Used my own toothbrush unfortunately :(

The hurricane has definitely impacted Cuba especially since some buildings are very old but I would say a lot of stores are still open. Many Cubans operate stores directly from their house so it’s literally common to see things sold from the side of the street.

1. Not of Cuba but seeing the country in such a dire state just makes me hate the US more.

2. Cuba has been able to do so much with little resources but having the blockade in place is taking a toll on it.

3. Honestly, it’s eating at Coppelia. The ice cream is just so good! Too bad there’s no Coppelia in the US.

4. Bring lots and lots of medicine, toilet paper, or anything really you would have in a bathroom. The average Cuban pretty much needs foreign money to get them.

5. A bunch of books about Che, Fidel, and Raul. Also a statue of Che.

6. Yes. Really is not hard to visit Cuba in any way. There are other Americans here too. The only thing you’ll have to deal with as an American is filling out an affidavit that you’re not visiting Cuba for tourist purposes but under a general category (which “Various Supports for the Cuban People” will satisfy most reasons).

Been coping it by enjoying some coppelia here and there as well as giving a middle finger to Amerikkka.

Can access pretty much any western media including CNN even the Spanish versions of them so not really any censorship in that regard and just tried accessing radio free Europe which works too. But yes, internet infrastructure in Cuba is still developing but almost every Cuban I’ve met has a phone and like to use WhatsApp.

(EDIT: important to add that there’s a lot of websites that don’t work not because of Cuban censorship but because of the blockade that prevents websites from operating here)

Most Cubans generally treat westerners well and recognize that most of us are just people like them. That said, westerners that just spend time only in Varadero staying in their privileged resorts does give us a bad rep with the Cuban people especially when they act out of touch with what local Cubans go through. It goes without saying that we have so many privileges that local Cubans don’t have since they been subjected to the imperialist blockade for years so it’s always good to be always as respectful as you can especially of the local customs (of course don’t be afraid to ask anything if you are in doubt about something, many Cubans are helpful and do their best to accommodate you).

Very friendly. Super easy to ask help for anything. Never really drank at bars but I have visited them. They are generally okay but feel like it’s either filled with rich people or tourists. The beaches in Havana are pretty amazing especially the view from Malecon.

1. Yes! There was just so many things to do in Cuba that really is endless. However, I do want to emphasize and make it clear that as someone who is traveling from a western country, I’m already having a lot of privileges that many of the locals don’t have as the average Cuban salary is much lower and there are commodities and things that most Cubans can’t afford but foreigners can afford. So what I experienced in my stay is definitely not reflective of a local Cuban’s life.

2. Nope! I’ve barely seen any homeless person out night and might of potentially seen at most 1 or 2 people. This is also pretty city dependent, everyone in Havana and Santa Clara seem to be doing well. Can’t really say the same about Santiago de Cuba.

3. I really enjoyed the food in Havana especially the food at Chinatown. Not much food choices in Santa Clara and Santiago since both are smaller cities but the food there was really good.

4. I can’t overstate how hospitable and nice Cubans are. Casa particular Hosts look out for each other and if one of them is full for lodging, they will arrange to get you housed at another casa. Taxi drivers often just straight up ask people on the streets for directions which most people give happily without them ignoring the driver. That said watch out for the jineteros

5. People seem to be managing fine and making the most that they can. But the Pandemic really fucked up Cuba and especially with the inhumane blockade by the US, you pretty much need to have access to currency to foreign currency (also known as MLC) such as USD or EUR (in the form of a credit card too, no hard cash accepted) to buy stuff like Shampoo, medicine, or toilet paper as pesos aren’t accepted in those stores. I learned this the hard way as US credit cards aren’t accepted here. It’s why many Cubans get really happy when you gift them some medication even if it’s not much. One of the hosts I stayed with injured their leg and they could really only do so much to heal it since there’s very little they could do. So they were happy with some of the bandages I gave them. But seeing Cubans in this dire state really does make me sad and while I can only do so much like bringing a suitcase full of meds to help out people, that’s only a drop into the bucket when a lot of this could be stopped by removing the blockade by the US.

It’s sorta been a long dream of mine to visit Cuba especially since I was curious to see how it’s been able to operate under the blockade. Having studied a good amount of Cuban history as well, I wanted to see some of the monuments and memorials in Cuba and decided to come here to see those as well as interact with the Cuban people. I am an American but it’s not hard to visit Cuba as an American besides filling out a scary OFAC affidavit before your flight stating that you’re not traveling to Cuba for tourist purposes but under a general category (most Americans circle Support for the Cuban People since that encompasses many things). Much easier compared to the 2000s where you pretty much couldn’t go to Cuba at all and as a result need to fly to 3rd country and make sure your passport wasn’t stamped. Now there’s direct flights from US to Cuba.

If he saw anyone smoking I will QUIT being a communist

A lot. Smoking is very common in Cuba and is pretty much a pastime for many to be smoking a cigarette.

Will need to get some. Thanks!

You would need to ask the locals that.

It’s dropped a bit because the pandemic really hit the Cuban economy hard and combine that with the blockade, it’s somewhat desperate times for Cubans especially when Cubans would do so much for foreign money.

Sadly no. Must be invisible.

In general, I’ve found people to be content with their daily lives but at the same time it’s still pretty dire since they don’t have access to medication because of the embargo as you need foreign currency to buy at the government stores. I’ve definitely seen a good amount of locals active within the party. It’s important to note that Cubans aren’t a monolith when it comes to political opinions. Most are pretty supportive of the government but do give criticism where it’s necessary such as regarding the bureaucracy or the existence of MLC stores. A very few have a pretty negative opinion of the government mostly due to the dire situation they are in and believe the government is full of elites that are just sucking off money from government owned hotels.

So I went solo and did almost a lot of booking beforehand such as airbnb for my casa particular and getting my SIM card/viazul bus tickets booked in advance in the US. However, there’s a lot that’s going on in Cuba that honestly it’s probably best to go with someone knows Spanish very well (unless you know a lot of Spanish yourself). I was a pretty clueless traveler so there were certain things I didn’t understand in Cuba and combine that with my broken Spanish. Can be hard to go through some of the bureaucratic stuff. But that said I don’t regret going solo.

It’s good to know some level of Spanish because most Cubans except like jineteros only speak Spanish.

Cuba is really really safe and I would even argue it’s safer than US. But petty theft is sometimes a problem. Of course be aware of any jineteros that try to offer you things such as prostitution. Overcharging is pretty common if you’re a tourist but personally I don’t mind paying a little extra especially since it’s dire times for Cubans.

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those are in Miami, unless you mean like, literal earth worms :meat:

Not really. I mean I met Cubans that live in Florida but visiting home though I wouldn’t call them gusanos since many of them just want a better quality of life but don’t really blame the government. I would say the closest thing I’ve met to a Gusano are westerners that are living in Cuba for years since some of them just straight up went on a speech about how the Cuban government makes so much money from hotels and such but pay their workers very little and that the government is starving the locals by hoarding the food for themselves (because the officials are apparently fatter). Also heard from them that it’s impossible for locals to protest their living conditions because they get sent to prison or killed.