Cuba in a month today! Any tips?...

[cj121]

Bloody 'ell, welcome back Bryan. Not checked this post as I though you were still away. Hope it went swimmingly mate?

A vibrator under the seat? Maybe it was an albino Torpedo

Looking forward to your tales mate.

ATB

CJ

[Robusto]

Well I'm not sure how much feedback you guys want. After all, many of you are Cuba veterans, and I might lob in opinions that you disagree with.

I liked...

...that we decided to stay in two very good standard hotels in Havana - the Parque Central with its godsend of a swimming pool, and the less comfortable Telegrafo - and that we experienced a complete contrast by staying in a pretty basic but very friendly homestay in Trinidad with a lovely family. All four of us rated that lodging contrast as one of the best decisions we made before going.

I didn't like...

...feeling intimidated on some of the streets in Havana and Trinidad. I had no idea there would be as many men approaching with "You want to try a good cigar?". "You want to try good cannabis?". Once for dope. SCORES of times for cigars, with boxes of Cohibas LMFAO being flashed across the street 'in secret' from down dark passageways. No doubt oxen shit. Very funny.

I didn't walk round smoking very much. I was simply approached as a pale-skinned podgy European, usually in a Stetson. Easy target, really.

I was very successfully 'scammed' twice for milk from supermarkets. "You buy milk for my baby? I have sick baby" etc etc. Most scams started off very friendlily. One was clever. A guy struck up a friendship as I waited outside a photographic shop in his broken Spanish. He told me how great the Cuban health service is, and asked if Mrs Thatcher was still our leader. We split as I and the family walked on down the street. As I was crossing at a busy intersection, this guy slipped two (dreadful-looking) cigars into my top pocket. In the traffic, I shouted you didn't need to do that, sort of thing. I said to my boys we haven't seen the end of this. 50 metres later the guy was at my side. "You buy me milk...". I caved in, went into a supermarket and he asked for three litre boxes of fresh milk. I paid 7 Peros or so, but really didn't care by then. This was one of the funniest street scenes I'd ever gone through. After about three days of approaches, I learnt not to make eye contact and not to give a damn about the hands out and stories. I felt like a Brit shit in India, but what else to do?...

I am a big experienced boy, but this malarkey I didn't like at all. I felt very protective about my wife and two sons - but none of the four of us is super soppy or super touchy. I do think some people would be really shocked by this aspect of Cuban street life, so it's worth knowing the lie of the land on the hassle score. There were some Parisians in the lifts at the Parque Central. You know how good those women look in cashmere sweaters, with their kids in head to toe BABAR the Elephant clothes. I thought they would be rich pickings when the hotel door slid open. Believe me, the hassle started as quickly as that.

The funniest thing in the street scam for the three litres of milk was when my self-effacing wife held out a drug rep biro from her hospital as a sort of ... expresses it politely... "Please go away" gesture. The man was completely baffled at this, and eventually accepted it. Fabulous. My underwear is in moisture danger when I run that bit back in my mind and I'll never forget it.

More pro's and con's tomorrow if you can bear it.

To reassure: The pro's far outweigh the con's.

[nicwing]

Oh yeh more more more Bryan, great down home stuff, real great insight. Love it.

[cohibaIV]

More, More, More, and MORE....

Loving your insights mate....

[TJCoro]

Snake Eyes!

Muchachos, next time you visit Cuba, try showing 'em the back of your hand as they approach and keep moving with confidence....they'll leave you alone, guaranteed!

Works for me, anyway. .

BJ, BJCoro


Is this what you mean, BJ ?



I just give 'em the "stink eye!"




I just show 'em me balls....they seem to like that!

[ACMCC]

Very interesting Bryan, more info please m8, this is just the sort of thing I'd like to know, I'm thinking of going for the first time with the wife and one of her mate's (both would be very easy pickings for scams...) I can see how the constant hassle would make you feel very protective, looking forward to your next update...

[Robusto]

Some more, then...

MONEY

Thanks to Craig and others earlier in the thread, we had no problems at all.

We took stacks of Sterling and were able to change a bit at the airport immediately. We changed the rest of the cash at the Exchange in the Parque Central Hotel. Note - Very long opening hours.

We took some more money out on NatWest and A&L credit cards and had to pay about 11% on each transaction.

