"Cuba Libre is an Oxymoron!" Cuba by jadedmuse

Cuba Travel Guide: 5,242 reviews and 12,831 photos

They got it all wrong, I tell you! - Cuba

Fabled Land of Jose Marti...and Fidel Castro

Unlike the rash of celebrities that have been flocking to Cuba recently to brown-nose with Castro and soak up the bountiful Caribbean sunshine, I went there strictly out of curiosity.... to see if it's really as bad -- and as beautiful -- as my Cuban friends go on and on about.

I figured it was just one of those deals that the beloved exiled Cuban poet Jose Marti best noted, "The beaches of one's native land are never as beautiful as when one says goodbye to them..."

Well, the entire 2 week trip (during which a friend and I rented a car and traveled all around the island) was a real eye-opener. And what I discovered was that no, things weren't as bad as my Cuban friends purported them to be....they were WORSE!

The following travelogues unfortunately will not do my trip justice...how can you capture in a photograph, what it is to flee from one town to the next, in search of food (and coffee!)? How can you communicate the desperation of what it is to live in a country that sends medical supplies and doctors to Honduras, yet allows its own hospitals to rot in any town that is not Havana or Santiago? How can you convey the muted spirit of a people who are constantly looking over their shoulder for fear that an "informant" may allege an insurrectionist activity on their part - just because they are giving you directions to the nearest crappy communist motel?

Please don't let any of your European friends tell you about how great Cuba is. They are only buying into (literally) the pre-fabricated, all-inclusive, foreign-invested resorts that are run exclusively for tourists (Cubans aren't allowed to patronize these places). What they don't know is that somewhere outside of their fancy Novotel or Melia beach resort, is some Cuban accountant who is just dying to switch places with the bellman, because what that bellman makes in tips in a single weekend is probably ten times more than what this educated accountant can expect to make in a month. Not that this is an issue any longer - Castro has things so strictly regulated that nobody outside of one's own town, can move to another town now. This was enacted to stop the exodus of educated people (the ones still left in Cuba) from leaving their towns and their jobs, just to become bellmen and bartenders in the foreign-funded resorts from which Castro (but not the Cubans) shares in the profits.

But I'm getting ahead of things.

So before you head over to Cuba to soak up the sun and bask in the wake of Hemingway's excesses, please consult with any Cuban who is currently NOT living in Cuba these days. He or she will be (literally) free to give you the true story on the real 21st century Cuba.

Or....you can check out my travelogues and comments.

Buen Viaje.

Pros and Cons

Pros:The Cuban People.
Cons:Fidel Castro.
In a nutshell:Hasta que no se le dice adios a Castro, Cuba no es libre!

Last visit to Cuba: Sep 1999
Intro Updated Jan 16, 2004
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Reviews (10)

Cemetery Santa Ifigenia Things to Do (6)

I mentioned this as one of the activities to do while visiting Santiago. I happen to like cemeteries, so it was... more travel advice

Santiago Things to Do (6)

Havana may be Cuba's cultural hub, but Santiago is its historical center. Birthplace of Castro's revolution, Santiago is... more travel advice

El Floridita - home of the Frozen Daquiri - Cuba

El Floridita - home of the Frozen... Things to Do (6)

It's usually pretty hot in Cuba, so it doesn't take much to conjure up the image of a delicious, frozen... more travel advice

Cigars, Anyone? Things to Do (6)

Alright - buying a box of cigars in Cuba is still cheaper than buying them anywhere else in the world....but not by... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (3)
See All U.S. Credit Cards Need Not Apply!

Restaurants (1)
Best "Mojito" and Black Beans and Rice...

Travelogues (3)

1 - 3 of 3

Comments (34)

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88Starflite Dec 24, 2008 at 9:03 AM

"they were WORSE!" I made a friend while in Crete, she was from the formmer East German Republic, and she said things were terrible under the cummunist rule. They often had little or no food, stores were nearly always empty!
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mannymiami Apr 8, 2008 at 12:04 PM

Thank You for writting about the reality of what you saw in Cuba. Reading your arfticle brought back to me those hunger pains that I had while visiting Cuba.
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Neilzonwheelz Dec 8, 2006 at 1:51 AM

Your expressions of Cuba are exactly how I felt in 2000. My expectations of Castro's Cuba were destroyed 4ever. Nice to see u saw it as I did. Nice travel pages all through, congrats.
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Homanded Aug 28, 2006 at 5:18 AM

Your pages are so revealing, am glad therer are people like us who at least try to open eyes to those who only see it through a tourists eyes. You obviously went beyond the comfort zone!
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Hesus Jul 14, 2006 at 5:47 PM

Thank you for letting travelers here know, before they pack their luggage and fill their pockets with hard currency to support Castro's regimen.
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pepples46 Feb 24, 2006 at 12:08 PM

wow, I knew you had a good head on your shoulders.
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aaaarrgh Jan 6, 2006 at 4:01 PM

Definitely all your tips should be 5-star, Michele. Thought-provoking, intelligent page. Mind you, the only Cuban I know is a BIG Castro fan!
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AKtravelers Oct 1, 2005 at 7:58 AM

You make Cuba sound both fascinating and irritating. Both make for great stories, and you've accumulated several here. Great page!
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travelgirl3 Jan 3, 2005 at 11:58 AM

WOW!! Really excellent Cuba page! Your level of detail is amazing! I enjoyed your photos too. Thanks for sharing
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jstylez1003 Oct 18, 2004 at 4:00 AM

Still waiting for the Jefe to pass on huh? Goodluck, he outlived SUPERMAN and how many US presidents now? 1999 - ?