emigrate - just as many of our own citizens do - the big atttraction is not the US per se but that it is the next nearest country that might offer a better lifestyle. The ultimate aim of many Cubans is to actually come and live in Europe not the USA. And many are very knowledgable about what they would be giving up if they did so. One year I did a tour of the island and actually found myself being driven around for one week of it very regally on my own in the back of a people carrier with my own personal guide and driver. I always knew that I was about to have a very difficult conversation when Hector would start off asking 'Is it true, Sue, what hear that....?' To be followed by something that I would have to confirm was true but which left him incredulous. This ranged from students graduating with very large debts (But surely you can afford to give them grants if we in Cuba can?), waiting times for a dental appointment (I know from personal experience that Cubans regard not being able to get an appointment the same day as being totally unacceptable), the fact that GPs here are expected to provide primary care for 1,000s of people and not the 100s that Cuban GPs do. There were lots of others examples but I am sure you get the picture.

And it needs to be remembered that most of the Cubam expats who fled Cuba immeditaley after the Revolution were supporters of the Batista distatorship and/or had close links with the Mafia. Many ordinary Cubans have a very jaundiced view of the Florida-based expats to the extent that my landlady on one visit said that whilst she missed her brother who now lived in Florida and she would love to go and visit him for a holiday she had no desire to join him there on a permanent basis, Her attitude was that it was OK for him because he only had daughters whereas she had a son and was very worried by the thought that in Florida the risks were too great that he would get drawn into bad company ie get mixed up with the drug and gun culture that for her was synonymous with the US way of life.

All in all, to recommend to people that if they want to see Cuba as it currently is and the contrast that it offers in comparison to many other popular Caribbean destinations is not necessarily an endorsement of the current regime but simply a statement of fact. It WILL change if the embargo is dropped and whilst some Cubans will welcome those changes, others will view them with some concern and the same is true of tourists. Some will be dreading the changes, for others they can't come quick enough. But either way, anybody who has been thinking about visiting but has never quite got around to it, go now if you want to see it before those changes come about.

SM

ukbill wrote:

I’m really unhappy that our biggest UK tour operator TUI chose to remove Cuba from its program last year – I can only assume they were not making enough profit from it.
Jamaica is still in the TUI program though – yet all passengers on every single return flight from Jamaica, have to be scanned by sniffer dogs aiming to detect drugs – which has to say something pretty bad about that island....

I've been looking at TUI and couldn't find Cuba so thanks for pointing that out.

I came back from Jamaica 2 days ago, and my wife and I were not sniffed by dogs.

In fact, there were no dogs at the airport at all. Wifey did have her case opened and searched though.

I am looking to go to Cuba in April because of exactly what this thread is about. The yanks!