We saw one set of ATMs when we were out and about in Havana but found it much more convenient to use the hotel facilities. It might have been cheaper somewhere else but we were sorted in our own way.

I used my NatWest card at the Partagas factory to stock up on great ones - then got a second cigar-buying urge at the casa in our hotel. Both times the cashiers pointed out that it would be 11% on top of the normal transaction. That still came to a great deal on top cigar purchases!

So... Plenty of cash and a credit card. And I did phone in advance to tell NatWest that I was off to Cuba.

I'll tell you if I've been hugely conned when I check my statements online.


THE CIGARS. THE SMOKING.

What can I say?...

I have to be frank.

It was fucking marvellous to be able to smoke a cigar wherever I wanted to and whenever I wanted to without some idiot going off on a Health and Safety lung-protecting wanking arm flap to the nostrils, or a big gay "My Precious Health - You Will Die" speech.

My wife and two boys (17, 22) were absolutely fascinated by the Partagas Factory and the rollers and, indeed, the whole cigar-making process. So much so that later after our visit, I sat them down in a hotel lobby and taught them how to enjoy a good cigar. We toked on a phat one as a foursome.

The bars and restaurants had smoking and non-smoking areas. Admittedly Cuba is open to the outside climate more than the UK, but NOBODY MADE A FUSS.

Interestingly, Cubans cannot smoke the Havanas we enjoy. I quote the guide in the factory because I asked him about it. He said the sticks are for export only, and that a good cigar would cost the average Cuban worker a month's salary to buy.

I have to say I was a bit shocked, even guilt-ridden, at this - and I made sure I did not smoke a good banded one out and about in the streets. I just thought I would get milked more (see above). I saw some Cuban men working cigars, but not many. It's more a cigarette smoker's place, I felt. Would be interested in what other visitors feel about that.

I did, however GO LARGE for the duration. I am a Robusto man, but I enjoyed, amongst others, single Sublimes, Gigantes (my first ones ever!), Lusitanias, some Romeo and Juliet phallic tower block thing... I can see the fantastic attraction of monster sticks because it is like smoking about five different types of cigars in one go.

I must say the Sublimes is a wonderful, wonderful cigar... I adore it.

I took out to Cuba two D4s in a small leather pocket case and got something like a weird sexual thrill when the Partagas tour took us to the box-filling bench. I had brought my D4 back 5,000 miles to be near its little cousins lined up on the workbench. It was cigar coitus in a bright red ring - and I've kept that a secret from anyone until this very typing. (I am thrilled by things like that. So sorry).

To puff a large one in front of salsa bands, in comfortable hotel lobbies until the wee small hours, on an open train up into the mountains above Trinidad, by the hotel pool, in the bars and clubs... This is greatly what my trip was about.

I've written on here in the past how much I miss not being able to enjoy a cigar in a pub. I used to do that in the Summer on my way home from work. Break the journey. Relax.

Well... The Cubans can still do that, and nobody is screaming.

[Big_T_UK]

But what did you.....BRING BACK WITH YOU? LOL

T.

[Lee Nub]

Sounds like a truly wonderfull experience, I need to work on the wife now to go

[nicwing]

Wonderful Bryan, great prose man. I feel like I was there.

If it's OK with you I am going to cut and paste your stuff and give it to our dentist who is off to Cuba in a couple of weeks. I expect that will be worth a free clean!!

Looking forward to hearing about Trinidad and the differences between Havana and the country.
N

[Ryan]

Great info Robusto, thanks for sharing that. How do you rate the Parque Central? I'm spending 10 days myself there in February.
Does the casa in the hotel have a decent selection?
Did you pick up any custom roll cigars on your travels around the shops/factories?

[Drewmidorn]

Cigar wise it sounds like you've had an awesome time.... and what else matters? lol

[ACMCC]

Great info Bryan, thanks.

How did you get on with the food? I've heard it's not too good, I bet the music was great!. Did you feel that the street life was mostly scams? or did you get the feeling that you could be robbed? I guess you had 4 allowances for smoke's to bring back.... what did you pick? all and any info... great, when it comes back to you and you get time..Cheers

[Stevieboy]

It was cigar coitus in a bright red ring

You can get Preparation H for that mate.....

[Stevieboy]

Good to hear your tales Bryan....lucky bastich