Havana January 2024

[uth]

Communism never worked anywhere and everyone with a functioning brain knows it. Cuba has been and is struggling due to its past and present idotic leaders / dictators.

Key words Sir. kinda like the Dummy in the white house and other Social Communizim idiots in the USA ! soon to be like cuba hello !

Some people should learn that Social Democracy is before speaking. It is NOT COMMUNISM. The US. is the only First World country without free health care for their people. And yes we pay for it out of our taxes, but the cost is shared between every one.The government sets the drug prices for the most part and generic equivalents must be available. For the average family of 4 in Canada the percent of their income going to health care is 11%. in the US, 42%. To have a baby in the US. $10,000, Canada $0. The largest % of GO FUND ME pages in the US. are to pay medical bills. So you tell me, witch system is working better for it's people?

I didn't know Havana was in Canada. You clearly don't know the downside of Government control your healthcare.

[stinqu]

Communism never worked anywhere and everyone with a functioning brain knows it. Cuba has been and is struggling due to its past and present idotic leaders / dictators.

Key words Sir. kinda like the Dummy in the white house and other Social Communizim idiots in the USA ! soon to be like cuba hello !

Some people should learn that Social Democracy is before speaking. It is NOT COMMUNISM. The US. is the only First World country without free health care for their people. And yes we pay for it out of our taxes, but the cost is shared between every one.The government sets the drug prices for the most part and generic equivalents must be available. For the average family of 4 in Canada the percent of their income going to health care is 11%. in the US, 42%. To have a baby in the US. $10,000, Canada $0. The largest % of GO FUND ME pages in the US. are to pay medical bills. So you tell me, witch system is working better for it's people?

I didn't know Havana was in Canada. You clearly don't know the downside of Government control your healthcare.

TOO FUNNY!  You clearly don't know much of anything out side of the US. Every country in the " First World" except the U.S.of A has health care coverage for their citizens!!! So please enlighten me to the downsides of free health care.

[Viva La Vega]

Communism never worked anywhere and everyone with a functioning brain knows it. Cuba has been and is struggling due to its past and present idotic leaders / dictators.

Key words Sir. kinda like the Dummy in the white house and other Social Communizim idiots in the USA ! soon to be like cuba hello !

Some people should learn that Social Democracy is before speaking. It is NOT COMMUNISM. The US. is the only First World country without free health care for their people. And yes we pay for it out of our taxes, but the cost is shared between every one.The government sets the drug prices for the most part and generic equivalents must be available. For the average family of 4 in Canada the percent of their income going to health care is 11%. in the US, 42%. To have a baby in the US. $10,000, Canada $0. The largest % of GO FUND ME pages in the US. are to pay medical bills. So you tell me, witch system is working better for it's people?

I didn't know Havana was in Canada. You clearly don't know the downside of Government control your healthcare.

TOO FUNNY!  You clearly don't know much of anything out side of the US. Every country in the " First World" except the U.S.of A has health care coverage for their citizens!!! So please enlighten me to the downsides of free health care.

Got to go along with Stinqu on this one. at 68, with a couple of kids, and likely both parents gone. He would have first hand knowledge of how a government healthcare system works.

[Viva La Vega]

Got gringoed! First time I have experienced this here. We were heading for a bar and it turned out it was only open weekends. Across the strett was a stately old mansion that was now a private restaurant, Paris something across from John Lennon park. They led us to the 2nd floor terrace.

We have a couple of vodkas and a bottle of soda and the bill came in dollars, $5 each for the Vodka, $3 for the soda plus 10% tip (normal) $14.30. I tell her we only have pesos so she does the conversion and it just seemed like a lot. But whatever, not gonna kill us.

On the way out I look at the menu for the restaurant downstairs which is in pesos. At 260:1,  $1.10 for vodka and $.85 for soda... Normal.

$15 bucks for a couple of drinks is not gonna kill us, but I went back and showed the bartender and waitress the menu and asked what was up. They said this was the downstairs menu and showed me a menu in english and in dollars for the upstairs. Not a chance the locals are paying that. Fine... It was nice, I won't go back. Thank god my Cuban pal was not with us, he would have gone full Karen on them.

@sandnyc, sorry i really don't know about how the MLC functions, and at this point, I am not even sure what the official bank rate is for exchange as this place did the exchange from dollars to peso at 1:260

[Viva La Vega]

And.... That was that.

Went to visit the guy who lives in Havana part of the year as he had some paintings he wanted to show me. Man... Old Havana, old building, you could not pay me to live down there. Yes, you are a five minute walk to some pretty cool spots but I will stick to the burbs thank you.

Went to a great restaurant the last night and based on the Paris Cafe when we were given the menus in English and USD i asked for the Spanish and NM peso menu. Really big diff. If anyone hands you an menu in english just hand it back and ask for the Spanish one. I was a little surprised by what I ordered but it was awesome!

Added a couple of very pretty new chicas to the roster and aged one out. There are pretty girls everywhere. Restaurant staff I am sure get hit on constantly buy I did get a number of a stunning girl. Passed one girl who was walking on the road that would have turned heads in Paris during fashion week. I stuck to the neighbourhood and did not venture too far, or more importantly too late. I did hear places like Fabrica de Arts, Casa De Musica, Mio y Tuyo, Essensia, are still lots of fun. Worth checking also are the spots mentioned earlier in the thread.

Stayed a full week this trip, but a weekend would do it. Gonna plan for June and likely October.

[Sangnyc21]

Where is considered the burbs? I’ll be staying in Vedado in La Habana. Is that considered burbs?

[PMIdump]

Great report. It's sad what has happened to Cuba. It could be paradise and the people could have a much better life if their government allowed it.

[crazy_canuck]

Great report. It's sad what has happened to Cuba. It could be paradise and the people could have a much better life if their government the US government allowed it.

I corrected

[Viva La Vega]

Where is considered the burbs? I’ll be staying in Vedado in La Habana. Is that considered burbs?

That my hood! I stay close to the Hotel Melia Cohiba which is the corner of Paseo and the Malecon. Breakfast is usually the Hotel Presidente, 5-10 minute walk away, and the Hotel Nacional and Havana Libre 20 minutes more from there. Pretty girls hang out in the evening near the Aston which is very close to the Cohiba.

Sunday night was at 19 y Paseo, 10 minute walk, its probably a 20 minute walk to Fabrica de Artes. Restaurants on Paseo across from Cohiba are good, as well as the ones close to the Aston.

A taxi in the area, I don't haggle and offer $10 (in pesos) for something in the area like from Nacional to Cohiba. A taxi to or from Old Havana or out to Playa/Miramar where a lot of the clubs are I would offer $15. Cheapest is Coco Taxi, then private 70's Lada, then Yellow (kinda gov.) taxi, most expensive (at least double) is a 50's American car.... But you have to ride the Malecon in a big old convertible, it's required!

[alexis]

Great report. It's sad what has happened to Cuba. It could be paradise and the people could have a much better life if their government the US government allowed it.

I corrected

You did not

[Viva La Vega]

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/remarks-president-obama-people-Cuba

Take some time to read this.

[Viva La Vega]

https://uy.usembassy.gov/remarks-president-trump-policy-united-states-towards-cuba/

And if you can stomach it this...

[Viva La Vega]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl4mufYW1Yo

Or just have a look at what it was pre-Trump, when the Stones played, Obama visited, Dior shows....

[Viva La Vega]

Great report. It's sad what has happened to Cuba. It could be paradise and the people could have a much better life if their government the US government allowed it.

I corrected

You did not

Yes... Yes he did.

[uth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl4mufYW1Yo

Or just have a look at what it was pre-Trump, when the Stones played, Obama visited, Dior shows....

And Cuba was still an oppressive backwards government that kept their people in poverty and oppression